Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 22 Deep Tillage

Jiang Yi thanked Doctor Li.

Clutching the recovered silver coins and carrying a bag of precious "medicine scraps," he returned to his own courtyard.

Following the instructions, I found a clean piece of gauze and carefully wrapped the packet of medicine residue tightly.

Put it in a pot, add water, and simmer it over low heat.

This method emphasizes "gentle nourishment" and you can't squeeze out all the medicinal power right away.

Jiang Yi stood guard by the stove, watching as the soup gradually turned from clear to light brown, and quickly removed the fire.

Carefully scoop up the medicine packet and hang it in a well-ventilated area near the stove to air dry.

Once the medicine had cooled down a bit, Liu Xiulian finished tidying up and carefully carried Xiao Jiangxi into the kitchen.

The room was filled with the gentle smoke of charcoal fire and the aroma of soup.

Liu Xiulian took a new piece of silk cloth, gently soaked it in the medicinal soup, and wrung it out until it was half dry.

He wiped his little girl's body little by little, not even missing between her toes, very carefully.

The child's bones are still tender, so this kind of prescription must be used gently. First, steam and wipe the child for a few days to avoid the medicine being too strong and damaging the child's constitution.

The little girl was covered in brownish-yellow paint, as if she had just been fished out of a jar of syrup.

But she didn't seem to mind at all; she was full of energy, her eyes darting around, her little hands and feet flailing about happily.

She tossed and turned until the moon was high in the sky before finally yawning softly in her mother's arms, tilting her head to the side, and drifting off to sleep.

Jiang Yi stayed by the bedside the whole time, afraid that the medicine might be used in the wrong way and cause trouble.

Seeing that her daughter was sleeping peacefully and breathing evenly, with nothing unusual about her, she breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought to himself that his daughter was indeed no ordinary child; at such a young age, she was already very strong and healthy.

It seems that next time I brew the medicine, I can add more medicinal strength.

Thinking about it this way, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

For the next half month, Jiang Yi followed that method and brewed the medicinal soup three more times, each time making it more concentrated than the last.

Seeing that her daughter could withstand the effects of the medicine, her complexion was rosy, and she was in good spirits, jumping around energetically.

Then he carefully added a root of Polygonum multiflorum to the medicine packet.

However, I still exercised restraint, not daring to make the soup too concentrated, prioritizing stability above all else.

After filtering out the dregs, the soup turned a light brown color and was served in a wooden bucket, from which steam rose.

When Xiao Jiangxi was first truly immersed in the hot spring, she was not used to it at first, kicking her arms and legs and making incoherent noises.

Liu Xiulian gently coaxed her while supporting her small back with her hand and stroking her tenderly.

Jiang Yi then took a rattle drum from the side and started banging it.

She tricked her by saying that a medicine fairy lived inside the drum, and that if she took a good bath, she would dream of a fairy sister giving her candy at night.

The little girl actually believed it. She blinked a few times and stopped making a fuss, then nestled in the soup, playing with the bubbles.

Liu Xiulian continued to stay by her daughter's side, taking meticulous care of her.

Jiang Yi had already picked out the root of the Polygonum multiflorum, removed the old skin, cut it into three sections, and casually threw it into the pot on the stove.

A plump, healthy old hen was already prepared in the pot, its skin a rich, golden yellow.

When the soup was cooked to the perfect color, the three pieces of medicinal herbs were also stewed until they were soft and tender.

As soon as the pot lid was lifted, the aroma of medicine was so strong it made one's eyelids twitch, and it mingled with the smell of chicken fat and seeped into the house.

Even just that one rootlet has a stronger and more intense flavor than the ginseng stewed with wild ginseng.

The Jiang family of three each took a piece.

The medicine must be taken orally; it has a subtle bitterness, not strong, but it lingers at the back of the tongue, with an indescribable taste.

After chewing and swallowing, I felt a surge of heat in my stomach, like the rolling of spring thunder.

With a loud boom, the heat spread to every part of the body, making people's ears turn red and their eyes fogged up.

Jiang Ming ate quickly, and before he had even finished the chicken soup, he felt uncomfortably hot all over, with sweat dripping from his palms and soles.

Without saying much, he put down his bowl and rushed into the yard to set up stakes.

Jiang Yi and his wife ate quickly, the medicinal soup burning in their bodies, and they didn't even bother to clear away the bowls and chopsticks before heading straight back to their bedroom.

That night, the air inside and outside the Jiang family's house was filled with the aroma of medicine, and the family continued to practice their stance training without stopping.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Jiang Yi woke up.

I felt an inexhaustible energy emanating from my body, and even my joints felt lighter.

After washing my face, I drove the livestock up the back mountain.

He turned another corner and went around his own orchard and medicinal herb garden.

Several apricot trees were already laden with small fruits, about the size of mung beans, greenish-blue, swaying gently in the wind.

The jujube trees were in bloom, their blossoms clustered together, attracting bees that buzzed around them early in the morning. Jiang Yi tiptoed to take a look, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Although it was the first year of fruiting, Grandpa Yu had warned us that the first batch of fruit was not very tasty and was so sour it would make you wince.

But deep down he was happy.

I walked a few more steps into the herb field, where life was in full bloom.

Several fast-growing medicinal seedlings have already sprouted, with lush green leaves and plump flower buds, making them barely ready for harvesting.

However, medicinal herbs are valued for their deep roots and long lifespan; the longer they are aged, the stronger their medicinal properties and the more presentable they are.

With no shortage of food and clothing at home, Jiang Yi wasn't in a hurry and let the plants grow comfortably in the field.

The ten acres of land at the foot of the mountain have now been abandoned.

Last year, in order to make a living for the family, we harvested three crops a year, squeezing every last drop of fertility from the land.

Now that we've recovered some of our losses, it's time to let the land rest.

However, Jiang Yi's energy was so strong that he couldn't find a way to dissipate it; his mind was like it was being scratched by a cat, and he couldn't stay still.

After taking a quick look around the mountain, he gritted his teeth, went home, grabbed a hoe and a bamboo basket, and started working at the edge of the field.

Even if we don't cultivate the land, we still need to nurture it, so we might as well do a deep plowing of those ten acres.

With each swing of the hoe, they dug a full two feet deep, uncovering the moist, fertile black mud beneath.

They filled basket after basket, carried them up the slope, and slowly spread them on the thin ground at the foot of the mountain.

After a thorough plowing, the soil recovers quickly and completely.

A new layer of black soil is laid on the slope. It is fine, moist and soft. With wind, sun and water, and root nourishment, it can eventually become a good place.

These principles are not surprising; anyone in the village who has ever grown crops knows them.

Knowing about it is one thing, but actually being able to free up one's hands and feet to do this work is another; very few people actually do it.

Turning over two feet of soil on ten acres of land is a huge undertaking.

Normally, it would take three or five strong laborers, along with a few oxen, to slowly grind away half a month with a shovel and a plow.

While it's easy to find laborers in the village, finding cattle can be difficult. Even if you manage to gather all the necessary supplies, the cost of grain and fodder is not insignificant.

It has to be done during the off-season for farming, so as not to miss the planting for the following year.

Most people would save money wherever possible, and if the land is less fertile, they would just make do.

But Jiang Yi is different.

Lately, his blood was surging, his muscles and bones were stretched, and he felt like a fire had been lit in a furnace. He was hot all over and couldn't stand being idle for even a moment.

One person picked up a hoe and was even more efficient than an ox.

As the sun began to set, Jiang Yi sensed something was amiss.

The blade of this hoe is too small; it's awkward to use it to strike downwards, and there's nowhere to exert force.

After thinking about it, he simply went to Tang's blacksmith shop and ordered a new hoe.

The hoe blade is over a foot wide and two and a half feet long, and it feels heavy in your hand.

Ordinary farmers wouldn't even dream of wielding it.

Just to get the hoe into the ground, you have to lay it flat and then find a rock to smash it against, and only then can it barely penetrate the soil.

But it ended up in Jiang Yi's hands.

With both hands gripped, the hoe was raised and lowered, the black mud swirling like waves, turning the two-foot-deep ground up like peeling tofu skin.

Such a scene is something that even several oxen couldn't match.

Just then, a neighbor drove by with his livestock, glanced at the scene from afar, and stopped in his tracks.

At first, I was surprised, then I was envious.

Look at the turned soil; with one stroke of the hoe, it's more than two feet deep, black and shiny, loose and moist.

Once this crop is planted, it's likely to grow incredibly fast.

The news spread very quickly.

Just two days later, a neighbor came to the door carrying a white porcelain pastry box, saying that he wanted to let his child have a taste.

After exchanging only a few pleasantries, the man abruptly changed the subject, steer the conversation back to business:

"I'd like to thoroughly cultivate that wasteland behind my house..."

Before Jiang Yi could respond, he smiled and said to himself:
"The wages are negotiable; I will never let you suffer a loss."

Jiang Yi listened and smiled.

Previously, I was worried that my land was too small and I had nowhere to use my strength.

Now, things are much better; work has come knocking on our door.

(End of this chapter)