Chapter 656: Cut some yellow mugwort

"I can't guarantee that."

Guo Dong spoke the truth: "This is moxibustion, not eating an immortal pill. How could you achieve whatever effect you want just like that? It mainly depends on yourself."

She was quite blunt: "Look at you, you never move, and your limbs are gradually becoming weak. The spleen governs the limbs, so it must not be transforming and transporting well either."

"Moxibustion helps you generate some central Qi, but you have to move at least a little! Do some chores around the house when you're free, feed the pigs, feed the dogs... I don't believe you can't get any exercise at all from morning till night."

Zhang Yanping:... Is it wrong to be a little lazy?

The most exercise he had gotten in the few days he'd been here was going up and down the stairs. If he were at home, his mother might complain, but seeing him looking so dark and thin, she would feel so sorry for him she'd practically want to serve his meals to his hands!

Guo Dong took back the moxa stick and pointed at the window: "I'm going out first. You can close the window a little later..."

The smoke from the fresh moxa was heavy, and since it was wrapped in ordinary white paper, it was truly quite choking when burned. Fortunately, the scent of the moxa was strong enough that it wasn't unbearable.

She walked downstairs gracefully. The aunts in the corridor had already returned to their work, and Qiao Qiao was happily rolling moxa sticks, having already piled up a small heap.

Seeing her come down, everyone spoke at once:

But that work was also quite strenuous; it wasn't about anything else, it was about constantly stirring, and over a hundred jin of soybeans had to be washed one by one...

One square meter adds up to 1,200 yuan!

Guo Dong responded to them one by one with a bad temper. Seeing Wang Xiaoshun coming up from the stairs again without any equipment in his hands, she knew he had indeed left the camera in the room.

"Come, go to the warehouse and move a hundred jin of soybeans for me."

"Guo Yi, can moxibustion cure a cough? My granddaughter has been coughing constantly, and even sending her back to her hometown hasn't seen any improvement..."

"Brother Yanping, don't be so literal. I said a hundred jin, I didn't tell you to take it all at once. Just move ten jin at a time."

This year's soybeans grew well; they were plump, round, and dried to a golden, crispy state.

A hundred jin of beans were soaking in water, and seven or eight large basins were lined up in the courtyard—and that wasn't even all of them!

It wasn't that he was useless; it was just that when it came to physical labor at home, no one was as nimble as his cousin!

The rushing water splashed and soaked them, but there was hardly any clarity to be seen. As for the bad beans, the ones picked out were very few.

"It's fine," Seventh Cousin was quite considerate: "I'm just letting you get familiar with the work environment first. In a couple of days, you'll need to cut two cartloads of yellow mugwort for me; I'm preparing to dry some fermented beans."

How should one put it? The income from the first half of the year goes into that house at home, and the income from the second half of the year will be smashed into the factory building!

Seeing that it was noon, Seventh Cousin gave another order: "Rest a bit after eating. Once Lianhua has scrubbed all the pots clean, you'll be in charge of tending the fire by the stove and boiling the beans."

With that said, even though it was considered the slack farming season now, could there ever be a shortage of work at home?

Wang Xiaoshun instantly turned his gaze toward Song Tan.

Not only him, but even Seventh Cousin let out an "Oh": "It just so happens there's a job... Yanping, I see the chrysanthemums on the hillside are growing quite well. Why don't you pick some early in the morning or late in the evening to dry them when you're free?"

He attempted to find an excuse: "Just standing there picking chrysanthemums won't count as exercise."

"With your help, we can make a bit more. It's the most convenient thing to eat when we're busy."

However, Song Tan was there pretending to inspect the moxa sticks, while also appearing concerned for him:

Guo Dong glanced over as she was leaving, thinking: Spleen governs transformation and limbs, that's correct, but no matter how you adjust it, it's not as fast as him stirring the beans here.

"Don't be anxious. If there's anything you don't know today, I'll teach you slowly. My master said your family's watermelons taste good, and since we're free these two days, the two of us will lend a hand to make some watermelon sauce."

Han Pengjing also smiled at him honestly and simply:

Wang Xiaoshun's eyes instantly widened—in such hot weather, even if he went early or late, he would still break into a sweat! How could it be as comfortable as an air-conditioned room?

He held a bowl of mung bean soup, extremely satisfied with the freshly minted strong laborer: "Oh my, these hundred jin of soybeans, my three large pots will take all afternoon, right?"

But if the weather was good that year, the flower buds picked and dried would even have a cantaloupe fragrance when steeped; it was incredibly pleasant.

The wild chrysanthemums here were tiny little flowers, truly inconspicuous, with flower buds about the size of mung beans.

In short, if they didn't order him to do some work today, they wouldn't feel comfortable, right?

It had been so many years, and people in his hometown had gradually stopped picking them. These flowers had become rare instead. Fortunately, Song Tan had newly leased those two or three hundred mu of land, and because they were all gentle slopes with ditches and ridges, there were clusters upon clusters, which actually looked quite plentiful.

Wang Xiaoshun attempted to slack off: "I don't know how! What if I pick out the good beans? That would be such a waste!"

"It just so happens I see the red chili peppers in the vegetable garden are also truly excellent; making sauce will be flavorful enough!"

Wang Xiaoshun's vision went black!

Wang Xiaoshun:... Maybe I should just go back to taking the civil service exam.

Hiss!

—Hypnosis livestreaming, really just focusing on hypnosis to pad the time.

"Guo Yi, is it convenient for me to find you after I eat at noon?"

Simple to this degree, even with Wang Xiaoshun's thick skin, he couldn't quite handle it.

His wallet truly couldn't take it!

There were so many people at home, including Seventh Cousin who even brought along Master Qian's apprentice, Zhang Yanping. Yet the two of them together managed to keep him spinning in circles.

Who knew Zhang Yanping had more patience than him? He was currently squatting by the water pool with him, pointing at the soybeans soaking in the basin: "I'll teach you—it's very obvious, bad soybeans are the ones that have changed color, and the ones that insist on floating on the surface no matter how you stir them..."

"You child, why is there no work in your eyes? The beans have been moved over, wash and rinse them with water. While you're at it, pick out the bad ones."

He thought with a heavy heart: If I had known, I would have been the first guinea pig! Now it's great, Xin Jun is lying upstairs sleeping soundly, and I'm here moving soybeans...

Song Tan, however, perked up: "Make it, make it! Seventh Cousin, Master Wang, you've worked hard. If you need people, just say so. Whether it's fermented bean sauce or watermelon sauce, make plenty. How about we add another five hundred jin of soybeans each—this sauce is selling quite well right now!"

"I'll keep lunch simple today. After I finish up over there, is it okay if I come over after ten o'clock?"

Han Pengjing's regret clearly came too early.

It wasn't that she wanted to exploit Wang Xiaoshun; it was just that she had looked at the price list for the factory building on the mountain again just now...

She remembered how loose-lipped this person was, and her expression was quite serious: "Song Tan, your cousin's body also has some minor issues. Don't let him sit around at home; it's good for him to do some work when he's free."

Wang Xiaoshun:...

Fortunately, the tea leaves pruned on the mountain had been nurtured for nearly two months, and the autumn tea could at least catch a wave, otherwise, buying seedlings and buying cattle and sheep...

A hundred and ten jin?!