Chapter Fifty-Four: Another Bout of Foolishness

In the end, Xiao Ding made an agreement with Uncle Niu Er, asking him to gather as many workers as possible and to finish the job as early as they could. If fifty people were needed, he suggested hiring sixty. There was no need to worry about wages; they could settle accounts every ten days or half a month, with Uncle Niu Er keeping careful records. Moreover, Xiao Ding promised that starting tomorrow, the workers would be provided with a free lunch. He also asked Uncle Niu Er to assign a few people today to set up a simple shelter beside the worksite and build two stoves inside for cooking meals.

Uncle Niu Er readily agreed and went off cheerfully to direct the villagers at the wasteland.

After Uncle Niu Er left, Tian Dabao came over and asked Xiao Ding, “How much land did you actually buy? Why are you starting such a big project?”

Xiao Ding answered truthfully.

Hearing this, Tian Dabao’s face twitched. He grumbled inwardly—what a fool, not the least bit concerned about spending money. Still, he said nothing aloud. After all, it wasn’t his money being spent. Now that he was a cripple, he would have to rely on these children for the days to come.

Little Ya, Little E, Er Niu, Xiao Fu, and Little Zhu, upon hearing that the land to the west and the hill behind would all belong to their family, could hardly contain their joy.

Xiao Ding found a large wooden tub and poured in the wild fruits he had picked from the mountain, washing them one by one and discarding any that were worm-eaten or damaged.

“Big Brother, these fruits are so sour and astringent, we can’t eat them. Why did you pick so many?” Xiao Fu asked curiously.

“I plan to try making fruit wine with them,” Xiao Ding replied. In truth, when he saw those wild fruits yesterday, he was reminded of the time before he crossed over, when he and others had gathered wild fruits to make wine on that deserted island.

Brewing fruit wine is actually quite simple. After washing and drying the fruit, cut it into pieces and place it in a clean jar, ensuring not a drop of water remains inside. Layer the fruit and sprinkle with white sugar, then add more fruit, and so on, until the jar is more than half full. Then seal the jar and leave it in a cool, dry place to ferment.

Generally, the wine is ready in one or two months, or at most, about half a year. When Xiao Ding bought spices in town, he had also bought a good amount of white sugar, though the sugar of this era was not so refined—slightly yellowish rather than pure white.

He had also bought the jars last time, along with pots and bowls. Xiao Ding found an unused one, washed it clean, set it aside to dry, and waited for both the fruit and the jar to be ready before proceeding.

Then, Xiao Ding went inside to check on Zhao Laixi’s injuries. Zhao Laixi was in quite good condition today; he had drunk some leftover chicken broth in the morning, eaten a few pieces of meat, and his strength had returned significantly. He could now walk slowly on his own, though he was still somewhat weak.

Xiao Ding took Zhao Laixi’s pulse and quietly infused him with some spiritual energy to help heal his wounds. Actually, since no bones or tendons were damaged, the injuries were only superficial and would heal easily. Zhao Laixi’s main problem was the blood loss and being caught in the rain, which had left him weak and in need of nourishment and rest for a few days.

Seeing that Zhao Laixi was recovering well, Xiao Ding went to the backyard, found the iron staff, and headed toward the small hill.

As he reached the front yard, he noticed more people heading toward Luoxia Mountain. He had already seen several groups of martial artists going there that day. Not all were on horseback; some walked in groups of two or three. Most wore fitted clothing, cloaks or capes, and carried weapons—clearly men of the martial world.

Martial artists preferred cloaks because they spent much of their lives on the road, often missing towns and villages, and when forced to camp outdoors, a cloak could serve as a blanket for warmth.

Some wore ordinary clothing, but from their weapons and bearing, it was clear they were also martial men.

Xiao Ding wondered to himself what treasure could be in Luoxia Mountain to draw so many people.

He ignored them and went straight to the small hill.

At the entrances of the two caves, Xiao Ding gathered his spiritual energy, swung his iron staff, and struck with all his might. By noon, he had finally smashed out two openings, each about half a man’s height.

Now, by bending down, one could enter the caves. Xiao Ding crawled inside to inspect them.

He found that both caves were quite spacious. The eastern cave, where water flowed, had enough space for a room. Among the rocks in the center, water gushed up, with wisps of steam rising—it seemed to be a hot spring.

The western cave, which was dry, held space equivalent to three rooms. There was even a level stone platform inside, like a natural stone bed.

The light was dim, but when Xiao Ding looked more closely, he found that behind the stone platform, further west, there was something more. Behind a large boulder, another chamber had formed, about the size of a room. The two caves were connected, like adjacent rooms.

This dry cave, once tidied up, could easily accommodate people. As for the cave with the spring, once the drainage was completed and the spring thoroughly excavated, they would never have to worry about water again.

Xiao Ding exited the caves, mapped out the drainage and path routes, marked everything clearly, and then went home for lunch.

In the afternoon, Xiao Ding chopped the wild fruit, sprinkled it with sugar, filled and sealed the jar, and placed it in the corner of the cooking shed in the backyard. Then he busied himself clearing the caves and planning out the sections of the wasteland and the small hill.

By dusk, the workers had left, and he returned home. Throughout the day, he had noticed many people heading toward Luoxia Mountain along the road to Luoxia County.

That night, the Mei sisters did not return. Xiao Ding could not help but worry.

He knew that although the sisters were skilled in martial arts, they were new to the martial world and lacked experience, making them vulnerable to ill-intentioned people. He had no real connection to them, yet he admired their chivalrous spirit and, having crossed paths with them twice, could not help but be concerned.

For dinner, they had stewed wild rabbit—Xiao Ding had caught it on his way down the mountain.

While descending, Xiao Ding had also found many common medicinal herbs on the hill: plantain, rehmannia, purslane, black nightshade, thistle, knotweed, dandelion, cocklebur, and so on. Such plants were common in rural fields, but most people did not know they had medicinal uses.

These herbs were of little value, for they were everywhere in the countryside. Usually, herbalists would gather them personally. Most pharmacies kept their own gardens or had regular suppliers. Some wild herbs, though medicinally useful, were not irreplaceable—other herbs might be more effective for the same ailments.

Xiao Ding recognized herbs because, before crossing over, his grandfather had been the village doctor, and as a child he had learned about common medicines from his grandfather and mother. Later, in school, he read many books on medicine, though he had never formally studied it.

Thinking of his life before crossing over, Xiao Ding grew melancholy, wondering how his mother was in the world he had left behind. After that plane crash, after he had miraculously survived and ended up stranded on the deserted island, he had never seen his mother again...

Lost in sorrow, Xiao Ding was suddenly tugged on the arm by Er Niu. “Husband, what’s wrong?”

Xiao Ding quickly pulled himself together. Seeing his family all looking at him with bowls in hand, he hurriedly said, “It’s nothing, nothing!” and lowered his head to continue eating.

No one spoke further. Mrs. Li sighed, thinking, The fool is having another one of his spells...