The Gu family didn’t know much about medicinal herbs.
What they did know was that medicine was expensive.
A single trip to the pharmacy could easily cost several hundred copper coins.
So if this thing called He Shou Wu could sell for even a few hundred coins, that would already be a pleasant surprise.
Grandpa Gu nodded.
“Since this… He… He Shou Wu can be sold for money, we should take it to a pharmacy in town and see what they’ll offer.”
It was already too late in the day to catch a ride into town.
They would have to wait until tomorrow morning.
The moment she heard this, Gu Xiaoxiao immediately began pestering Grandpa Gu.
She had two reasons for wanting to go.
First, she had never been to the town before and wanted to see it for herself.
Second, she was worried they didn’t know the market price of He Shou Wu.
What if they sold it too cheaply?
Wouldn’t that be a huge loss?
For those reasons alone, she absolutely had to go.
Unable to withstand her relentless pleading, Grandpa Gu quickly surrendered.
“Alright, alright. You can come.”
“Thank you, Grandpa!!!”
Gu Xiaoxiao practically jumped with joy.
Nearby, Gu Yanchen watched with obvious envy.
His eyes were filled with longing.
Unfortunately, bringing Xiaoxiao along was already pushing the limit.
If too many children came, the adults wouldn’t be able to keep track of everyone.
So poor Gu Yanchen would have to stay home.
Seeing his disappointed expression, Gu Xiaoxiao smiled.
“Ah Chen, don’t be sad.”
“If I see anyone selling candied hawthorn sticks in town, I’ll buy one for you, okay?”
The moment he heard the words candied hawthorn, his eyes sparkled.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“You have to remember!”
“I definitely will.”
Satisfied, Gu Yanchen immediately brightened up.
Not only did he stop asking to go to town, but he even wandered off to draw something in the dirt with a stick.
Just as Gu Xiaoxiao was about to go see what he was doing, another figure popped up beside her.
A familiar mischievous voice sounded.
“Little sister~”
“What about me?”
“Do I get anything too?”
Gu Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow.
“And what would big brother like?”
Gu Zhenzhong looked at her expectantly before finally voicing his wish.
“If possible…”
“Could you buy me a bow?”
“But if it’s too expensive, forget it.”
“My current one still works.”
Gu Xiaoxiao didn’t miss the longing in his eyes.
She had no intention of playing favorites.
Although Gu Zhenzhong could be annoyingly blunt sometimes, he was also the one who cherished his sister the most.
Whenever the original owner got into trouble, he was always the first to rush to her side.
Even when she treated him badly, he continued to spoil her endlessly.
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded.
She knew how much he treasured his bow.
Unfortunately, it was nearly unusable now.
Recently, he had relied mostly on traps because he could no longer hunt effectively with it.
Even if he hadn’t asked, she would have bought him a new one after selling the He Shou Wu.
Now that he’d finally said it out loud, there was even more reason to do so.
Seeing her nod, Gu Zhenzhong nearly bounced away with excitement.
After lunch, Grandpa Gu and Father Gu rested briefly before picking up their hoes and heading back to the fields.
This time, Gu Zhenzhong went with them.
It was spring planting season.
Every household was busy sowing crops.
After all, the harvest would determine the family’s income for the entire year.
Even Old Madam Gu left later to help.
Gu Xiaoxiao wanted to go too.
Unfortunately, Old Madam Gu firmly refused.
She practically locked Gu Xiaoxiao and Gu Yanchen inside the house before leaving.
Since she wasn’t allowed out, Gu Xiaoxiao decided to inspect the game Gu Zhenzhong had brought back that morning.
She headed toward the backyard.
On the right side stood Old Madam Gu’s vegetable garden.
The entire area was fenced off.
Judging by the precautions, one would think it contained priceless treasures.
On the left were the pigsty and chicken coop.
Every day, Gu Yanchen went into the mountains to gather pig grass for the family’s pigs.
Ironically, although the Gu family often struggled to eat properly themselves, their pigs were remarkably plump.
Next to the pigsty sat a wooden cage handmade by Grandpa Gu.
Inside were the two wild rabbits Gu Zhenzhong had caught that morning.
Gu Xiaoxiao opened the lid and reached inside, intending to inspect one of them.
Just then, a childish voice sounded behind her.
“Big Sister, what are you doing?”
Turning around, she saw Gu Yanchen peeking around the corner.
His messy hair stuck out in every direction, making him look like a fluffy little kitten.
The sight instantly melted her heart.
Smiling affectionately, she waved him over.
After a moment’s hesitation, he ran to her side.
Gu Xiaoxiao lifted her hand, intending to tidy his hair.
The moment her hand rose—
Gu Yanchen instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.
It was an automatic reaction.
A deeply ingrained habit.
Because for so long, whenever the original owner raised her hand, it usually meant a beating was coming.
Gu Xiaoxiao froze.
Her heart ached.
In the end, she gently rested her hand atop his head and carefully smoothed down his hair.
Softly, she said,
“Ah Chen, how old are you now?”
“Why does your big sister still have to fix your hair for you?”
Feeling the warmth on top of his head, Gu Yanchen finally remembered.
This wasn’t the old sister anymore.
She wouldn’t hit him.
There was nothing to fear.
He hurriedly opened his eyes.
He was afraid she might have seen his reaction and become sad.
Fortunately, Gu Xiaoxiao pretended not to notice.
She knew his fear couldn’t disappear overnight.
Healing would take time.
Luckily…
They had plenty of time.
When he saw no trace of sadness in her eyes, he secretly sighed in relief.
Then he grinned.
“I don’t know how it became like this.”
Embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head.
He was simply too adorable.
Unable to resist, Gu Xiaoxiao immediately ruffled his hair again.
By the time she finished, his hair was even messier than before.
Gu Yanchen didn’t mind at all.
In fact, he liked it.
It made him feel closer to his sister.
After she was done tormenting his poor hair, he finally asked:
“Big Sister, what were you doing just now?”
“Oh!”
Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered the rabbits.
Turning back toward the cage, she was relieved to see both rabbits still inside.
Then she smiled.
“I was checking on the rabbits.”
“If they’re healthy, we can raise them.”
“That way we’ll never have to worry about not having meat to eat.”
Gu Yanchen’s eyes widened.
His sister was a genius!
If they raised rabbits, wouldn’t that mean they could eat rabbit meat regularly?
Gu Xiaoxiao lifted the rabbits one by one for inspection.
Conveniently, one was male and the other female.
Perfect.
That meant breeding was possible.
Turning to Gu Yanchen, she asked:
“Ah Chen, do you want to raise rabbits?”
He nodded so hard his head nearly fell off.
“Of course!”
He wanted meat too.
The corners of Gu Xiaoxiao’s lips curled upward.
“In that case, you’ll need to help take care of them.”
“You’ll have to feed them regularly.”
“Can you do that?”
“Absolutely!”
“I’ll take really good care of the bunnies!”
Gu Xiaoxiao patted his head.
“I believe you.”
Then she patiently began teaching him how to raise rabbits.
Rabbits were surprisingly delicate creatures.
Their drinking water needed to be boiled first.
The grass they ate had to be dry.
And there were many other precautions to keep them healthy.
Gu Yanchen listened with complete seriousness, committing every word to memory.