Seeing that the house was even more run-down than when he had last visited, Jin Yao’s expression turned extremely unsightly.
However, since he had moved out, he never intended to move back.
“Huzi, go help me fetch Carpenter Yang to fix the doors and windows first. Yunzi, go call Liuzi and the others to help me fix up the roof together; we have to settle down here today.”
If his leg were not injured, he could have done these things himself. But he couldn’t right now—after the ordeal of moving, his leg was throbbing with severe pain.
“Husband, where are we going to find timber?”
Liu Dujuan looked around. On the site of the dilapidated old village, only their timber house remained standing. The other dozen or so households had only piles of broken mud bricks left; all the timber was gone, likely salvaged to be burned at the new village.
Looking at this broken house, her expression turned extremely grim as well. How could anyone live in a place like this?
Jin Yao comforted her, “Don’t worry, I placed some dried timber behind the house in the past. It has been drying in the sun for the past few years.”
This house was the west house, and the space behind it received plenty of sunlight.
Yang Hu was just about to ask the same question, but hearing that Jin Yao already had a plan, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Alright, I’ll go right now, and I’ll bring some tools over while I’m at it to help with the roof.”
“Mm, thank you for the help,” Jin Yao said.
Zhao Yun helped unload the items, placed them on a large rock nearby, gave a response, and left with Yang Hu in the bullock cart.
“Dujuan, you and Jinjin sit here for a while. I’m going behind the house to carry the timber!” Jin Yao said in a deep voice before walking toward the back of the house.
Liu Dujuan said she would go help as well, instructing Jinjin to play by herself here and not to wander too far off.
Jinjin hugged her broken bowl and nodded obediently.
“Liu Liu, how can I help Father and Mother?”
After watching her parents leave, Jinjin held the broken bowl and leaned against the large rock where their rolls of bedding were placed, asking Liu Liu.
In the past at home, she had never done any labor and didn’t know what she should help with.
When she was in kindergarten, she had helped the teacher wipe the tables, but there were no tables for her to wipe here.
【Host, you can look for medicinal herbs. Your father’s injury got worse after all this ordeal,】 Liu Liu checked the plot progress and said to Jinjin.
“Okay, I’m going to look for herbs to treat Father!” Jinjin quickly agreed.
She carefully took the two eggs out of her sleeve pockets, placed them inside the cloth bundle on the large rock, and walked out of the old village holding her broken bowl, heading toward the hillside where wild vegetables grew.
“Liu Liu, I don’t know what Diding herb looks like. Can you tell me where it is?” Jinjin walked while scanning the ground.
Liu Liu wanted to turn on the location tracker for the Diding herb, but he was restricted by the system rules, so he had no choice but to stay silent.
“Liu Liu, is it this one?” Hearing no answer from Liu Liu, Jinjin grabbed a stalk of grass and asked again.
【No, Host, that is purslane!】 Seeing that answering like this wasn’t restricted, Liu Liu replied immediately.
Jinjin grinned. She understood that if Liu Liu didn’t answer, it meant he couldn’t do it, tee-hee.
“Oh, purslane. Can we eat it?” Jinjin pulled out the purslane as she stood up, looking at it and asking Liu Liu.
【It is edible. Purslane has effects such as clearing heat, detoxifying, cooling blood, stopping bleeding, reducing dampness, and relieving swelling. It is often used to aid in treating heat-toxin dysentery, carbuncles, sores, eczema, and other conditions. Methods of consumption include cold dressing, cooking into porridge, and stir-frying.】 Liu Liu read it out for Jinjin in a mechanical voice.
“I see, okay. Is it also good for my father’s injury?” Jinjin’s big eyes rolled around as she asked with a smile.
【Yes, Host!】
Jinjin was overjoyed; she now knew what she could do to help her parents.
She could gather food for her parents, and when they finished their work, they could use the things she gathered to make dinner.
Now that she recognized purslane, Jinjin pulled a few stalks and held them in her arms, continuing to ask Liu Liu while searching for the Diding herb that could treat her father’s leg injury.
“Liu Liu, what kind of vegetable is this?”
【Host, this is Lamb’s quarters, known as Huihui vegetable in modern times. It is edible, and its medicinal value includes…】
“Liu Liu, what vegetable is this?”
【This is Flixweed, also known as Descurainia sophia or wheat weed. Flixweed in this season is edible, and its medicinal value is…】
The two of them worked with heads lowered, asking and answering questions as they searched for herbs. Unknowingly, they walked farther and farther, leaving the area around their own house and turning to the other side of the mountain.
“Liu Liu, what kind of herb is this?”
After finding several types of wild vegetables and herbs, Jinjin still hadn’t given up, keeping her eyes glued to the ground as she asked Liu Liu about any wild vegetable she hadn’t pulled yet.
Liu Liu suddenly said with excitement: 【This is the one, Host! This is Diding herb, also known as yellow-flower Diding or dandelion herb. It works on your father’s injury. Pull the leaves and tender stems.】
Jinjin let out a small breath and grinned, her face breaking into a smile. Wonderful, Father’s leg could be saved!
【However, Host, just this one type of Diding herb isn’t enough. You still need to keep looking for another type of Diding herb called violet-flower Diding, which blooms small purple flowers. The juices of both herbs must be mixed together and combined with oral purslane soup for your father’s injury to heal faster.】
Jinjin’s mood, which had just turned bright, instantly cooled down. So Diding herb was divided into yellow flowers and purple flowers?
“Okay, Jinjin isn’t tired. Let’s keep looking!” Jinjin rubbed her tiny waist, her big eyes open wide as she continued to look at the wild grass on the ground, searching for the herb with purple flowers.
“Jinjin, Jinjin!” The anxious voices of Jin Yao and Liu Dujuan drifted over from afar.
Jinjin stood up and turned around. Seeing her parents searching for her, she walked forward a few steps and waved her small hand a few times.
“Father, Mother, Jinjin is here!” Jinjin called back loudly.
Seeing their daughter playing on this side of the hillside, Liu Dujuan and Jin Yao let out a sigh of relief, both running over quickly.
“Jinjin, why did you wander so far? You scared Mother to death; I thought someone carried you off!” Liu Dujuan patted her head and spoke with concern.
“Tee-hee, don’t worry, Mother! Jinjin won’t wander too far from home. Look, Mother, Jinjin picked all these wild vegetables so we can eat them tonight.” Jinjin pointed at the herbs and wild vegetables she had pulled, which were placed against a large rock on one side.
Liu Dujuan and Jin Yao both froze for a moment as they looked over. “Jinjin is so sensible. Why did you pick so many wild vegetables? Are you tired?”
“Not tired!” Jinjin raised her small face and said with a beaming smile.
The couple noticed that some of these were vegetables they had eaten before. Had Jinjin been helping them prepare the vegetables for tonight’s dinner all along?
Ah, their Jinjin was truly so sensible!
Liu Dujuan praised her, “Our Jinjin is so amazing. Should Father and Mother help carry them back for you?”
“Mm-hmm, carry them back.” Jinjin nodded her small head, keeping her head down as she continued to look at the ground, searching for the purple-flower Diding.
“Jinjin, these are enough. Come back with us!” After walking a few steps, Liu Dujuan and Jin Yao noticed Jinjin wasn’t following along and called out to her.
“Mother, you go back first, Jinjin will come back in a little bit. These wild vegetables are so interesting; Jinjin wants to play for a bit longer!” Jinjin raised her head and spoke playfully to them.
“Alright then, don’t wander too far, come back soon. Your Uncle Yang and the others are here, so Father and Mother have to go clean up the house!”
Seeing two bullock carts coming down the hillside, Jin Yao gave Jinjin an instruction, and he and Liu Dujuan carried the wild vegetables pulled by Jinjin back to the house.
Jinjin hummed in agreement, walked forward a bit further, and suddenly spotted a patch of wild vegetables with purple flowers.
She called out in pleasant surprise, “Liu Liu, look quick! Is it that one?”
【Yes, Host!】 Liu Liu answered, unable to refrain from marvelling at how good this little girl’s luck truly was.
Jinjin was overjoyed. She ran over and squatted down, about to pull the purple-flower Diding, only to meet a pair of vertical pupils belonging to a little white snake coiled in the grass!
“Eek, a little snake? Liu Liu, look quick, there’s a little snake!”
It was Jinjin’s first time seeing a snake. Rather than feeling afraid, she found it quite novel.
In the past, she had only seen snakes on television and flashcards. This was her first time seeing a snake with her own eyes—and it was even white and so cute.
Liu Liu scanned the little white snake. Determining that it hadn’t issued any attack signals toward the Host, he didn’t say anything.
“You are not afraid of me?” Suddenly, a tiny child’s voice sounded directly in front of Jinjin.
Jinjin froze for a second.
Huh? The little snake could talk?