With a little more saving, I'll have enough capital to start a business.
That evening, Huo Duantou put on a non-irritating undergarment, and Gu Fengyan applied some simple ointment made from herbs gathered from the mountains. It was cool and made him feel comfortable all over.
"How do you even recognize herbs? Did you used to work with these?" Huo Duan asked casually as he finished dressing and waited for Gu Fengyan to wash her hands with a basin of water.
"More or less," Gu Fengyan said, his snow-white fingers soaking in the water, the dark green color spreading out. "There are plenty of medicinal herbs in the village. What good is it if I know them? I only know the simple processing methods. I'm completely clueless about anything slightly more difficult."
The processing of Chinese herbal medicines is a science; even a slight mistake can lead to the loss of medicinal efficacy, or even failure to remove toxicity, which can be fatal.
Huo Duan handed him a handkerchief to wipe his hands. "You know how to prepare the medicines from Doctor Liang at the village entrance. He gathers almost all the medicinal herbs himself from the mountains... Are you thinking of starting a medicinal herb business?"
Knowing that the county pharmacies were short of medicinal herbs and that the villagers were ignoring them, this presented an opportunity for them.
“Mr. Huo guessed right,” Gu Fengyan wiped his hands clean. “However, we need to have a certain financial foundation before we can do this business with Dr. Liang. Let’s work hard.”
Huo Duan understood Gu Fengyan's meaning. Doctor Liang's annual income was no less than ten taels of silver. How could he be managed without some capital?
“That makes sense,” Huo Duan said thoughtfully. “We need to buy new things for the house, and we still owe ten taels of silver. These are all places where we need money…”
He winked and smiled at Gu Fengyan, "However, sleep is the most important thing in the world. I think it's getting late, so you should get some rest, Mr. Huo. Money can be earned with a little effort; after all, we're people with business acumen!"
Gu Fengyan readily agreed, tossing the handkerchief to Huo Duan. She tilted her head, moved her arms, and cracked them open. "Oh dear, I'm really tired today. Mr. Huo, could you help me make the bed?"
He smiled like a squinting fox, very sweetly.
"So you're treating me like a maid?" Huo Duan joked.
He didn't stop for a moment, diligently spreading out the quilt, telling Gu Fengyan to go to sleep first, then carrying a wooden basin to pour water, and only turning off the light when he returned.
That night, dressed in comfortable undergarments, with a warm blanket, I slept soundly.
...
Father Huo had entrusted all the household affairs to the couple with peace of mind, so he dared not oversleep and got up as soon as it was light.
There are still plans for today. The corn and wheat planted in the fields have almost all sprouted and need to be loosened. Gu Fengyan also plans to harvest another batch of bamboo shoots from the back mountain.
Early in the morning, after having breakfast, the two went up the hill. Huo Duan went down to loosen the soil and weed, while Gu Fengyan went up the mountain to pick bamboo shoots and wild vegetables.
No one was willing to come to the back mountain. In addition to the thirty catties of spring bamboo shoots, Gu Fengyan also picked some medicinal herbs and wild vegetables. His family was waiting for him to cook lunch, so he did not dare to delay and went down the mountain.
While Huo Duan was still busy in the field, Gu Fengyan washed his hands and began preparing lunch. He skinned, cleaned, and chopped the rabbit he had caught the day before yesterday into small pieces, adding wild ginger and scallions to remove the fishy smell.
Old Master Huo was getting on in years and his teeth weren't very good, so Gu Fengyan added wild gastrodia elata and simmered it until it was very tender, melting in your mouth. After the meat was finished, the broth could be used to blanch wild vegetables... served with steamed white rice, it made a delicious meal.
The three of them ate to their hearts' content, and Father Huo exclaimed that Yan Ge was truly a lucky star for the Huo family.
After the meal, Huo A'die took on the task of washing the dishes, while Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan prepared the wild vegetables and herbs they had gathered.
Angelica pubescens, Cirsium japonicum, Bletilla striata, Leonurus japonicus... Gu Fengyan collected herbs that were easy to process, requiring only sun-drying and stir-frying. Huo Duan bundled the wild vegetables into small bunches with palm leaves, while Gu Fengyan selected, washed, and sliced the herbs, drying those that needed to be dried and stir-frying those that needed to be stir-fried.
"Oh, these are medicinal herbs? Yan-ge'er knows about these things?" Father Huo looked over and glanced at the two of them as they busied themselves.
Gu Fengyan sifted the sliced and chopped thistles into a winnowing basket and said with a smile, "My family used to run a pharmacy, so I know a little about it... But Father, there are so many medicinal herbs in our village, why doesn't anyone harvest them and sell them for money?"
Uncle Huo picked up a white atractylodes plant, helped break off the roots and threw them into clean water. "Why not? Every year, people in the village collect medicinal herbs to sell to the county, but unfortunately they don't know how to process them, or their processing is not up to standard and people won't buy them. In the end, they spend a lot of effort but earn little money. Who would be happy to do this?"
It turns out the problem lay in the preparation technique. It seems that Dr. Liang, being a compassionate doctor, never intended to use something meant to save lives to make exorbitant profits.
Gu Fengyan pondered for a moment and said, "I see."
Seeing this, Doctor Liang was the only person in the village who knew how to process medicinal herbs, and Gu Fengyan's desire to gather his subordinates grew even stronger.
"Father, go and rest. The two of us are enough here." Huo Duan neatly bundled up the wild vegetables and watered them.
Seeing the two of them tinkering around, even though he didn't believe that these medicinal herbs could really make a lot of money, he didn't want to dampen their enthusiasm, so he simply took the chopped goose vegetables to feed the chickens.
Hearing from Father Huo that people wouldn't accept the food if it wasn't prepared properly, Gu Fengyan became even more attentive to the cooking time... The Huo family courtyard was brightly lit until midnight.
A note from the author:
I drank too much tonight; I'll catch the bugs when I wake up tomorrow. (Caught)
Thank you for saving and reading.
Chapter Nine
The prepared medicinal herbs were packed into burlap sacks and placed in a high place to avoid getting damp. Gu Fengyan unusually didn't get up early the next day, only emerging from his bedroom rubbing his sleepy eyes when the sun was high in the sky.
"Why are you up? It's still early, why don't you sleep a little longer?" Father Huo sat on the courtyard embankment, weaving a basket with green bamboo strips.
Several bamboo strips have already been laid out on the ground, crisscrossed, tight and beautiful, perfect for storing grain.
"I can't sleep," Gu Fengyan said with a smile, leaning closer to watch Huo Adie's skillful hands flying across the room. "Adie can do this too, his hands are so skillful."
Uncle Huo picked up a bamboo strip and added it in, "I thought you might be able to use it when you're collecting mountain goods, so I just made a few. Old people can't stay idle... There's some food left for you in the pot, we've all eaten, wash your face and go eat quickly."
Gu Fengyan responded, but not seeing Huo Duan, he asked again, "Did Brother Duan go down to the fields?"
“There are still a few plots of land that haven’t been cleared yet. It just so happens that your brother Dashan is free today, so I asked him to help clear them… It’s still early for lunch, so I’ll take some of the steamed buns I bought over at noon so they can have something to eat first,” said Uncle Huo.
Gu Fengyan thought for a moment, and since he had nothing else to do today, he said, "Father, give me this task. I happened to pick some mint leaves yesterday, and I'll make some tea for them and send it over. It'll help cool them down on this hot day."
Seeing how much he cared for Huo Duan, Father Huo was naturally happier than anything else. "Good, good, Yan-ge'er is so thoughtful. Remember to wear a straw hat so you don't get heatstroke."
Gu Fengyan readily agreed. The millet porridge in the pot was served in an earthenware bowl, with a dish of cold toon sprouts on the side. He quickly ate, washed the bowl, and laid it on the cutting board.
The weather was so nice that Gu Fengyan planned to take out all the bedding to air it out. Huo Adie helped him by setting up a bamboo pole between the peach and jujube trees in the yard and putting the bedding on it to air.
While tidying up the bedroom, Gu Fengyan saw Huo Duan and his dirty clothes again, so he took them and put them in a wooden basin to wash them with water, using a mixture of wood ash and soapberry balls.
However, Gu Fengyan had always been pampered and never lifted a finger, so he had no idea how to wash clothes. He scrubbed and scrubbed, but the clothes ended up in a tangled mess. Father Huo glanced at them and immediately understood that he couldn't wash clothes, and smiled, saying:
"It's getting late. Yan-ge, go and deliver the cakes to Er-dan and the others. I'll wash the clothes."
Gu Fengyan was a little embarrassed. "Father, I'll be done washing soon. I'll go right away."
He was really embarrassed to have an old man like Uncle Huo wash their clothes, so he quickly rubbed them and hung them up to dry. Uncle Huo didn't stop him, secretly planning to redo the work after Gu Fengyan left.
...
Peppermint disperses wind-heat and clears the head and eyes, making it perfect for drinking in the summer. Gu Fengyan took only the tender tips of the peppermint he picked yesterday, washed them clean, and put them in a water bottle made of bamboo. He then boiled a pot of water and poured it in.
The steamed buns had cooled down and weren't soft enough to eat. While waiting for the hot water to cool, Gu Fengyan picked some toon sprouts, chopped them into small pieces, marinated them with oil and salt, and stuffed them into the buns... It was definitely more flavorful than eating plain steamed buns.
After packing everything into the wicker basket, when the sun was at its strongest, Gu Fengyan thought for a moment and decided to put on the straw hat woven from wheat stalks.
"Father, I'm going." He said to Father Huo before picking up the basket and leaving.
Uncle Huo, annoyed by the sun, moved all the bamboo strips under the eaves, while instructing him, "They're probably near the ditch. Be careful on the road, and come back after you deliver them."
"Sigh." Gu Fengyan agreed and closed the courtyard gate again.
The sun was scorching hot on his skin, and Gu Fengyan had red marks all over his body from the sun.
This kind of weather is perfect for eating something cold, like watermelon. Just now, when I was boiling water with wheat straw, I saw a vacant lot behind the house with fertile soil.
Gu Fengyan planned to clear the land after lunch, then go to the county to buy some vegetables and melons to plant, so that he could have fresh vegetables to eat in a few months.
As he was lost in thought, he arrived at the riverbank and saw Huo Duan with a bitter face following behind Ye Shan, weeding here and there.
The fields are dotted with green; the sown wheat has already sprouted, and weeds have also grown. Weeds are tenacious; they need to be hoeed away in the sun, otherwise they won't revive once they've wilted.
"Brother Dashan, Brother Duan, I brought steamed buns and water. Come and rest under the tree." Gu Fengyan walked towards the big willow tree by the river, waving to the two of them.
Huo Duan called out to Ye Shan, tossed aside his hoe, and went over to him, asking, "What are you doing here in this sun?"
"I'm wearing a hat." Gu Fengyan smiled and pointed to the straw hat on his head. He took out a bamboo bottle from the wicker basket and gave it to Ye Shan first. "Brother Da Shan, have some water."
Gu Fengyan was always good at reading people's expressions, and he could tell from the beginning that Ye Shan didn't like him very much.
Ye Shan was burly and had an upright appearance. He usually ignored Gu Fengyan, this mischievous boy, and didn't give him a friendly look. But today, with his silly younger brother here, he couldn't refuse Gu Fengyan's request. He accepted the water bottle and gave a curt "hmm".
I opened it and took a few sips, savoring the taste for a while. "What is this stuff? It tastes cool and refreshing, and it's actually quite delicious."
“I went up the mountain yesterday and picked some mint leaves. I’ll use them to make tea to cool down today…” Gu Fengyan said with a smile, and then handed Ye Shan some of his homemade toon-flavored pancakes. “Brother Dashan, there are some steamed cakes here. You can have these. There are more in the basket if you’re not full.”
"Sigh, I'll do it myself, you take it for Erdan." Ye Shan washed his hands in the river before taking the food and taking a bite.
The steamed buns with fillings tasted excellent, even though they were cold, they were much better than the ones his wife used to bring him when he went up the hill.
Ye Shan was surprised that Gu Fengyan, who looked so delicate, would know how to prepare such food. Then he saw his silly younger brother's eyes glued to him. Gu Fengyan was also very attentive, handing Huo Duan water and wiping his sweat. They looked like a loving young couple.
He then accepted Gu Fengyan as his sister-in-law.
"With such a bright sun, Erdan can do these things from now on. We men can endure a little hardship. Don't let him get sunburned." Ye Shan finally smiled at Gu Fengyan.
Gu Fengyan was flattered and readily agreed. Seeing the two of them being so affectionate, Ye Shan took the cakes and water and sat down on the embankment. "Erdan, you can eat slowly. I'll go sit over there for a while."
"Hey, call me when you're hoeing the ground later," Huo Duan said.
After Ye Shan left, Gu Fengyan dared to speak to Huo Duan, "I didn't realize that President Huo was such a good farmer."
Huo Duan took a sip of water. "I'm being forced into this situation, even if I don't know how, I have to pretend I do... This mint tea is quite delicious, do you want some?"
Gu Fengyan was indeed a bit thirsty, so he took a sip. It was refreshing and had a minty toothpaste flavor.
"It's pretty good." He took off his straw hat to fan himself, his fair cheeks and neck were sunburned and blushing.
"Don't take off your hat," Huo Duan said, putting the hat on him with a hint of concern. "Your face is all sunburned. Go back now. I'll bring the basket back this afternoon."
It was indeed getting late. Gu Fengyan, thinking about the things he still needed to do at home, tugged at Huo Duan's sleeve and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Huo. Come back for dinner soon."
He said goodbye to Ye Shan again before leaving.
The bamboo shoots picked yesterday are still piled up in the kitchen. Gu Fengyan returned to the courtyard, first washed his face with water, and then began to sort the bamboo shoots. He picked out about twenty catties of good ones to sell, and dried and stored the rest. They would be excellent for hot pot or stir-frying in the winter; the other part would be used to make braised bamboo shoots this afternoon.
The bamboo shoots had thick husks, and Gu Fengyan was clumsy at peeling them. His knife trembled as he cut them, and even Huo's father was afraid, so he could only pull up a small stool to help him.
"Be careful." Father Huo used the tip of his knife to slice along the bamboo shoot tip, peeling off the outer skin. He repeated the steps, and in a few moments, he had peeled a bamboo shoot.
Gu Fengyan responded and tried to do it, and gradually he learned how.
Peeled bamboo shoots cannot be put directly into the pot; they must be blanched first to remove the bitterness. Uncle Huo started a fire, and Gu Fengyan boiled a large pot of water. The bamboo shoots were cut in half and poured into the boiling water. After cooking for a while, they were all scooped into a wooden basin filled with cold water.
The sun was already setting when Gu Fengyan began preparing lunch. In addition to braised bamboo shoots, he also planned to make a dish of stir-fried eggs with toon sprouts and a cold salad of clover.
The toon sprouts and clover were blanched, and the bamboo shoots were simply scooped out of the wooden basin and cut into sections. Today, Ye Shan was here, so instead of wheat porridge, we steamed rice. Uncle Huo washed the rice, and Gu Fengyan stir-fried the vegetables. In less than half an hour, the rice was ready.
The food was warm on the stove. The sun was setting outside. Gu Fengyan went out to bring the bedding into the bedroom, just as Huo Duan and Ye Shan returned.
"You're back just in time, the food is ready. You can eat as soon as you wash your hands." Gu Fengyan took the basket from Huo Duan.
Father Huo brought two stools and told the two of them to sit down and rest.