Chapter 423: Gathering Herbs
Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Gathering Herbs
Zhuang Datou’s expression was somewhat subtle, but he still said respectfully, "Mr. Gu, they’ve been found."
With just this dry statement, Zhuang Datou didn’t say anything more. Gu Kaiyuan guessed there might be some unpleasantness involved, so he didn’t press the matter.
"As long as they’re found, that takes a load off your mind," Gu Kaiyuan said. "How many people have you hired to work here now?"
"Besides our village, we also found some people from a few nearby villages." Afraid that Mr. Gu might misunderstand, Zhuang Datou hastily added, "I originally wanted to hire only people from our village, but it happens to be the busy farming season. Everyone is busy tending to the work in the fields, and the manpower each family can spare is limited. Because of this, I went to nearby villages to look."
Before Mr. Gu left, he had instructed him to take extra care of the villagers of Tian Village. After all, they would be living here long-term, so it was best to forge good relations first.
"It doesn’t matter. Prioritizing our own village is the right way to go anyway." Gu Kaiyuan didn’t think this was a big problem. After all, they had made their stance clear. Once the villagers made their own choices, even if they had complaints later, they couldn’t say anything.
After exchanging a few more words and telling them to continue their work, he walked toward the adjacent mountain forest.
Zhuang Datou originally wanted to follow but was ultimately refused.
Bai Suihe and the others wanted to find out what kind of herbs were on this mountain and conduct some on-site teaching along the way. There was really no need to have someone following them around.
Gu Kaiyuan carried the child, and Bai Suihe carried a bamboo basket on her back. Nanny Pang walked in front, clearing away the Five-clawed Dragon vines blocking the path. Although this plant had medicinal uses, it was also what they Medicine Men disliked the most. As long as there was one on this mountain peak, it would spread all over. Its unique barbs could easily cut the skin.
However, she was very experienced in dealing with these things. Holding a machete, she flicked and swung it, quickly clearing a path.
Taking advantage of the fact that the mountain hadn’t been completely cleared yet, they could still find some herbs up here.
Gu Kaiyuan was also very familiar with this mountain. Before the new year, he hadn’t spared these few mountains from his hunting sprees. After all, they were the closest to the village and the houses, and he wouldn’t allow wild animals to roam around here.
As for the family of black bears in the mountain valleys ahead, they were still some distance away. Coupled with the constant flow of people on the mountain recently, even if they were given ten times the courage, they probably wouldn’t dare approach this side.
Thinking of this, he casually chatted with Nanny Pang. "Nanny, if there were bear gallbladders, would you need them?"
Nanny Pang’s eyes lit up. "Why would Mr. Gu bring this up?"
Looking at the mountain range before her, she formed a bold guess in her mind. Mr. Gu used to love taking people hunting in the deep mountains; he had probably discovered some tracks.
As for staying away from fierce beasts? That was only meant for those without the ability to protect themselves. For her, it would just mean wasting a bit more medicine.
"Right in the deep mountains ahead, there are a few bears. It’s just that the cub is still a bit small; we’ll wait for it to grow a bit more," Gu Kaiyuan said.
"That makes sense. We can wait a few months," Nanny Pang replied. "But when Mr. Gu goes into the mountains then, remember to call me. A bear is full of treasures, and it’s best not to damage anything."
Once Kai Chun arrived, Mr. Gu had no intention of going into the mountains, which also gave the mountain forests a chance to reproduce.
"I’ll call for you when the time comes," Gu Kaiyuan said. He mostly hunted to solve their meat supply; he really wasn’t clear about their medicinal uses. If an expert tagged along, it would naturally be for the best, allowing the prey to be put to their true use.
"Dad, and me! I want to come too. I want to see the little bears!" Gu Xingyang chimed in.
Bai Suihe almost couldn’t hold back her laughter. She explained to her daughter in her heart, "Silly child, in a few months, it won’t be a little bear anymore. It grows fast and will be able to hurt people."
Thinking of the many cute bear cub plushies she had seen in her past life, Gu Xingyang couldn’t help but act spoiled toward Bai Suihe. "Mom, I want a plushie."
Bai Suihe felt a little guilty. How could she have forgotten about that? "When we get back, Mom will make one for you. Just tell me what kind you want."
Bai Suihe had a foundation in fine arts, so she could draw it out. If she couldn’t make it well herself, she could ask the two servant girls to help. However, she had to try it first; she also wanted to do something for her daughter.
"What plushie?" Gu Kaiyuan was a bit curious. "Dad will go buy it for you."
"You can’t buy it," Gu Xingyang said proudly. "When we get back, Mom will make it for me."
"I’ll draw it for you when we get back," Bai Suihe said. She then ignored the father and daughter, starting to look for herbs nearby.
Once she identified one, she would dig it out and have a good discussion with Nanny Pang about how to process it upon their return. If she didn’t recognize something or wasn’t sure, she would ask again. Medicinal herbs were a serious matter; if she made a mistake, it would be no small issue.
Gu Kaiyuan followed closely behind, carrying the child. The little one had her eyes wide open, blatantly learning on the sly, which made him unable to resist reaching out to rub the top of her head. Such a small child being so diligent made him, her father, seem very lazy.
Since they had already come up the mountain, it was impossible to go hunting anyway, so he might as well listen to what they were saying. As he listened, he more or less learned a little basic knowledge about herbs.
One taught attentively, one learned attentively, and two learned on the sly. Time passed quickly. It was only when Dongmei and the others had prepared the meal and saw that they hadn’t returned for a long time that they sent someone to look for them.
Looking at the bamboo basket full of herbs, Bai Suihe felt completely satisfied. These things would be enough for her to practice with tomorrow.
As the group reached the foot of the mountain, Gu Kaiyuan saw Gu Kaishan and his group standing there waiting. He handed the child to Nanny Pang, letting them head back first, before walking over to Gu Kaishan’s group.
"Brother Kaishan." When it came to his peers, Gu Kaiyuan felt that they were still approachable for the time being. After all, the elders were the ones who called the shots on major matters. Even if these brothers had objections, they could only keep it to themselves.
"Kai Yuan, you’re back." Gu Kaishan stood there awkwardly with a few brothers. They had come this morning to ask for a favor.
Because of the things their elders had decided previously, they didn’t know how to face Gu Kaiyuan. However, the pressure of life forced them to make this trip.
"Just got back. How have you all been these past few days?"
Gu Kaiyuan motioned for them to walk toward the riverbank. It was open there, and he could also conveniently check on the fields they had reclaimed earlier.
Zhuang Datou and the others had managed the land quite well. By this time, they had already planted the rice seedlings. It seemed that raising the seedlings in the greenhouse beforehand allowed them to be a step ahead of others, which meant they could harvest earlier when the time came.
"We’ve been pretty good," Gu Kaishan said. He didn’t count on the few quiet ones behind him to speak up. "We came over this time to ask you for a favor."
Gu Kaiyuan’s gaze turned cold. He had helped them a lot in the past, only to be backstabbed in the end. He really didn’t know what these guys were thinking, actually coming to his door to beg.
"I know some of the things we did were dishonorable," Gu Kaishan said bitterly. "It’s completely normal for you to be disappointed in us.
"This time, we had the thick skin to come over just to ask if you’re still hiring people to work here?"