A small, narrow chair is precariously positioned for two people to lie on, and with any further movement, it creaks and groans reluctantly.
Something just doesn't sound right to this voice.
Huo Duan kept laughing, "Don't move, take a nap, we still have things to do this afternoon."
After saying that, he ignored Gu Fengyan and closed his eyes.
A breeze rose from the tips of the peach trees, rustling through the branches. It wasn't hot, so Gu Fengyan simply stayed still.
Yet, she felt incredibly uncomfortable, but listening to Gu Fengyan's heartbeat was also incredibly sweet.
No wonder so many lovers want to be inseparable from each other all the time... Gu Fengyan experienced the sweet taste of it for the first time.
I slept until before the afternoon.
But the sun had already set more than halfway down.
Before it got dark, Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan quickly ate lunch and planned to go to the county to buy medicinal herb seeds. After careful selection, they chose four kinds of herbs: Bletilla striata, Adenophora stricta, Angelica sinensis, and Gastrodia elata.
These medicinal herbs are suitable for the land of Heqing Village and are all in high demand in the market, especially Gastrodia elata.
Just then, Ye Shan came to process the medicinal herbs, and after giving them some instructions, they left.
The herbal medicine merchants were indeed still there, staying in the top-tier room at Dongfulou.
After hearing the purpose of their visit, Manager Li immediately invited the people upstairs to a private room and then asked his staff to invite the two herbal medicine merchants.
Hearing that it was them, the herbal medicine merchants arrived just in time. Both men were from the prefecture. One was surnamed Sun, the second son in his family, hence the nickname "Sun Er" (Sun the Second), and the other was surnamed Gao, who didn't need an abacus to do his calculations; people in the underworld called him "Gao the Abacus." The two men traveled to various places year-round to purchase herbal medicines, and knew far more information than this small county.
Ask them about medicinal herb seeds; they're the perfect person to ask.
Gu Fengyan first explained his purpose and observed the expressions of the two men.
"Medicinal herb seeds?" Sun Er's thick eyebrows furrowed, as if it were the first time he had ever heard of someone wanting to buy medicinal herb seeds.
Huo nodded, "You two bosses have traveled all over the country for many years, so you must know a lot. That's why I came to ask. If we can find out the answer, I will definitely reward you handsomely."
Gao Suanpan appeared slightly more composed, waving his hand, "Although we've traveled to many places, this is the first time we've heard of someone wanting to buy this. No need for thanks, we'll just inquire whether we can find it or not."
Sun Er, ever outspoken, asked, "Could it be that there's a problem with the supply of medicinal herbs? What do you need medicinal herb seeds for?"
At that time, there was no particularly complete supply chain for medicinal herbs. Although Sun Er guessed that they wanted to cultivate them, he did not know the specifics. Without thinking too much, he asked.
However, this group of people were all somewhat taboo, and Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan were not comfortable answering questions about matters that were considered trade secrets, leaving them in a dilemma.
Gao Suanpan sensed something was wrong and tugged at Sun Er, saying, "Why are you asking so many details? Just ask around."
Sun Ercai realized what was happening and quickly apologized to them, "I'm a straightforward person, please forgive me, my two young brothers."
The address of "brother" made them feel flattered and they quickly replied, "We dare not, we dare not."
Since Sun Er and Gao Suanpan had already agreed, and they had nothing important to do there, they took their leave.
At this moment, Sun Er slapped his forehead, "Don't be anxious, you two! I almost forgot! There's news about the medicinal herbs you asked me to find last time... Look at my memory!"
The medicinal herbs were for treating Jing-ge'er's illness; I didn't expect to make progress so quickly.
Gu Fengyan was overjoyed, "Thank you, Boss Sun! Do you know who has that medicine now?"
If it were in Sun Gao's hands, they would have taken it out long ago.
Sun Er cupped his hands in greeting, “I knew you two were looking for this medicine to save someone, so I wrote a letter overnight and sent it to the prefectural government, hoping to receive news before leaving. I didn’t expect it to be so fast. Your families have been inquiring everywhere since they received the news. I have a business associate named Su Baishao who said he has a piece of excellent ginseng…”
"If you two want it, I will write a letter. You can take the letter and go to the prefectural government to find him. He will still give you this favor."
"Su Baishao?" Huo Duan couldn't help but exclaim, "This name doesn't sound like that of a merchant."
Sun Er shook his head and laughed, "Years ago, his family owned a thousand acres of white peonies, so he got this name. It sounds effeminate, but the person doesn't match the name at all..."
Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan didn't care about the name, they only asked about the price.
Sun Er said that the ginseng was not old enough, so the price was not high, only about fifty strings of cash.
This was within the acceptable range for Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan.
They asked Sun Er to write a letter, thanked him, went home to visit Uncle Huo, and then returned to the village.
As darkness fell, Ye Shan and Liang Cheng were working together in the courtyard, finishing sorting out the medicinal herbs. Although the amount of herbs from Heqing Village was not large, the amount sent from the neighboring village was considerable, and the total quantity was quite good.
When the two saw them return, they packed up and took their leave. Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan did not try to stop them. They tacitly agreed not to mention finding the ginseng to Ye Shan.
With Liu Jingyu and Ye Shan's wedding date approaching, this is a great wedding gift.
...
The two spent the night peacefully together and fell asleep soundly. The next day, they collected some more medicinal herbs.
After Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan finished collecting the herbs, they went to each of them and told them not to go up the mountain to collect herbs recently, and not to accept any that were brought to them.
The income from gathering medicinal herbs had already brought benefits to the villagers, initially causing some discontent, with some accusing them of turning their backs on them after making money. Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan spent a long time explaining that they would teach them how to cultivate medicinal herbs before the anger was quelled.
Some people, however, were not so keen on it, believing that gathering herbs was far more lucrative than planting them. Since they had initially planned for it to be voluntary, they didn't say much.
Within an afternoon, word spread that they were going to organize the planting of medicinal herbs in the village.
According to national laws, land cannot be bought or sold privately, and nothing other than crops and vegetables can be planted without the government's written consent.
When Gu Fengyan first heard this law, he thought to himself, "It's true that land cannot be sold privately, but it's ridiculous that anything other than crops and vegetables cannot be planted without the government's permission."
Those corrupt officials are not people that ordinary citizens can just see whenever they want. No wonder these villagers are dirt poor.
Despite thinking this way, he still had to follow the law. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison with Huo Duan.
To get in touch with the government, there's only one person who can help—Liu Zhengshan.
This man was also an official. Every year he would go to the county to report on his work, so he became a familiar face to the officials.
In the afternoon, when they had some free time, Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan went to tell Liu Zhengshan about it.
Unexpectedly, Liu Zhengshan frowned and bluntly said, "This is hopeless."
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter Forty-Four
Upon hearing this, Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan were both taken aback.
"What does the village head mean by that?" Gu Fengyan asked hurriedly.
Although Liu Zhengshan was just a minor village head with no high rank and only met his superiors a few times a year, he was educated and knew how to judge people.
From just these few pages, he was able to understand what kind of person the magistrate of Qianmo County was.
Liu Zhengshan shook his head and sighed, "Too much talk leads to mistakes. I'm just telling you, don't even think about it. That Magistrate Zhu isn't someone you can easily talk to..."
The magistrate of Qianmo County was surnamed Zhu, and his given name was Kuo. He appeared to be a refined and easy-going person. When Liu Zhengshan first reported on his duties, he thought Zhu Kuo was easy to get along with. However, on that day, Zhu Kuo was having a grand banquet with a group of people in the backyard, drinking and making merry, leaving the villagers of several villages waiting in the cold wind for several hours.
Afterwards, not only did he show no remorse, he even asked them for gifts.
This Zhu Kuo... I'm afraid even the stone lions in his county magistrate's mansion are masters of playing favorites and fawning over the powerful.
Liu Zhengshan spoke for a while, then looked around cautiously.
After hearing this, Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan were not particularly surprised. The temple was small but the winds were strong. The higher-ups couldn't reach this remote and impoverished place, so they could only let this insignificant official become the local emperor.
These people are mostly like this: opportunistic, exploitative, and blindly following the powerful... Wang Er and his family are no different.
Gu Fengyan was used to it. "Thank you for informing us, village head, but we have no choice but to do this. Please help us this time."
"If you two were to encounter Magistrate Zhu, I'm afraid you wouldn't even have any bones left! Have you thought this through?" Liu Zhengshan frowned, looking at Huo Duan with a solemn expression.
"According to what Brother Yan said, the village head should just mediate between us," Huo Duan also said.
Liu Zhengshan had no choice but to shake his head and say, “Zhu Kuo has three great loves—gold, beautiful women, and delicious food. Young Huo, I remember you have a partnership with Dongfulou Restaurant in the county… Dongfulou is considered the best restaurant in the county, and they’ve come up with some new dishes. If we hold a banquet here, Magistrate Zhu will definitely come.”
As expected, Liu Zhengshan had more ideas, which delighted Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan.
Looking at the two young men's fearless and daring demeanor, Liu Zhengshan felt a mix of worries and anxieties.
"I'll tell you that it's a boss from our village who's treating us to dinner... You all need to be careful. Zhu Kuo may be a little annoying, but he's the undisputed ruler of Qianmo County. No one dares to disobey him. If you offend him, you'll definitely suffer the consequences..."
Liu Zhengshan went on and on, explaining to the two of them in detail what he knew about Zhu Kuo's character.
To everyone's surprise, Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan didn't take it seriously at all, and just absentmindedly echoed their opinions.
Liu Zhengshan said helplessly, "That's all I'll say. You'll have to be careful about the rest."
Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan agreed and went to see Jing Ge'er again before returning to the old house.
At night, Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan lay side by side, discussing how to deal with Zhu Kuo.
“These local tyrants are bound to be greedy. The country has laws, and embezzlement is a serious crime punishable by death.” Gu Fengyan changed into a snow-white nightgown, his black hair softly sliding down his neck. He was carefully folding the clothes he would wear tomorrow.
The candle was placed on a small table outside the bed. Huo Duan, with his head as a pillow, turned his head to look at the soft shadow cast by the warm yellow light as Gu Fengyan lowered his eyes.
“These things are naturally not to be made public so that people will know… Is Ah Yan perhaps trying to use this to threaten him?” His eyes were deep.
Having not seen Gu Fengyan for so many days, the scent emanating from her made his mouth dry.
Gu Fengyan said lazily, glancing sideways with a smile, "How can an ordinary person threaten him? I'm just talking. Let's talk about it when we see him tomorrow."
That makes perfect sense. Zhu Kuo hasn't lost a single hair in all these years, which is probably due to the protection of officials and the connections he has... Crushing them would be easier than crushing an ant. Even if they find something to hold against him, they might not be able to bring him down.
Moreover, if the enemy doesn't move, we won't move either. Zhu Kuo currently has no dealings with them, so let's wait and see.
Huo Duan had no intention of wasting the night on this matter, so he decided to put all the problems off until tomorrow.
"Blow out the light and go to sleep." Gu Fengyan stepped aside from Huo Duan and placed the folded clothes on the low table beside the bed.
Then, with a flick of his hand, the snow-white, finely patterned gauze curtains fluttered down, casting a warm, dense yellow shadow over them.
Huo Duan's heart skipped a beat at the sudden closeness, and his gaze became even more intense as he looked at him, "Ayan."
"Hmm?" Gu Fengyan responded subconsciously, but when he turned his head, he saw that Huo Duan's eyes were very bright.
Like a pitiful big dog.
Instantly, he understood, and as if electrocuted, he lay back under the covers, wrapped himself up tightly, leaving only half of his face exposed.
He spoke in a muffled, gruff voice, "Get lost, and stop thinking nonsense."
Huo Duan leaned down, pulled back the covers, and rubbed against her, "Ayan, have pity on me..."