nycdaug Chapter 174: Treasure Hunt in the Mountains
Chapter 174: Treasure Hunt in the Mountains
Not long after Lord Pan and his party finished breakfast, County Magistrate Jiang and Lawyer Qian arrived with Captain Yu and several yamen runners.
After County Magistrate Jiang explained the whole story of how Qin Ruo discovered the new crop, Lord Pan read the book himself and insisted on going to the mountain in person.
The two of them discussed it and didn't even bother to rest. It was better to do it today than to wait for a better day, so they just arranged it right away.
After everything was ready, Qin Ruo changed into light clothes, took the hunting tools, and led them to the back mountain.
Since the sudden appearance of wolves last year, the villagers have been avoiding Tuofeng Mountain. When picking mushrooms and looking for mountain products, they would rather walk for half an hour than go to Tuofeng Mountain.
Before setting off, Old Lady Qin gave many instructions, fearing that something might go wrong on the trip.
Qin Ruo was the team leader this time into the mountains, and Banxia followed him.
In addition to Lord Pan and his party, County Magistrate Jiang and the people brought by Master Qian, Qin Ruo also arranged for Qin Zimu and the Zhou brothers to go into the mountains together.
Naturally, Qin Huaisheng, the village head, was missing, and even Si Heng was among them.
When they were almost at the foot of the mountain, Lord Pan deliberately lagged behind and tried to persuade Si Heng earnestly.
"My Lord Ninth Prince, why are you joining in the fun? Do you think you are going to enjoy the mountains and rivers? The situation in the mountains is complicated, and you didn't even bring a guard with you. What if..."
Lord Pan and Old Madam Xie also have some friendship in private, so they are naturally aware of Si Heng's situation.
Seeing that Si Heng insisted on following in the mountain, everyone in the court, civil and military officials, knew about Si Heng's physical condition.
Although the Ninth Prince seldom returned to the capital in recent years, the aristocratic and powerful families all said behind his back that the Emperor did not like the Ninth Prince, so he had been suppressing him in every way and simply found reasons to send him away.
This thing is real and fake, who can tell it clearly?
If anything happens to the Ninth Prince, I will lose my head.
Si Heng glanced at him and curled the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Old Pan, you are underestimating me, aren't you? As for you, it rained a few days ago and the road is slippery. You'd better be careful."
After saying that, he reached out his hand to help him and then quickly walked to the front.
Upon hearing this, Lord Pan could only shake his head helplessly and swallowed back what he wanted to say.
He quietly instructed his guards to keep an eye on Si Heng when they got to the mountain.
How could Lord Pan know that Qin Ruo was present at the scene? Even if Qin Ruo was not there, Si Heng would have no problem protecting himself with his skills.
How could the leader of the Dark Pavilion, who is feared by everyone in the martial arts world, be an ordinary person?
The group began to enter the mountains, talking and laughing.
After a spring rain, Camel Hump Mountain looks lush green and the air is filled with a fresh scent of earth.
Mixed with the fragrance of mountain grass and trees, it makes people feel relaxed and happy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the mountain road is slippery, please be careful of your steps." Qin Ruo walked in front as if she was walking on flat ground, taking every step steadily.
The Zhou brothers and Qin Zimu were usually used to doing physical work and were not much behind Qin Ruo.
Si Heng looked back at the nervous guards with disdain, strode forward to overtake Qin Zimu and his companions, walked to the front and walked side by side with Qin Ruo and Banxia.
"I haven't been to a mountain like this for a long time. After all, I can't compare with the young people." Lord Pan looked at Qin Ruo and others who were far ahead of them, and said to the people around him with a smile.
"We are all farmers who are used to going up the mountains and working in the fields. We should have some physical strength. I see that the adults are in good health." Qin Huaisheng responded with a smile.
Qin Huaisheng stayed with Lord Pan, County Magistrate Jiang and a few others, talking and laughing as they walked upstairs.
Captain Yu was also arranged to come this time. He had seen the wolves on Camel Hump Mountain with his own eyes, and there were still faint scratches on his arms.
Therefore, he and the yamen runners were the most nervous from the moment they entered the mountain, and the hands holding the knife never left their hands.
Even though the wolves later disappeared, we should still be prepared.
The road is full of twists and turns, and the higher you go, the harder it is to walk on.
Lord Pan was old after all, and he was almost dragged forward by the people around him.
An hour later, after walking through piles of rocks and through dense forests, Qin Ruo led the group to a gentle slope. Lord Pan no longer cared about his image and sat down on the ground, gasping for breath.
At this moment, a voice called out: "Master Pan, come, look..."
Director Li pointed to a stretch of green plants in an open area not far ahead, and shouted with excitement.
Lord Pan recovered and looked up to see a large patch of sweet potato vines covering the ground.
The leaves were exactly the same as those planted in the fields of Changhe Village, and were undoubtedly the same crop.
County Magistrate Jiang and Lawyer Qian were so excited that they didn't care about anything else. They looked at each other and ran towards the sweet potato field.
Lord Pan was so frightened that he kept shouting from behind: "Stop! Stop! Don't step on it, both of you!"
Only then did Magistrate Jiang and Master Qian stop and stop at the side.
"Miss Qin, do you think these can be dug?" Master Qian pointed at the sweet potato vines on the ground in front of him, his hands shaking.
"It should be possible. Look at these vine seedlings. They are quite strong and look similar to the ones I dug last time. It's strange. When I came here last time, there were only some small seedlings. They are growing quite fast."
Qin Ruo pretended to be confused, took a few steps forward, bent down and fiddled with it casually.
"Bring a hoe!" After hearing Qin Ruo say that the sweet potatoes could be dug, Lord Pan asked Director Li to bring a hoe and carefully walk to the side, wanting to dig them up and have a look.
But the vine seedlings crawling all over the ground made him at a loss as to where to start.
"Master Pan, let me do it." Qin Ruo felt a little sad when she saw Pan Jizhong, who was squatting on the ground with slightly gray hair and treated this sweet potato field like a treasure.
This is the most common thing in modern times, but it can make a third-rank official in Beijing so excited and cherish it.
This reminded her of herself in modern times, who had devoted her entire life to farming and was the father of hybrid rice, and she was filled with sadness.
Qin Ruo took the hoe, and skillfully pulled off the melon vines, then slowly dug up the surrounding soil.
"Miss Qin, be gentle, be gentle..."
Lord Pan was frightened when he saw Qin Ruo's drastic actions. This vine is also a treasure.
"Master Pan, it's okay. I have experience in this." Qin Ruo responded to Master Pan, but did not stop her hands.
In just a short while, the red sweet potato skin appeared on the ground.
Qin Ruo held the root and lifted it up gently, and a sweet potato full of fruits was lifted out.
"My God, this small plant can actually produce so many fruits." County Magistrate Jiang and Lawyer Qian had seen it in the yamen before.
But seeing it dug out of the ground with your own eyes is a completely different experience.
"There is hope for grain in Dasheng. God bless Dasheng, God bless Dasheng!" Lord Pan held the newly dug sweet potato in his hand, tears streaming down his face.
Magistrate Jiang and Mr. Qian also had tears in their eyes.
This situation made Qin Ruo feel a little embarrassed, because the potatoes that she had specially prepared for Lord Pan and his group had not yet appeared.
Why did the atmosphere suddenly become so sentimental?