Of course, it was Grandma Wei who had guided Uncle Wei and his wife to visit.
After Grandpa Wei passed away, Grandma Wei had been living with Uncle Wei's family. Since they were next-door neighbors, Grandma Wei had seen Chun Mian when she came over to deliver books earlier. She felt that after going through the divorce, the child seemed to have become increasingly mature. There was an aura about her that unconsciously made people feel calm.
Grandma Wei had read a few books and learned a few words in her early years. Coupled with the fact that Grandpa Wei was considered a man of foresight, she had gained a lot of knowledge and experience. She felt that Chun Mian was not someone destined to remain ordinary. Moreover, in this day and age, a woman who could truly harden her heart to divorce and live alone was no ordinary girl. Thus, Grandma Wei felt that Wei Qihai, who had accomplished nothing so far, might be able to find a way out by staying by Chun Mian's side.
"Rest assured, Shumei. Just put Xiao Hai to work however you see fit," Uncle Wei said. "We won't let him learn from you for free. From now on, our family will give you five yuan, twenty catties of grain, and two catties of pork every month. As for the grain, if our family has good grain, we'll give it to you; if not, we'll give you coarse grain. Please don't hold it against me."
Seeing Chun Mian remain silent, Uncle Wei felt a bit anxious. In truth, he was acting out of desperation, clutching at straws just to find a way out for Wei Qihai. The boy was already seventeen, and he couldn't just keep muddling along. Once he passed twenty, it would be time to arrange blind dates for him in the village. If Wei Qihai continued like this, it would probably be difficult for him to even marry a wife. If they didn't plan for his future, what else could they do?
Hearing the words of Uncle Wei and Wei Dama, Mrs. Wei was stunned. Did they think one grain-wasting nuisance wasn't enough, so they were preparing to send another? It was too much; her heart was starting to ache again. Regardless of the fact that guests were present, Mrs. Wei clutched her chest, turned around, and went back to her room.
Aunt Wei watched her go, her head full of question marks.
Old Man Wei felt a bit embarrassed. He naturally knew what his old wife was thinking, but he wouldn't point it out. He wanted to save her some face and spare her from being a laughingstock. Although he didn't know why his older brother's family had such blind confidence in Chun Mian, since they trusted her, Old Man Wei wouldn't stand in the way. However, since the boy would be following Chun Mian, she still needed to agree.
"Shumei, what do you think?" Old Man Wei tapped his smoking pipe and asked softly.
When he asked, Chun Mian was looking at Wei Qihai. The boy had probably experienced some setbacks. He lacked energy, keeping his head down and looking rather listless. In Wei Shumei's memory, this cousin was also a dull and quiet person. When they usually met, he would just smile and walk away. A quiet personality meant he could probably endure loneliness. Studying medicine required patience; it was impossible to do without it, even for a mere assistant.
Of course, what Chun Mian cared about more was the day she came home to gather people for her divorce confrontation. She had seen the scrawny Wei Qihai carrying a carrying pole, looking as if he was ready to risk his life for her. It was just that when it came time to pick the final group, his frail frame naturally got him eliminated. Seeing his protective intentions, Chun Mian was willing to take him under her wing. Besides, she did indeed lack a helper right now.
"Since Uncle and Aunt trust me, let Xiao Hai follow me for now," Chun Mian said. She didn't say much else.
It was Old Man Wei who laid out the ugly truth beforehand, stating that if Chun Mian couldn't accomplish anything, Uncle Wei and his wife shouldn't blame anyone. Uncle Wei and his wife naturally agreed, and then they left Wei Qihai behind. As for the promised money and grain, Aunt Wei had brought the money, but the grain would have to be delivered at noon. They were blood brothers and usually got along well, so there was no rush for this short while. Old Man Wei and the others didn't mention it either; everyone was still busy getting ready to work in the fields.
"Perfect. Grab a basket and come with me," Chun Mian said. She intended to go deeper into the mountains today, and bringing an extra person meant they could carry more things. No matter how skinny Wei Qihai was, he was still a boy, and he could certainly carry more than a girl.
"Okay," Wei Qihai replied. He really wasn't a talkative person. He would only answer when called, and sometimes he wouldn't even make a sound, acting purely on command. Chun Mian thought this was quite nice. If he were a chatterbox, she might have found him noisy.
The two of them went up the mountain, one after the other. Almost all the herbs at the foot and halfway up the mountain had already been dug up by Chun Mian. Of course, she hadn't dug them all up. After all, she would still be relying on the mountain's yield in the future. She left some of every kind so they could continue to multiply. Today's goal wasn't these areas, but further into the depths of the mountain.
"Further ahead is the deep mountain, Shumei, we can't go there." Seeing that Chun Mian wanted to go deeper, Wei Qihai grabbed her arm. It was rare for him to speak so many words.
"It's fine, I'll protect you," Chun Mian chuckled softly, finding the kid quite interesting. She then held Wei Qihai's hand and boldly walked further inside.
Wei Qihai was utterly bewildered. He didn't dare to ask, and he didn't dare to speak. Aside from shaking in his boots, what else could he do? His legs were genuinely trembling. After all, there really used to be wolves on this mountain in the early years; they just hadn't been seen much recently. But that didn't mean there was no danger, especially in the deeper parts. However, Chun Mian insisted on going, and he couldn't stop her!
The deep mountain had barely been set foot in by anyone, or at least, no one had come here in recent years. As a result, weeds were overgrown. It was early autumn now, and many of the weeds were already waist-high. Whether there was something hiding in the tall grass was unknown. Regardless, Wei Qihai's calves trembled non-stop. If Chun Mian hadn't been pulling him along, he probably would have turned around and run back long ago.
"Huh?" After walking a certain distance, Chun Mian parted a patch of grass and saw a few black seeds about the size of fingernails. The seeds were scattered among the weeds and had not yet touched the soil. Perhaps because the moisture in the forest was abundant in early autumn, the seeds hadn't dried out. Due to Chun Mian moving the grass just now, some of the seeds had already fallen down.
Chun Mian found them familiar and signaled to Wei Qihai. "Part the grass."
Wei Qihai obediently followed her instructions. Chun Mian followed the direction in which the seeds were scattered, parting all the grass in the area, and then searched for them one by one. She managed to find a full thirty-two of them!
"What are these?" Wei Qihai didn't recognize them. However, since he was now following Chun Mian and learning the trade, he had to put in some effort. Asking questions when he encountered something he didn't understand would be a daily occurrence. Fortunately, she was his cousin. Otherwise, he might have been too embarrassed to speak up due to his quiet personality.
"They should be ginseng seeds. We need to take them back and cultivate them to see." Chun Mian had carefully identified them for a long time and felt there shouldn't be any issues. However, she was afraid that the knowledge she had learned might differ from the things in this world. Therefore, before the actual plants grew, she couldn't give a definitive answer.
"What???" Upon hearing this, Wei Qihai loosened his grip, and the grass he had parted slowly closed back up. His already trembling legs stumbled at this answer. If Chun Mian hadn't pulled him up, he would probably be lying face-down in the grass right now, feeling the warmth of the earth.