A dozen minutes later, the three returned to the wooden hut. Li Dazhuang and his sister were preparing dinner while Qin Hui dealt with the herbs.
Qin Hui couldn't take so many herbs down the mountain, so he had to refine some on the mountain and put them into containers.
In fact, the most fundamental part of herbs was their juice. After grinding all the herbs, the juice would appear.
This task took Qin Hui a lot of time. Of course, Qin Hui didn't touch the precious five-colored flower and the hundred-leaf grass, as they required special treatment.
Qin Hui dealt with the ordinary herbs. Although he had bought some from the villagers, there wasn't much left after grinding.
By the time Qin Hui finished, all the herbs had turned into two bottles of herbal juice, which he could easily slip into his pocket.
"Brother Qin Hui, dinner is ready. Come and eat," Li Qingqing called out affectionately.
"Alright," Qin Hui replied.
After putting away the two bottles of herbal juice, Qin Hui went to the campfire.
Two wild rabbits were being roasted over the fire. After more than an hour of roasting, the rabbit meat was sizzling with oil and emitting an enticing aroma.
Beside them, a large black fish was being boiled in a pot, its soup incredibly delicious.
This kind of treatment was far more comfortable than surviving in the wild.
All three had been busy all evening and were very hungry. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they started eating.
"Brother Qin Hui, can you preserve the value of the herbs like this?" Li Qingqing asked curiously while drinking the fish soup. In her opinion, herbs turned into juice needed to be stored fresh, otherwise their medicinal effects would dissipate quickly.
"It's fine. I have a way to preserve them," Qin Hui mumbled through a mouthful of rabbit meat. The roasted rabbit meat was so delicious that Qin Hui didn't want to talk.
The three chatted while enjoying the delicious meal. This kind of happy time was very pleasant.
After dinner, Qin Hui dug two small pits and buried the herbal juice in bottles in the ground. This way, the low temperature of the soil would help preserve the freshness of the herbal juice.
Once everything was done, Qin Hui lay on the straw mat, gazing at the starry sky.
The previous days had been too fast-paced. Qin Hui preferred this leisurely slow-paced life, where he could just look up at the stars every day. It was the most enjoyable thing.
Li Dazhuang, who had been busy all day, had no interest in admiring the stars. He had already fallen asleep, snoring soundly. He had seen stars since he was a child and had lost interest long ago.
On the contrary, Qin Hui watched with great interest. If Qin Hui hadn't grown up, he would have loved to count how many stars there were in the sky.
"Brother Qin Hui, are you in the medicinal herb business?" Li Qingqing asked curiously.
Seeing Li Qingqing's curious look, Qin Hui rested his hands behind his head and said calmly, "Not exactly. I have a clinic in Jiangnan Province. The requirements for medicinal herbs are not that high. Since they are available here, I took them along the way."
"Brother Qin Hui, you're amazing. You can afford to open a clinic. None of our villagers have achieved this level." Li Qingqing said with envy.
"Oh, what's this? Qingqing, you are the amazing one. If you work hard, you can even study abroad. Perhaps you'll become a returned doctor in the future." Qin Hui encouraged her.
"I don't want to go abroad. Foreign things might not be better than ours, and I don't want to be too far from my brother." Li Qingqing said reluctantly. If she went abroad, her brother would be all alone at home, which would be so lonely.
"That's true. Every choice has its pros and cons, it just depends on how you choose." Qin Hui nodded and chatted with Li Qingqing.
Perhaps it was rare to find a friend to talk to, but Li Qingqing and Qin Hui chatted until midnight before slowly falling asleep.
Seeing that both of them were asleep, Qin Hui looked up at the starry sky, reminiscing about the past.
...
The next morning, after getting up and having breakfast, the three began to descend the mountain.
The descent was much faster than the ascent. However, as soon as the three reached the exit of the mountain path, a group of people surrounded them. Among these people was Er Tuzi, who had been beaten by Li Dazhuang the day before.
"Li Dazhuang, did you enjoy beating me yesterday? Let's see how you escape today," Er Tuzi said with a sinister smile.
After laughing, he turned to the fat-headed man beside him and said respectfully, "Second Uncle, you must avenge me."
"Er Tuzi, you should do less of this immoral stuff. If it weren't for my protection, you would have been beaten to death long ago," the fat-headed man said with frustration, but he still had to help, after all, he had such a relative.
"What do you want? If you have something, come at me," Li Dazhuang quickly signaled Qin Hui and his sister, indicating that they should find an opportunity to escape later.
It should be known that Er Tuzi's second uncle was a contractor, and these people were his workers.
If a fight broke out later, Li Dazhuang and the other two would definitely not be able to defeat so many of them.
"Hahaha, Li Dazhuang, you have a big mouth. Surround them and don't let any of them escape!" Er Tuzi, being very smart, immediately ordered his workers to surround Qin Hui and the other two.
"Remember, don't touch the girl. She's my future wife," Er Tuzi said with a lecherous smile, his eyes filled with evil.
"Er Tuzi, if you have the guts, fight me one-on-one. What kind of skill is it to bully the few with many?" Li Dazhuang said with fierce eyes. Even though the other party had more people, they couldn't lose in terms of momentum.
"Li Dazhuang, I'll give you a chance. If you let your sister marry Er Tuzi, we can discuss it. We'll all be in-laws then."
"Otherwise, you'll all get beaten today, and your sister will be snatched away by us." The fat-headed man said ferociously.
Poor mountains and bad waters breed wicked people. They didn't care about anything else, as long as their fists were strong enough.
Li Qingqing had never seen such a scene. Her face turned pale with fear. If a fight really broke out, she would definitely suffer.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Qin Hui patted Li Qingqing's shoulder and said calmly, "Don't worry, leave it all to me."
After that, Qin Hui stood in front of these people.
"Since you choose to be unreasonable, I will also be unreasonable today."
"I'll give you a chance. If you leave now, I can pretend that nothing happened." Qin Hui said calmly, looking at these unreasonable people.
After all, Qin Hui was a reasonable person. He would only resort to action when reason failed.
"Damn it, no one in Taoyuan Village is more arrogant than me. You are the first. I hope you can still stand and talk to me later."
"Brothers, charge! Cripple him!"
As soon as the fat-headed man finished speaking, Qin Hui decisively made his move.
Before these people could react, Qin Hui appeared behind him and slapped him hard across his chubby face.