NOVEL NEXT 25
Chapter 25
“How about it? Is it inconvenient for you?”
“Not really, it’s just… I’m worried our schedules might not align.” Lin Yu looked doubtful as he slowly descended the stone steps.
“I see…” He Ze’s voice paused for a moment, then he continued, “How about this, when you want to go up the mountain, just let me know in advance, and I’ll try to make time.”
“Okay!”
Lin Yu’s face lit up with a smile. His eyes met He Ze’s for a moment before he suddenly looked away, fell silent for a few moments, then said, “He Ze, thank you today, and thank Uncle Li.”
“…”
Being thanked twice by Lin Yu in one day left He Ze feeling a bit overwhelmed. He glanced at Lin Yu, but his gaze froze inexplicably.
Lin Yu seemed unusually solemn, and for some reason, He Ze found himself unable to make any of his usual jokes.
At this moment, Lin Yu gradually merged with the image of the bloodied child He Ze had envisioned. In that instant, He Ze saw himself struggling to survive in the apocalypse.
“No need to thank me,” He Ze replied after a long pause.
A moment of silence ensued.
It was evening, the sun setting in the west. The two stood facing each other, their shadows intertwined on the ground.
He Ze said his farewell and then left the courtyard.
Lin Yu stared at his departing figure for a moment before stepping to the doorway and standing there for a long time.
…
Two days later, halfway up the eastern slope of Xiangyang Mountain.
“You came up here to dig for medicinal herbs?” Lin Yu, holding a bow and arrow, squatted nearby, his eyes fixed on He Ze, who was digging.
This time, He Ze had come prepared with a pickaxe. Digging up a medicinal plant took only a few strikes. He dusted off the roots of the freshly dug plant and waved it in front of Lin Yu. “Guess what this is?”
The plant was over three feet tall. Lin Yu glanced at the dense, umbrella-shaped white flowers but couldn’t think of what it might be. He instinctively asked, “What is it?”
“Bai Zhi. It promotes blood circulation, expels pus, generates muscle, and relieves pain,” He Ze recalled from the medicinal book. He then tossed the Bai Zhi into his basket. “When I went to town yesterday, I asked Doctor Xu. He said most of the medicinal herbs at the local pharmacy are sourced from various herbal merchants, and Bai Zhi mainly comes from the northern Ding County.”
“…Ding County? And then?” Lin Yu prompted.
“And then,” He Ze smiled and turned his head, “I heard that this summer, Ding County had over three months of continuous heavy rain. The imperial court allocated 100,000 taels of silver for disaster relief.”
“What does that mean?” Lin Yu pondered.
“In simple terms, after the heavy rains, soil erosion occurred, causing a shortage of Bai Zhi. When supply falls short of demand, prices rise significantly, creating an opportunity for profit.”
“So, you really plan to grow this?” Lin Yu’s eyes lit up, understanding He Ze’s implication.
“Not necessarily,” He Ze shook his head, taking a few steps higher up the mountain. “For now, I’m just observing. Initially, I plan to plant a small plot as a test. Coming up here is to see if these suitable herbs are found on this mountain. If they are, it means the climate and soil here are conducive to their growth. That’s the most basic requirement.”
Although he had special abilities, it wasn’t feasible to rely on them all the time for accelerating growth. If that were the case, he might as well stay home and relax instead of wasting his time.
“According to what you said, Bai Zhi seems quite suitable. Are there other root options?” Lin Yu asked, a bit puzzled, as he quickly caught up.
“Based on our local climate, the growing habits and cycles of the herbs, planting difficulty, medicinal value, and supply-demand relationship, the most suitable herbs for cultivation besides Bai Zhi are saffron, Atractylodes macrocephala, and Platycodon grandiflorum,” He Ze explained as they walked. “Among these, we don’t even know if saffron and Platycodon are present on this mountain.”
As soon as He Ze finished speaking, Lin Yu paused. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you whenever I go up the mountain. You have such good luck; if they’re here, you’ll definitely find them.”
Good luck… Well, he did have a knack for finding things in the woods. He Ze furrowed his brow slightly, pushed aside a branch blocking their path, and plucked a leaf.
After touching it for a moment, He Ze suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky. The sun was high, the sky was clear, but…
“Bang—”
Lin Yu clutched his forehead. “He Ze, what are you doing! Ow—”
He hadn’t looked up and didn’t see He Ze stop, so he bumped right into He Ze’s shoulder blade.
“…”
He Ze turned around, facing Lin Yu’s resentful gaze. “Are you okay?”
“…I’m fine.” Lin Yu gritted his teeth slightly as he rubbed his reddening forehead. “Why did you stop? Why aren’t we moving?”
“We need to go down the mountain immediately.”
“Down the mountain, why?” Lin Yu asked, looking up.
“It’s going to rain. Let’s head back quickly.” Without waiting for a response, He Ze grabbed Lin Yu and they started descending the mountain.
“He Ze, the weather is so good, the sun is still up. How can it rain?” Lin Yu stabilized himself after a few steps. “What are you up to? I haven’t even caught anything today, and you want us to go back?”
“Trust me!”
He Ze, impatient to explain, pushed Lin Yu’s shoulder as they moved downhill.
The past few days had been oppressively hot, but the leaf He Ze had just plucked was quite wet, indicating increased humidity—an impending rainstorm.
In the apocalypse, rain often carried the zombie virus, and He Ze had often used plants to avoid heavy rains in his past life. He had experience.
“He Ze…”
“Boom—”
Lin Yu was about to say more when a thunderclap echoed. He looked up instinctively to see that the sun had dimmed and thick clouds were rolling in.
It had happened so quickly.
“Do you believe me now?” He Ze interrupted Lin Yu’s thoughts, jumping off a low dirt mound. “We need to hurry. If the rain gets heavier, it’ll be hard to get down.”
“Okay.”
Lin Yu responded, using nearby shrubs to steady himself as he followed He Ze.
They moved quickly, but their luck didn’t hold. Halfway down the mountain, strong winds and large raindrops began to pelt down.
“He Ze, what do we do now?” Lin Yu asked, covering his head with his hands, with He Ze right behind him.
“Keep going. If we move quickly, we’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”
He Ze shouted as the rain soaked them both, their hair plastered to their faces, water dripping from their chins.
Seeing Lin Yu running ahead, He Ze wiped his face, his eyes scanning around until they settled on a tree about as tall as a person. Although the tree was short, its leaves were large.
He Ze waved his hand, and several leaves fell off the tree and flew into his hand. Holding leaves in both hands, He Ze quickly fused them together, creating a larger, sturdier piece that seemed to be a single leaf from the start.
Noticing Lin Yu had run far ahead, He Ze hurriedly chased after him with the leaf umbrella. “Here, use this as an umbrella!”
Even though Lin Yu was stronger than the average young man, his constitution was still slightly weaker than a man’s. If Lin Yu fell ill, He Ze would feel responsible.
Lin Yu took the leaf umbrella but had no time to speak as He Ze had already run off. He put the leaves over his head and quickly caught up, soon surpassing He Ze.
“You weren’t in a hurry to go down earlier, so why are you running so fast now?” He Ze called out, frowning at Lin Yu’s quick pace. “Be careful!”
“The rain is too heavy,” Lin Yu turned his head, slowing down but not stopping. “The roof at home hasn’t been repaired in a long time. I’m worried about my dad being alone—”
Before Lin Yu could finish his sentence, there was a sudden noise, and he fell to the ground. He Ze paused, then rushed over to him.
The steep terrain, covered in grass and now slippery from the rain, had caused Lin Yu to slip. His ankle hit a tree trunk, accompanied by a faint cracking sound. His bow and arrows were also thrown from his basket.
“Ugh—”
By the time He Ze reached him, Lin Yu’s face was contorted in pain. “How are you? Are you alright?”
He Ze’s eyes scanned Lin Yu, finally stopping at his ankle.
Author’s Note:
He Ze (righteously): Yu Yu, how about we find a cave to take shelter from the rain?
Lin Yu (blinking): No, two people alone… The ground… is too uncomfortable~
He Ze’s eyes turned red, feeling a certain reaction…
**Author:** Just hold on, this is the daily routine, hahaha~ PS: I feel like I’ll be beaten to death one day Q_Q
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