Chapter 11 Spending money on her

Chapter 11 Spending money on her

Jiang Yuan didn't rush to leave. He first climbed the apricot tree, and taking advantage of his height and long arms, he stepped on the main trunk and picked some of the wild apricots that had already turned red on the treetop to give to Xie Wan Niang as a snack.

Then he picked up the bow and arrows he had placed on the ground earlier and gently instructed Xie Wanniang, "If you encounter any danger, shout loudly, and I will come back immediately."

Xie Wanniang nodded vigorously with her eyes crinkling, "Okay, you be careful too."

Jiang Yuan nodded and strode into the depths of the woods.

Xie Wanniang stood there watching Jiang Yuan until he was completely out of sight. Only then did she pick up her small sickle and pickaxe and slowly begin to wander around the area where the apricot tree was.

As the saying goes, "There are no idle grasses in the mountains; those that you recognize are treasures." Xie Wanniang has seen no fewer than ten kinds of herbs and wild vegetables along her journey.

Right now, she's wandering around a few apricot trees, trying to gather some herbs and wild vegetables that catch her eye.

Firstly, it has the effects of warming the meridians, removing dampness, dispelling cold, stopping bleeding, reducing inflammation, relieving asthma, stopping cough, and repelling mosquitoes. The plant has a strong fragrance.

Honeysuckle, also known as Lonicera japonica, has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing wind-heat, cooling blood and stopping dysentery, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, lowering lipids and protecting the liver.

Then there are purslane, which can be eaten as a wild vegetable and used as medicine. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and stopping bleeding. Plantain has the effects of clearing heat and promoting diuresis, relieving strangury, eliminating phlegm, cooling blood and detoxifying. Noodle vegetable has the effects of nourishing yin and clearing heat, moistening the lungs and relieving cough, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, and regulating menstruation. Thistle (medicinal name: small thistle) has the effects of cooling blood, removing blood stasis and stopping bleeding.

After circling around the apricot trees for a while, Xie Wanniang, with a full harvest, picked up her basket, took her small sickle and hoe, and walked with a smile to one of the apricot trees, waiting for Jiang Yuan, who had disappeared, to come back to find her.

Jiang Yuan didn't keep her waiting long. She took out the bamboo tube, sipped the water, and was hesitating whether she should take out a few more apricots to eat when Jiang Yuan came over with a string of pheasants and rabbits.

"Jiang Yuan!" Xie Wanniang jumped up and waved excitedly at Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan unconsciously quickened his pace, and soon the tall, thin young man strode up to Xie Wanniang's side.

"Wow, you're amazing!" Xie Wanniang exclaimed sincerely, pointing to the three pheasants and six rabbits that Jiang Yuan had tied together with straw rope and strung into two strings.

In less than two hours, Jiang Yuan had managed to catch so much prey on this seemingly ordinary little hill, a feat that made Xie Wanniang extremely envious.

If she had Jiang Yuan's abilities, houses, fields, and shops would be a piece of cake.

Jiang Yuan was a little embarrassed by her straightforward and enthusiastic praise. "Go back?"

Xie Wanniang nodded vigorously, "Okay."

She bent down, about to pick up the basket, but Jiang Yuan had already taken the initiative and slung the basket onto his own back.

Xie Wanniang's outstretched hand found nothing. Looking up, she saw Jiang Yuan transferring the string of wild rabbits that he had temporarily moved to his left hand back to his right hand.

Okay, if you're capable, then do more.

Xie Wanniang followed Jiang Yuan with a smile, while in her heart she was thinking about what delicious food she should make for Jiang Yuan at noon to reward this diligent and lovely young man.

The two descended the mountain one after the other. When they reached the stream at the foot of the mountain, Xie Wanniang quickly picked some tender green mint growing by the stream.

Peppermint has the effects of dispelling wind-heat, clearing the head and eyes, relieving sore throat, promoting rash eruption, and soothing the liver and regulating qi. You can take it home and use it to make desserts or brew it as a beverage.

Back home, Jiang Yuan first checked the doors and windows, and found no signs of unauthorized entry. Only then did he wash his hands and prepare to make lunch.

Xie Wanniang entered the kitchen before him. The young girl was preparing to make a cold purslane salad, stir-fried eggs with thistle, steamed noodles with vegetables, and then cook a pot of sorghum rice.

When Jiang Yuan entered the kitchen, Xie Wanniang was boiling water and squatting on the ground washing wild vegetables in a wooden basin.

Seeing him come in, Xie Wanniang reported with a smile, "A-Yuan, I took some sorghum and a little bit of flour from the bottom of the cupboard, as well as two eggs."

"Okay." Jiang Yuan nodded slightly to her, then asked, "How would you like the chicken? In soup or stewed with mushrooms?"

Xie Wanniang answered without hesitation, "Stew it, I want to eat mushrooms."

Jiang Yuan was amused by her subconscious swallowing. The smile was so faint that it vanished before Xie Wanniang could even see it clearly.

The two worked together in a harmonious and efficient manner, one cooking rice and preparing wild vegetables, while the other soaked dried mushrooms and began cooking pheasant.

Although she had time-traveled, Xie Wanniang, who only experienced a period of hardship while staying at a Taoist temple, was unaware of how luxurious a meal of chicken and eggs was for ordinary people in this era.

While she was busy, she asked Jiang Yuan in surprise, "Is there only soy sauce and salt at home?"

Jiang Yuan grunted in response without explaining anything. However, when he went to town that afternoon, he made a point of buying pork lard, aged vinegar, maltose, Sichuan peppercorns, and fermented black beans.

Besides these, he also brought back a piece of pork belly, ten catties of rice, ten catties of flour, six steamed buns, a bag of rice candy, a bag of sesame candy, a bag of walnut shortbread, and a bag of chestnut cakes, all of which were specially bought for Xie Wanniang to nourish her body.

Besides food, he also bought a lot of other necessities, such as pretty hairbands, fabric and needles for making clothes, shoes and socks, as well as soap, straw paper, salt, hoes, sickles and scissors.

Xie Wanniang was stunned when she saw him take out these things one by one.

This...this...Jiang Yuan spent all the money he earned today—no, it should include part of his savings—on her?

As she was thinking, Jiang Yuan said again, "When I came back, I ordered basins, buckets, boxes, shelves, sieves and baskets for you from carpenter Tong. I'll weave a few more baskets and carrying baskets for you tonight."

What a kind person! Xie Wanniang was deeply moved.

Calling this person her savior is not entirely accurate, because even if Jiang Yuan hadn't pulled her out, she could have climbed ashore on her own. However, Jiang Yuan's help to her was genuine.

He first fends her off two consecutive schemes, giving her a safe and stable environment to recuperate. Then he takes out money to treat her illness and provide her with food, clothing, and shelter.

Now he has even prepared the tools she needs for simply processing medicinal herbs. How could Xie Wanniang not be moved?

She poured a bowl of warm water and handed it to Jiang Yuan, saying, "Thank you! You've worked hard today and spent money on this. I don't know how to repay you."

Jiang Yuan took the bowl and drank the warm water in a few gulps. "No need to repay me."

Xie Wanniang: ......

Xie Wanniang couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to herself that it was fortunate that the young man had met her. If he had met someone who mistook others' kindness and efforts for weakness and vulnerability, he would have been utterly humiliated.