Xu Zifan's words really surprised Xu's father, who immediately stopped and stared at him with wide eyes, "What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly."
Xu Zifan stopped, his tone very serious. "Dad, I said I want to go into the mountains. Please don't rush me. I've learned medicine, so I can't be ignorant about gathering herbs, and we can't be without any herbs at home. I plan to go into the mountains to find herbs. Firstly, I can broaden my horizons and improve my understanding of medicinal materials; secondly, the mountains are quiet and nourishing, which will be beneficial for my health. If no one comes to me for treatment after I gather the herbs, I can process them and sell them to pharmacies, which will also be a source of income."
Xu's father waved his hand, put on a stern face and said seriously, "No! This is absolutely unacceptable. The mountains are dangerous. Even hunters cannot guarantee that they will return safely every time. How can you, a scholar, do it?"
"Father, may I find a skilled hunter to go into the mountains with me?" Xu Zifan lowered his voice and pleaded, "Father, a good man's ambition lies in all directions. I have my own aspirations and cannot live under your wings forever. I want to be a doctor, a good doctor. Going into the mountains to gather herbs is imperative. My parents and sister are waiting for me at home, and I will certainly not let anything happen to me. Father, please agree!"
Xu's father pursed his lips, his face full of displeasure. He glanced at Xu Zifan's resolute expression, snorted coldly, and turned to stride forward.
Xu Zifan wasn't afraid of his father's anger and tried to make him laugh the whole way, also mentioning how much he loved medicine and how much he wanted to go into the mountains. Xu's father remained silent until they sold everything in the neighboring village and returned to the Xu family home. Seeing that Xu Zifan was still walking briskly and showed no signs of exhaustion, he finally relented, "If it weren't for today, I wouldn't have known your health had improved so much. We were the ones who wronged you all those years ago, failing to find a good doctor to treat you..."
Xu Zifan quickly interrupted him, "Father, please don't say that..."
Mr. Xu raised his hand. "Wait until I finish speaking."
Xu's father looked at Xu Zifan carefully, sighed, and then showed a look of relief. "Third son, you used to be as childlike as ever, which caused your mother and me a lot of worry. I didn't realize how much you've changed in recent days. Now, when I look at you, you no longer look so childish. Perhaps you've experienced some unpleasant things that have made you grow up so quickly. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but since you have an idea, go for it. Just promise me that you'll be careful in everything you do. As you said, your father, mother, and Xiaolian are all waiting for you at home."
When they entered, Xu's mother sensed something was off about the father and son. After hearing their conversation, she immediately became anxious. "What's wrong? What are you trying to do? Where's the third son? What are you talking about, old man?"
Just as Xu Zifan was about to explain, his father stopped him, waving his hand and saying, "Go back to your room and rest. I'll talk to your mother."
"Wait, what's going on? Why did you send the third son away, old man?"
"I'll tell you, the child has been working hard all day, let him rest."
Xu Zifan could still hear his parents' voices as he walked outside. He stopped and stood there for a moment before resolutely returning to his room to prepare for his trip into the mountains. "Raising a child is a lifelong worry," he thought. Even he wouldn't feel comfortable letting his child go into the mountains, but he had no choice. In his modern life, he was already retired from studying traditional Chinese medicine and hadn't ventured into the mountains to collect herbs much, mostly conducting research on plantations. Now that he had finally transmigrated to an ancient world, he naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to study medicinal herbs and traditional Chinese medicine.
Xu's parents' worries will continue; he only hopes for a safe and uneventful journey that will gradually ease their anxieties. Once he has gained sufficient knowledge about medicinal herbs, he will no longer venture into the mountains.
It's unclear how Xu's father persuaded Xu's mother, but she agreed to the trip into the mountains, only repeatedly reminding Xu Zifan to go with the hunters each time. The family was surprised by the news. Xu Dalang advised Xu Zifan against going, saying it was too dangerous; Cai Shi remained silent, thinking Xu Zifan was too reckless and might be courting death; Xu Erlang shared a similar opinion; only Su Qianyun's eyes lit up. She went back inside to discuss with Xu Erlang, "Tell Lao San that we should go into the mountains together too?"
Xu Erlang was puzzled as to why Su Qianyun wanted to go into the mountains. He frowned and said, "You know there are tigers in the mountains. If you're unlucky enough to encounter one, you might not be able to come back. We're living a good life selling food now, why take that risk?"
"Didn't you hear what the third brother said? He went to collect medicinal herbs. The good ones he collected could earn him more than we could make selling food for several years! Besides, there are all sorts of wild delicacies in the mountains. Let's go and see if we can find any business opportunities." Before transmigrating, Su Qianyun was an ordinary white-collar worker who enjoyed cooking and crafting, and she loved reading transmigration novels. She felt that her development here was really similar to those transmigration novels, so she couldn't help but be full of anticipation for what was in the mountains.
Xu Erlang had no expectations whatsoever. He lay down on the bed with no interest whatsoever, closed his eyes, and sneered, "What are you thinking about? Gathering herbs to sell for money? Do you even know what medicinal herbs are? In all these years, who have you heard of gathering any good herbs in the mountains? What do we have in this poor, remote place? If wild delicacies were valuable, wouldn't hunters be rich by now? Stop thinking nonsense. It's better to use this time to think about a couple of snacks than anything else."
Su Qianyun was exasperated, always wishing she hadn't been a man, always restricted by her husband. She didn't want to give up such a good opportunity, so she sat on the edge of the bed and nudged Xu Erlang, saying, "Erlang, I'm exhausted from making and selling food every day. Why not take this opportunity to relax? Anyway, with Lao San and the hunter going with us, it'll be much safer. Even if we run into something, we're both so clever, how could we not escape? Go, just this once. If we come back empty-handed, I won't even think about it anymore."
Xu Erlang was quite pleased with her coquettishness, and considering that he hadn't heard of any tigers appearing in recent years, he reluctantly agreed, "Go if you want to, what can I do? You're my wife, aren't you? I'll go."
Tell the third brother.
When Xu Erlang found Xu Zifan, Xu Zifan had just returned from outside. He went to see Zheng Chuan, the best hunter in the village, and made an appointment to go into the mountains together. Xu Zifan would give him 10 coins as a guide fee. They agreed that if they encountered any danger, they would each go their own way and would not need to help each other.
Upon hearing Xu Erlang's words, Xu Zifan immediately guessed that this must be Su Qianyun's idea. He had been reading some time-travel novels from Shaohua's archives these past few days and could roughly guess Su Qianyun's thoughts. However, he had just asked Zheng Chuan and Doctor Hu, and they both said there wasn't much good stuff in the mountains, only relatively inexpensive herbs like honeysuckle. There might be better things in the deep mountains, but Doctor Hu hadn't been there, and Zheng Chuan, despite going a few times, didn't recognize the herbs; it was extremely dangerous, completely different from the time-travel novels where one could easily find centuries-old ginseng.
Xu Zifan guessed that Su Qianyun's background in this world was probably because she had made her fortune through food, handicrafts, and some advanced knowledge—she was a businessman—so she didn't have anything special about medicinal herbs. He felt a little regretful; he really wanted to go to a world where medicinal herbs were everywhere, so he would have more to study.
Although he knew the transmigrated woman would be disappointed if she went into the mountains, Su Qianyun hadn't achieved her goal this time, and she would definitely cause trouble again next time. It was better to go together and get rid of her sooner so he could search for his things freely sooner. So Xu Zifan pretended to hesitate for a moment before agreeing. He also mentioned that he had given Zheng Chuan 10 coins, telling the couple that if they wanted to go, they should talk to Zheng Chuan themselves.
Zheng Chuan readily agreed, but also told them he wouldn't protect them in case of danger, only lead the way. The next day, the second branch of the family didn't prepare any food, but instead brought baskets, shovels, sickles, and other supplies, looking like they were about to get down to business—more prepared than Xu Zifan. Xu's mother was taken aback, a feeling rising in her head that Su Qianyun was everywhere. Why did she have to meddle in everything? This was so different from her previous obedient and sensible self. Had the division of the family brought out her true nature?
She glanced at Xu Zifan's small basket and hesitated, "Third brother, do you need to bring more things? Look, your second brother and sister-in-law are carrying more than you."
Xu Zifan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need, Mother. This is my first time in the mountains. I'm mainly just exploring and getting familiar with the terrain. Gathering herbs isn't easy; otherwise, wouldn't everyone be gathering them? This is enough for me."
Cai couldn't help but mutter, "It costs 10 coins to scout the way? That's almost enough to buy a pound of pork. What a waste."
Xu's mother scolded, "It's not like it's your family's property that's being wasted, so why are you making such a fuss?"
Xu Dalang glared at Cai Shi, who quickly pulled her two daughters into the house. Xu Zifan slung the basket over his shoulder and said to his parents, "Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I'll be back soon." He then looked at Xiao Lian and instructed her, "Xiao Lian, take good care of Mom and Dad at home, keep them company and help them relax. Don't let them worry too much."
Xiaolian nodded vigorously, "Third Brother, I know. Go and come back quickly, and be careful."
"Okay." Xu Zifan smiled at them and called Xu Erlang and Su Qianyun to set off.
Xu's parents also gave some advice to the second wife and her husband, but due to some previous unpleasantness, their advice wasn't very warm. The second wife and her husband felt that this comparison precisely demonstrated the elders' favoritism, and they increasingly felt that these were all a bunch of awful relatives, wanting to distance themselves from them. However, both of them were quite good at putting on a show, and neither of them showed it, even warmly accompanying Xu Zifan to find Zheng Chuan to go into the mountains together.
Zheng Chuan is 18 years old, the same age as Xu Zifan. He is an old hunter who has been hunting in the mountains with his master since he was 10 years old. He is the most skilled hunter in the entire village and once killed two wolves! That was when his master was killed by wolves. He killed the two wolves to avenge his master. He was only 15 years old that year. When he came down the mountain, his face and body were covered in blood and his expression was extremely fierce. He frightened the villagers. Since then, they have been somewhat afraid of and repulsed by him and almost never had any contact with him.
Zheng Chuan himself was taciturn, living in a clearing at the foot of the mountain, far away from the villagers. They only saw him when he went to town to sell his game. Xu Zifan sought him out not only because of his skill, but also because of his quiet nature and lack of interaction with the villagers. This gave him much more freedom, and he didn't have to worry about anyone spreading rumors about his life in the mountains.
Xu Zifan and his two companions went to Zheng Chuan's house to find him. Zheng Chuan came out carrying a bow and arrows, glanced at their belongings, nodded slightly, and started walking into the mountains. Xu Zifan quickly followed. When entering unfamiliar mountains, sticking close to an experienced person is essential. Su Qianyun's prepared opening remarks were rendered useless. She and Xu Erlang walked behind, looking up at Zheng Chuan, whose skin was bronze and whose face was resolute and serious, a sense of curiosity rising within them.
Isn't a reclusive, exceptionally skilled hunter usually the standard trope for male protagonists? How come she's already married with two children when she transmigrates? She glanced at Xu Erlang. He was good-looking, but his skin was rough. His hair, beard, and clothes were nice, but she took care of them every day; if Xu Erlang were left to groom himself, he'd look sloppy. Xu Erlang was just a typical farmer, clever and quick-witted, but that was about it. Before transmigrating, she would have just ignored someone like him; there was no way she would have married him.
Unfortunately, things were already like this after she transmigrated. In ancient times, you couldn't just change men whenever you wanted, and those two burdens were a huge drawback. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't find a better one. Looking at Zheng Chuan's tall and sturdy back in front of her, her mood inexplicably sank. Usually, in transmigration novels, characters like him would become generals. She wondered if Zheng Chuan would?