Before he went to sleep, he guessed that Huo's father might think that the two of them had quarreled, that Huo Duan had offended him, and that he had been kicked out of bed.
They probably won't give him a friendly look.
“Of course I have one,” Huo Duan said, feigning a pitiful state. “My father beat me up and said what’s wrong with me? I’ve been married to this man for more than half a year and I don’t even have a child. If I don’t have one soon, he’ll kick me out and make me sleep in a doghouse.”
Gu Fengyan knew he was talking nonsense and that he was probably fine.
"You're talking nonsense. Who's going to raise the baby? When you go back, I'll be a single father." Gu Fengyan laughed and scolded.
They didn't take Huo Duan's words seriously at all.
"Enough of this nonsense, I'll go prepare lunch. Mr. Huo, could you lend a hand once you're all done tidying up?" He walked out of the house and said to Huo Duan.
It was just a casual remark, but Huo Duan froze on the spot after hearing it... He had completely forgotten that he was supposed to go back after completing the task assigned by the system.
If the relationship between the two really changes, what should Gu Fengyan do then?
How could he possibly bear to part with it?
A note from the author:
Thank you for the nutrient solution! Hugging and nuzzling the little angels!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter Twenty-Five
Gu Fengyan stretched.
There was still a thin layer of mist on the opposite mountain. Inside the courtyard, the sun seemed to be covered by a thin veil, and the ground was steaming. The chickens and ducks, which had grown quite a bit, were pecking at the small insects in the soil in groups.
The shelves were filled with fresh, tender green herbs, glistening with moisture.
Gu Fengyan went over to take a look. They were some medicinal herbs with simple processing methods, such as Saposhnikovia divaricata, Notopterygium incisum, Angelica dahurica, and Asarum heterotropoides. There were also some half-cut Huo Duan herbs in a winnowing basket next to them.
"Mr. Huo, you're quite capable. I'll leave the task of cutting the medicinal herbs to you." He grabbed a handful of the cut herbs and looked at them. Huo Duan also happened to come out of the house at that moment.
"By the way, what would you like to eat?" he asked after praising her.
Huo Duan shook his head, not having much of an appetite. "Father went to the fields to dig fodder for the chickens and ducks. I'll eat whatever you make."
"Alright, I'll make some myself." Gu Fengyan went to the back of the house, carried a bundle of firewood into the kitchen, and picked a handful of perilla leaves from the pile of medicinal herbs.
Some of the green peaches picked in the morning were soaked in water by Uncle Huo to keep them fresh, while the rest were still piled up in the small basket.
Gu Fengyan rolled up his sleeves and started washing the peaches with water... Huo Duan had just recovered from a serious illness and probably didn't have an appetite, so he planned to make a perilla peach and ginger dish as a side dish, and also cook a pot of white porridge.
The ungrafted peaches are small, with a greenish-red tip, and are almost ripe.
Gu Fengyan picked one up and took a bite; his teeth ached terribly.
He sliced the peaches into pieces that were neither too thick nor too thin. He then filled a container with water and washed and sliced the perilla leaves and freshly dug tender ginger. Finally, he marinated them with salt, filtered out the juice, and added some seasonings.
While the flavors were infusing, he began to light the fire and cook the porridge.
Huo Duan was chopping medicinal herbs outside, glancing at Gu Fengyan every now and then. Seeing that Gu Fengyan had been tending the fire for a long time without even a wisp of smoke, Huo Duan put down his knife and came inside.
"I'll do it, you go wash the rice." He pulled Gu Fengyan up and sat down on the stool himself.
Huo Duan seemed to be very good at this kind of thing. Before long, the smoke dissipated, the firewood in the stove was burning loudly, and the water in the pot was boiling in no time.
"Is porridge okay?" Gu Fengyan asked as he put the rinsed rice into the pot.
Huo Duan moved to the cutting board and looked at the vegetables he had pickled. "I'm not picky... What's this? It looks like a peach."
"The peaches in the yard were knocked down by the rain, it's a pity, so I made pickled vegetables to eat with rice. You just happened to be feeling unwell, so you probably don't have much of an appetite. Eating something sour and refreshing will help you feel better," Gu Fengyan said as he stirred the pot.
On her snow-white arm with its sleeves rolled up, a striking red mark was visible.
Huo Duan stared for a moment, wanting to examine it closely, but managed to restrain himself. "Was that a wound on your arm from when you went up the mountain?"
Looking to the side, Gu Fengyan noticed a red mark on his arm, scratched by something. It wasn't broken, but it hurt a little.
"Hmm, it's nothing... Does Mr. Huo know I went up the mountain?" He guessed that I got scratched by tree branches when I went up the mountain last night.
Huo Duan couldn't resist and pulled him out the door, taking advantage of the daylight to examine him closely. "Father told me everything. With such heavy rain, aren't you afraid of falling? Don't move, let me see."
Gu Fengyan joked, "How could I not be afraid? I'm afraid you'll suddenly die of illness, and we'll have to rely on each other for survival. Our money-making plan isn't even halfway done yet... I don't want to become a widow at such a young age. I need to be incredibly wealthy before we worry about food and clothing."
"How can you curse someone like that?" Huo Duan said, both amused and exasperated. "The injury isn't serious. Go find some herbs yourself, and I'll prepare a meal for you to apply."
"It's not that precious, it'll be fine in a few days." Gu Fengyan pulled down his sleeves, thinking that Huo Duan was making a mountain out of a molehill.
If this were when he was still a pampered and domineering CEO, he would have had to go to the hospital to see a specialist for a thorough treatment, including bandaging and injections. But in this day and age, all his princely tendencies have been cured.
Huo Duan, using his height advantage, lifted him up like a chick. "Tsk, stop with the nonsense. Come on, pick one yourself, whichever one suits you, I'll apply it for you."
As he spoke, he picked and chose among a pile of green medicinal herbs.
"Do you think you're picking vegetables at a market?" Gu Fengyan said helplessly, taking a Paris polyphylla into the kitchen and crushing it.
Paris polyphylla has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain. It is best to apply it as a poultice if you are injured in the wild.
Gu Fengyan handed the small bowl to Huo Duan, then took out a piece of gauze from somewhere and used it to wrap the bowl.
His arm was slender, and the touch was like that of the fine mutton fat jade that his former business partner had given him. The bloodstain, on the contrary, had a kind of cruel beauty... Huo Duan only dared to touch it lightly, and dared not use any force.
Even just this close contact is enough to make one's heart flutter.
It felt like ants were gnawing at my chest; it was both painful and itchy.
"Cough cough... all done." Huo Duan coughed to suppress the itch in his throat and immediately looked away.
Gu Fengyan was suspicious. Did he have thorns on him? ...Why did Huo Duan act as if he had been stung by a scorpion the moment he touched him today, not daring to stay for even a moment?
"Oh, let's eat. We'll be busy this afternoon." Gu Fengyan was quite annoyed.
Getting sick can lead to long-term health problems?
Huo Duan, though usually not talkative, didn't talk much either, but at this moment he just silently hummed in agreement.
Her ears were completely red.
The green peaches are crisp, and the sourness combined with the unique flavors of perilla and ginger makes them very appetizing and refreshing.
Huo Duan managed to eat some rice with a plate of perilla, peaches, and ginger.
There are still some green peaches left. The Dragon Boat Festival is in a few days. When I go to the market to buy goods, I can also buy some wine. I can use the same method as making plum wine to make a pot of green peach wine.
When we're ready to hibernate, we'll enjoy a hot pot together.
Summer officially arrived right after the Dragon Boat Festival. The Huo family compound was near the mountains and forests, so there were a lot of mosquitoes. These past few days, Gu Fengyan's neck was covered in red welts from the mosquito bites.
"Let's hang up the gauze curtains tonight." Gu Fengyan's neck was both sore and itchy.
Huo Duan tidied up the bowls. "Hmm, let's burn some more mugwort. Mosquitoes are afraid of that."
Gu Fengyan wondered if he could make some floral water or something to properly deal with these rampant mosquitoes.
Just then, the courtyard gate opened a crack, and Uncle Huo returned, his basket full of grass that chickens and ducks love to eat.
Following closely behind was Huo Xiuling, with a large wicker basket on either side, filled with lush greenery.
"Father, Aunt." Gu Fengyan called out and hurriedly went to take the basket from Huo's father. "The chickens and ducks are so big now. Tomorrow we can just open the gate and drive them up the mountain. Summer is coming soon, Father, don't overwork yourself and take care of your health."
Father Huo smiled and said, "I just can't sit still. Have you eaten yet?"
Gu Fengyan nodded, brought stools for the two of them, and then asked Huo Xiuling, "I didn't see Aunt yesterday... Did she come to receive medicinal herbs?"
"I only heard this morning that Erdan was sick. Is he better now?" Huo Xiuling put two large baskets on the ground. "I didn't come yesterday because I was worried that you would be too busy with so many people. I came to see Erdan today and brought some medicine."
“Mr. Liang prescribed medicine last night, and I’m feeling better now.” Gu Fengyan took out the steelyard and called for Huo Duan to come and help.
Upon hearing this, Huo Xiuling rummaged through the wicker basket for a while and actually took out a few pink duck eggs. "These duck eggs were laid by our own ducks. You can use them to nourish Erdan."
Huo Duan happened to come out, and Gu Fengyan handed him the duck eggs.
"My aunt still loves me the most," Huo Duan said with a smile.
Gu Fengyan sorted the medicinal herbs from the basket into the weighing basket, saying, "Aunt, the Dragon Boat Festival is in a few days. You, Uncle, Brother Dashan, and Xiaobao should all come over. My father usually lives alone, so it's a good opportunity to celebrate and have some fun."
Hearing this, Father Huo was also happy. “What Yan’er said is true. My legs are not good, and I haven’t seen Xiao Bao for a while. It’s lively with the whole family.”
Since the passing of Huo's parents and the family's poverty, the two families have rarely interacted. This reunion with Huo Xiuling deeply moved her.
“Alright, Xiao Bao keeps talking about coming to see his Brother Yan, praising how handsome Brother Yan is,” Huo Xiuling said with a smile.
After a few people talked for a while, Huo Duan just came out when there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Gu Fengyan guessed that someone had sent someone to visit Huo Duan again... It was a custom in the village that when someone was sick, people would come to offer their condolences.
In order to maintain good relationships and to help each other.
He then asked Huo A'die and the others to sit down. Huo Duan weighed the medicinal herbs and went to open the door himself, saying, "They're here."
Jiang Xuerui was standing outside the door, holding a jar of something.
"Rui-ge'er, come in quickly." Gu Fengyan pushed the door open, but did not see Shen Zhuo. "Second Brother Shen didn't come with you to sit down."
Ever since what happened with Liu Laosan, Shen Zhuo has taken Jiang Xuerui with him wherever he goes, cherishing her so much that he practically keeps her in his pocket.
Because of this, Shen Zhuo was ridiculed by many hooligans in the village who said he couldn't live without his husband.
Jiang Xuerui blushed. "He's at home. I'll only walk a few steps. If I follow him, people will laugh at me."
However, before coming, Shen Zhuo really insisted on coming along, and only after he forced Shen Zhuo to agree not to come to bed with him at night did he give up.
Gu Fengyan smiled and brought over another stool.
Jiang Xuerui greeted Huo Adie and Huo Xiuling before handing the jar to Gu Fengyan. "I heard that Brother Erdan is sick, so I came to see him. Here is some honey, which Shen Zhuo got from the county. It's not worth much, but it's good for the lungs if you soak it in water and drink it regularly."
Gu Fengyan accepted the offer and then brought out a plate of perilla peaches from the house for them to try. He also made a perilla drink using perilla leaves.
He and Huo Duan weighed the medicinal herbs before taking out the money and giving it to Huo Xiuling.
Huo Xiuling refused to answer, saying, "We're family, what are you doing, Yan-ge? I won't dare help you next time."
“Aunt, don’t worry,” Huo Duan said with a smile. “Yan’er and I will need your help a lot in the future. If you don’t accept this money, we will be too embarrassed to ask.”
Gu Fengyan joked, "That's right, we shouldn't let the good stuff go to outsiders. If we ask someone else for the money, it won't end up in our own hands. Aunt, take it quickly."
Huo Xiuling was amused by him and had no choice but to accept the money.
But the perilla, peach and ginger dish tasted very good, refreshing and appetizing. I thought about making it for my child when I got home. "How did you make these peaches, Brother Yan? They taste different... both sour and sweet. I don't have an appetite in the morning, so this is perfect for porridge."