Chapter 59: Aralia Elata Sprouts

Chapter 59: Tender Shoots

After a spring rain, Small River Village, which had been like an ink painting with hints of green, suddenly gained several more brushstrokes of green.

The whole world seemed to come alive, making it increasingly clear that spring had arrived.

Chen Youyan picked a handful of tender shoots, shook off the dew, and placed them in his vegetable basket.

He stood on a slope, one hand on his hip, looking into the distance.

The somber mountain forest, after this spring rain, was draped in a veil of fresh green.

From under the trees, it might not be obvious; only from a high vantage point like Chen Youyan's would one see a hazy expanse of green.

It was barely dawn, and the morning mist added an air of mystery and ethereal beauty to the green.

Chen Youyan took a breath of the cool air, took in the scenery, and then resumed picking the tender shoots.

Wild greens were getting more plentiful, a lot easier to find than before.

He was lucky today—he'd found a spot where big, straight branches were covered in fresh, tender shoots.

Before he knew it, he'd filled the basket he brought, yet looking around, there was still a big patch left to pick.

Chen Youyan decided on the spot: he carried the basket home first, then grabbed a backpack basket and another basket, and headed back into the mountains.

Naturally, the tender shoots made an appearance at breakfast.

Wang Xiuxiu saw the backpack basket and two baskets full of fresh tender shoots Chen Youyan had brought back. She was so happy she couldn't stop grinning.

"Oh my, you picked that many tender shoots today!"

Chen Youyan was equally thrilled. "Yes, I got lucky today. I only meant to pick some wild greens for breakfast, but I found a grove of tender shoots no one had picked yet."

Wang Xiuxiu kept exclaiming in delight, her smile not fading.

Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan, munching on the crisp, tender shoots, were equally happy.

How could they not be? Wild greens were expensive in spring, and tender shoots were among the most expensive.

Gu Wen chimed in: "That works out perfectly—we'll head to town together later. I'll drop you off at the South Market first, then take Xue Geer and An Geer."

Gu Wen had worked out a deal with Carpenter Wang, and these past two days, he'd been going to the carpenter's shop in town to work alongside him.

He went to town daily, and since the timing worked out, Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan, who also needed to go, had been riding with him these past two days.

Gu Wen had been dropping them off at the medicine hall and Painter Cen's place first, then heading to Carpenter Wang's shop to work.

It was just that the evening timing wasn't great—Gu Wen would return about an hour after Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan got home.

Today, bringing Chen Youyan along was no trouble either.

After breakfast, Gu Wen hitched up the cart and took the two lads, his husband, and his mother into town.

Gu Daniu, who couldn't use the family mule these days, rode along with the other mud-brick workers.

They made it to town.

Once in town, Gu Wen first dropped Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu off at the South Market, then flicked the reins and headed toward Huichun Hall.

He remembered what Carpenter Wang had told him, but after watching these past two days, he hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Gu Wen thought for a moment, then looked back at the little lad in the cart, who was fiddling with his fingers.

"An Geer, how's it been at the medicine hall these past few days?"

Gu Muan immediately thought of how happy and surprised everyone had looked when he'd told Liu Geer, his father, and his grandmother about the herbs he knew and what they did.

At the memory, Gu Muan giggled.

"Good! I like it at the medicine hall!"

Seeing the young lad suddenly looking so confident for reasons unknown, Gu Wen and Yin Hongxue both glanced at him in surprise.

What... what's got him so excited all of a sudden?

Gu Wen didn't understand, but he felt better.

After all, Carpenter Wang had said he'd only overheard a bit of gossip, and whether it was true was still up in the air.

Gu Wen knew his own boy—he wasn't the type to be bullied and not say anything at home.

With that thought, Gu Wen felt even more at ease.

They arrived at Huichun Hall, and Gu Wen helped Gu Muan down from the cart, patted his head, and was about to leave.

But Gu Muan, who'd been so excited a moment ago, suddenly grabbed Gu Wen's clothes.

"Daddy!"

"What is it, An Geer?"

Gu Muan blinked his big eyes up at Gu Wen expectantly.

"Can Daddy make An Geer a little stool?"

Even though Daddy's going to Grandpa Carpenter's to work, he could secretly make a little stool, right?

Gu Wen was confused about why he wanted a stool, but the first question out of his mouth was still: "How tall does An Geer want the stool?"

Gu Muan thought for a moment, then held his hands up. "Like this!"

Gu Wen nodded, then asked: "Why does An Geer need a stool? Isn't there a place to sit at the medicine hall?"

"An Geer stands on it," Gu Muan pointed to his feet and sighed. "An Geer is short; he's too short, so he needs a stool to stand on."

Gu Wen still didn't get it, but he couldn't get anything more out of An Geer, who was giving him a "you're so silly" look, so he just agreed.

"Study hard. Your brother will be back in a while, and then your dad and I will take you all out to play."

Gu Muan hopped up and down with joy, agreeing readily.

Gu Wen then dropped Yin Hongxue off at Painter Cen's place.

In front of Painter Cen's house, Cen Mengtao was waiting. Seeing Yin Hongxue and Gu Wen, she immediately bounced over, calling out happily to Xue Age and Uncle Gu.

Yin Hongxue could get down from the cart on his own, but Gu Wen, worried, still helped him down.

Finally, Gu Wen, who'd been driving the whole way, arrived at the carpenter's shop he needed to go to.

Afraid he might forget, Gu Wen braved Carpenter Wang's fierce glare and made the small stool his elder brother had asked for before doing anything else.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

"Ah-choo—"

Gu Chaoning finished sneezing and felt his head spinning.

Gu Rong, who was riding in the same carriage, quickly unscrewed a bamboo tube and urged Gu Chaoning to drink some water.

Gu Chaoning's hands were too weak; he barely took a sip before setting it down.

He didn't even have the strength to put the cap back on. Gu Rong saw this and worry crept into his heart.

He tucked the cotton quilt they'd bought in Sui County more snugly around Gu Chaoning, then leaned out to speak to the driver.

"Driver, how much longer until Dukou Town?"

The driver understood Gu Rong's urgency and replied clearly, "About three more hours. Don't worry, Scholar Gu, I know how important this is. I'll pick up the pace as much as I can."

Gu Rong was worried. He was young, Gu Chaoning was seriously ill, and he was the only one there—of course he felt at a loss.

Hearing the driver's reassurance, Gu Rong held back his anxiety and ducked back inside.

Gu Chaoning opened his mouth, first letting out a suppressed cough, then said, "Brother Rong, don't worry. I know my own condition—it looks scarier than it actually is. My body's still holding up."

Gu Rong realized he couldn't be like this—here he was, needing the sick Gu Chaoning to comfort him instead. He fell silent and did his best to calm himself down.

Once Gu Rong had calmed down, Gu Chaoning closed his eyes again.

The second day of the county exam was just plain bad luck.

The fist-sized hole in the roof of his exam cell happened to be right above him.

The early spring rain wasn't just precious as oil—it was also no joke.

After toughing it out through the exam, Gu Chaoning came down with a fever that very night.

Even though Gu Rong went looking for a doctor right away, a lot of students and kids in town had also gotten sick from the rain.

Doctors were hard to come by. He waited and ran back and forth three times without any luck. In the end, Gu Rong had no choice but to follow the pharmacy apprentice's advice, grabbed some herbs for clearing cold and bringing down fever, and brewed a medicinal soup for Gu Chaoning.

It worked. After one dose and an hour of sleep, the fever broke.

On the third day of the county exam, Gu Chaoning dragged himself out of bed despite being sick.

It had rained the day before, and the town felt like it had been thrown straight back into winter.

Gu Chaoning, still sick, spent the day in the cold examination shed, and as expected, his condition worsened.

By the end of the third day, he was so dizzy he had to be helped out by a kind fellow student.

This time, they managed to see a doctor. After resting a day in the county town, at Gu Chaoning's insistence, Gu Rong accompanied him back to Dukou Town.

Xu Huaisheng, Chen Hengdao, and Shen Haozheng stayed behind in the county town to wait for the results.