Chapter 174: Coming home is truly wonderful

When He Jinglan first arrived at Flower Pool Ford Village, she was startled by the villagers' enthusiasm.

She hid beside Gu Xixi, feeling her eyes and ears weren't enough, "Are they really happy, or do they dislike seeing me, this outsider?"

"Hey, Xixi, isn't this your home? How did a kid come out?"

"Good heavens! Xixi, does your village still have blue-eyed Westerners?"

Gu Xixi fell silent.

Fortunately, the two people who had rushed out from inside first stopped their howling and began to speak.

The elderly woman both cried and laughed, "Finally you're back, may heaven keep you safe! I heard there's fighting at the border, and you've had no news for days—my heart is about to break!"

The little boy solemnly said, "Miss, I'm not a child; I'm called Shitou. You came back with Sister Xixi, so you must be her friend, right?"

He Jinglan blinked, "Shitou? You call Xixi 'sister'?"

She patted her chest, letting out a big sigh, "I said it before—given Xixi's age, how could she have given birth to a son as big as you?"

Gu Xixi rolled her eyes in exasperation, "He Jinglan, is your thinking always this unexpected?"

He Jinglan didn't have time to listen to Xixi's complaint, and she turned to Shitou with a smile, "You must be Aunt Zhang, right? I've often heard Xixi talk about you!"

It's rare to have guests; Zhang Shen wiped her tears and smiled, "It's me. May I ask your family name, miss?"

He Jinglan said, "No need for formalities; my surname is He. You can just call me Jing Lan."

"This time I didn't give notice before coming, disturbing you and causing trouble."

She said this while performing a bow.

Zhang Shen saw that the young lady's attire was exquisite, her carriage luxuriously unfamiliar, yet she was utterly unpretentious—unexpectedly warm and polite.

Zhang Shen's first impression of He Jinglan gained a few points of favor, and she said warmly, "What trouble? These days outside isn't peaceful; I should actually thank Jing Lan for bringing our Xixi home."

At that moment, the several people far off finally came running over.

To be precise, it was a blue-eyed barbarian man running as if mad, with several people panting behind him in pursuit.

The barbarian man, when just a few steps away, spread his arms,

His expression mixed joy and sorrow, his eyes blazing like fire, "Xixi!!!"

Just as he was about to rush up to Gu Xixi, Zhang Shen and Shitou darted forward two steps, simultaneously blocking his path.

The timing was just right, separating the barbarian man from Gu Xixi.

Zhang Shen said sternly, "Little An, how many times have I told you, men and women should not be intimate."

"Around here, no matter how excited you get, you can't just go hugging a young lady!"

Shitou nodded firmly, glaring and gritting his teeth with menace.

An Qinghe's enthusiastic embrace was cut off midway; he lowered his arms, feeling somewhat disinterested.

"I was just worried about Xixi; seeing her back makes me happy, so the hug is a celebration, a blessing!"

However, no one listened to his reasoning; just then, the several people chasing An Qinghe swarmed up, surrounding Gu Xixi on all sides.

"Xixi, it's wonderful that you've returned safely!"

"The Village Chief had someone inquire about your news a couple of days ago, but the defenses near the military camp are too tight—we know nothing, and we're almost frantic!"

"Xixi, did you see the fighting? Were you scared? You must be tired after traveling so far."

"Xixi, your aunt just steamed some elm-seed wheat rice; this year's elm seeds are sweet—I'll bring you a bowl later."

……

These are all growers of Pingbo fruit trees.

Gu Xixi heard everyone shouting her name in a clamor, their words inside and out full of genuine concern.

Warm feelings rose in her heart, and she smiled, saying, "Coming home is truly wonderful."

Gu Xixi then asked about the progress of each family's orchard, whether things were going smoothly.

Everyone replied that everything was fine.

Qin Dasao laughed, "You've just come back—first rest easy; when you've rested enough, feel free to visit any of our orchards, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Everyone laughed.

Gu Xixi could tell from their expressions that the initial results of the inter-orchard work were already within reach.

After watching this series of liveliness, He Jinglan was left dazed, allowing Zhang Shen to pull her hand into the courtyard.

Upon sitting on the kang in the main hall, seeing wild fruits, snacks, candy, and tea being laid out on the kang table like flowing water, He Jinglan finally came to her senses.

"Xixi, were those people just now all following you to plant fruit trees?"

Gu Xixi nodded, answering "Yes," and poured a cup of tea, pushing it toward He Jinglan.

"This is freshly brewed loose tea; it's refreshing in the warm weather."

He Jinglan, however, had no mind for tea, "I never expected them to care about you so much,"

"When you were surrounded by them just now, speaking, you truly resembled General Ho marching through the army."

Gu Xixi chuckled, "I'm just a farmer—how could I compare to someone who commands tens of thousands of troops?"

She also grabbed a few fruits for He Jinglan, "I heard you say you were hungry on the road—hurry up and eat something to tide you over."

He Jinglan ate the fruit, "It's so sweet, better than any mulberries I've eaten before."

Gu Xixi said, "These are wild mulberries growing in the mountains; a few trees produce fruit with especially fine flavor, and only Aunt Zhang knows where to find them."

He Jinglan widened her eyes, "Even trees growing on the same mountain can really differ?"

She grew accustomed to the surroundings, gradually relaxing, and even while eating she couldn't stop her curious mouth:

"I heard you say there's a back mountain here—I want to go play!"

"Are we sitting on a kang? I've never seen one before—aren't kangs supposed to be hot? How is this one cool?"

"And your master—what kind of person is he? Is he easy to get along with?"

Gu Xixi had no choice but to answer all the curious baby's questions.

The back mountain can be visited, but one must be led by someone familiar with the village paths; never wander off alone.

The kang is used when it's cold; outside there is a stove pit, lighting a fire to heat the kang makes it warm.

My master, he cannot see with his eyes, is a very good doctor.

He Jinglan nibbled on pine nut candy and said, "A doctor must prepare medicines, measure dosages, and write prescriptions; his eyes cannot see, how can he possibly do these?"

Gu Xixi used to see that Old Doctor could manage everything on his own, never having considered such a problem.

She pondered for a moment, saying, "My master can write without looking; as for preparing medicine and measuring dosages, it seems he feels the slight bumps on the scale of the mortar and pestle to discern them."

Even going out, as long as someone familiarizes him with the route a few times, he can manage on his own.

Old Doctor has lived like this for who knows how many years.

Seeing him handle these tasks with ease, those around him easily overlook the inconvenience of his blindness.

He Jinglan said solemnly, "Your master is truly remarkable; I must definitely visit him!"

Gu Xixi nodded, "Aunt said the master went out to see patients; you'll naturally see him at dinner."

She turned her gaze left, then right, looking helpless, "I say you two, women chatting among themselves, why must you eavesdrop here?"