The next morning, the sky was overcast with thick, dark clouds.
Upon waking, the first thing Zhao Tiezhu saw on the windowsill was the cymbidium, which looked as vibrant as it had the day before. If anything, the flowers looked even more crystal clear, and the green leaves were bursting with vitality. The soil, enhanced by the Shennong Hundred Herb Liquid, seemed to be holding up well.
He got up, dressed quickly, and headed out to the garden.
After inspecting the seedlings, he couldn't help but furrow his brow. Although the plants were still lush and leafy, there were fewer fruits than yesterday, and their luster had dimmed slightly. He quickly picked a cucumber and took a bite. The effect was still there.
Zhao Tiezhu frowned in thought and soon realized why. A flowerpot was small; a single cup of water was enough to alter the nutritional composition of all the soil within it. The open ground, however, was different; the nutrients would disperse along the soil’s veins. Changing the composition of the earth was not something a few buckets of water could solve—that would be tantamount to changing the entire planet. Realistically, it was impossible; he could only hope to maintain the effect for three days at most.
He ate the cucumber while picking vegetables. After filling two baskets with cucumbers, he picked a tomato, finished it in a few large bites, and then began harvesting the rest. There were fewer tomatoes than yesterday, totaling only about two baskets, or around 120 pounds.
His gaze fell upon the dense clusters of Sichuan peppercorns nearby, which weighed down the branches like ink-colored jade. "Let’s see what properties these have."
He walked over, picked a palm-sized cluster of peppers, tore off a small piece, and popped it into his mouth. A burst of heat instantly flooded his palate, but it wasn't the unbearable kind of spice; it was a mellow heat that left a sweet aftertaste. As the pepper settled into his stomach, a warm sensation spread through him.
To his surprise, he noticed his pores slowly opening, and the dampness stored within his body began to dissipate. "This should be highly effective for rheumatism and gout! The effect is incredible!"
As the heat in his mouth slowly faded, he felt a sudden urge to eat the entire pepper. Its appetite-stimulating effect was even stronger than the tomatoes.
Not bad at all!
In high spirits, he immediately began harvesting the Sichuan peppercorns, filling four large baskets. He loaded them all onto his four-wheel tractor until it was packed to the brim. He found a thin quilt to cover the vegetables and tied it down securely with rope.
Once everything was tidied up, he drew two large buckets and two large basins of water, added a drop of Shennong Hundred Herb Liquid, and watered the field once more. As he was watering, his sister-in-law’s voice drifted from the gate:
"Tiezhu, I’ve made breakfast! My, whose tractor did you borrow?"
Hearing her voice, Zhao Tiezhu picked up the pace, pouring the last bit of water onto the nearby leek patch. Without paying much attention, he said to Wang Cuilian, "Sister-in-law, take two clusters of these peppercorns back with you. Make a stir-fry with some pork!"
He knew she didn't like spicy food, but he wanted her to have a taste. Wang Cuilian had tried the cucumbers and tomatoes yesterday, so even though she felt a bit resistant at the mention of peppers, she took two clusters.
"The sky looks like it’s going to rain," she said. "I’ll get your raincoat when I get home. Don't get soaked!"
"Got it!" Zhao Tiezhu replied. He put the buckets and other items back into the house and locked the door. He took a few more looks at the garden with a faint smile on his face. Now that he understood the pattern, things would be easier to manage. If he were ever held up in town for a day or two, it wouldn't be a problem. Perhaps he could think of other ways to extend the effects.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, he climbed onto the tractor and headed toward her house with the *put-put-put* sound of the engine.
The stir-fried pork with Sichuan peppercorns was ready in no time. It was set on the table, steaming hot.
"I don't like spicy food. You eat it all," Wang Cuilian said, pouting at him with a hint of reproach.
*She just doesn't understand,* he thought. Zhao Tiezhu washed his face, picked up his chopsticks without standing on ceremony, and placed a piece of the pepper into his sister-in-law's bowl. "Just take one bite and you’ll know. Try it!"
Looking at the pepper in her bowl, Wang Cuilian frowned slightly. Unable to refuse him, she picked it up and chewed it gently.
The expected harsh, stinging sensation never came; instead, it was a gentle, mellow heat. After she swallowed it, she felt all the pores in her body suddenly open up. Her knees, which often ached from the cold due to her years of labor, felt as if they were releasing a chill, providing much relief.
"Oh!"
After her initial surprise, she couldn't help but take another bite. The sensation in her knees became even clearer, and even her lower abdomen felt a subtle, comfortable warmth. Her stomach usually bothered her on rainy days, but it was clearly improving. She looked up, her eyes wide with astonishment, and asked, "Tiezhu, can these peppers really dispel cold from the body?"
She was deeply shaken.
Zhao Tiezhu chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law, isn't it good? Go ahead and eat; the spice isn't that sharp!"
"Mmhmm, it's delicious!" Wang Cuilian’s appetite grew. She forgot that she disliked spicy food and ended up eating more than half of the dish.
Zhao Tiezhu, having already eaten some of his medicinal vegetables, finished a bowl of rice and some of the stir-fry before putting down his chopsticks. "Sister-in-law, I'm heading out. I hope to reach the county seat before the rain starts!"
"I'll get your raincoat!" Wang Cuilian hurriedly set down her chopsticks and stood up to fetch it. "Drive slowly if it rains; the mountain roads are treacherous."
"Will do!" Zhao Tiezhu opened the storage box behind the seat, tucked the raincoat inside, and waved goodbye as he left her house. Even with the engine’s loud rattling, his mood remained excellent.
He silently recited his mnemonic for the acupuncture points: "...Starting at Zhongfu and ending at Shaoshang, for chest and lung ailments, coughs and wheezing, coughing blood, fever, and sore throats; Zhongfu is one inch below Yunmen, and Yunmen is found in the hollow below the collarbone..."
With his left hand on the steering wheel, his right hand kept tapping his body to confirm the location of each point. The mountain road was indeed rugged; walking it didn't feel like much, but the tractor rattled and clanged loudly as it traversed the path.
...
While Zhao Tiezhu was on his way to Dongzhen, Zhu Hongyu had finished her breakfast and decided to take her younger sister to visit Wang Cuilian.
"Oh, what brings you two here?" Wang Cuilian had just finished tidying up the table and was preparing to cover the firewood outside. With rain coming, she had to be prepared.
Zhu Hongyu smiled and said, "I went to see Brother Tiezhu yesterday and saw the orchids he was growing. I came to learn from you, sister-in-law, how to grow flowers."
Zhu Hongdou felt a bit shy, for rumors in the village claimed that Wang Cuilian was a jinx who brought misfortune to her husband and family—a "solitary star of disaster." People believed that anyone who got close to her would meet a bad end. If not for her sister, she would never have spoken a word to Wang Cuilian. But seeing her in person, she only felt that Wang Cuilian possessed a mature, womanly charm and a wonderful figure. She looked down at her own clothes, touched her own hips, and felt only a sense of inferiority.
Wang Cuilian was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Hongyu, my flower growing is nothing special! Look at the windowsill; it’s just the same as any other family's." While eating earlier, she had realized that Zhao Tiezhu’s tractor was borrowed from the Zhu family. She felt somewhat grateful, but she truly wasn't an expert at gardening.
Hearing this, Zhu Hongyu thought Wang Cuilian was being secretive and prompted, "Sister-in-law, I saw the orchids at Brother Tiezhu’s place—they are absolutely top-tier. They could probably sell for a hundred thousand or eighty thousand. Won't you teach us how to grow them?"
"Huh?" Both Wang Cuilian and Zhu Hongyu’s eyes widened in shock.