"Will," Li Zhengguo nodded, "We'll start tomorrow."
"Make one for Li Min too, let her and her mother-in-law share one."
"Okay." Li Zhengguo replied, pointing to the ginseng patch, "All your ginseng is gone."
He had watched with his own eyes as the ginseng changed along with the trees. The trees turned green, the ginseng grew larger, eventually shooting up a foot high. When the trees settled into the fallen leaf season, the ginseng suddenly shriveled and weathered away.
"Plant more."
On the bare patch of land, Tian Jing planted two seeds. After coaxing them to grow only to carrot size, she began extracting their essence. "Teacup."
Li Zhengguo quickly took out a small teacup from his back basket, catching the large ball of golden liquid from Tian Jing's fingertips. "What is this?"
"Essence. Everything from one plant, concentrated into this single drop." Tian Jing placed the liquid from her finger into the teacup.
"You, you're taking this back?"
"Mmm, I want to mix it with Ya Shuang to apply on my face, and also mix it with Li Min's..."
"No," Li Zhengguo refused, "You can use it on your face, but not for Min Min."
"You again..."
"No, I'm worried about you."
The worry on Li Zhengguo's face was so evident. Tian Jing pinched his face, then, her hand was covered in dust.
"I'll dilute it. Besides, what I'll use for Li Min isn't this essence. I plan to use tree essence. Tree essence only contains vitality. Mixed into scar-removing ointment, it will be undetectable, people will just think the medicine is more effective."
Li Zhengguo still insisted, "You can use it on your face, but my mother and Li Min cannot."
"Then we'll both use tree essence, alright?" Tian Jing compromised, "This one, you take."
"Me?" Li Zhengguo was surprised. This was a whole ginseng. Would he get a nosebleed?
"Yes, you. I'll help you absorb it."
Li Zhengguo believed her. He drank the thick liquid in the teacup in one gulp and sat down on the ground as Tian Jing instructed.
Tian Jing told him not to resist and sent her wood-element ability into Li Zhengguo's body, guiding the absorption of the essence. Sensing several hidden injuries within him, Tian Jing specifically directed the essence to those areas.
Still worried, Tian Jing extracted the essence from the other plant as well and had him drink it, helping him absorb it.
Li Zhengguo did as Tian Jing said.
After taking the essence and guided by Tian Jing's assistance, it circulated throughout his body. Li Zhengguo felt incredibly comfortable. Those places that used to ache subtly had disappeared after this treatment.
"Alright, get up. We'll extract tree essence and then hurry down the mountain to go home."
Li Zhengguo sprang up from where he sat, standing lightly. He felt his body was in its best condition, better than ever.
Tian Jing blinked, pursed her lips, and giggled. When Li Zhengguo looked over, she picked up the teacup. "Let's go, we're leaving the dense forest."
The dense forest was Xiao Lü's territory, she didn't want to disturb it. Xiao Lü was the name of that tree.
Tian Jing only extracted essence from two trees, about three to four years old. She also fed wood-elemental energy back to them, ensuring they wouldn't die, nor would they become like Xiao Lü. There was only one Xiao Lü.
Casually bagging two pheasants, the two of them descended the mountain.
It was already getting dark. They didn't encounter anyone at the foot of the mountain, but at the back of the Li family kitchen, they ran into the Yang family.
Li Zhengguo introduced Tian Jing.
Tian Jing followed Li Zhengguo's lead in addressing them, "Brother Jianshe, Sister-in-law Ma."
Yang Jianshe, the second son of the Yang family, and his wife Ma Changying smiled and nodded in response.
Yang Jianshe looked Li Zhengguo up and down. "Zhengguo, why do I feel like you've gotten a lot more energetic? Looks like you've been living quite comfortably lately."
Li Zhengguo flushed with embarrassment.
Tian Jing felt shy.
Ma Changying playfully pinched her husband. "How do you speak?"
Yang Jianshe exclaimed in mock pain, "Look, look! This is the difference between marrying a tigress."
"Are you looking for a beating?" Ma Changying chided her husband, then said to Tian Jing, "Don't mind what your Brother Jianshe says. He's got a loose tongue and a foggy brain."
"It's alright." With just a few words, Tian Jing understood that this couple enjoyed teasing each other. "Sister-in-law Ma, feel free to visit anytime."
"Okay." Ma Changying's smile deepened. "I'm not one for ceremony. I'll come tomorrow. I want to see the fabric."
"Of course, Sister-in-law Ma can exchange directly. I have plenty."
"Great, great," Ma Changying said repeatedly. She really liked Tian Jing's straightforwardness. The young girl looked refined, and seemed unwilling to concede in her dealings, but upon meeting her, she found her to be a decisive person. She liked that.
After they parted, on the way, Ma Changying kept praising, "Hearing is believing, seeing is knowing. I never expected the young lady to be so forthright."
"You, you! Anyone who is a little nice to you, you'd give them your heart."
Her husband's words were like pouring cold water. Ma Changying glared at him angrily, "Do you think you'll ever praise anyone again? Anyway, I think she's very good. Otherwise, would father have let us come?"
Mentioning their calculating old father, Yang Jianshe had nothing more to say. "Fine, you're right about everything. Zhengguo's little wife and you hit it off."
Ma Changying couldn't help herself and kicked him. "Stop talking nonsense."
Yang Jianshe, covering his backside, ran home.
...
The straw mats on the plastic greenhouse in the self-reserved plot had been covered. Tian Jing, feeling at ease, entered the courtyard with Li Zhengguo.
They happened to meet Mother Li, who was carrying grain out of the main hall. Seeing her son, she froze. "Zhengguo?"
"Mom, what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
His own mother's surprised and confused expression made Li Zhengguo feel puzzled as well.
"How could I not recognize my son? It's just that you've changed so much."
Li Min was cooking in the kitchen. Hearing her elder brother's voice, she came out, wanting to see if her brother and sister-in-law had caught anything after a day in the mountains. Hearing her mother's words, she took a careful look at her brother.
"Mom's right. Brother has become younger, like when he just retired from the army."
Just retired from the army? That was four years ago in her past life. He was 21 then.
He turned to look at Tian Jing.
Tian Jing pursed her lips and walked into the kitchen. "Li Zhengguo, you need to take a bath. You're covered in dust."
"Perfect timing, I'm heating water. Brother, wait a moment, I'll add more water."
Li Min turned back into the kitchen.
Mother Li, carrying her washbasin, also headed towards the kitchen, leaving Li Zhengguo standing there in a daze.
"Li Zhengguo," Tian Jing called from the kitchen, "The back basket."
Li Zhengguo then entered the kitchen with the back basket. "Min Min, boil water and pluck the feathers. Make chicken soup for your sister-in-law."
"We'll stew it tomorrow," Tian Jing retorted. It was so late, stew what kind of chicken soup? There were no wild vegetables. Just plain chicken soup? She didn't like that.
"Cut out the chicken breast, stir-fry it into diced chicken. Stir-fry it with diced sweet potatoes."
"Then we'll listen to your sister-in-law," Li Zhengguo took the small teacup from the back basket.
Li Min rolled her eyes. If not listening to his sister-in-law, whose would he listen to?
After scalding the chicken, Li Min was responsible for plucking the feathers, while Tian Jing helped heat Li Zhengguo's bathwater.
By the time dinner was served, Li Zhengguo had finished his bath.
Mother Li and Li Min were waiting for him to eat. Seeing him after his bath, wearing new clothes, they were both stunned.
Li Min hopped a few steps to her brother. "Are you really my brother?"
"What's wrong?" Li Zhengguo felt strange. Everyone who had seen him tonight seemed odd.