Ger, So Proud

Chapter 33

Although it was said to be in a couple of days, in reality, it took He Ze six or seven days before he returned to the Lin family.

By then, their wheat had already been threshed. Thanks to the good weather, it had been sunny these days.

He also helped with pounding some rice – the process of dehusking paddy.

When He Ze entered the Lin family’s gate, Lin Yu had just finished breakfast, and it seemed that his legs were completely healed. Once inside the house, He Ze directly stated his purpose for coming.

“You mean Yangliu Village in An County?”

“Yangliu Village?”

“Weren’t you asking me about the place to find herbs? That’s Yangliu Village in An County,” Lin Yu poured a cup of tea and handed it to He Ze, “Yangliu Village isn’t far in terms of distance, but it’s quite a journey. At least two days for a round trip. What are you going there for?”

“To find herbs,” He Ze briefly recounted his conversation with Xu Qingsheng that day, then continued, “Uncle Xu said if I didn’t know the way, I could come and ask you.”

“I do know, but Yangliu Village is far away, and the roads are winding. I don’t take the official road…”

“You still dare not take the official road?” He Ze interrupted him, frowning.

It’s worth noting that although the current situation is stable, the lingering effects of the long-term warfare remain, and there are still many bandits and outlaws in various regions. Although their area is remote and the methods of the county magistrate have been quite good, they have still enjoyed peaceful years.

But isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? The official roads have stations every ten miles, and there are guards stationed there, making them much safer than the smaller paths.

“Well… the first time I took the official road, but it was too far to detour, so later I took the smaller paths and didn’t encounter any danger.”

“That’s just because you were lucky.”

He Ze retorted impatiently, then picked up his tea cup and took a sip. With Lin Yu’s face, it was indeed lucky to travel the smaller paths regularly without any incidents.

“Even if I encounter them, they wouldn’t be a match for me…” Lin Yu clearly didn’t take this matter to heart.

“…”

He Ze had nothing to say, just lowered his head. After finishing the tea in his cup, he said, “Let’s not talk about that. I know you’re capable. How do you specifically get to Yangliu Village?”

“Are you asking about the official road or the smaller paths?”

“What do you think?” He Ze raised an eyebrow, glancing at him.

“For the official road… You take a bullock cart to the town, pass through West Street, and at the end of the street, exit the city gate and head east for about three miles. That’s where the official road is. Because An County is separated from us by a big mountain, the official road takes at least half a day to detour.

Once you get to An County, you head out of the city towards the north, passing through two small towns, and then over a mountain, you’ll reach Yangliu Town. Yangliu Village is even more remote than our town. From the east end of the street in Yangliu Town, you take a boat for about half a day…”

“Stop!” He Ze interrupted before Lin Yu could finish. By then, He Ze’s straight line of thought had already twisted and turned into a tangled mess. He furrowed his brow so tightly it could crush a fly. “Or… could you draw me a map?”

“A map?”

“Yes,” He Ze nodded, “just a simple map, with the names of the places marked.”

Otherwise, it would be too difficult to navigate just by verbal instructions.

Lin Yu glanced at him, suddenly silent.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“… I can’t read,” after a while, Lin Yu raised his head and pursed his lips before saying, “How about I take you there?”

“…”

He Ze also forgot about this for a moment. He suddenly stood up, “Since that’s the case, I’ll go by myself, ask pedestrians on the way.”

“Well… how about I accompany you?” Lin Yu scratched his head, “It’s just to guide you for a while, and I’ve been there so many times. I know some people in Yangliu Village too.”

“Are you sure? If you go with me, what about Uncle Zhang?”

“It’s okay, I’ll just let him know. It’s just a small matter, he won’t disagree.”

“Are you sure? You’re a ger…”

“What about being a ger?” He Ze didn’t finish the sentence, but Lin Yu naturally understood what he meant. “Very well. I’ve been there many times before, but this time, I’ll go with you. Once you’ve set the date, wait for me in the town. Is that okay?”

After pondering for a while, He Ze still didn’t answer.

Losing patience, Lin Yu pushed him out the door, saying, “It’s really just a small matter. Let’s decide like this. Let’s both take different routes back and forth, so no one will see us.”

“Um, okay.” After a moment of silence, He Ze turned his head, “Lin Yu, thanks.”

As soon as he said thank you, Lin Yu smiled, but the force of pushing increased. When Dad Zhang came in, he saw the two of them in this tug-of-war-like situation.

As soon as he saw Dad Zhang’s figure, Lin Yu immediately let go of his hand. He Ze also noticed something was off with him but didn’t know why. He just nodded politely to Dad Zhang, “Hello, Uncle Zhang.”

Dad Zhang didn’t say anything, just nodded in response. He Ze didn’t want to stay any longer and bid farewell to Lin Yu, turning around and leaving the room.

Once his figure disappeared from the sight of the two gers, Dad Zhang glanced at Lin Yu and tentatively asked, “Lin Yu, what did He Ze come to see you for?”

“He…” Lin Yu saw Dad Zhang’s serious expression, but somehow, all the words he had in mind got stuck in his throat, and he quickly changed the subject, “It’s nothing, just asking me about the time when wild birds appear on the mountain. He’s been fond of going to the mountains recently.”

“Are you telling the truth?” Dad Zhang clearly didn’t believe it and asked again.

“Of course I am,” Lin Yu nodded firmly, “By the way, Dad, a few days ago, Uncle Xu gave you a prescription. There are some medicines that the pharmacy in town doesn’t have, so I need to go to An County.”

In the past, if the pharmacy in town didn’t have certain medicines, Lin Yu would go to Yangliu Village in An County and buy them directly from the herbalists because they were much cheaper there.

Dad Zhang was accustomed to this kind of thing, but he was a bit skeptical this time, “Uncle Xu gave you another prescription? Why don’t I know?”

“Dad, Uncle Xu came to see you these past few days, but you didn’t want to see him. How would you know?” Lin Yu glanced at him, “Actually, Uncle Xu…”

“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this…” Dad Zhang interrupted Lin Yu’s train of thought, his eyelids slightly narrowed as he waved his hand, “It’ll take several days for this trip. Be careful, okay? Do you hear me?”

“Dad, you don’t need to worry. I’ve been there many times…” Lin Yu smiled, walking a few steps closer to Dad Zhang and affectionately grabbing his arm.

Seeing his expression, Dad Zhang also smiled and gently patted his hand, but in his mind, the scene he had seen earlier reappeared.

He glanced at Lin Yu, wanting to say something but ultimately didn’t ask. However, unconsciously, his grip on his hand tightened.

It wasn’t until Lin Yu spoke up, pulling his hand out and shaking it in front of him, “Dad, it seems like your health has really improved. My hand is red.”

“Are you alright? Just now, Dad…” He snapped out of his thoughts, holding Lin Yu’s hand and examining it.

“It’s okay, Dad, I’m fine. Why do you seem so uneasy?” Lin Yu withdrew his hand.

Dad Zhang gave him a displeased look and sighed, “Alright, since there’s nothing wrong, Dad will go prepare some dry rations for you. Have them ready early, it won’t hurt.”

“Okay, I’ll go chop some firewood in the yard.” Lin Yu didn’t wait for Dad Zhang’s response and took a few steps into the yard.

Dad Zhang stood at the door for a while, his gaze following Lin Yu, and his brows gradually relaxed.

…

After much persuasion, He Ze finally convinced his father and dad. The next day, he went to the town’s tavern for a while, and on the third day, early in the morning, he carried a bag of dry rations and left the house.

Lin Yu didn’t make him wait long. Just as He Ze stood at the intersection in town, Lin Yu arrived.

Perhaps because of Lin Yu’s previous mention of the longer route, He Ze hired a slightly crude carriage. Even though it was crude, it was still a carriage.

The speed of the carriage was much faster than that of a bullock cart, and of course, the price was the same.

Looking at the horse leisurely grazing in front of him, Lin Yu felt a bit painful, “He Ze, why did you…”

“You said we would take the official road, right? With it, we can return earlier. It doesn’t cost much more money, and this horse is already old, and we’re only hiring it for two days. Come on, get on the carriage. I’ll drive,” He Ze said.

“Do you know how?” Lin Yu had just opened the carriage curtain when his movement suddenly stopped. “A carriage is not like a bullock cart. If you don’t have enough control, the horse can easily run off…”

“Alright, I know,” He Ze reached out and quickly sat at the front of the carriage. He turned around and pulled open the curtain, “Get in quickly. If I get tired, I’ll call you.”

“Okay.”

Lin Yu glanced at He Ze and nodded, then stepped inside.

At the end of West Street, after leaving the town, the carriage gradually reached the official road.

With lush greenery on both sides of the road, scenes of green shadows flashed past their eyes. He Ze couldn’t help but take a deep breath and once again marveled at the air here.

He flicked the reins, urging the horse to go faster.

Inside the carriage, Lin Yu couldn’t help but reach out and hold onto the railing. He looked up but was blocked by the front curtain of the carriage.

Although he couldn’t see anything, he still smiled and shouted, “He Ze, can you handle this? If not, I’ll take over.”

He Ze didn’t answer, but Lin Yu could sense sensitively that the speed of the carriage had increased, like a gust of wind.

Lin Yu’s smile deepened, and he opened the curtain to look outside. The shadow of the carriage was getting farther away, and the two of them were getting closer to An County.

This trip took three days.

Fortunately, nothing happened along the way. When they returned, both of them were sitting outside the carriage, and inside were several baskets of Bai Zhi.

“Phew…”

As they approached the intersection in town, He Ze pulled the reins and stopped the carriage. “Lin Yu, you go back first. I’ll return the carriage and then hire a bullock cart to go home. Remember to give your dad the herbs.”

“Okay, then I’ll go first.”

Lin Yu nodded and then got into the carriage. He took out two packages and then got off the carriage.

He Ze watched him leave until Lin Yu’s figure became a small black dot, then he kicked the horse’s belly and turned his head.

Neither of them noticed that someone was staring at them blankly from a stall by the roadside for quite some time.

After changing to a bullock cart, He Ze’s speed slowed down considerably. It wasn’t until the evening, when the sun set behind the mountains and red clouds filled the sky, that he returned to the village.

Father He and He An had been waiting at the village entrance for a long time. As soon as they saw him, they hurriedly greeted him, “How was it? Nothing happened on the way, right?”

“No, nothing happened,” He Ze shook his head, a smile on his face. “Look, everything is on this cart.”

Father He followed his gaze and glanced at the several baskets of Bai Zhi on the bullock cart, then laughed heartily, “Good! Well done, young man! Tomorrow, we’ll plant them. This first step is completed. You’ll have to take care of these treasures yourself in the future. If you act irresponsibly like before and give up halfway, I’ll break your legs. Do you hear me?”

“What are you saying, Father? As soon as his head heals, you want to break my brother’s leg…” Before He Ze could respond, He An, who was standing nearby, interrupted. He raised his chin at Father He. “Dad and I won’t let you do that.”

“You little rascal, so now you only care about your brother, huh?” Father He rubbed He An’s forehead with his tobacco pipe and then said, “After all the years I’ve taken care of you!”

“Father…”

“Alright, Father, let’s get these baskets of Bai Zhi home first. I still need to return the bullock cart to town,” He Ze interjected, cutting off their conversation.

“Alright,” He Youcai replied, taking another puff of his pipe before handing it to He An. He then walked over to a tree trunk, picked up a carrying pole and thick rope, and handed one set to He Ze. “Father was prepared. Moving them isn’t that hard; we’ll carry them.”

The two of them tied the four baskets on the bullock cart with ropes and each took a load.

With nothing left for him to do, He An grabbed a piece of Bai Zhi and cheerfully followed behind them. The three of them attracted quite a bit of attention from the villagers. When someone asked Father He what was going on, he gave vague replies without going into details.

But he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

Because of Xiao Ze being expelled from the academy and injuring his hand, they had heard plenty of gossip lately. Today, the cloud of gloom in his heart finally lifted.

Father He walked with a spring in his step, humming a tune as they went. After navigating a few small paths and crossing a field ridge, they finally arrived home. At that moment, Dad Li was waiting for them at the gate, and the dishes on the table in the yard were still steaming hot, as if they had just been taken off the stove.