Chapter 197

Chapter 197

The barking of dogs woke Gu Lanshi up. He woke up groggily, sat up and yawned. When he heard Pei Yan's voice, he hurriedly got out of bed to put on his shoes.

The sun was hidden by clouds, so it wasn't blinding. The dogs, including Dahai, were circling behind the fence gate. They only stopped when they saw him coming.

"Here I come," said Gu Lanshi as he approached to remove the bolt and open the door from inside.

Pei Yan had a basket of wild vegetables on his back, and the bamboo basket in his hand was full. Liu Daguo was also carrying a basket filled with wild vegetables after their trip up the mountain.

Gu Lanshi walked beside Pei Yan, smiling as he explained, "Not long after you two left, I was so tired that I closed the door for a nap."

"Mm, sleep when you're tired," said Pei Yan, showing him the bamboo basket in his hand. "You wanted to eat stir-fried wolfberry sprouts, right? They're at the bottom."

Gu Lanshi took the bamboo basket and casually flipped through it. On top were large-ear chives and wild garlic, each in a large bunch. Below was half a basket of wolfberry sprouts.

"There's enough for two days," he said.

The bamboo basket was packed tightly and weighed quite a bit. Pei Yan took the basket from his hands again and said, "Let's stir-fry them today and make soup tomorrow. We won't take them to town to sell. Eat your fill."

"Okay," agreed Gu Lanshi.

In the courtyard, Pei Yan and Liu Daguo unloaded the bamboo baskets. Behind the kitchen door, in the shade, there were still two baskets of bamboo shoots they dug up in the morning and one basket of bitter greens and another of iron amaranth.

Fresh bitter greens and iron amaranth were good things. They sold well last time they went to town, so they dug more today.

They had already weeded the wheat field once, and the rice seedlings had just been planted. There was no rush for work in the fields these two days. Thinking about delivering eggs to town early tomorrow morning, they had to prepare all the wild vegetables and mountain goods they would bring.

Pei Yan and Liu Daguo took a break to drink tea while Gu Lanshi sat at the kitchen door to sort the wild vegetables.

The large-ear chives and wild garlic were placed in one bamboo basket, while the remaining wolfberry sprouts were set aside.

Half of the bamboo basket Pei Yan brought back was stinging nettle sprouts and the other half was fragrant spring onion shoots. As soon as the red spring onion shoots were taken out, a strong aroma filled the air. Gu Lanshi put the spring onion shoots into another basket.

The bamboo basket was large, and there were plenty of stinging nettle sprouts and spring onion shoots.

The clouds moved away, and the sun came out. He put the spring onion basket into the shade inside the kitchen door. He wouldn't take them to town until early tomorrow morning, so they couldn't be exposed to the sun and wilt.

Seeing that the bottom of the basket was all stinging nettle sprouts, he looked up and asked, "Should we keep some for ourselves?"

Pei Yan nodded. "Keep a bowlful. I'll buy a string of meat tomorrow. We can stir-fry it with slices of meat."

"Okay." Gu Lanshi scooped out a large handful from the bamboo basket with both hands and placed it on an empty bamboo tray next to him. He didn't touch the rest in the basket and put the basket down next to the spring onion basket.

The bamboo basket Liu Daguo brought back contained very tender red-leafed wild amaranth and wild pea shoots, each taking up half the basket.

He put the wild pea shoots on top into another bamboo basket, separating them from the wild amaranth. This way, when they went to sell them tomorrow, everything would be clear and not so messy.

As for the remaining bamboo basket, the top half was wild onions. Gu Lanshi took out the wild onions and stuffed them into an empty basket.

Below were tender fiddlehead ferns. Ferns had no leaves, only distinct stems. They were neatly arranged in the basket.

"Do you want to keep anything else?" asked Gu Lanshi.

Pei Yan looked at the few bamboo baskets and baskets and said, "Keep a handful of wild pea shoots and some wild amaranth. Leave the rest. We still have some at home."

In the wooden basin in the kitchen where they kept vegetables, there were wild onions and wild garlic that he washed clean after lunch. Since he had been doing a lot of work in the kitchen recently, he knew all about this.

"Okay." Gu Lanshi stood up and placed all seven bamboo baskets and baskets, big and small, in the shade of the kitchen. As long as they weren't exposed to the sun, they would still be fresh by tomorrow.

Thinking of Liu Daguo following him up the mountain to look for wild vegetables everywhere, he took another bamboo basket and grabbed a handful of each of the spring onion shoots, stinging nettle sprouts, wolfberry sprouts, and fiddlehead ferns. These wild vegetables were easy to find on the mountain but scarce in the riverbed and wilderness.

He added a few bamboo shoots and suddenly a shadow blocked the light above him. Gu Lanshi subconsciously looked up.

"Who is this for?" asked Pei Yan.

Gu Lanshi smiled and said, "It's for Brother Liu to take home tonight. It's not worth much. Later, I'll give Grandma some spring onion shoots and wolfberry sprouts. She likes these two."

"I was going to say, pack some for Brother Liu," said Pei Yan, lifting the bamboo basket and going outside. "Brother Liu, take this with you today. Put it in the kitchen first and don't forget it when you leave."

"Mm-hmm." Liu Daguo nodded dumbly in response, still taciturn.

He felt that as a hired worker, he was here to do various tasks for the master. His personality was too honest, so even though Pei Yan often gave him things, he never thought he deserved a share. He only accepted what Pei Yan gave him and didn't covet anything else.

His previous employer lived far away, so he could only live in their house. After working for a few years, his wages were pretty good, but he had to quit.

This time, although the wages for the first couple of years were a bit low, the advantage was that he could often go home and bring some things back. His family could eat better this way. He felt more and more that he had found the right job.

Gu Lanshi packed the things for Fang Honghua and then asked Pei Yan, "Should we dig for spring vegetables and small vegetables early tomorrow morning?"

"Mm, no rush," said Pei Yan, walking to the steamer and taking out a plate of sweet rice cakes. He made them yesterday, and they looked and tasted pretty good.

"Hungry?" Gu Lanshi asked with a smile.

Pei Yan picked up a piece of rice cake and said, "Not really hungry, just need something to tide me over. It's still early. After eating, we can go gather pig grass."

He handed the plate to Gu Lanshi, who shook his head. "I'm not hungry. I just woke up."

As they walked out, Pei Yan offered Liu Daguo some food as well.

"I'll go find Grandma. I'll be back in a bit. Wait for me before you go gather pig grass," Gu Lanshi instructed before leaving. He was lazy to get the key; locking the door was too troublesome.

"Got it," mumbled Pei Yan with food in his mouth.

Dahai followed slowly behind. Gu Lanshi didn't chase the dog back since Pei Yan was at home.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken, Huīhuī and Huīzǎi excitedly caught up. Realizing they were going to the village, the two ran ahead.

As soon as they entered the village, they saw three dogs ahead. Huīhuī and Huīzǎi ran over, both sides being very cautious, sniffing each other tentatively.

Dahei always followed Gu Lanshi around. Its personality was aloof, rarely playing with the village dogs due to its large size and intimidating nature. Other dogs seldom dared to provoke it.

Seeing that Huahui and Huazai weren't fighting with other dogs, Gu Lanshi didn’t intervene. Passing by his home, Erhei was basking in the sun in the courtyard. Hearing footsteps at the door, it lifted its head upon seeing him and wagged its tail, running out to greet him.

Noticing no one else in the courtyard but hearing the chopping sounds from the kitchen, whether meat or vegetables, Gu Lanshi took Erhei along as they headed towards the ancestral home.

Huahui and Huazai played with the village dogs, running and jumping like children.

Uncle's family was either out working or had matters to attend to, leaving only Grandma at home. Gu Lanshi didn’t stay long, exchanging a few casual words before placing down the bamboo basket and leaving.

Upon returning, Pei Yan and Liu Daguo left pushing the cart.

Liu Daguo was a man of few words, seldom mentioning his family. Gu Lanshi learned about his situation when he visited and overheard Liu Guihua talking. The family consisted of the very young and the very old, some sick, and giving them some wild vegetables meant an extra dish for their meal.

*

Dark clouds gathered, shrouding the undulating mountains in mist, the air heavy with moisture.

Rumble—

A distant rumble of thunder echoed, the sky swirling with clouds, signaling an imminent rainstorm.

Gu Lanshi stood at the door, looking out. When Pei Yan left early in the morning, the weather was fine; he hadn’t expected it to change so quickly.

The wind carried a chill, a drop of rain clearly landing on his face. He looked up, noticing more water droplets falling onto his hand.

With no sign of anyone, he reluctantly turned back inside.

In the threshing ground, Liu Daguo used a wooden pitchfork to gather the grass that had been laid out to dry back under the shed, working alone tirelessly.

The bamboo trays used for drying vegetables were already put away. Gu Lanshi’s gaze swept across the courtyard, picking up the axe and putting it away in the woodshed. There was nothing else to do.

Gradually, the rain intensified. The dogs ran into the main room to shelter from the rain, while Liu Daguo sat awkwardly at the entrance, holding his teacup and watching outside.

Gu Lanshi added more firewood to the mud stove, slicing several pieces of ginger and tossing them directly into the clay pot. Once boiling, it would be ginger tea, perfect for Pei Yan to warm up with upon his return.

He had little to say to Liu Daguo, feeling somewhat constrained, so he retreated to his room.

Half of the window was open, allowing raindrops to drift in. He stepped forward to close it properly. Before turning around, he heard the commotion of the dogs rushing out, prompting him to crack the window open again. Seeing Liu Daguo hurrying out without even wearing a hat, a smile involuntarily spread across his face.

Standing at the entrance, he confirmed that Pei Yan had indeed returned.

Gu Lanshi picked up an oiled paper umbrella, opened it, and retrieved two hats hanging on the wall, walking into the rain with a cheerful smile to meet him.

"Here, one for you and one for Brother Liu." He approached Pei Yan, handing him a hat.

Pei Yan was already soaked, but he didn’t refuse.

As the rain grew heavier, Pei Yan didn’t have time to explain. Upon entering the courtyard, he immediately lifted the two bamboo baskets off the cart and rushed into the main room.

Liu Daguo helped unload the baskets and unhitch the donkey, leading it to the backyard.

"What happened?" Gu Lanshi followed behind with the umbrella. As soon as he entered, the sound of rain faded, replaced by chirping noises from the baskets. Instantly, he understood.

"You bought chicks?" His eyes lit up, but then a hint of concern crept in. Setting aside the oiled paper umbrella, he opened the lid of the basket to take a look.

"Mm-hmm." Pei Yan removed his hat, wiping the rainwater from his face. "I came across them while selling vegetables and bought sixty for three hundred coins. I didn’t expect the weather to change before I could sell all the vegetables. I hurried back, but the rain caught up with me halfway."

"I’ll help dry them off." Gu Lanshi feared the chicks might fall ill if they got wet. Chicks were small and fragile, especially after the bumpy journey from town, making them prone to death. Now that they were drenched, it would be even more troublesome.

He hastily fetched a piece of linen cloth, gently grabbing a chick to wipe its tiny head and downy feathers. The pale yellow chick chirped continuously.

Pei Yan took a towel to wipe his face and hair. Seeing his husband crouched there, he pulled over a chair for him to sit on.

While drying the chicks, Gu Lanshi said, "Check if the water in the clay pot is boiling. I added ginger slices, remember to drink two bowls."

Turning to glance at the man soaked to the bone, he added, "Change your clothes first."

"Mm-hmm." Pei Yan agreed, turning to head inside.

Liu Daguo stepped in through the rain. He had already parked the cart under the eaves. Seeing Gu Lanshi drying the chicks, he rubbed his hands together and hesitantly asked, "Got wet?"

"The basket cover wasn’t tight enough, so they got a bit wet." Gu Lanshi didn’t hesitate. There were chicks in the other basket too. Pointing to it, he said, "Brother Liu, can you help dry them? It’ll go faster with more people."

"Sure thing." Liu Daguo grabbed a piece of linen from the wooden rack, lifting the basket slightly to the side. Crouching down, he started working.

By the time Pei Yan changed his clothes and came out, he joined in to dry the wet chicks.

Many of the chicks appeared listless, their bodies damp. Pei Yan lit a small fire in a basin, placing the chicks into three bamboo baskets and positioning them near the fire to slowly warm up. Every now and then, he would rotate the baskets.

Gu Lanshi sat beside the fire basin, warming his hands while keeping an eye on the chicks. Due to the depth of the baskets and the small size of the chicks, there was no danger of them jumping out.

Pei Yan, with his hair still damp, glanced at the sky. The rain wouldn’t stop anytime soon. Turning to Liu Daguo, he said, "Brother Liu, since it’s raining and there’s not much work to be done, why don’t you head back home? If it’s still raining tomorrow, don’t rush. Coming the day after will be fine. Just wait until the rain stops before coming back."

He pulled over a basket of unsold wild vegetables. "Take the hat and raincoat. These vegetables won’t keep well after getting wet, and they won’t sell. Take some for your family."

There wasn’t much work to be done in the rain. The three of them standing around awkwardly without much to say wasn’t productive. It was better to let him go back and rest for a day or two.

Liu Daguo, dressed in the raincoat and carrying a basket of wild vegetables, left. With just the two of them left at home, Gu Lanshi felt significantly more relaxed.