Huo Duan suddenly stopped... Fragrant soap is something similar to scented soap, while bath beans were used by ancient people for bathing.
Gu Fengyan is usually very clean and takes a shower and washes his hair every day, no matter how late it is. He would definitely like these things!
Huo Duan spent all 150 coins on a piece of snow-white, plum-scented soap and a box of bath beans.
The shopkeeper was a young man, and upon hearing that he was giving the gifts to his husband, he carefully wrapped them in snow-patterned paper. Holding the two items, Huo Duan finally boarded an oxcart and returned to Heqing Village, feeling somewhat uneasy… This was the first time he had given someone such ordinary gifts; what if Gu Fengyan didn't like them?
When they got home, they found that Gu Fengyan had not returned yet. They asked Huo Adie and found out that he was still in the mountains.
The sun is getting stronger, and there are many snakes, insects, and rodents. What if we frighten Gu Fengyan?
He paced anxiously in the courtyard, irritating Father Huo, who scolded him with a dark face, "If you're worried, go and bring him back! Don't keep pacing around like this and giving me a headache! He's your husband, if you don't protect him, who will?!"
"Father is right," Huo Duan said with a smile.
I quickly packed my things and headed into the mountains.
Gu Fengyan and Jiang Xuerui found some more medicinal herbs in the forest, such as creeping sedum, licorice, and sea gold sand, and picked them all up and packed them away.
Thinking of having Jiang Xuerui stay for lunch, Gu Fengyan found some wild vegetables and picked them, planning to add a dish to the lunch menu.
As the sun grew stronger, the two men carried their baskets, which were now full, back home.
On the way, they ran into Aunt Zhang from last time and a few unfamiliar older women. Gu Fengyan and Jiang Xuerui greeted them obediently.
“Isn’t this creeping sedum and patchouli… Did Yan’er go to gather herbs?” Aunt Zhang looked at the clusters of green in the two’s baskets and recognized them clearly. “Did Rui’er go with them too? I knew you two were about the same age and had something to talk about. Be careful in this strong sun.”
Gu Fengyan was quite surprised to see that she could identify the medicinal herbs. He didn't hide anything and said, "It's the off-season for farming, and I had nothing to do at home. I happened to have made an appointment with the county's Apricot Grove Academy to purchase medicinal herbs a few days ago, so I thought I would take advantage of my free time to pick some. Rui Ge'er also helped me. I'm so grateful to him."
He didn't mention the contract, not because he didn't trust Zhang A's wife, but because he was afraid that someone with ulterior motives would overhear it. After all, his business deal with Huo Duan had just begun and couldn't be taken lightly.
"That's great! Don't forget your sister-in-law when you make money." Aunt Zhang didn't take it seriously.
“Sister-in-law, you are a kind person. Duan Ge and I will definitely remember you…” Gu Fengyan smiled. “However, I never knew you could recognize medicinal herbs before.”
Aunt Zhang was even happier. "Hey, you haven't been married here long, so you don't know. We all know some of the people from Heqing Village."
Gu Fengyan nodded... An idea was brewing in his mind.
“I haven’t seen Rui-ge for a long time… Xiao Zhuo went to work in the county again?” As the group walked down the mountain, Zhang A-sao chatted with Jiang Xue-rui.
Jiang Xuerui smiled shyly, "Yes, this time it will probably be a few days..."
Gu Fengyan, who was at the back, listened to the two chatting. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of someone flashing through the bushes not far away, but he couldn't see clearly.
They mistook it for a bird and forgot about it.
...
Behind the bushes, Liu Laosan slumped to the ground, large beads of sweat streaming down his forehead.
That was close!
They were almost seen by that devilish Gu Fengyan.
He had come to the mountain to gather firewood, but unexpectedly ran into him, so he had no choice but to hide.
My hands are still so weak, if I get beaten up again, they'll be completely useless!
Liu Laosan felt a wave of fear and it took him a long time to recover. But then he remembered the boy who was with Gu Fengyan. He seemed to be the husband of Shen Zhuo, the only household on the other side of the river. Although he wasn't as alluring as Gu Fengyan, his flushed face was still irresistible.
Hiding behind the tree, he heard the entire conversation.
Shen Zhuo isn't home... Does that mean that boy will be all alone at night?
Huo Duan came up the slope under the blazing sun, and only saw Gu Fengyan when he was almost at the edge of the woods.
“Yan-ge’er, isn’t that Erdan?” Zhang A-sao, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot Huo Duan and pointed him out to Gu Fengyan.
As the person drew closer, it turned out to be Huo Duan.
Huo Duan walked up to Gu Fengyan and first respectfully greeted the several older women.
Aunt Zhang nodded with a smile, "Here to pick up your husband?"
"After waiting for a while and seeing that he hadn't returned, and with the sun so bright, my father called me to come and see what was going on." Huo Duan didn't say that it was his own worry, and casually emptied the contents of Gu Fengyan's basket into the one he had brought.
It was packed full; it's a wonder Gu Fengyan could carry it all.
If the medicinal herb business grows bigger and bigger, then we'll have to hire people to go up the mountain to collect them. We can't just leave all the work to Gu Fengyan, a guy.
Gu Fengyan assumed that Huo Adie had sent him, so he didn't say anything and took some of Jiang Xuerui's medicinal herbs in his basket.
When they arrived home, Huo's father was preparing lunch. Gu Fengyan washed his hands and took over the cooking.
Jiang Xuerui felt awkward around Huo Adie and had to avoid Huo Duan, so she went to the kitchen to help out, washing and preparing vegetables and tending the fire.
The meal was simple and was ready in less than half an hour.
After everyone ate, they began to clean up the medicinal herbs they had gathered. Gu Fengyan was mainly responsible for processing them, while the others washed, sliced, and cut them into sections... They were busy until the afternoon before they finished cleaning up.
All the medicinal herbs were neatly packed in winnowing baskets and placed on racks to dry in the sun...
As the sun set and dusk approached, Jiang Xuerui saw that Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan were both busy, so she simply said goodbye to Huo's father and went back.
By the time Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan finished up, it was already completely dark.
In the courtyard, Huo A's father was tidying up the stools and bringing them into the house. Gu Fengyan fetched water and told Huo Duan to wash his hands, only to realize that he hadn't paid Jiang Xuerui's wages yet.
"By the way, Father, where is Rui-ge? Did he go back?" he asked, wiping his hands. "I haven't paid him for today's wages yet, why did he leave?"
Father Huo didn't know that Gu Fengyan had agreed to pay wages. "I was wondering why you rushed back so hastily. Turns out you were afraid you'd pay him... This is my fault."
"It was my fault for not telling Father. Duan and I will make another trip... I had a bit of a cough this morning, so I'll ask Rui for some loquat syrup while we're at it." Gu Fengyan smiled and went inside to get the money.
Hearing that he had a cough, Huo Duan followed him into the house. "Young Master Gu has a cold? Is it serious?"
He had said long ago that even a cold or fever could be a matter of life and death in this world, and that he should have been more careful with Gu Fengyan... He felt a little regretful.
Gu Fengyan took out ten coins from the drawer. "He just coughed a few times, it's not that serious, Mr. Huo, don't worry."
He smiled and weighed the coins in his hand, making a clinking sound. "I'll have to trouble Mr. Huo to come with me. It's so dark, I'm scared."
"Oh, right..." Huo Duancai remembered what he had bought for Gu Fengyan, his eyes darting around, "Last time I went to work with my cousin, I earned some wages, and I saw some things today so I bought them for you. I don't know if Young Master Gu will like them..."
As he spoke, he took out the scented soap and bath beans wrapped in snow-patterned paper and handed them to Gu Fengyan.
"This is..." Gu Fengyan's hand holding the coins paused in mid-air. He smiled and said, "President Huo is even buying things for his husband now... You must have spent a lot of money, right?"
The paper was opened, and a cool fragrance wafted out. It contained a scented soap, which was white and delicate... There was also a box of bath beans.
Huo Duan said embarrassedly, "Don't talk nonsense. I'm just thanking you for helping me complete the mission, that's all..."
“Yes, no, I know. Whatever Mr. Huo says is right,” Gu Fengyan picked it up, smelled it, and looked up with a smile. “I like it very much. Thank you, Mr. Huo, you’ve gone to so much trouble.”
Huo Duanqiang suppressed his elation and pretended to be nonchalant. "This, this is nothing. Money can be earned back... Open your mouth, and I'll give you something else."
"What?" Gu Fengyan asked, puzzled, as he put the things away.
"Just open your mouth."
Gu Fengyan did as he was told, and Huo Duan stuffed something into his mouth.
"Hmm... sugar?" He tasted it; it was sweet.
"I went to see Xiaobao and bought some pine nut candy. I saved a piece for you." Huo Duan was happy to see that he liked it.
"Xiao Bao knows he should cry now." Gu Fengyan doesn't like candy; he finds this candy too sweet, making his heart feel sticky and greasy. "President Huo, aren't you going to eat any?"
"Why would a grown man like me eat candy?" Huo Duan said dismissively, reaching into the wardrobe to grab a thick coat and handing it to Gu Fengyan. "It's windy at night, wear something warm."
Gu Fengyan finished dressing and said with a smile, "Let's go, it's getting late and Rui-ge should be sleeping."
Huo Duan followed behind Gu Fengyan and reached into his pocket for the snow-patterned paper.
Actually, he had another piece, but he wanted to give it to Gu Fengyan tomorrow.
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter Fifteen
On the other side of the river, the lights in the Shen family's house were still on.
Shen Zhuo wasn't home, so Jiang Xuerui went back inside and brought in the things drying in the yard. She closed the door early and was embroidering patterns by the window.
When the Shen family divided their property, the eldest son occupied the old courtyard. Now, he and Shen Zhuo live in an empty house in the village, on the edge of the village, backed by the mountain. It is especially quiet at night, with only the rustling of the woods behind the house and the barking of a dog in the distance.
It's terrifying.
Jiang Xuerui thought for a moment, put away the flower pattern, and planned to turn off the light and go to sleep early.
But then, outside the window, several bundles of firewood were snapped, the soft cracking sounds particularly noticeable in the silence.
The firewood was bundled up against the wall, and if someone stood on it, they could vaguely see into the house.
Jiang Xuerui immediately became alert and picked up the scissors from the sewing basket. "Who...who's outside?"
Everything fell silent. If Jiang Xuerui hadn't become even more sensitive to the sound of breathing due to extreme fear, he would have almost believed it was his imagination.
"If you don't make a sound, I'm going to smash something!" He stared warily at the window.
"No, no, it's me..." The man outside was terrified when he heard that he was going to hit someone, and immediately responded, "Liu Quangui from the west end of the village, I'm checking if Brother Shen is home. I'd like to ask him to help me with some work tomorrow."
Liu Quangui?
Jiang Xuerui thought for a moment before realizing that Liu Quangui was Liu Laosan.
But the Shen family and his family had never had any relationship... Moreover, this person had always had a bad reputation in the village, so how could he, a mere young man, easily let someone into his house?
"So it's Prince Liu. Shen Zhuo has already gone to sleep. Please come back another day during the day." Jiang Xuerui put down the scissors. "I'm going to sleep too."
Outside, Liu Quangui chuckled a few times, "Brother Shen, didn't you go to work in the county? Rui-ge'er is just kidding me."
Jiang Xuerui was taken aback... How did he know Shen Zhuo wasn't there?
The scissors that had been put down were picked up again. "How did you know Shen Zhuo wasn't here? What are you trying to do?"
“What can I do?” Liu Quangui had already reached the door. “Rui-ge’er must be scared all by himself. Why don’t you open the door and let your brother talk to you…”
Jiang Xuerui felt a chill run down her spine and finally understood his intentions.
"If you don't leave, I'm going to call for help!" He gripped the scissors tightly in one hand and held the door firmly with the other.