The Farm Girl and the Executioner (Rebirth) 19

Chapter 19: Digging for Fangfeng

After lunch, the two of them went up the mountain, each with a basket on their back.

After walking for about half an hour, they arrived at the same spot as yesterday. Looking at the large patch of dark earth that had been dug up, Jiang Huaizhen asked, “Did you dig the yams here?”

Lin Shuang nodded. “The few I found the other day were in a different spot. The ones I sold yesterday were dug up here. See, that patch of green, slender-leaved plants is fangfeng.”

Jiang Huaizhen glanced at it. “There’s quite a lot.”

Lin Shuang put down her basket, picked up the tool she had carved from wood, and began to dig.

Jiang Huaizhen watched her dig up two roots before she knelt down and started to work.

“The root of fangfeng is used in medicine. The roots are quite long, just be careful not to damage them,” Lin Shuang explained carefully.

Jiang Huaizhen agreed and began to dig with her head down.

Her method was different from Lin Shuang’s. Lin Shuang pried them out one by one, while she dug a deep trench along the edge of the large clump of fangfeng, then worked her way from the trench toward the clump of herbs, digging out the soil bit by bit. She quickly obtained a complete fangfeng plant.

This was a very effective method for densely growing plants.

Excluding the time it took to dig the trench, she could basically dig up five or six roots at a time. Lin Shuang, on the other hand, was still carefully struggling with the first few.

Lin Shuang hadn’t understood her method at first, but now she realized how efficient it was. She smiled, abandoned her previous method, and rolled into the trench to work alongside her.

It was indeed much faster.

Jiang Huaizhen was very quiet, even when she was working, her brow was furrowed in concentration.

Lin Shuang enjoyed the atmosphere of working with her, but after digging for a long time, she couldn’t help but chat. She looked at the person who had already dug up more than half in such a short time and smiled. “I originally thought this would take two or three hours to dig. I didn’t expect you to finish it so quickly. You’re amazing.”

If she had come alone, using her previous method, it would have probably taken her a whole day.

At her praise, the corner of Jiang Huaizhen’s lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

“I asked at the Everlasting Peace Apothecary yesterday. This stuff sells for twenty copper coins per catty when dried. How many catties do you think we’ve dug up?” Lin Shuang asked her.

Jiang Huaizhen looked up, glanced at the basket behind her, then at the remaining half of the herbs. She thought for a moment and said, “There should be about two hundred catties.”

Based on her experience from her past life, Lin Shuang’s estimate was about the same.

“That’s about right. When it’s dried, there should be sixty or seventy catties. If we sell it all, it’ll be a considerable income.”

It would be equivalent to the money Jiang Huaizhen earned for beheading one person.

Once the old woman’s illness was cured and they had some savings, Jiang Huaizhen wouldn’t have to do that job anymore.

Jiang Huaizhen, who was next to her, continued to dig with her head down and suddenly said, “Thank you.”

“Thank me for what?”

“For what you said to Great-grandmother this morning.”

Lin Shuang smiled.

Jiang Huaizhen had a reclusive personality, and Old Madam Jiang’s temper wasn’t good either. Although the old woman loved her in her heart, neither of them was good at expressing themselves. One was cold and sarcastic, the other was quiet and withdrawn. It was no wonder the atmosphere at home wasn’t good.

“That’s what I thought in my heart. If she’s alive and well, and you’re happy, then our home will feel like a home.”

Jiang Huaizhen hummed softly in agreement.

Just then, Lin Shuang suddenly remembered the matter of transporting so many herbs down the mountain and said in annoyance, “I was careless today. We have two hundred catties of goods, but we only brought two baskets. I’m afraid we’ll have to make an extra trip.”

“It’s alright. I’ll carry more later.” Jiang Huaizhen was used to heavy work and didn’t find it difficult. “If we have this many herbs next time, we can bring a carrying pole.”

Lin Shuang snorted. “I’m not weak either. I can carry a lot too.”

After all, she was in a young body. Although she couldn’t compare to Jiang Huaizhen, she was still strong.

“Let’s carry them to the stream halfway down the mountain first, wash them, and then carry them back. We can dry them directly when we get back.”

“Alright.”

After they had dug up all the fangfeng, they carefully removed the remaining stems, dirt, and other impurities before packing them into the baskets.

They went down the mountain to the stream halfway, then returned to carry the second load.

When they had carried everything, they poured the herbs into the shallow water, took off their shoes and socks, and carefully washed them one by one.

Seeing that there was still half left to wash, Jiang Huaizhen said, “I’ll carry one basket down first. You continue washing up here. When I come back with the carrying pole and baskets, we can carry it all down in one go.”

Lin Shuang didn’t want her to work so hard, but she insisted, so she had to let her be.

By the time she returned to the halfway point, the herbs were just finished being washed. They filled the baskets, one carrying with a pole and the other on her back, and it took them over a quarter of an hour to get home.

There weren’t enough winnowing baskets at home. Jiang Huaizhen found a bamboo mat from somewhere and said, “It can still be used after a wash. I’ll weave a new one when I have time.”

With that, she carried the mat to wash it.

She herself was a diligent person, but Jiang Huaizhen was even more proactive. Lin Shuang felt that working with Jiang Huaizhen was a real energy-saver.

The weather was dry now, and the north wind was blowing. Although the fangfeng was piled together wet, it wouldn’t be a problem to leave it in a ventilated place overnight. By tomorrow morning, when the mat was dry, it wouldn’t be a problem to spread them out to dry.

Old Madam Jiang was in good spirits. Hearing them return, she supported herself against the wall and came to the main hall to watch them process the herbs.

Looking at the several large baskets of herbs, she couldn’t help but ask, “I’ve seen this stuff on the mountain before. I didn’t know it was also medicine.”

“Many medicinal herbs look like ordinary grass and are difficult to distinguish. It’s not strange that people who aren’t in this line of work don’t recognize them.”

Lin Shuang regretted her words as soon as she said them.

Sure enough, Old Madam Jiang’s eyes shifted, and she stared at her. “The Lin family isn’t in the medicine business. How do you know them?”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she made something up. “My maternal grandfather was sick all year round, and our family gathered a lot of herbs ourselves. I went a few times and learned to recognize a few.”

The Jiang grandmother and granddaughter had lived in the valley for years and had almost no contact with the villagers, let alone knowing about the affairs of the Lin family’s second branch. Lin Shuang was counting on this to make up a story.

Old Madam Jiang indeed didn’t pursue the matter further, just grumbled, “You have a good memory.”

After briefly processing the herbs, Lin Shuang went to the kitchen to cook, planning to make steamed buns for dinner.

Jiang Huaizhen moved a stool to the doorway and continued to weave the winnowing basket.

Considering that they might have to go up the mountain to gather herbs from time to time in the future, she made the frames of the remaining baskets very large to facilitate drying more things later.

Old Madam Jiang hobbled to the kitchen with her cane. Seeing Lin Shuang kneading dough, she asked, “What are you making now?”

Lin Shuang replied, “There are two large plates of lard residue left from rendering the lard yesterday. You can’t eat it when it’s dry, and Sister Jiang doesn’t like to eat it plain. It’s better to chop it up and mix it with pickled vegetables to make a filling for large steamed buns.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Jiang was clearly very satisfied. After all, if it were her own clueless granddaughter, she would have just thrown the lard residue into a pot of boiled cabbage and stewed it.

“Don’t let that stubborn girl touch the stove from now on.” With that, she supported herself against the wall with her cane and slowly shuffled back to her room.

Jiang Huaizhen, who was weaving bamboo at the door, glanced at her retreating figure, then quickly lowered her head and continued with her work.

While chopping the lard residue, Lin Shuang smiled at her. “Great-grandmother really thinks you like to be around the stove.”

Jiang Huaizhen stopped what she was doing and said with a hint of grievance, “I was forced into it.”

It was rare for her to respond to something with emotion. Lin Shuang said, “Don’t worry. With me around, no one will force you into it again.”

Seeing that she was making fun of her, Jiang Huaizhen ignored her, pursed her lips, and concentrated on her work.