Chapter 5: Chapter 5 : medicinal herbs
"Good. The matter of this trip is now finished. You no longer need to accompany us."
"I, Yang Zhao, will remember this favor. If you encounter trouble in the future, you may come to the Qingjiang County yamen to find me."
"It was only a small matter. Registrar Yang need not keep it in mind."
"If I tell you to remember it, then remember it. I, Yang Zhao, distinguish clearly between gratitude and resentment. However, I will say this in advance. If you violate the laws of Great Wei, or commit some wicked deed that harms Heaven and reason, then there is no need to come looking for me."
"If you dare to come, this official will be the first to have you arrested and thrown into prison."
"This humble one will remember."
Wentian watched their figures disappear into the distance and muttered inwardly.
Was a mere registrar usually this confident?
No.
It was probably because his backing was strong.
Today, he had purchased fifty mu of rice fields and somehow obtained a small favor along the way.
It could be considered a great harvest.
After returning home, Wentian told Bai Jing about what had happened that day.
"Fifty mu? Husband, weren't you previously planning to buy only twenty or thirty mu?"
"Fate and destiny."
Wentian said something mysterious, then took out the rice field certificate.
Bai Jing took it and looked it over. A joyful expression immediately appeared on her face.
"This is wonderful. For a very long time from now on, we won't have to worry about food. We may even be able to sell the surplus for silver."
"Put it away. Place it in the usual spot."
That afternoon, Wentian went to the threshing ground to check on the harvested rice.
He needed to see how well it had dried beneath the sun. If the moisture had been fully removed, they could begin threshing, removing impurities, drying it again, and then storing it properly.
After that, he went to inspect his family's mountain forest.
The green jade pears here were the most important matter. In a little over a month, they would be ready to harvest.
In order to prevent anyone from coveting them or entering the area, he had planted large amounts of thorn vines around the land from the very beginning.
This type of vine grew very easily. If its sharp thorns scratched the skin, they had the effect of numbing the body.
The thorn vines wrapped around bamboo poles. After several years, they had formed a thorn wall four or five meters tall and roughly a foot thick, leaving only a single gate.
Wentian had also set up a few simple traps.
Every evening, after he made his final inspection, he would lock the gate and activate the traps.
At night, the mountain forest was pitch-black, and visibility was poor.
If someone truly developed thieving intentions and forcibly broke in, there was a very high chance they would be caught.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed.
The many procedures involved with the rice harvest had long since been completed, and the grain had been stored at home.
Wentian began dealing with the fifty mu of rice fields he had obtained.
After deducting the portion of rice that needed to be paid as tax, the rest of the rice planted in those fields all belonged to his family.
At dusk, Chen Ergou suddenly rushed to the rice fields in a hurry.
Panting heavily, he shouted, "Brother Wentian! Sister-in-law is about to give birth!"
Joy appeared on Wentian's face.
Without saying another word, he immediately turned and ran toward home.
"No, wait—at least let me rest first!"
Chen Ergou was out of breath, but when he saw Wentian running farther away, he could only grit his teeth and force himself to follow, his arms swinging wildly as he crawled forward like a dog.
Before Wentian even reached the door, he could already hear Bai Jing's painful cries coming from inside the house.
Chen Ergou's wife, Xu Yan, was helping inside. When she came out and saw Wentian trying to enter, she hurriedly stopped him.
"Cousin, the midwife is already here. Don't go in."
"When a woman gives birth, it's inauspicious for a man to be inside."
"How about this? Go boil a few more pots of hot water. The more, the better."
Wentian had only wanted to take a look at Bai Jing's condition.
But now was not the time to dwell on that.
He immediately ran to the kitchen, lit the firewood, and began boiling water.
This was not Bai Jing's first time giving birth.
But for a woman, every childbirth was a trial of life and death.
There was no such thing as simply getting used to it after giving birth several times.
Naturally, Wentian's heart grew tense as well.
After Chen Ergou arrived, he poured himself a bowl of water and gulped it down in one breath.
Seeing the worry on Wentian's face, he immediately said, "Brother Wentian, don't worry. Sister-in-law has always been healthy. She will definitely give birth safely."
"Besides, I also brought a Qi and Blood Pill from home, just in case."
Chen Ergou handed a small porcelain bottle containing the Qi and Blood Pill to Wentian.
"You were thoughtful."
Wentian did not refuse and accepted it directly.
Having experienced Bai Jing giving birth several times before, Wentian himself had also prepared some medicinal herbs to replenish qi and blood.
However, compared with a Qi and Blood Pill, they were all inferior by quite a bit.
He calmed down slightly, then thought of something and asked, "Where are Shitou and A'Yuan?"
"I brought them to my house. They're probably playing happily with my boy right now."
Wentian nodded, then looked up at Chen Ergou.
"Ergou, I'll remember this favor. In the future, if there is anything I can help with, just say it."
"Actually, there really is one matter I'd like Brother Wentian to help me with."
"But… at this moment, Sister-in-law giving birth is the most important thing."
"Good."
Wentian answered, but his mind was not on the matter.
Heaven and earth were vast, but none of it was greater than his wife giving birth to their child.
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