Gu Qingcheng knew that Zheng Wuniang would visit in the next two days, so she had prepared Qingming Guo. Seeing Gu Qingcheng arrive, she quickly heated them up, intending them for Young Master Gu.
Zheng Wuniang chatted with Gu Qingcheng for a while. Upon learning that she had village affairs to discuss with Dai Fa, she excused herself to make shoe insoles.
Making shoe insoles had become Zheng Wuniang's pastime. She would make them whenever she had free time, resulting in a large collection that she distributed widely.
"I think this plan is excellent, but hiring people will increase expenses..."
Dai Fa agreed that it was a good idea for Gu Qingcheng to hire people from the foot of the mountain.
"I'll cover the initial costs. Once the crops yield, I'll earn it back."
Gu Qingcheng gave Dai Fa a reason, lest he think she was a spendthrift young master who only knew how to throw money away without making it.
Dai Fa considered this. If the land was successfully cultivated, the future yields would quickly offset Gu Qingcheng's current expenditure. He was well aware of how high grain prices were. With a few good harvests, she could recoup her initial investment.
"That sounds very good. Would you like me to accompany you down the mountain?" Dai Fa then asked.
"No need. Uncle Dai, you've been working hard for days; you should rest for a bit."
Just as they were speaking, Wang Daya brought up steaming hot Qingming Guo. Gu Qingcheng's eyes lit up with desire. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began to eat heartily.
"Mmm, this is delicious. The flavor is so authentic, just like I remember."
When Gu Qingcheng and Wang Daya were fleeing famine, they had once stayed in a dilapidated temple overnight. Gu Qingcheng had spoken of how delicious her mother's Qingming Guo were, including the fillings. Wang Daya had perfectly replicated her mother's taste.
"If Young Master Gu likes them, I'll make them often from now on," Wang Daya said happily.
By the time Gu Qingcheng returned home, it was nearly dinnertime.
Gui Xiang's family and He Hua's family had already moved back to their respective shelters. The house suddenly felt quiet and empty. Gu Qingcheng decided this was a good time to focus on some tasks.
She retrieved dozens of large strawberries from the supermarket. She peeled them, laid them on several layers of paper towels, and then used bricks to weigh down the opened edges of the paper. In a few days, they would become dried strawberries. The abundance of strawberries left her hands sticky with juice.
Mi Guo curiously asked what she was doing. Gu Qingcheng replied, "I'm separating the strawberry seeds, preparing to plant them."
"Ah? That works? Is that how you plant strawberries?" Mi Guo had never heard of this before. He had only picked wild strawberries among weeds, never paying attention to how they grew. He assumed that as long as the vines weren't cut, wild strawberries would reappear the following year.
"You'll see," Gu Qingcheng assured him.
Two days later, the strawberries were dried. Gu Qingcheng crushed them, picked out the seeds, and buried them in over a dozen bamboo pot containers. Since it was early spring and very cold, the pots were kept indoors to prevent them from freezing, with the hope that they would sprout tender shoots soon.
Starting with strawberry seeds, Gu Qingcheng opened the door to plant breeding. She began peeling seeds from oranges and tangerines, planting them all in bamboo pots. Later, she added dragon fruit and apple seeds. As long as they could sprout, they could be transplanted. She hadn't asked the villagers to help on a large scale yet because she needed to first test if the seeds would sprout and then if they could survive when transplanted into the ground. The separated seeds were all planted in bamboo pots and placed in the main hall. To protect them from freezing, she even built a makeshift shelter with thick kraft paper. The pots were kept there at night. Gu Qingcheng was thoroughly engrossed in her work.
After several days of tending to the seeds, Gu Qingcheng felt she had satisfied her unspoken desires. With everything arranged, she planned to go down the mountain with Mi Guo to recruit craftsmen.
As they were about to leave the village, they saw the village hunting team, led by Yan Xin, heading up the mountain to hunt. The hunting team had been very successful recently, bringing down two wild boars, over a dozen wild rabbits, and more than twenty wild pheasants, achieving remarkable results that garnered much attention from the villagers. Gu Qingcheng asked them to cure these game meats into jerky for future needs.
"Young Master Gu, are you heading down the mountain? Would you like two people to accompany you?" Yan Xin, always concerned about the safety of the Gu brothers, who he perceived as rather delicate, asked.
"No need to trouble you, Brother Yan. We'll be back up the mountain before dark," Gu Qingcheng waved her hand and then asked, "Is there anything you need me to bring back? I can help carry it up for you."
"Young Master Gu, it would be helpful to have a few daggers and short knives. They're useful for close-quarters combat with prey," Yan Xin suggested based on his hunting experience. He didn't hold out much hope, as such weapons were expensive, and he doubted Gu Qingcheng would agree. After all, they had managed to hunt many animals without them.
"Don't worry, I'll check at the blacksmith's when I get down the mountain. If they have them, I'll buy them for you." Gu Qingcheng readily agreed.
"Great! Then we're heading up the mountain," Yan Xin said, still not expecting much.
Yan Xin led his ten team members towards the distant dense forest. About ten li away, there was a vast primeval forest with a canopy so thick it blocked out the sun. It was teeming with game, and they had found success there, often venturing for hunts. However, they had also found what appeared to be tiger droppings, making them a little nervous each time they went. Yan Xin, being bolder, reassured them that with their numbers, it was fine. He even considered that if they encountered a tiger, it would be a good thing—bringing one back to the village would surely cause a stir. Encouraged by him, they continued hunting in that area, albeit with some trepidation.
After descending the mountain, Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo went to Zhanchun Town.
"Sister, how do we find people?" Mi Guo asked, looking hesitantly at the unfamiliar town. "Should we just shout it out? I doubt anyone will believe me."
"Why shout? We can just go to an intermediary agency and ask. That way, we'll know," Gu Qingcheng, ever the pragmatist, said.
Mi Guo's eyes lit up, and he grinned, scratching his head. They had dealt with Mr. Sun from the intermediary agency before, and he had completely forgotten they could do this. Fortunately, his sister hadn't called him foolish.
When they asked for directions, people were generally indifferent, likely because they looked like outsiders. Gu Qingcheng then spotted a grilled flatbread stall by the roadside. She bought two meat flatbreads and ate them while asking for information. The stall worker was very helpful and pointed them in the right direction.
As Gu Qingcheng ate the greasy flatbread, she found it delicious. The crust was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, filled with hand-chopped minced meat, cilantro, garlic, and a hint of chili flakes, making it very appetizing. Most importantly, the ingredients were all organic. The meat, unlike the modern pork from the mountain cat supermarket, had no gamey odor, only a rich, meaty aroma.
Satisfied, Gu Qingcheng asked the worker, "Brother, how many meat flatbreads can you make in a day?"
"What's up, sir?"
"I want to buy them all."
"Buy them all? But we have other regular customers," the worker said hesitantly.