CHAPTER 345: CHAPTER 335 THE CHEN FAMILY VISITS (1)_3

During the summertime, the herbs grow quickly.

There are all kinds of herbs.

The tall Qin Hu is responsible for carrying baskets, one hanging on the chest, one on the back, and holding another basket in his hands.

Li Yuzhu searches for herbs while Li Lixing is responsible for digging them up.

Originally thought that digging herbs was a boring task, but unexpectedly it turned out to be quite interesting. Li Lixing digs for a while, then catches a butterfly for a while.

What excites him the most is that he saw a snake.

Qin Hu, fearing that the snake might bite him, quickly captured it.

Li Lixing, imitating Qin Hu’s manner, pinched the snake’s head. He grinned mischievously and showed it to Li Yuzhu.

Li Yuzhu remained calm, took it, placed it in a cloth bag at her waist, and swiftly tied it shut.

"The whole snake is precious, it’s excellent medicinal material. Let’s catch a few more."

"Catch... catch a few more?" Li Lixing took a deep breath, "Aren’t you afraid of snakes?"

"What’s there to be afraid of? This snake is non-venomous," Li Yuzhu laughed.

"Then... what if we encounter a venomous one?" Li Lixing looked around.

The first time he came here, Mu Yuanxiu dragged him to the mountain to chop wood and gather herbs; he was scared to death.

When encountering a snake, Mu Yuanxiu asked him to kill it himself.

He didn’t dare.

But today, with Qin Hu accompanying him, Qin Hu would protect him, so he dared to come.

"Hit the snake at its seven-inch spot, strike quickly and hard, like this..." Li Yuzhu suddenly grabbed a stick from the grass beside her and swung it forcefully at a tree. A snake instantly fell to the ground, dazed.

Li Yuzhu quickly ran forward, caught the snake’s head, and placed it in the bag, tying it shut.

Li Lixing was stunned into silence, "..."

He no longer dared to play tricks on Li Yuzhu and obediently followed her to dig herbs.

The two filled both the baskets and bags before leaving the forest and heading down the mountain.

They met Mu Yuanxiu halfway down.

Mu Yuanxiu was carrying a vegetable basket, with a wild rabbit and some wild mushrooms inside.

Most wild mushrooms are inedible, and many are highly toxic.

Li Yuzhu quickly walked over, "Mu Yuanxiu, let me see the mushrooms."

Mu Yuanxiu smiled slightly, "Alright." He handed the basket to her.

Li Yuzhu quickly sorted through it.

Fortunately, none were poisonous; these mushrooms included morel mushrooms, some regular oyster mushrooms, and a handful of white porcini mushrooms.

"I was worried you might pick poisonous mushrooms. This season, mushrooms grow best, but poisonous ones are also the most numerous," Li Yuzhu looked at him and said.

Mu Yuanxiu replied, "I’ve been picking mushrooms with my grandfather since I was little. I can distinguish the poisonous ones from the non-poisonous ones around here."

Li Yuzhu let out a sigh of relief, "That’s good."

Seeing her worried expression, Mu Yuanxiu was in a great mood, "Let’s go, let’s head down the mountain together."

Li Lixing looked into his basket, "Mu Yuanxiu, where are you taking these mushrooms and the wild rabbit?"

"To Yu Zhu’s house. Uncle Li invited me for lunch today," Mu Yuanxiu said, "I caught a wild rabbit early this morning to take along as a dish."

Seeing the wild rabbit, Li Lixing’s mouth watered.

He happily rubbed his hands, "Great, great, great. Is the wild rabbit going to be braised or stewed? I like it stewed."

"Stewing on a low flame takes a long time; it won’t be ready by noon. Braising on high heat is quicker," Mu Yuanxiu said. Li Yuzhu loves braised dishes; the wild rabbit was caught for her.

Li Lixing wanted it stewed, so he would have to catch his own.

Li Lixing was disappointed, "Alright, braising is fine too."

They descended Niu Tou Mountain and spotted a mule cart parked in front of the Li Family’s bamboo house before they got there.

Li Yuzhu, being sharp-eyed, recognized the mule cart, "Isn’t that the Chen Family’s mule cart? Did someone come from the Chen Family? Could it be that Madam Chen is unwell?"

Worried about Madam Chen and her daughter, she started running.

Everyone followed her.

Uncle Gui opened the door for them, and Li Yuzhu immediately asked him, "Did the Chen Family come? What did they say?"

Uncle Gui looked joyful, "They said they came specifically to visit Mr. Li and Mrs. Li, bringing plenty of gifts."

Li Yuzhu was puzzled; they came specifically to see her parents?

Not her?

So if it’s not because of Madam Chen, then why?

Since it’s not about Madam Chen, Li Yuzhu stopped worrying.

She took Mu Yuanxiu to the kitchen.

After handing the wild rabbit to Nanny Jiang, who was cooking, she started sorting out the herbs.

Mu Yuanxiu helped her.

The herbs had dirt on them, which had to be cleaned off before they could be dried.

Once the herbs were laid out to dry, Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu helped Nanny Jiang chop wood.

Mu Yuanxiu chopped while Li Yuzhu stacked them neatly.

After tidying up, they washed their hands and walked together to the North Courtyard Main House.