NOVEL NEXT 21
Chapter 21: Bath Together?
The higher they climbed, the fewer signs of human activity there were. By noon, the sun was blazing.
It was stiflingly hot in the forest. Lin Yu rolled up his sleeves to wipe the sweat off his forehead, and when he turned, he saw He Ze squatting down. He glanced up at the mountain top and then walked over to He Ze. “Are you tired? Want to take a break?”
He Ze didn’t respond immediately. He was intently staring at a knee-high plant in front of him. After a while, he looked up. “…Do you see what this is?”
“What?”
Lin Yu squatted down beside He Ze and followed his gaze. Suddenly, his expression changed. He prodded the plant’s leaves, disbelief in his voice. “He Ze, why does this look like… ginseng?”
Ginseng was a precious herb he’d only seen in illustrations at Uncle Xu’s clinic.
“It doesn’t just look like it, it is,” He Ze raised an eyebrow. “This thing is pretty clever at hiding.”
It was well concealed. In his previous life, with better access to information, he had a rough idea of what ginseng looked like. If he hadn’t kept staring at it and used his ability to probe, he might have missed it.
He Ze turned to Lin Yu. “I forgot to bring a hoe. I’ll need to borrow your arrow to dig this up.”
“…An arrow?” Lin Yu frowned. He was very particular about his bow and arrows.
“Unless you want to use our hands?”
“Forget it, here.” Lin Yu shook his head and took an arrow from his quiver, handing it to He Ze. “Just be careful not to damage the roots.”
“Don’t worry.”
He Ze took off his backpack and quickly pulled out the surrounding weeds. Then he used the arrow to draw a circle around the ginseng plant before carefully loosening the soil.
Lin Yu, growing impatient, also took out an arrow and started loosening the soil on the other side.
Working together, they soon exposed the fine roots of the ginseng.
“You finish up. I’m afraid I’ll use too much force.” Lin Yu stopped and wiped the arrowhead on the grass.
“Alright.”
He Ze kept digging deeper with the arrow, reaching the roots of the ginseng.
“It’s so small,” Lin Yu propped his chin on his hand, looking somewhat disappointed. “He Ze, how many years do you think it’s been growing? Uncle Xu said that the older the ginseng, the better its medicinal properties, and the thicker its roots.”
“Thicker? Did you expect it to grow like a white radish?” He Ze paused. When he found the ginseng, he had used his ability to accelerate its growth, but it could only grow so much. “Ginseng grows very slowly. This one… has probably been growing for six or seven years.”
Including the time he accelerated its growth.
“Six or seven years,” Lin Yu exclaimed, then seemed to remember something and stared at He Ze. “It looks like you really did your homework, and you have sharp eyes. You found ginseng on your first trip up the mountain. Many herbalists from neighboring villages often come here, but it’s been a long time since anyone mentioned finding ginseng.”
“After great misfortune comes great fortune?” He Ze raised an eyebrow as he carefully uncovered the last bit of soil and gently lifted the entire ginseng plant, roots and all. It looked remarkably like a tiny person. He finally smiled. “Done.”
Lin Yu, watching He Ze’s smile thoughtfully, took the arrow from He Ze’s hand and wiped it on the grass. “Shall we continue to the summit? Is it okay to just leave the ginseng like this?”
“It should be fine,” He Ze casually placed the ginseng into his basket and slung it back over his shoulder. “Let’s go, let’s continue.”
“Alright,” Lin Yu wiped his sweaty brow again and glanced up at the sky, continuing as they walked. “We’re not far from the summit now. Are you hungry?”
“I’m okay. I brought some dry food. How about we find a shady spot at the summit to eat?” He Ze noticed Lin Yu frequently wiping sweat and frowned. He reached out to brush the nearby tree branches, causing the leaves to rustle and create a slight breeze.
Lin Yu didn’t respond, just strode forward with He Ze following closely. When they reached the summit, the sun was at its peak. Although the area was more open, it was still stiflingly hot and windless.
They found a large tree and ate a few flatbreads and half a bag of dried sweet potatoes in the shade, finally feeling full.
He Ze leaned against the tree trunk, half-lying on the ground with his hands behind his head, feeling very comfortable. “Shall we rest for a while? It won’t take as long to go back down.”
Lin Yu glanced at him, then suddenly stood up and walked to the flat part of the summit. Looking down the mountain, he could just make out a few houses in He Family Village and saw faint figures by the river, likely fetching water for cooking.
It seemed like it had been a long time since he had been to the summit.
“What are you looking at?”
He Ze had quietly walked up beside him and also looked around before speaking. “The view from the top is indeed different. It was worth the climb.”
“Of course, of the five peaks of Xiangyang Mountain, the east peak is the highest.” Lin Yu had thought He Ze wouldn’t make it, but he hadn’t complained once.
He remembered a saying he had heard from the village teacher: “After three days apart, one should look at a person with new eyes.” Maybe that applied here?
Lin Yu stared at He Ze for a moment, then suddenly asked, “How’s the wound you got yesterday? Is it better?”
“It’s better. The medicinal wine worked well. I’ll have Dr. Xu prepare another bottle for me someday.”
“That’s good.”
Lin Yu nodded. His usually fair face was now slightly red from the sun, and his collar was damp.
“Shall we rest in the shade for a bit longer and head down when the sun isn’t as strong?”
“Okay,” Lin Yu wiped a hand full of sweat from his neck, took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and turned back excitedly. “Wait, let me take you to a great place.”
“What?”
Lin Yu didn’t answer. He quickly walked to the shade, picked up his basket, and urged, “Hurry up and follow!”
Seeing Lin Yu like this, He Ze also sped up and followed. They seemed to be going downhill, but it wasn’t the same path they took up. They twisted and turned through the forest, with Lin Yu seeming very familiar with the route. After about a quarter of an hour, he finally slowed down.
“Where are we going?”
“Just follow me, you’ll see. We’re almost there.” Lin Yu smiled, pushed aside the bushes in front of him, and ducked through.
He Ze bent down and followed him. On the other side, Lin Yu had already stopped. He patted He Ze’s shoulder and said, “Look, what’s that?”
He Ze looked in the direction Lin Yu was pointing. The area was somewhat open, with scattered rocks and several large stones lying around. Through the gaps between the stones, he saw a… pool?
He glanced down at Lin Yu, full of questions.
“I discovered this warm pool a couple of years ago while chasing a deer. The water in the pool is warm all year round. It’s very comfortable.”
A warm pool? A natural hot spring?
They quickly walked to the edge of the pool. It wasn’t large and was shaded by a big tree. The edges were lined with stones, and the water was very clear, with a few leaves floating on top. Occasionally, a bubble would pop up.
Lin Yu set down his basket, squatted by the pool, and splashed some water on his face, looking very content.
“This is a great spot.”
He Ze’s voice carried a note of excitement as he bent down to feel the water, which was around 34 degrees Celsius, a very suitable temperature.
When Lin Yu stood up and turned around, He Ze had already discarded his belt and outer clothes, standing there in just his inner shirt and pants.
“He Ze, what are you doing!”
Lin Yu hurriedly covered his eyes, his face turning bright red.
“It’s rare to find such a good spot, so I’m taking a bath before we head back down,” He Ze said, already removing his inner shirt and dropping it on the ground. As he was about to take off his pants, he paused. “Join me? After all, we’re both…”
Both…? He Ze looked up to see Lin Yu with his eyes covered, his mouth half-open in shock, and his heart skipped a beat.
Had he… forgotten something???
**Author’s Note:**
**He Ze:** “Darling, let’s bathe together?”
**Lin Yu:** “Get lost!”
**Author:** “Beg me [hahaha]”
Good morning, my dears. Are you satisfied with this big move? The author is proficient, and girlfriends can sign up quickly! (´ω`) hiahiahia