After collecting all the herbs, Zhang Yulan added, "Once I prepare the dicine, I will give you so."
"Okay," An Xuyuan nodded.
They continued walking for another hour while gathering more dicinal herbs and so wild vegetables. When the sun reached its peak, Zhang Yulan spotted a large boulder near a big tree and said, "Comrade An, let's take a break and have lunch first."
An Xuyuan nodded and sat on a smaller boulder beside her.
After setting down their bamboo baskets, Zhang Yulan untied the small bag at her waist and asked, "Comrade An, did you bring your lunch?"
"I only brought so water," An Xuyuan replied.
He hadn't expected they would spend so much ti in the mountains. He thought they were just gathering mushrooms and heading back. Who would have guessed this girl was so restless and wanted to explore further?
Hearing his words, Zhang Yulan sighed and said, "n are really careless. You all always forget to bring food when working. Fortunately, I packed so stead buns for us."
"All of us? You know a lot of n?" An Xuyuan asked with a hint of amusent.
"Do I have to know a lot of n to know this? Just listen to the villagers' daily conversations. You will hear plenty of won complaining about their husbands' bad habits at ho. One of the most common complaints is how they always forget important things," Zhang Yulan said as she handed him two big stead buns.
Holding the buns in his hands, An Xuyuan looked at her and said, "I will pay you back for these."
Zhang Yulan uncapped her waterskin, took several gulps, then let out a satisfied sigh before she replied, "The weather today is too harsh. If not for the trees, we might have heatstroke by now."
An Xuyuan was drinking from his bamboo bottle when he noticed her waterskin. Compared to his small bamboo bottle, her waterskin could hold a lot more water—probably over two liters.
Glancing at his empty bottle, he asked, "Zhang Yulan, did you make that waterskin yourself?"
Zhang Yulan looked at it briefly before replying, "My brother made it for . I need to drink a lot of water every day, or I will get heatstroke in the sumr."
"Your brother has good craftsmanship," An Xuyuan comnted.
Whenever soone praised her brother, Zhang Yulan felt the most pride. So when she heard the complint, she nodded and said, "My brother is the best. I have another waterskin at ho made from goatskin. If you want it, I can give it to you."
After a pause, she added, "It only holds about one and a half liters, but it's still better than your tiny bamboo bottle."
Hearing the disdain in her tone, An Xuyuan chuckled and said, "Then I won't be polite about accepting it."
"No problem. You helped carry my dicinal herbs and accompanied . I'm just returning the favor," Zhang Yulan said generously.
Her brother always told her never to owe favors. If she did, she had to repay them. That way, no one could make things difficult for her in the future.
After finishing two stead buns, she drank more water and let out a small burp. Sitting beside her, An Xuyuan heard it and smiled.
This girl was nothing like the pretentious won he had t in the city. She was rough, straightforward, and stubborn—but also generous and honest. Befriending soone like her wasn't a bad thing.
Zhang Yulan saw him looking at her and thought he wanted to drink water. So she took his water bottle and poured water into it until it was full, then returned the bamboo bottle to him.
"Thank you," An Xuyuan said with a smile.
When they finished eating and resting for a while, the two decided to return using another path. This path was secluded, and no one seed to have co here before.
As they walked, they found a massive beehive full of honey on the trunk of a dead ancient tree. The hive was so large that it not only hung from the tree's branches but also filled the entire trunk. Judging by its size, it could fill several large water vats.
In Zhang Yulan's mind, she could already see stacks of money flying around her. If she sold all this honey, she could earn a fortune ah!
Unlike her, who was thinking about money, An Xuyuan was focused on how to harvest the honey. Even if he only managed to take half, the amount would be enough to last a long ti. Honey had many health benefits but was hard to co by. He had to get it.
After making up his mind, he turned to Zhang Yulan and said, "We didn't bring any containers today. Let's co back tomorrow to harvest it."
As soone who had trouble recognizing roads, Zhang Yulan refused imdiately, "That won't do! What if we can't find this place tomorrow?"
Hearing her words, An Xuyuan was stunned for a mont before asking, "You can't recognize roads?"
The mont she heard his question, Zhang Yulan reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She glared at him and retorted, "Who said I can't recognize roads? I never get lost in the village, alright?"
As soon as she said this, An Xuyuan knew his guess was spot on. This girl couldn't recognize roads. He reached out and flicked her forehead. "You are really brave. You can't recognize roads, yet you still dare to co to the mountains. Aren't you afraid of getting lost in the mountains?"
Feeling a slight pain, Zhang Yulan covered her forehead and said, "Comrade An, I only ca here because you are with . If I were alone, the farthest I would go is the mushroom spot."
Recalling the ditch near the mushroom location, An Xuyuan looked at her and said sternly, "When you go to the second location, rember to watch your step and stay away from the ditch."
Hearing this, Zhang Yulan asked curiously, "Why?"
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