Chapter 24: Luoying Mountain Range
She remembered last year when she came back from gathering wild vegetables. She’d found some wild grapes on the road and picked them. It wasn’t a large amount, and she was afraid it wouldn’t be enough to go around at the main house, so she hid them in their little cottage, planning to give them to Zhi’er once the people in the main house were asleep.
But who would have thought a gossipy boy from the village saw her picking the grapes? Before night even fell, he ran and told Bai Xiaofeng. Unbelievable. He and a few of the other Bai Family boys nearly tore her cottage apart and wouldn’t stop until they found the grapes. Because of that, she was even scolded by the old matriarch for most of the day.
Just as the two of them were discussing where to hide the eggs, Hu Changlin walked in carrying a bowl.
"What are you two busy with?" Hu Changlin asked as he entered, a cheerful smile on his face. He was clearly in a good mood.
An idea immediately struck Bai Zhi. She grinned and said, "Uncle Hu, Yingzi and her mother just brought us some eggs, and we were just worrying about where to keep them. Why don’t we store them at your house? That way, they won’t end up in the hands of the Bai Family."
Hu Changlin grunted in acknowledgment. "Oh?" he asked, surprised. "She gave you eggs, too?"
Bai Zhi nodded. "Hu Feng was the one who pulled Yingzi out of the water yesterday, and I helped a little, so she brought us some as well."
Hu Changlin held out the bowl in his hands. "Look, these are from her too," he said with a smile. "I boiled some and brought two over for you and your mother. Go on, eat them while they’re hot."
Bai Zhi accepted them readily. ’I have eggs of my own and was already planning to keep them at his house anyway,’ she thought. ’No need to keep score.’
Bai Zhi tilted her head, glancing at the sunlight beginning to peek through the clouds outside. She suddenly asked, "Uncle Hu, what’s the closest mountain to our Huangtuo Village?"
"That would be the Luoying Mountain Range," Uncle Hu said without a second thought. "It stretches on and on, like a great, forested dragon lying across the land. I’ve heard the other side of the range is in the territory of the Zhou Dynasty."
Bai Zhi smiled. "Then if the Zhou Dynasty wanted to attack our Chu Dynasty, couldn’t they just march right through the mountains?"
Uncle Hu waved his hand dismissively. "It’s not that easy. I’ve heard the depths of the mountain range are incredibly perilous, filled with countless ferocious beasts. No one who has ever gone deep into the mountains has been seen again. People say it’s a land of no return. Even a great army wouldn’t dare risk venturing in."
Bai Zhi frowned. "So you’re saying no one dares to go into the Luoying Mountain Range at all?"
Uncle Hu shook his head. "Not exactly. No one dares to go deep into the mountains, but people still go to the outer edges. Some of the bolder hunters will go there to hunt. In the past, people also used to go in to gather medicinal herbs. The mountains have a lot of high-quality herbs, but danger is everywhere. Many doctors who went to gather herbs lost their lives, so very few people try it anymore."
Seeing the thoughtful expression on Bai Zhi’s face, Zhao Lan asked worriedly, "Why are you asking about all this?"
Bai Zhi smiled. "Well, I was planning on going to gather some wild vegetables, and I thought I might as well see if I can find any herbs I recognize. I made an agreement with Doctor Lu yesterday. If I can find any medicinal herbs, he’ll help me sell them at the pharmacy in town."
Uncle Hu glanced at Bai Zhi’s thin, frail frame and said readily, "How about this? Hu Feng mentioned yesterday that he was going hunting in the mountains. He originally planned to go after he helped me plant the peanuts today. Why don’t I just plant the peanuts myself and have Hu Feng take you into the mountains? We’d all feel much better that way."
A warmth spread through Bai Zhi’s heart. ’Uncle Hu is such a good person,’ she thought. ’He’s always looking out for me and never asks for anything in return.’