Chapter 143
After seven days of rest, the wound on Lu Gu’s thumb had nearly healed, no longer requiring medicine or bandages. Without the cloth wrapped around his finger, his movements became much more agile.
Shen Xuanqing hadn’t returned last night. The early morning chill was biting, so Lu Gu slept in a little later. Yet even so, the moment he stepped out of the room, he was met with a rush of cold air.
At night, he had quilts to keep him warm, but Shen Xuanqing slept in the mountains, exposed to the wind and dew. Fortunately, he had brought a rabbit-fur quilt, which could ward off the cold at night.
That quilt had been sewn by Lu Gu himself. The family had saved over a dozen rabbit furs from slaughtered rabbits. Since Shen Xuanqing was tall and broad-shouldered, more furs were needed to make a larger quilt.
Last year, when Shen Xuanqing had gone fox hunting, he hadn’t had a rabbit-fur quilt, only thick clothing. When he returned a couple of days ago, he had mentioned how much warmer fur was compared to cloth.
A wisp of blue smoke curled upward as Lu Gu sat by the stove boiling water. A small steamer basket was placed in the pot to heat flatbreads and eggs.
With only the two of them living here and Shen Xuanqing often away, aside from the occasional fallen leaves drifting into the yard, the rooms and main hall weren’t particularly dirty. But with little else to do, Lu Gu made a habit of sweeping the floors every morning after waking up, just to keep himself occupied.
Soon, steam rose from the edges of the pot. Since there were eggs inside, he added more firewood and let it boil a while longer.
After removing the steamer basket, he placed the flatbreads and eggs in a bowl to keep warm, then ladled water to wash his face and rinse his mouth.
Country folk were practical, boiling water for both washing and drinking saved firewood.
After washing up, the sunlight grew brighter. Lu Gu sat on a chair in the yard peeling eggs. Once he finished eating, he finally went to open the gate.
The weeds around the front of the house and the yard grew quickly. He and Shen Xuanqing had cleared them when they first arrived, but now they had sprouted tall again, looking untidy. Unable to stand the mess, Lu Gu fetched a hoe.
A bird flapped its wings overhead, flying past him. The peppercorn tree by the western wall still stood there, its clustered leaves already showing hints of red peppercorns. Unfortunately, his thumb hadn’t fully healed yet, so he’d have to wait a few more days before picking them.
Perhaps because the family had been busy with various tasks all year, the days had flown by in a blur. Before coming up the mountain, Wei Lanxiang had mentioned gathering wild foods this autumn, such as mountain walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and pine cones, saying she’d come up later to stock up for winter and New Year’s hospitality.
As he hoed the weeds, Lu Gu thought that if Wei Lanxiang and the others came, they could carry back both the wild foods and the peppercorns.
The fenced enclosure Shen Xuanqing had built in the clearing last year was still there, but after enduring wind and rain without repairs, it was now overgrown with weeds, looking rather dilapidated.
Back then, the fence had been meant for raising chickens and ducks. Unexpectedly, it had only been used for a few months. Shen Xuanqing had even gone to great effort to dig a pond for the ducks to swim in, which had also gone unused. But these past few days, when fetching water from the river, Lu Gu had noticed plenty of fish in the pond, and the aquatic plants along its edges were lush. Later, he could try crushing some walnut leaves to extract their juice, perhaps it would stun a few big fish for catching.
But then again, they hadn’t brought a cart up the mountain. Better to just forget it. Fishing a few to dry into jerky would be easier to carry down.
Working alone felt different from before. While hoeing, Lu Gu kept an ear out for any unusual sounds around him, ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
Fortunately, wild animals rarely ventured within a ten-mile radius. Aside from birds flitting through the trees overhead, he encountered no real threats.
Lu Gu was never one to slack off. By the time he finished weeding around the entire yard, it was already noon, and his stomach was growling.
Cooking for himself didn’t require much. Shen Xuanqing had brought back some bamboo shoots earlier, which Lu Gu sliced into strips and stir-fried as a simple dish. Two steamed buns were enough to fill him up.
Having woken up late, he wasn’t sleepy. Instead, he took shears to gather more wolfberry branches.
Without the dogs by his side, he rarely strayed far from the house, except to pick wolfberries or wild soapberries. The farthest he ventured was to gather the latter.
Being cautious had its advantages. By not wandering off, he spared Shen Xuanqing unnecessary worry while he was out hunting in the mountains.
On his way back with the wolfberry branches, he spotted some rushes and cut a bundle to carry home.
The mountain air was cooler, so there was no need to keep the house ventilated. As soon as he returned, Lu Gu closed the gate and settled under the sun to pick wolfberries in peace.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Shen Xuanqing had also found a spot to rest. The dogs drank their fill from a stream before gathering around him.
Da Hui had caught a wild rabbit. Shen Xuanqing built a fire and used a hard fruit shell to boil water first. Then he took the dead rabbit to the stream to skin and gut it.
The dogs were too hungry to wait patiently. He tore off three legs and some meat for them, keeping one leg and part of the torso for himself. After skewering the meat on a stick, he roasted it over the fire while nibbling on half a steamed bun to stave off hunger.
This trip had been lucky, he’d bagged three fox furs, all red foxes with fine fur that would fetch a good price.
But he wasn’t planning to return tonight. Two hours ago, he’d set a fox trap. If he was lucky, it might snare one by nightfall. There was no hurry to head back before tomorrow morning.
His trips often lasted two or three days, leaving both of them occupied in their separate ways. Only when he returned to rest could he and Lu Gu see each other.
Time passed quickly in the mountains, before they knew it, a month had gone by.
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