Early the next morning, after eating breakfast, Gu Qingqing and Lin Heng prepared to go hunting in the mountains.
The weather was clear and breezy, and it was not too hot. After packing their bamboo baskets and bow and arrows and bringing a small shovel, the two of them headed toward the deep mountains behind the house.
There were plenty of mosquitoes and other insects in summer. As they walked, Lin Heng used a large tree leaf to swat away the flying insects around Gu Qingqing.
Gu Qingqing, meanwhile, carried a branch and struck at the bushes beside the path as she walked, preventing any snakes from suddenly appearing.
After walking for half an hour, they finally reached the foot of the deep mountains. By then, the birds and beasts in the forest had all come out to forage.
Lin Heng kept a constant watch on the movements around them while Gu Qingqing searched the ground for medicinal herbs.
The deeper they went into the mountains, the more medicinal herbs there were. Many of them were herbs even Gu Qingqing could not name. She only remembered seeing similar plants in books before.
However, she could not be certain of their names or medicinal properties, so she did not pick them. She would wait until they went to town to buy a book and study the herbs properly first.
Besides, since they grew in the deep mountains, they were not going anywhere.
“Husband, take a look at these kinds of herbs and remember what they look like for me. When we go back, let’s buy a medical text and study the medicinal properties of these herbs.”
“Okay.”
“There’s so much mugwort here. There are lots of mosquitoes and insects at night during the summer, so I’m going to dig some up and plant it in the courtyard. I’ll also pick some leaves to take home, dry, and burn as mosquito repellent.”
“Okay. You stay here… I’ll go over there… and take a look.”
Lin Heng had spotted what appeared to be traces left behind by an animal in the distance.
“Okay. Be careful.”
“Mm.”
Gu Qingqing continued digging up mugwort. Mugwort was quite common in these mountains.
It also had many uses. It could be made into incense, dried and added to bathwater, hung outside the house to drive away mosquitoes, and even burned to help disinfect and prevent disease.
Before long, Gu Qingqing had dug up a large pile. She found some vines and tied the plants into a bundle.
She set them aside for the moment, then got up and went around the nearby area in search of medicinal herbs.
The temperature here was low, and the air was damp and humid. Several rather large mushrooms were growing beneath the tree roots. Gu Qingqing picked them and placed them on top of the mugwort.
There were several dark brown objects in the distance. Gu Qingqing carefully used a branch to push aside the weeds.
Wow! They were actually red lingzhi mushrooms. Her luck was truly incredible today—she had found four or five of them.
Gu Qingqing took the handkerchief from her bosom and carefully picked the lingzhi, placing them inside the cloth. After she had gathered them all, she wrapped them up in the handkerchief and put them in her bamboo basket.
There were still plenty of medicinal herbs farther away, so Gu Qingqing picked up the bamboo basket and headed toward them.
There was so much self-heal, plantain herb, violet magnolia herb, and rehmannia root. They were all common medicinal herbs, and Gu Qingqing was overjoyed. She hurriedly put down the bamboo basket, picked up her small shovel, and began digging.
“Wait, what is this…? It looks a little like… Yes, ginseng!” Gu Qingqing cried out excitedly.
The top of the ginseng was broad and rounded, with a grayish-yellow color. Its outer skin was somewhat tight and covered in vertical wrinkles.
The horizontal lines on the main root were fine and distinct, and the color was darker.
The root was firm and sturdy, while the fibrous roots were slightly thinner and longer. There were also many small, raised pearl-like bumps along them.
“This trip was absolutely worth it! We’ve had such a great harvest. Lingzhi and ginseng too—we’ve struck it rich today!” Gu Qingqing was so delighted that she could hardly stop smiling.
“Qingqing… Wife, where… are you?” Lin Heng’s anxious voice came from the distance.
Gu Qingqing hurriedly stood up and called toward the sound.
“Husband… I’m here! To the north… here! Can you see me?”
Following the sound of her voice, Lin Heng made his way toward her step by step.
“You scared me… I couldn’t find you.”
“Husband, look! Do you know what this is?” Gu Qingqing opened the handkerchief and pulled the man in front of her over to show him what she had found.
“Ginseng… lingzhi?” he said incredulously.
“That’s right. Well? Isn’t your wife amazing?”
“Wife… amazing!” Lin Heng could not help smiling as he praised Gu Qingqing.
“Wow, Husband, did you just smile? Smile again so I can see.”
Lin Heng pushed away the hand that was wandering all over his face.
“I didn’t smile!” He would never admit that he had smiled.
“You obviously did, and you still refuse to admit it. Hmph!” Gu Qingqing said, no longer teasing him. She went back with him toward the pile of mugwort they had gathered earlier.
“Did you catch anything?”
“Mm.”
“What did you get?”
“You’ll know soon…”
He was actually keeping her in suspense now. Gu Qingqing was curious about what this man had hunted. He had even learned how to keep people guessing.
When they reached the place where she had dug up the mugwort, Gu Qingqing saw a wild boar lying on the ground, all four legs kicking wildly.
“It’s a wild boar! And it’s still alive. Husband, you’re really amazing!”
Lin Heng was very pleased by Gu Qingqing’s praise.
He simply loved being praised by his wife. The more she praised him, the more capable he felt.
Both of them were in an excellent mood today and did not want to wander aimlessly through the deep mountains anymore.
They had so many medicinal herbs, as well as a wild boar. That was enough to earn them quite a bit of silver, and Gu Qingqing was not greedy.
“Let’s go home! Should we go into town in a little while, or go in the afternoon?” Gu Qingqing asked Lin Heng as she packed the mugwort.
“We go soon. Afternoon… wife sleeps.”
“I’ll be fine without taking a nap for one day,” Gu Qingqing explained.
“No. Wife sleeps. Tired.”
“Okay, okay. Then once we get home, we’ll take the carriage into town. We can have lunch at the restaurant, all right? I want to eat their Eight-Treasure Duck.”
“Mm. Eat!”
Half an hour later, with noon approaching, the two of them finally drove the carriage toward town.
Once they arrived, they first went to the herbal medicine shop to sell the lingzhi and ginseng.
“We picked some medicinal herbs today, but they need to be dried before we can bring them over. We’ll bring them in a few days.”
“Of course, Miss Qing. You and your husband are truly capable. This lingzhi is top quality, and this ginseng is over eighty years old!”
“You have a good eye, Shopkeeper. Just give us a fair price. My husband and I often go into the mountains. Whenever we come across good medicinal herbs, we’ll bring them to you.”
“Very well. I’ll price this lingzhi at five taels of silver. As for the ginseng, it isn’t young either. Ginseng of this age isn’t exactly rare on the market, so how about five hundred taels?”
“That’s fine. We’ll go with the price you suggested. Since we’ll be doing long-term business together, as long as both sides make money, that’s all that matters.”
The shopkeeper liked straightforward people like Gu Qingqing.
After the money had been paid, Gu Qingqing and Lin Heng headed toward the restaurant.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they happened to encounter the restaurant’s shopkeeper seeing off a distinguished guest. When he saw the two of them, he immediately asked, “Young Master Lin, did you bring any game today?”
“Yes… a wild boar. Alive!” Lin Heng replied.
“Really?”
The shopkeeper quickly walked over to the carriage and looked inside. Sure enough, a wild boar with all four legs tied tightly was lying on the straw in the carriage.
“Shitou, Xiaojie, come out and carry the wild boar!”
“Coming, Shopkeeper!”
Two large, sturdy young men came out of the doorway. With considerable effort, the two of them carried the wild boar down from the carriage and took it toward the back courtyard.
The shopkeeper had someone park the carriage properly, then led Gu Qingqing and Lin Heng to the back courtyard. After weighing the boar, he paid them.
The two of them went into the main hall and found a seat by the window overlooking the street. They ordered several small dishes and began eating together.
The wild boar weighed more than one hundred eighty pounds. Since it was still alive, the shopkeeper paid forty-five copper coins per pound, for a total of more than eight taels of silver.
“Husband, with us earning so much in a single day, do you think we could just live off our savings and not work for the next few months?” Gu Qingqing teased.
“No. Earn money. For wife… likes counting money.”
“…Likes counting money?!” Gu Qingqing’s face filled with question marks.
Was this really how she appeared in this man’s eyes? A money-grubber who loved counting money?
“Fine, I like counting money. I like money. But I like my husband even more.”