Last night at Uncle Li's, I used the leftover wooden boards from cutting the beehives to make several shallow wooden boxes of various shapes and sizes. Later, I'll ask Tong Chen for half a basin of quicklime, and then I can teach everyone to make bathing products. Bei headed downstairs to find Old Yao Ye to get some tranquilizing or anti-dandruff medicinal soup to increase the variety. Just then, she bumped into Jing Jing, carrying a water bucket upstairs.
"Miss Bei, you're up so early? That's great, I brought you hot water. Hurry up and wash. They're all preparing for the hunting activities. Let's go soon too."
"Good morning, Jing Jing. Don't bother bringing me water in the future; I washed by the mountain spring near the pond."
"That won't do; the morning water is chilly," Jing Jing was about to persuade the particularly trouble-averse and always simple Miss, pointing to the spring, her hand paused in mid-air. Her eyes widened, half-opened mouth trembling with excitement. "Miss Bei, look, quickly look! Water birds, there are water birds! Wait, I'll go catch them."
"No, Jing Jing, don't go. Look, those are water ducks, and in the bushes, there are mountain chickens nesting. I saw them when I was washing my face just now. Spring is the hatching season, so let them settle here. In the future, there will be more. We can even collect some eggs regularly."
"That's true, let them have more nests here for us to collect eggs! Let's quickly tell them."
Jing Jing took the basket Bei was carrying and slung it on her back. Holding Bei's hand, she ran into the hall where a few youngsters were busy soaking various sharp tools in medicine. Sharp arrowheads, spearheads, and even bamboo thorns prepared to be woven into fishnets were all soaked in a pot of medicinal paste by these kids. Bei greeted them with a smile and said, "That's about enough. Tomorrow, we're just testing whether this sweat-inducing medicine works well. Hunt a sheep or two to satisfy our cravings. It's spring, a time of vitality. Are you really planning to sweep all the wild creatures from these mountains clean? If you have time, help me make islets, and everyone will have a share of the earnings."
Grandpa Tong is familiar with the formula for "mafei san" (a type of herbal concoction), but he has never gathered all the necessary herbs, so he hasn't made it before. He heard that the recipe for "menghan yao" (a type of drug to induce sleep) in the martial arts world is simple. You just need to grind the dried parts of the mandrake plant (flowers, stems, leaves) and soak them in water or alcohol. This time, they used alcohol to make a paste, thinking that with a higher concentration and viscosity, it might enhance the effect of soaking arrowheads.
"We're just trying it out, considering that this is the time when wild animals are coming out in the mountains. There are so many of the newly grown ones from last year; how can we hunt them all?" Biaozi, in his usual carefree manner, expressed his excitement for tomorrow. He and Jingjing are of the same age and among the group of youngsters who practice martial arts with Mrs. Tong Dingshan, they are the two most skilled.
"We've already soaked them all. We'll try it tomorrow. The situation in the mountains is unpredictable. Having more is being prepared for any unforeseen circumstances." Huzi, who has always been respectful and obedient to Miss North, is now worried that Miss might misunderstand him for leading the group improperly and hastily explained.
"Miss North, can we also make the 'yizhi' (a type of traditional medicine) you mentioned? Can everyone earn money?" Unexpectedly, it was Jiawei, the only one among them who immediately focused on making money, who asked. They are the same age, a few months older than Sihan, but Jiawei rarely speaks up, always following Master Sihan without much attention from the family.
"Yeah, I took orders from the grocery store in town, and they've already paid. As long as we make them and deliver them, we'll get paid in silver. I've got the formulas, and everyone can help. Everyone gets a share of the earnings. How about it?" These energetic young people were stimulated by the idea of making money. They left the pot of medicinal paste and approached North while asking questions. They followed North out of the hall toward the courtyard to the east. Huzi obediently went to find Tong Chen for lime and various tools.
On the west side of the buildings is Grandpa Tong's independent courtyard, with the innermost row being Grandpa's bedroom and medicine workshop. Adjacent to it is another bedroom close to the kitchen, containing a small alchemy furnace where Tong Xi occasionally stays and watches the fire at night when making pills.
On the outer side, there is a row of houses connecting the back mountain and the front terraced fields. Separated on both sides, there are seven or eight large rooms in total. The wooden door in the middle connects to a broad and spacious stone staircase leading down this mountainous area.
Two or three rooms on the left side have wooden platforms against the wall, providing lodging for patients and their families who come from the mountains. The largest room near the wooden door is empty, with a double-eyed hearth in the middle of the window, where two large pots are placed. The rooms on the right side are stacked with herbs and miscellaneous items. The flat and spacious yard is filled with wooden racks and bamboo trays. Tong Xi has been busy cutting and drying herbs all morning.