"I heard it too," replied Xiao'er in a low voice, picking up a small stone from the ground. Seeing her pick up a stone, the other three made a point of gathering a few larger ones. They didn't believe that the small stone Xiao'er had picked could kill a pheasant, especially since she'd only picked up one. But they didn't expect too much from her, and let her have her fun. The three boys were discussing their strategy, each taking up a position and planning how they might surround their prey like farmers surrounding a city. They moved cautiously, guided by the sound of the pheasant, and soon saw one pecking at food. The pheasant was also vigilant, eating while periodically lifting its head for a look around, calling out every now and then.
Xiao'er threw her stone and, to everyone's surprise, knocked the pheasant out cold. The other three were taken aback. They had just spotted the pheasant and were still contemplating when to throw their stones when Xiao'er went ahead and knocked the pheasant unconscious!
"Sister, you're amazing!" Jinghao was the first to react, jumping up in excitement:"Sister, how did you do it? Tell me quickly!"
"Um, actually, I planned to hit it on the body, but I accidentally hit its head and knocked it out."
The three boys:...
"Let's tie up the pheasant quickly, in case it wakes up." Shen Zixuan went to pick up the pheasant, and Jingrui found a vine to tie its feet and wings together, putting it in a basket on his back.
After a while more, Shen Zixuan stopped. "Let's look around here for fruits, we can't go further."
This part of the forest was safe, with no dangerous animals. But, further in were the woods and deep mountains where they could be found.
"Let's split up and look around. Pick the fruits quickly and return home.". Xiao'er needed to take the opportunity to put some things into space and also to catch some animals. She wouldn't be able to do it with them watching.
"Alright, but don't go too far. Stay within my line of sight." Shen Zixuan, often venturing into the mountains, knew this area was safe, so he agreed but didn't dare let the children wander too far.
The children replied in unison and dispersed. Xiao'er picked up a branch, sweeping away any possible snakes, insects, and rodents in front of her as she made her way down the slope. She noticed a patch of vines that resembled yam and was pleasantly surprised. She would call her brothers over later to dig it up, and they could make soup or roast it when they got home.
Xiao'er continued walking downhill and spotted a chestnut tree. Many fruits on the tree had already burst open, revealing chestnuts, and a fair number had fallen to the ground too.
She began by collecting fresh-looking ones from the ground, placing these into her basket. After cleaning the ground beneath the tree, she climbed up to dislodge the fruits that were still hanging. In her previous life, she learned self-defense skills vigorously from her cousin, a mafia leader, after a kidnap event. Hence, she bested most opponents. She was also proficient in darts and shooting, and the chicken could not complain about being knocked out. But climbing a tree for chestnuts, seems a bit overqualified. However, there was no choice when the tiger was bullied by the dog in a flat area.
Fifteen minutes later, with the ground littered with chestnuts, Xiao'er jumped down from the tree. Of course, she could only do these actions because she had eaten Ashoka fruit earlier - the body of the main OC past life wasn't physically up to the task. She quickly collected the chestnuts from the ground and those not yet burst open were hammered open. She gathered half a basket, putting half of it into the space for preservation, and if she were hungry, take it out to eat. Fortunately, putting and retrieving things from the space merely required mental control and did not require physical movement. Although it should be noted that it only applies to objects inside the cave. The cave is also an infinite space, it can contain countless objects without being crammed, it is a universal warehouse.
Xiao'er swung her basket onto her back and moved on. Not finding anything of interest and hearing Shen Zixuan's call, she responded and headed back. Arriving at the spot where she found the yams earlier, she halted: "You guys come over, here are some yams, let's take them home."
Xiao'er put down her basket, picked up the sickle she had brought along, cut the vines, and started digging.
The other three came over, and Jingrui also put down his basket and helped dig. "Is yam a medicinal ingredient, Xiao'er?"
Shen Zixuan then picked up a yam vine to examine. He had heard of yams before, but he had never seen a yam vine.
Jinghao also squatted down to help dig: "Sister, how do you know this is a yam vine, and what are you digging it up for? Is this a medicinal herb? Is it for treating your wound?"
"I've seen Doctor Luo pick them before, it is a medicinal herb, but you can also eat it regularly. You can roast or make a soup from it. It seems to have the benefits of nourishing and strengthening the body, aiding digestion, relieving spontaneous sweats, and stopping diarrhea."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zixuan patted Xiao'er on the head and praised, "Xiao'er has a good memory!" He truly meant his praise. The original owner was a clever little girl, so he didn't find anything wrong with Xiao'er's words. Doctor Luo would also teach villagers about herbs while picking them, as he didn't always have the time to do it himself. By training the villagers, they could sell the commonly used herbs to him. This would allow the villagers to earn some extra money and save him some time.
Doctor Luo had moved to the village two years ago. He bought a plot of land at the foot of the mountain and built a two-compound house. He lived there with his wife and another couple who were likely their servants. No one knew where Doctor Luo came from, but he was a highly skilled doctor who was kind to the villagers. When villagers sought medical treatment, he often only charged them for the cost of the medicinal herbs and did not charge any consultation fee. He only charged for the cost of the herbs he had bought back and did not charge for the herbs he had picked himself. Moreover, he allowed credit.
Xiao'er speculated that Doctor Luo was a retired imperial doctor who had come to live in this rural area.
The four of them quickly finished digging up the yams. There were six in total, each weighing over a pound, and the two largest ones weighed more than two pounds.
After cleaning the dirt off the yams, Shen Zixuan packed them into Xiao'er's basket, took the initiative to carry the basket, and beckoned everyone to descend the mountain. Jingrui wanted to carry the basket himself, thinking that as a scholar, Zixuan shouldn't be doing such heavy manual labor. Shen Zixuan refused: "As the oldest here, I should carry the heaviest load, otherwise, my studies would be pointless."
"Do the books teach one to carry heavy loads?" Jinghao curiously asked–he really wanted to study. He remembered the words his father had taught him.
Hearing this, Xiao'er almost burst out laughing. Shen Zixuan affectionately patted Jinghao's head: "The books teach us the principles of life, such as respecting the elderly and loving the young. My carrying the heavier basket is a manifestation of love for the young."
Shen Zixuan put it in an easy-to-understand manner, and Jinghao nodded earnestly: "I understand."
Xiao'er was amused by his seriousness: "What did you understand?"
"I understand that we can't just learn without applying. Just like my elder cousin who has read books for so many years, he must have learned to respect the elderly and love the young. But the last time, when my brother and I were fetching water and met him halfway, he didn't help us carry anything and just walked away. Isn't that showing no love for the young?" Jinghao looked up at Shen Zixuan, hoping for his agreement.
This time, Xiao'er was genuinely surprised. Jinghao really understood the lesson–what a promising talent.
Jingrui gently rapped Jinghao on the head: "You can't say that about our elder cousin, that's not showing respect for the elderly!"
"Our elder cousin isn't old!" Jinghao murmured quietly, retracting his neck.
Shen Zixuan, treating these three siblings just like his own, replied with a lesson: "Hao'er is right. When learning, we must apply what we have learned. There's no point in studying without application. However, we should only judge ourselves, we have no right to comment on others. So, next time when you cite an example, try to refer to good deeds."
All three nodded, indicating they understood.