The brothers had never smelled such a clear, mellow, and fragrant scent.
For a moment, they were both stunned.
"Big brother, could it be the scent of some wild flowers?" Yun Erman asked.
He carried a sack of mushrooms on his shoulder and held Yun Xiaobao's hand with the other.
He followed behind Yun Daman.
There were many wild flowers in the forest, and therefore many bees.
In just a short while, they had already seen two beehives.
So Yun Erman was sure that there must be a large patch of wild flowers ahead.
Yun Daman, carrying half a sack of dandelion greens, frowned slightly, "It doesn't smell like flowers..."
"Then let's go a bit further to see."
Since they were already here, it wouldn't cost anything to take a look.
Camel Peak Mountain was a symbol of mystery in the eyes of the villagers of Dashui Village.
It was a place with high mountains, dense forests, and abundant medicinal herbs.
Edible things were as numerous as cow hair.
Things like monkey head mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and hazelnuts would rot in the soil if the villagers didn't come to pick them.
After crossing a mountain ridge, Yun Daman wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Looking ahead, he saw a lush green forest come into view.
A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, making them rustle, and wisps of sweet fragrance wafted towards them...
"It smells so good!" Yun Xiaobao exclaimed excitedly.
"The forest, it's the forest that smells so good!" Yun Xiaobao broke free from Yun Erman's hand and trotted forward.
"Xiaobao, come back!"
Yun Erman's face paled. He put down the sack and chased after him.
Although there were fewer wolves in the mountains, there might be bears and tigers.
He didn't want his son to be carried away.
"Daddy, look, these trees smell so good, I really want to take a bite!"
Yun Xiaobao licked his lips, his eyes sparkling.
Yun Erman couldn't help but chuckle and poke his son's little head, "Don't talk nonsense, who eats trees?"
Yun Daman broke off a branch and sniffed it, "Erman, maybe these trees can really be eaten."
"Forget it, don't get poisoned. Let's go, let's go home!"
Yun Erman pulled Xiaobao and had just turned around when he saw a patch of felled trees not far away.
Continuing forward, he was instantly dumbfounded.
"Big brother, you, you come and see quickly..." Yun Erman's eyes were fixed ahead, and he could barely speak coherently.
"What's wrong?"
Yun Daman walked over quickly and looked ahead, his expression freezing for a moment.
"Wow, who caused this disaster?"
He saw that all the trees below the mountainside had been cut down.
In some places, there were also traces of fire.
At the foot of the mountain, there were tilted tents and charcoal ashes.
They were likely the living quarters of the loggers.
"Second brother, should we... report it to the authorities?" Yun Erman asked blankly.
The government had already issued a notice.
Cutting firewood on the mountain was allowed, but large-scale logging and burning were not.
The situation before them had violated the laws of the Great Liang Kingdom, and they could be imprisoned.
Yun Daman scratched his head and glanced at Erman, "Aren't you working at the county yamen? Just tell Prefect Chen about it."
Besides, the fragrance emanating from this forest was truly unique.
Perhaps these trees were very valuable.
If they were allowed to be ruined by villains, the consequences would be unimaginable...
"Oh, big brother, my job is just a nominal one." Yun Erman said with a wry smile.
He decided that next time he saw Prefect Chen, he would definitely ask for a token.
He heard that thing was more useful than seeing the prefect himself.
"Why don't we go back and tell Mom and Dad first, and let them decide!" Yun Daman suggested.
If these trees were truly valuable, then the old Yun family would be completely rich.
If they reported it directly to the authorities, Prefect Chen would definitely reward them with a big red flower and two bolts of cloth.
Not a single copper coin would be given.
He was extremely stingy.
So Yun Erman carried the mushrooms and walked quickly towards home.
Yun Daman, with Xiaobao tucked under one arm and the sack in the other, followed behind.
Yun Xiaobao held a dry twig in his hand, feeling that it smelled even better than a chicken leg...
By the time the brothers returned to the village, it was almost dark.
The days were long in summer, and it was already around the hour of Xu Shi.
"Oh, my official is back!"
Liu Cuirong saw Yun Erman enter the main hall and rushed to meet him.
"How was your first day at work? Did the prefect praise you? Did many yamen runners give you gifts?"
A series of boring questions poured out like beans from a basket, annoying Yun Erman so much that he snapped at her.
"Get into the house! If you dare to babble again, I'll beat you to death!"
Sometimes he really wanted to harden his heart and drive this woman away.
But when he thought of her giving birth to Jinshan and Xiaobao, he felt a pang of guilt.
"Hmph, why are you so fierce? I saved some food for you."
"Xiaobao, come here, Mom bought you something good to eat."
The roast chicken she had given to Yun Jinhe was hidden by her after she returned.
She planned to secretly eat it with Xiaobao.
Yun Xiaobao looked disgusted, "No!"
He hated it the most when his mother ate alone.
"You little rascal, why are you bringing a dry twig into the house? Don't poke your eyes."
Liu Cuirong reached out to snatch the twig.
"No!" Yun Xiaobao took his short legs and went to find his little aunt.
Zhao Guihua heard the commotion and came over. Seeing that the brothers were covered in dirt, she asked, "Didn't you go to the county town?"
They looked like they had rolled around in the grass...
"Where are Dad and Mom?" Yun Daman asked.
"They're chatting in the inner room."
Daman and Erman exchanged glances and walked towards the inner room.
Zhao Guihua felt a hint of curiosity.
Why did these two brothers look so strange?
Inner room.
Little Xi Tian sat at the kang table, holding a charcoal pencil in her small hand, sketching on the rough paper.
Alas, without a compass or ruler, drawing to this extent was already quite good!
This was a drawing of a waterwheel.
It had water buckets, scrapers, and aqueducts, with specifications and dimensions labeled in order.
Although not very precise, the general appearance had been drawn.
Old Man Yun and Madam Gu sat on the kang with worried expressions.
The old couple were both troubled by the crops.
Several families in the village had already lost their corn and wheat to drought.
Relying on human labor to fetch water could not solve the problem at all.
Even transporting water by horse-drawn cart was of no avail.
The outside temperature had been too high in the past few days, with the sun scorching the earth fiercely.
The well water at home was almost dry.
The water level in the ditch lake had dropped rapidly, but fortunately, the inlet had not dried up.
Otherwise, Little Xi Tian wouldn't have been able to design a waterwheel.
"Little aunt! This is for you!"
Yun Xiaobao ran into the room, placed the dry twig on the kang table, and tilted his little nose to the sky...
Little Xi Tian blinked her big eyes, picked up the twig, examined it closely, and then turned to look at her father and mother.
"Daddy, Mommy, this is..."
"Agarwood!" Madam Gu exclaimed in surprise.
How could Xiaobao have such a thing?
She still had her two pieces of agarwood safely preserved.
Was this thing so worthless now?
It was everywhere.
At this moment, Yun Daman and Yun Erman walked in.
The brothers still had grass leaves clinging to their heads.
"Dad, Mom, we found a forest that smells like jasmine..."