Traveling to ancient times with a sign-in system

Chapter 31 Rules for Entering the Mountains

Hearing someone calling her, Gu Tang stopped and looked back, a smile suddenly appearing on her face: "It's my sixth cousin, have you gone into the mountains to chop firewood again today?"

"We have to chop wood. This year, we have two more mouths to feed. The amount of firewood we need to burn in winter is much more than in previous years."

The man whom Gu Tang called his sixth cousin was also surnamed Gu. Because he was the sixth child in the family, everyone in the village called him Gu Liu. He was from the same clan as the Gu family, and they were within the fifth degree of kinship.

He is about the same age as Gu Lianshan and they grew up together. They have a very good relationship. When Gu Lianshan is too busy with the work in the fields, he often calls him to his home to help.

Gu Liu put down his shoulder pole, panting heavily as he looked at the sheep in Gu Tang's hand with envy. He asked again, "Where did this sheep come from? It's really rare! Look at its head and fat. It must have been fed with grain!"

The other people who had stopped to rest beside him also nodded repeatedly: "It's rare to see sheep grazing this fat and this big. Just looking at this one, you can tell it needs at least two meals a day!"

Gu Tang paused, then calmly replied, "Uncles, take a closer look. This goat is different from the ones we usually raise. It's a wild goat from the mountains. I went into the mountains to check the traps today, and just as I got to the trapping spot, I saw this goat in the trap. I was so happy!"

When everyone heard this, their eyes instantly turned red, and they all asked Gu Tang where he set the trap and caught him.

This is a bit uncouth.

Gu Liu's face darkened as he blocked the attack for Gu Tang. He glanced at everyone and angrily shouted, "What are you doing?! Have you forgotten the rules of entering the mountains?!"

Hearing this rebuke, the excited crowd instantly calmed down, their faces flushed with embarrassment, and they said in an embarrassed tone: "No, I didn't forget..."

"Have you forgotten what this is for?" Gu Liu glared at them. "Are you taking advantage of my thin skin? My herbalist taught me how to set traps and hunt wild animals! To learn this, when I was little, I worked like a slave for him for three years for free!"

Everyone fell silent.

Gu Liu nodded at them and said, "You all know Gu Lao Er's (Gu Lianshan) temper. If he finds out that you dare to bully his daughter, I'll take the blame for you!"

"Don't, don't... that's not the case! We are both uncles in terms of seniority, and we can't bully our niece no matter what!"

Everyone smiled apologetically at Gu Liu and Gu Tang, feeling bitter as if they had eaten coptis root.

Gu Liu ignored them and waved at Gu Tang: "Hurry home, you're attracting attention with the sheep."

"Oh!" Gu Tang responded happily, his mood not affected at all.

Before leaving, he enthusiastically told Gu Liu, "The first day of the winter month is my father's birthday. I've been saving the green wine I bought earlier. My father was still talking about it yesterday. He said that he must invite you, my sixth cousin, to our house for a few drinks on the first day of the month! You must come when the time comes!"

Hearing about eating green wine, Gu Liule's teeth were not visible. He said: "Go back and tell your father to rest assured. On that day, I will bring meat to find him!"

Gu Tang smiled and nodded, then continued walking home with the sheep.

Gu Tang didn't meet anyone for the rest of the journey. After a while, she saw the Gu family's house. She quickened her pace and soon arrived at the door.

The courtyard door was ajar. Gu Tang pushed it open and a strong smell of medicine hit his nose!

There was no one in the courtyard at this moment, except for the two clay stoves for boiling medicine under the east wing corridor. Now there was one more, making it three.

There was a medicine jar on each of them, emitting white smoke, and the smell of medicine kept drifting towards the door.

Gu Tang looked at it curiously. Why was there another medicine jar?

Hearing the creaking sound of the courtyard door, Gu Lianshan stuck his head out of the west wing and the first thing he saw was the wild goat beside Gu Tang. He was so shocked that his eyes widened, almost popping out of his head, and he shouted, "Wow!"

Then he strode out of the house, looking at the wild goats with shining eyes.

"Caught in the mountains?" Gu Lianshan asked excitedly.

"Yes, I caught it in the mountains."

Gu Tang nodded, pointed outside, and discussed with her father: "Go borrow an ox cart and take it to Bei'an City to sell it today! As for the wild animals in the sacks, it's best to sell them quickly while they are still alive and kicking."

"Right, right, right! Wild animals are hard to raise. It's best to sell them while they're still alive!"

Gu Lianshan agreed with this very much and asked Gu Tang to lead the sheep into the house first to avoid being seen by other people in the family. He then went to borrow an ox cart.

Gu Tang led the sheep into the wing where her father lived, and saw Gu Ping'an sitting in the room, busy stuffing the beaten reed fluff into his jacket.

Hearing the noise coming from the door, Gu Pingan took the time to look up, and then was stunned: "Where did this sheep come from?!"

"I caught it in the mountains!" Gu Tang shook the hemp rope in his hand.

Gu Ping'an stood up with a jerk, his eyes bright with surprise: "Second sister is really capable! She can actually catch a goat!"

As he spoke, he put down the clothes in his hands, walked forward and looked at the docile and honest goat with curiosity, twisting his hands continuously, with a look of hope on his face as if he wanted to touch it.

Gu Tang stuffed the rope into his hand and said, "I beat this sheep in the mountains, and now it's very obedient. You can touch it whenever you want."

Gu Ping'an hurriedly grabbed the rope, a smile on his face, and touched the goat's back a few times.

Gu Tang asked him curiously, "When I entered the courtyard just now, I saw another medicine pot in the east wing. Is someone in our family sick again?"

"It's my great aunt! Gu Lian said she caught a cold and is now lying in bed. She went to the doctor's house to get some medicine. She was watching the fire in the east wing corridor just now."

When she heard that Wei was "sick", Gu Tang blinked and did not mention a word about Wei secretly following her into the mountains, pretending to know nothing.

"By the way, after you left, Dad made a bowl of medicine for you. It's warming it in the kitchen right now. I'll bring it to you."

Gu Ping'an returned the rope to Gu Tang, turned around and went to the kitchen to bring over a bowl of medicine.

Gu Tang took the bowl of medicine, tested the temperature with the back of his hand, and found it was not hot. Then he pinched his nose and drank it all in one breath!

The unbearable bitter taste instantly rushed to Gu Tang's forehead, making him grimace in pain and shaking all over!
This medicine was prescribed by a doctor in a clinic in Bei'an City. The original owner's health was not very good, so she wanted to take some medicine while she was still growing, hoping to make up for the previous losses.

Seeing how miserable she was, Gu Ping'an hurried to the kitchen to get a bowl of warm water and fed it to her, while reminding her: "Next time you and Dad go to Bei'an City, if you come across any place selling beehives, buy some. You can use it to sweeten your mouth when you take medicine in the future."

After drinking a bowl of warm water, the bitter taste in his mouth was diluted, and he was finally able to speak: "I understand. Dad and I will go to Bei'an City to sell sheep later. You stay at home and look after the house."

"Going today?"

Gu Tang nodded: "This goat is too eye-catching. It's not a good idea to keep it at home."

(End of this chapter)