Xie Yuan shook his head. Indeed, he did not understand these things.
His wife’s breadth of knowledge far exceeded his imagination.
It is often said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, yet he had no idea how many places his wife had been to or how many books she had read.
Without waiting for his reaction, Zhou Xing went into the house and brought out the pieces of realgar stone, handing them to him.
“Look, this is realgar. If you grind it into powder, it can be used as realgar powder. It is a kind of traditional medicine, but it must not be heated. If heated, it becomes highly poisonous,” she explained.
She was worried he might misuse it and get poisoned.
“My wife is truly learned and knowledgeable,” Xie Yuan praised her.
Zhou Xing smiled. She was not especially scholarly—she had simply read many miscellaneous books before, and her life experience was also broad. In her era, access to knowledge was abundant.
“In any case, you don’t need to buy it anymore,” she said confidently.
“Is there still a lot of realgar in the mountains?” Xie Yuan asked, thinking that if there was enough, it could be sold to a pharmacy for income.
“I picked some yesterday, and there should still be more around. We can go look again later,” Zhou Xing replied. Then she asked, “Are you and Tie Niu going into the mountains to kill snakes, or to search for rare treasures?”
She asked naturally and did not insist on answers. She simply asked what she wanted to know, though she also understood if he chose to keep things secret.
Everyone had their hidden secrets.
“I observed the heavens at night and saw that there are rare treasures deep in the back mountains, so I plan to go look,” Xie Yuan said half jokingly, half seriously.
Zhou Xing’s heart tightened. Her suspicion was correct.
Xie Yuan definitely had a secret.
“Then you must hurry. Our family is poor, and if we can strike a fortune, life will improve greatly,” Zhou Xing said, her tone filled with money-minded excitement.
“Do you really believe that?” Xie Yuan looked at her.
Zhou Xing paused, then leaned closer and lowered her voice.
“Why wouldn’t I believe it? Throughout history, many extraordinary people have received heavenly guidance. Some even say they experienced three hundred years in a dream.
If you have such an opportunity, it should be cherished.
Don’t worry, I will keep it a secret for you. Besides the rare treasure in the mountains, is there any other guidance?”
Three hundred years in a dream—what a strange saying.
Xie Yuan did not expect that in his wife’s world, everything could be explained so easily. It saved him much effort.
“You are right,” he said seriously. “There is the tale of Huangliang’s dream. Although I do not know whether it is real, I still want to try my luck. This winter will be extremely cold.”
Zhou Xing’s heart tightened.
“In that case, we must prepare enough grain and firewood. Clothes and bedding also need to be bought,” she said immediately. Then she looked at their mud-brick house with clear dissatisfaction.
“These walls are too thin and cannot withstand the cold. It would be best to build a house of blue bricks and tiles.”
“Yes, you are right. If we truly find treasure, all of that will be possible,”Xie Yuan agreed.
He understood this logic well, so going into the mountains could not be delayed.
In his previous life, he had heard of a farmer in a neighboring village who found a century-old ginseng in the mountains and sold it for a thousand taels of silver. But later, bandits learned of it, and the family was wiped out.
The ginseng brought not only wealth, but also disaster.
Yet without this unexpected fortune, it was uncertain whether their family could survive until next spring.
Xie Yuan had borrowed luck from fate itself—he might also have to bear its consequences.
“There are many dangers in the mountains, with poisonous snakes and wild beasts. You must be extremely careful. Remember, we are waiting at home for you,” Zhou Xing said softly. “If you find treasure, that is good; if not, do not worry too much. There is always a way forward.”
“Alright, I understand,” Xie Yuan nodded seriously.
He now had a family—he must be more careful.
After Xie Yuan left, Zhou Xing took the two children to pick wild fruits.
They each carried a small basket and worked very seriously.
It was spring, and overnight the wild fruits had grown abundant—wild strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, all perfect for jam.
Knowing they were making jam to sell, the two children carefully selected only the best fruit.
After about an hour, they had gathered a large amount.
When the sun began to set, Zhou Xing called them back home.
By the time Xie Yuan returned, she had already finished making the jam.
“Can you make some jars for storing jam?” she asked. “Bamboo tubes will do. After dinner, I’ll go cut bamboo with you.”
The mountains had green bamboo, which could be made into bowls, chopsticks, and containers—natural vessels.
“If they work, I’ll go after dinner. You’ve already made the jam?” Xie Yuan asked.
“Yes. Try it later,” Zhou Xing replied.
Seeing the bow and arrows in his hands, she became excited.
“You’ve already made the bow and arrows so quickly?”
“Yes. Take a look,” Xie Yuan handed them to her.
Zhou Xing examined them carefully. Though rough, the bow’s flexibility was decent.
“Yew wood would be better, but mulberry wood is also fine,” she said, weighing it in her hand.
“You even know this?” Xie Yuan was no longer surprised. It seemed his wife knew everything.
Zhou Xing nodded. “A little. If it is for self-defense, a crossbow is more practical than a bow.”
“Crossbow?” Xie Yuan frowned. “I have seen soldiers use them. You know how to make one?”
“I can draw the design,” Zhou Xing said. “It may not fire sixteen bolts at once, but three or four is no problem.”
She had made crossbows before, and they worked well.
Xie Yuan nodded. As long as it was used carefully, it would not draw attention.
“I’ll trouble you for that then,” he said.
At the dinner table, a dish of jam attracted everyone’s attention.
The taste was excellent—even Xie Yuan, who did not like sweets, found it pleasant.
The two children praised it endlessly.