The sky was already dark when Tang Hao emerged from the mountains.
In the village, smoke appeared from the chimneys on the rooftops, and the faint aroma of dinner permeated the air.
Before he had driven too far, he saw a minivan drive into the village and pass him at a fast speed. Tang Hao glanced at the minivan and was surprised.
There were two people in the vehicle. The person driving was a well-built young man of about twenty-something years of age. He had a square face and thick eyebrows. He looked rather masculine.
On the passenger seat next to him was a woman of similar age. She looked proper and had a charming air around her.
Tang Hao was unfamiliar with the woman, though he knew the man very well. His name was Shi Dazhu and he was his cousin.
They were very close when they were kids. They used to play together in the fields, though after they grew up, they met each other less frequently. According to his uncle, Brother Dazhu worked in town and rarely came back to the village.
The two vehicles passed each other. Suddenly, the minivan stopped and a head popped out of the window and yelled, “Lil Hao?”
Tang Hao stopped, turned around, and replied, “You’re back, Bro Dazhu!”
“Oh, it’s really Lil Hao! No wonder I thought you looked familiar, it’s really you! It’s been a while since we met!” Shi Dazhu said heartily as he got out of the car and walked over.
Tang Hao stepped out of his vehicle and went to greet him.
Shi Dazhu examined Tang Hao from head to toe and said, “You’ve changed a lot, Lil Hao! I almost couldn’t recognize you.
“I’ve heard all about you from Dad. You’re awesome!” Shi Dazhu said excitedly as he patted Tang Hao’s shoulder.
Tang Hao smiled. He then looked over at the minivan and said, “So you’re free to come home, and is that… Sister-in-law?”
Shi Dazhu was taken aback and his expression stiffened. His expression became sullen. “Not yet!”
Tang Hao noticed the change in his facial expression and asked, “What’s wrong, Bro Dazhu?”
“It’s… It’s nothing. Come, let me introduce her to you.” As he spoke, he pulled Tang Hao over to the minivan.
“Ying’er, this is my younger cousin. I’ve told you about him, he’s the one with immense talents! It’s thanks to him that the village has a new road.”
“Lil Hao, her surname is Gao. She’s called Gao Ying!” Shi Dazhu introduced the two people to each other.
Gao Ying stepped out of the car and examined Tang Hao. Her eyes showed some surprise.
She had heard Shi Dazhu mention about his cousin before. That cousin of his seemed like a great man. He knew many important people, and he was going to set up a plantation near the village.
She had imagined that such a bigwig must be a wealthy person and would dress extravagantly. However, the boy in front of him wore plain clothes. His pants were stained with mud, and he rode on a little electric three-wheeled motorcycle. He was as plain as anyone could be.
He was not only plain. Some people might think that he was shabby or poor.
She looked at Tang Hao and could not bring her mental image together with the boy standing in front of her.
‘Well, maybe he likes to be like that!’
Gao Ying thought so, then she smiled at Tang Hao. “Can I call you Lil Hao too?”
“Of course, Sister-in-law!” Tang Hao smiled.
Gao Ying was shocked, though she smiled and did not reply.
Shi Dazhu grinned somewhat bashfully and playfully glared at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao thought it was a little strange. He could see that the two were lovers. Gao Ying was tall and slender with a charming face. Her clothes were trendy. Brother Dazhu should be happy for finding such a perfect girlfriend.
Something else seemed to be the problem.
Since Brother Dazhu did not say anything, he felt that it was inappropriate to ask.
They chatted for a while more, then parted ways. Tang Hao rode on his little three-wheeled motorcycle and returned home.
Tang Hao spent the whole night crafting talismans for laying formations.
The formation he was preparing was called the leyline gathering formation.
The leyline gathering formation was similar to the qi gathering formation, though the latter was used to gather qi from the air, while the former was used to gather qi from the earth.
The qi in the air in modern times was thin, so the qi gathering formation would not be as effective as the leyline gathering formation.
With the leyline gathering formation, qi from the earth could be gathered and used to nourish the growing medicinal herbs. Especially for ginseng and lingzhi, which would usually take decades before they mature. Tang Hao could not afford to wait.
He first crafted a set of talismans to place around the magical spring. In the future, he would produce more sets to place around the entire plantation.
Tang Hao departed for Dragonrock Village early next morning.
He surveyed the ginseng plantation next to the magical spring. With the magical spring water, the ginseng seedlings grew a little taller, way faster than his expectations.
He cleaned the area of weeds with a hoe, retrieved some planks from his pocket dimension, and made a fence to surround the area.
After he was done, the ginseng garden looked quite genuine.
Tang Hao wiped away the sweat on his forehead and grinned. He felt satisfied and proud of himself.
Then, Tang Hao started laying the leyline gathering formation around the area, then went to survey the lingzhi plantation grounds.
He had scattered the lingzhi spores the day before. With the nourishment of the magical spring water, there were already signs of growth.
“Not bad! Not bad at all!” Tang Hao smiled gleefully. He retrieved a bucket and filled the pail with magical spring water, then watered the ginseng garden.
It was already noon when he was finished with his tasks.
Tang Hao left the mountains with a hoe on his shoulder.
Once out of the mountains, he headed toward the village. He noticed that several cars were parked at the entrance of the village, while a crowd was gathered outside of the houses.
‘Isn’t that Uncle’s house?’ Tang Hao thought as he looked at where the crowd was gathered.
He hastened his footsteps and ran there as fast as he could.
“Lil Hao!” The villagers greeted him as he arrived at the scene.
Tang Hao squeezed past the crowd and saw that a small group of people was blocking in front of his uncle’s front door.
His uncle and aunt were standing at the door. They looked miserable. Shi Dazhu and Gao Ying were also there. A middle-aged woman was pulling Gao Ying’s hand and leading her away from the crowd. “Listen to me, Ying’er. Go home with me!”
“I’m not going, Mom!” Gao Ying stood on the spot defiantly.
“You…” Gao Ying’s mother was furious. “Silly girl! Don’t you know any shame? You’re not married yet, how can you stay over at another man’s house?”
“I don’t care what you say, Mom, I’m not leaving. I’m only marrying Bro Dazhu and no one else!” Gao Ying said.
“Wake up, Ying’er! You’re not a child anymore. Why are you still so naive? Look at this. This is their house! It’s so broken and shabby, how can anyone stay in there?
“Your Bro Dazhu can’t afford to buy a house. Where will you be living after you’re married? Can you afford a child, and will you be able to send him to a good school or college? All that needs money!
“It’s not that I don’t agree with this marriage, but just look at their house. They can’t pay the bride price of a hundred thousand yuan, and he can’t afford a new house. You’ll be suffering if you follow him. You are my only daughter. How can I bear to watch you suffer?
“Ying’er, you should be considerate for your mother. Your father is worried sick because of you. He’s still bedridden at home!” Gao Ying’s mother said empathically.