Chapter 326: Chapter 305, Goodbye_1
Taohua Village.
The old woman stood atop Taohua Mountain, quietly watching the people below who were coming over to reclaim the wasteland. Seeing her brother coming with a steaming bowl of medicine, she took the bowl from him without changing her expression and drank it all at once.
“Sister, this is the candied fruit I bought in the county town, you can hold it in your mouth to get rid of the bitter taste,” Gu Jian extended a packet of candied fruit to the old woman.
The old woman shook her head, “I’ve drunk medicine for so many years, I’m already numb to the bitterness, I don’t need any candied fruit.”
Hearing this, Gu Jian’s face darkened silently and he put back the candied fruit.
The old woman’s gaze returned to the mountain below, “It’s been a few months since we moved here, and only in the past two days have we really seen some signs of life. By the way, have you heard who bought that plot of land at the foot of the mountain?”
Thinking of the news he had gathered from the village chief, Gu Jian’s mouth corners stiffly curled up a bit.
The old woman caught sight of that and immediately felt puzzled.
Was her brother smiling?
Did they know the person who bought the land? And moreover, did this person please her brother like this?
Gu Jian had always been stern, and ever since he escaped the big fire that rose to heaven, he had never smiled again. He maintained the same expression for a long time, so this sudden upward curve of his mouth made his smile look somewhat fierce.
Seeing the look of distress in his sister’s eyes, Gu Jian immediately pressed down the corners of his mouth, returning to his usual indifference, “Sister, you know the person who bought the land, it’s that girl who came looking for medicine back then.”
At these words, the old woman immediately widened her eyes, “Daohua?!”
Gu Jian nodded, “That girl’s father has been promoted to Magistrate of Ningmen Prefecture, and the whole family has moved here.”
A rare smile also appeared on the old woman’s face, “Speaking of which, we have quite a deep connection with that girl. If it weren’t for her last time, we might have already become drowned ghosts.”
She paused for a moment.
“And also because of her, we saw Xiaojiu’s son…”
Thinking of Xiao Yeyang’s appearance, the old woman’s eyes flashed with a burning brightness, “…indeed, it has eased some of the regrets in my heart.”
Gu Jian looked at his sister with a heartache, wanting to soothe the pain in her eyes, but he knew there was nothing he could do.
The siblings stood in silence, lost in a brief moment of tranquility.
At this time, at the foot of the mountain, a young girl in a green dress came into their view.
Seeing that Xiaoliu had so quickly summoned hundreds of young and strong men to reclaim the wasteland, Daohua showed a look of satisfaction on her face.
“Brother Xiaoliu, this is the design for the manor. I’ve marked where we need to build the greenhouses, grain barns, flower gardens, cowsheds, chicken coops, duck pens, goose pens, and sheep pens. Show it to the master builder and see if there’s anything wrong with the diagram. If it’s all good, then have them build the manor according to this plan,” she instructed.
“Right, besides the manor, build some small farmyards for the tenant farmers to live in. If we provide housing, we don’t have to worry about not finding tenant farmers.”
Shahe County was indeed a bit too poor. Over the past few days, she had learned that not even refugees wanted to stay in Shahe County.
Daohua carefully went through the design of the manor with Xiaoliu, and after almost half an hour of detailed explanation, making sure he understood her intentions and thoughts, she let him leave.
After Xiaoliu left with the drawings to find the builders, Daohua looked up at Taohua Mountain.
Just two or three days had passed, and the buds on the peach trees on the mountain had grown more numerous and larger.
“Let’s go, we’ll go up for a look.”
Daohua asked Wang Manman to bring the visiting gifts they had prepared early that morning and then started walking toward the mountain.
Although Taohua Mountain covered a vast area, it wasn’t particularly high, perhaps less than a hundred meters from the base to the peak. However, due to the lack of paths, Daohua and Wang Manman had to climb for almost half an hour to reach the top.
“How long has it been since people last came to this mountain? There isn’t even a path,” Daohua stood at the top, panting as she looked at the thatched cottage not far away.
Wang Manman replied, “I heard that the fruits of the peach trees on this mountain are both astringent and sour, and the villagers nearby don’t like to eat them. Except for the children who are tempted to pick a few, adults hardly ever come up the mountain. Naturally, no path remains.”
After catching her breath, Daohua patted her skirt and led Wang Manman toward the only thatched cottage at the top of the mountain.
“Taohua Temple!”
Seeing a signboard hanging above the door of the thatched cottage, Daohua immediately smiled.
The monk might have a peculiar temperament, but in one aspect he was very much like Xiao Yeyang—they both had a taste for the finer things.
“Old woman Gu?”
Daohua stood outside the courtyard door, craning her neck to look inside, and tentatively called out.
When no answer came, Daohua called again, “Strange monk…” Remembering that it wasn’t too polite to call him that, she quickly corrected herself, “Strange master?”
Still no one answered.
Wang Manman, “Miss, I’m afraid our timing is unlucky, there’s nobody home.”
Daohua pointed at the teapot in the courtyard that was still steaming, “There must be someone, the fire in the stove is still burning.” Saying this, her face showed confusion, “Could I be mistaken? Isn’t it Granny Gu and the odd master?”
Just then, a ‘cough’ sound came from the main room, “The courtyard door is not closed, come in by yourself.”
Daohua’s eyes lit up, and with a gentle push, the courtyard door over a meter tall creaked open, and then she tiptoed into the courtyard.
Behind her, Wang Manman saw her lady acting like a thief and was immediately rendered speechless.
As soon as the two entered the courtyard, Gu Jian came out of the hall with an expressionless face.
“Odd master, I’m Daohua!”
Instinctively, Daohua raised her paw and waved at Gu Jian as a greeting.
Gu Jian’s mouth twitched, “… I’m not blind.” After a pause, he said, “Come in,” and then turned directly into the house.
Daohua wiped the nonexistent sweat from her forehead and muttered, “He’s becoming more and more intimidating.”
“Are you not coming in!”
Gu Jian’s voice rang out again, and Daohua immediately perked up, quickly replying, “I’m coming, I’m coming,” and then she ran into the house, lifting her skirt as she went.
Wang Manman, “…”
“Granny Gu!”
Seeing Granny Gu sitting in the room, Daohua immediately beamed with a radiant smile, greeted her with courtesy, and upon standing up, she cheerfully said, “I didn’t expect it to be you guys!”
Granny Gu looked at the cheerful young lady in front of her and asked softly, “How did you know we were living here?”
Daohua, “The last time I came here to buy land, I saw the odd master on the boat, I greeted him, but he seemed to not hear.”
Gu Jian glanced at Daohua and said to Granny Gu, “I wondered why it sounded like someone was calling me last time, I thought it was an auditory hallucination.”
Daohua curiously asked, “Granny Gu, how come you’ve come here?”
Granny Gu smiled softly and said, “Because this is our hometown, when people get old, they always want to return to their roots, so here we are, back again.”
Daohua was taken aback, “Granny Gu, are you from Taohua Village?”
Granny Gu nodded, “Both Ajian and I were born here, it’s just… we left after we were born.”
As she spoke, Granny Gu began to cough violently.
Seeing this, Gu Jian stood up anxiously and quickly came to Granny Gu’s side, busily patting her back.
Seeing Granny Gu cough so heartbreakingly, Daohua approached with concern, “Has Granny Gu’s illness not been completely cured?”
Gu Jian’s lips remained tightly sealed, not speaking.
After coughing for a while, Granny Gu got slightly better, raised her hand to shake it, indicating to Gu Jian to stop patting, “This sickness has been with me for decades, it can’t be cured.”
Daohua worriedly asked, “Even with the odd master’s great medical skills, it can’t be cured?”
Granny Gu gave a bitter smile, “This cough is the aftermath of being trapped in a fire years ago, my lungs were damaged by the thick smoke, and it’s something beyond the help of humans.”
Daohua moved her lips, wanting to ask how they ended up trapped in a fire but then felt it was inappropriate. Turning her tongue, she said, “Granny Gu, I have preserved snow pears at home, I’ll bring you a jar when I come over in a few days, so the odd master can make candied pear with honey for you. It can help alleviate the cough.”
Granny Gu smiled, “Thank you for your kindness, I’ve also tried candied pear with honey, but it doesn’t really work, there’s no need to waste your supplies.”
Daohua insisted, “Just try it, even if it doesn’t relieve the cough, it’s still good as a dessert.”
Feeling the concern in Daohua’s eyes, Granny Gu smiled and nodded her head, not rejecting her kindness.
Daohua then said, “Granny Gu, do you remember my grandmother?”
Granny Gu nodded, “Of course, your grandmother is a kind person, and a lucky one at that.”
Daohua smiled, “After I get the manor built, I’ll bring grandmother over to stay for a while, then the two of you can chat and keep each other company.”
At those words, Gu Jian’s eyes sparkled.
Back in the temple, people would come to chat with his sister from time to time, but ever since they left the temple, his sister only had him for company.
And he was a man of few words.
Granny Gu immediately laughed, “That’s a good idea, I also miss your grandmother a lot, she’s a very talkative old lady.”