The Blessed

chapter 20: Entering Yuehua Mountain

On the left and right side, and the back of Ling Village were all mountains. Compared with the mysterious Yuehua Mountain, Dagong Mountain and Xiaogong Mountain on both sides seemed much more mundane, not high also. Men and women would go to the mountains to dig wild vegetables or hunt some wild animals to eat during slack season. The father and sons who had entered the Dagong Mountain found even no wild vegetables, let alone medicinal herbs. These years the court was not so stable, so the civilians also had no good days to live, not enough food in the fields, of course the wild vegetables in the mountains became another main source of food.

“How about we go to Yuehua mountain?”

As they nearly reached the hillside, the bamboo basket on the back was still empty. The confident Ling Jingxuan felt like getting a big blow. In previous life, he did not like reading books, so usually he would either played majiong at the tea house the village head opened or studied poison skills alone at home, but in the 21st century, transmigration themed novels and dramas had been overrun, so he also knew a bit. When those males leads transmigrated, they would be the prince or the emperor, or at least the legitimate son of a very big family, or at least with a golden finger, who could dig ganoderma or ginseng like digging wild vegetables. Why things have changed when it comes to him?

Thinking of this, Ling Jingxuan could not help but give the middle finger in his heart. Apparently reality was crueler than in TV or novels.

“Why? Daddy, are you trying to kill yourself? People in the village say there are monsters in the mountain, so we can’t go there.”

The big bun’s face sank, giving his daddy a warning look, like saying you-are-trying-kill-yourself, which made Ling Jingxuan feel helpless and he could not help touching his nose. Only a few days, the big bun had lessoned him a few times already. So who is the father and who is the son on earth?

“Hehe… daddy’s getting suntanned again…”

On the other side, the small bun laughed hard, those big round innocent eyes twinkling. Ling Jingxuan bent his fingers to knock on his head, then squatted down and said to the big bun solemnly, “How can you believe their words? They all say I’m a monster. Do you think I am? Besides, we don’t go deep. We just roam at the foot of the mountain. You forgot? I still have to collect herbs for your second uncle.”

Big bun was smart and precocious, and he liked being treated as an adult. Seeing that he hesitated, Ling Jingxuan went on, “To treat your second uncle, we need a very expensive fruit. You know, we have no money, so I am thinking if there’s any wild fruit there. Xiaowen, you may think it clearly. If we don’t go try out luck, I’m afraid we can only use the money we earned for selling the fish.”

When it comes to money, he believes the big bun will compromise.

“Don’t even think of that. It’s for emergencies. Let’s go.”

Sure enough, the big bun stared at him, then turned his heels and walked to the direction of Yuehua Mountain.

“Eh…how can you guard against your own dad like guarding against a thief?”

Ling Jingxuan, holding small bun’s hands, followed behind him. Holy crap! When did he say to use that money? Although he seemed to really think of it, it was really humiliating being exposed by his son, OK? He wouldn’t admit it no matter what.

On the hillside of Yuehua Mountain, it was already surrounded by clouds all the year round, and the snow on the summit never melt, of course no one had ever been there. The villagers would dig traps or wild vegetables under the foot at most. No one dare step onto the peak. Ling Jingxuan, carrying a bamboo basket, each hand holding a child, was walking in the mountain, sweating all over.

“Father, look, so many wild fruit!”

A place that no one dabbled was really good. Not long, little bun’s exciting voice sounded, looking ahead, the mountain was covered with red and green wild fruit, some even Ling Jingxuan could not call the names.

“Let’s stop it here.” he said. “The wild grapes are not bad. You can pick as many as you want here, and I’ll go around and see if there are any herbs I can use.”

With a sickle to cut off the dense grass around almost half a person tall, Ling Jingxuan reached out to pick two black red wild grapes and stuffed into his mouth, the extreme acid and extreme sweet at the same time exploded in his mouth, the taste was much better that that of those artificial grafting plants in the 21st century.

“Oh, how sour, daddy, can we not pick these?”

Little bun also picked one and threw it into his mouth like he did, his small face instantly wrinkled into a group, eyes full of grievances, while the big bun quickly took out the water bag they had been prepared and handed it to him.

“Hum, this is what you deserve for your greediness, how could you put anything into your mouth?”

On the face clearly he felt sorry for him, but from his mouth he still kept nagging. Big bun was not like an elder brother, but a bit more like a father. No one could imagine they were actually twins, and only five years old.

“Hehe…you choose that kind of jet-black ones, they are sweet, but only jet-black ones!”

Seeing this, Ling Jingxuan rubbed his head gently. Those wild grapes were of great use, be it sweet and sour ones. He was thinking to get back some branches and plant in the yard, the next year maybe he could depend on it to make a fortune.

“Why? Why pick those if they taste awful?”

The one who asked him was not the small bun, but the big bun, with a full face of question marks, because the little bun was still swallowing water. Seeing his wrinkling face, apparently he was  dissatisfied with his daddy’s decision.

Ling Jingxuan smiled, his long, thin and long eyes flashing some kind of teasing light, “If I say, I can turn the sour fruit into a lot of money, would you like to pick them?”

“Really?!”

The big bun decisively switched to a money slave mode, and those big eyes instantly changing into the shape of copper coins.

“Haha…You, you already suit yourself into the hole of the copper coin!”

Ling Jingxuan could not help but burst out laughing, poked at his head with his fingers helplessly.

It was rare, this time his big bun did not feel disdained or what, only brushed off his hand and asked urgently, “Daddy, tell me, can we really turn those sour fruit into money?”

He would not eat those sweet ones if only he could make money.

“Of course, your daddy I am a Tongsheng.”

Well, thanks to the ancient damn imperial examination system, all inferior to reading. If in modern times, a Tongsheng was at most a primary school graduate, but things obviously not the same in here.

Now, as the word Tongsheng was out, the doubt in big bun’s eyes totally disappeared, and he turned around and pulled up the small bun, “Let’s go pick wild fruit. Come on.”

Looking at his desperate expression as if he was only afraid those wild fruit would disappear the next second, Ling Jingxuan couldn’t help laughing again. This son loves money and is so petty. Really…well…you know…