Chapter 346

Listening to Manager Mi describe that thing capable of making water boil, Wang Xiujin pondered for a long time. He felt that he should know what his little father was talking about; it was right on the tip of his tongue, yet he just couldn't say it, which drove him utterly anxious. Manager Mi said he would send someone to the grocery store to leave word so that if they ever encountered the thing again, they would keep it for him. Wang Xiujin and Li Linshan walked out from the little father's courtyard, with Wang Xiujin continuing to rack his brains over what that object was called. Li Linshan did not disturb him, merely keeping an eye on the obstacles ahead so Wang Xiujin wouldn't bump his head.

Upon receiving the letter sent by the former manager, the grocery store naturally did not dare to delay and quickly spread the word: if anyone happened to spot it, they were to acquire as much as possible, as Manager Mi had important uses for it.

Half-asleep in the middle of the night, Wang Xiujin got up to relieve himself. Standing by the chamber pot, it suddenly dawned on him what Manager Mi had described... dry ice. But could this thing make water boil? Could it heat water? Did it have a heating function? With no answer in his head, Wang Xiujin decided to stop thinking about it and wait until he actually found the object! Perhaps dry ice was extremely difficult to locate. Lying back down in bed, Wang Xiujin clutched the quilt, nuzzled against Li Linshan's thigh, and fell into a satisfied slumber. By the following morning, while eating breakfast, Wang Xiujin was deep in thought. He remembered seeming to recall what that thing was called last night, so why had he forgotten it the moment he woke up?

Putting the matter aside, Wang Xiujin went to inspect the mountain he had purchased, accompanied by Li Linshan. Li Linshan certainly did not feel at ease letting Wang Xiujin leave the city alone; even with household guards by his side, he remained worried. Come to think of it, how many times had Wang Xiujin encountered danger over the past few years? Wang Xiujin really didn't want to talk back to Li Linshan, but even when he encountered danger, it wasn't as perilous as Li Linshan's brushes with death—getting ambushed, getting injured. Skilled as Li Linshan was in martial arts, he still got hurt by others. How did that saying go? No matter how high your martial arts, you're still afraid of a kitchen knife; no matter how good your kung fu, a single brick brings you down.

Wang Xiujin didn't dare to voice this aloud, so he could only mutter it secretly in his heart, sitting obediently inside the carriage on the opposite side of Li Linshan. Summer had already passed, and the carriage was no longer stuffy. The cloth window curtains were fluttered by the wind, sending gusts of cool air into the carriage and causing Wang Xiujin to shiver involuntarily. Li Linshan told the driver to stop and had someone bring in a charcoal brazier that had been prepared in advance. Wang Xiujin twitching the corners of his mouth thought that winter was one thing—it was cold, and without a brazier, no matter how tightly sealed or thickly padded the carriage was, one would still feel cold, making the brazier a necessity. But winter hadn't arrived yet, and using a brazier already felt a bit too pampered.

Wang Xiujin was about to object when Li Linshan gave him a calm, sidelong glance, causing him to fall silent. Never mind; if Li Linshan wanted to set it up, let him. After all, they weren't short on a few coins for charcoal. Before long, the brazier was brought in. It wasn't large, nor were there many coals inside, so it wouldn't cause any discomfort. With the charcoal brazier in place, the windows naturally needed to be sealed tight. Pulling down the wooden shutters revealed glass windows while the cloth curtains were pushed to the side. Sunlight streamed through the glass windows into the interior, which, combined with the brazier inside, made Wang Xiujin feel warm and quite comfortable. He narrowed his eyes, rested his head against the carriage wall, and yawned. If he basked in the sun a little longer, he feared he might fall asleep.

The carriage traveled swiftly, taking less than half an hour to journey from the capital to the foot of the mountain. Yawning, Wang Xiujin stepped down from the carriage. The temperature at the foot of the mountain was several degrees lower than inside the carriage, and the moment he alighted, Wang Xiujin found himself unaccustomed to the chill, hopping up and down twice to shake off the cold before turning to look at the completely composed Li Linshan. He couldn't tell whether this man felt neither cold nor warmth because of his high-level martial arts, or simply because of that perpetually expressionless face.

Li Linshan walked up to Wang Xiujin, gathered him into his arms, and clasped Wang Xiujin's hands in his own to warm them. "Are you still going up the mountain later?"

"Of course. Having spent so much money, I naturally have to see how big and tall the purchased mountain is. I also need to have people fence off the mountain so nobody can wander up as they please; otherwise, if an accident happens, I'll be the one they try to extort." Wang Xiujin had originally wanted to allow the common people to go up the mountain to gather firewood and the like, but considering the things that would be planted there in the future and the complications involved, he worried that some scoundrel might sneak up the mountain to steal medicinal herbs. He didn't care about those few herbs themselves, but he was afraid that a thief, driven by petty profits, might take a tumble, injure themselves, and then extort him by claiming they got hurt on his mountain. At that time, even if he were in the right, he wouldn't be able to withstand the public's occasional lack of distinction between right and wrong in sympathizing with the underdog, using moral blackmail to force compensation. Once there was a first time, there would be a second; once a precedent was set, people would find a way to make a quick buck, and then his money wouldn't need to be used for anything else—just paying out compensations would be more than enough.

"The protective net must be built higher, and we should weave thorny balls onto the top. Anyone wanting to climb over better be prepared to have their clothes torn and their arms scratched by the thorny balls." Wang Xiujin looked up at the mountain, which was not exactly short. "We'll have to borrow more men from the Fourth Prince and have ten squads rotate patrolling the mountain every day. We absolutely cannot let unauthorized people in. Of course, these men must also pay attention to their own safety; after all, it's a wild, desolate mountain, and nobody knows what kind of large beasts might be lurking inside. Safety comes first."

Li Linshan looked at the mountain and took Wang Xiujin's hand, leading him slowly upward. "If we go up now, aren't you afraid of encountering large beasts?"

"With you here, what is there to fear!" Wang Xiujin was quite adept at flattery, looking at Li Linshan with a smiling expression as he slowly walked upward. In truth, he hadn't planned on climbing all the way to the peak anyway. Having not climbed a mountain in many years, he knew very well that reaching the summit was no easy task, especially since the mountain path wasn't paved with steps like those of later generations. The path before them truly embodied Mr. Zhou's words: originally there was no path, but as people walked it day after day, it became one.

Ascending slowly, neither of them had brought water. After walking for a short while, they felt their throats parched and dry. Wang Xiujin paused to rest. Li Linshan looked at the upward path and then turned to Wang Xiujin. "Are we still climbing higher?"

Wang Xiujin shook his head; climbing any further would be sheer self-torture. "When spring comes, we'll bring plenty of water flasks and drag Yachang up the mountain. If the mountain path is paved by then, we can set off earlier and watch the sunrise from the summit." A full smile filled Li Linshan's eyes, prompting Wang Xiujin to turn his head away. "We'll also need to bring some food so we don't get hungry halfway," Wang Xiujin murmured, resting his chin in his hand as he made plans.

Li Linshan listened very attentively, gazing at the mountain forest with a growing sense of anticipation. When spring arrived next year, he would climb the mountain with Wang Xiujin and their son, watching Yachang happily running and jumping ahead while he and Wang Xiujin walked right behind the child. It sounded like an idyllic scene, though at the thought of his son—who grew increasingly expressionless by the day—running and jumping? It was hard to imagine that ever happening to their boy.

After resting for a while among the trees, the two turned back toward the foot of the mountain. Walking side by side, they chatted as they moved. Wang Xiujin remarked that one couldn't wear shoes like theirs for mountain climbing; not only was it exhausting, but it ruined the shoes. No matter how good he was at making money, he couldn't afford to be that prodigal. Looking down at the shoes on Wang Xiujin's feet, Li Linshan didn't find anything wrong with them, yet he didn't refute the point; instead, he asked Wang Xiujin to make a pair for him as well when he made shoes. How could Wang Xiujin refuse Li Linshan's request? "I'll make a pair for our son too. The three of us in our family wearing matching clothes and shoes will certainly be a lot of fun." Recalling the parent-child outfits of his past life, Wang Xiujin rubbed his chin, pondering whether to introduce such a new fashion trend next year.

Upon reaching the base of the mountain, Wang Xiujin took the water handed to him by a servant. Not daring to drink too much at once, he only took a small sip, and after a good long while, finally took a large gulp. It was truly thirst-quenching! Handing the water skin to Li Linshan, Wang Xiujin looked out over this mountain that now belonged to him. Back in his previous life, he never would have imagined that one day he would own an entire mountain just to grow medicinal herbs—let alone a mountain, even renting a few acres of land was something he wouldn't have dared to dream of.

"When we get back, we must hurry up and find people who know how to cultivate herbs. Otherwise, leaving the mountain sitting here empty and doing nothing with it is a sheer waste of money." Although there were no heavy maintenance costs, letting a treasure basin sit idle wasn't in his nature.

Li Linshan nodded. "I will keep an eye out for you as well."

"Then I thank you in advance, Husband." Wang Xiujin especially loved seeing the stiff reaction Li Linshan got whenever he called him "Husband"—it was immensely amusing. This time, however, Wang Xiujin was destined to be disappointed; Li Linshan had already grown accustomed to Wang Xiujin's teasing and remained thoroughly composed, neither tripping over his own feet nor freezing up all over. Rather disappointed, Wang Xiujin let out a long sigh of regret as he climbed back into the carriage. Though Li Linshan maintained an expressionless face, his mood was actually quite pleasant. To tell the truth, whenever he was called "Husband," he still felt a tingling sensation within. Yet because he couldn't display it and kept others from noticing, it was the first time Li Linshan felt grateful for his lack of facial expressions.

By the time the two returned to the capital, it was already past noon. Li Linshan dropped Wang Xiujin off at the shop before heading to the military camp. Wang Xiujin summoned Manager Wang to discuss where they could find capable people skilled in growing medicinal herbs. Manager Wang promptly replied that he had already spoken with the grain merchants, instructing them to make inquiries in various villages while they were out collecting grain; if they came across such a person, they were to take note so he could go invite them personally. "When I brought the matter up at the time, I played a little trick and merely said that a distant relative had contracted a strange illness and needed several kinds of medicinal herbs that couldn't be found in any major pharmacy. I mentioned that while traveling far and wide I had kept my eyes open for them, but the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. However, a few days ago, I actually managed to find seeds for these herbs at an apothecary, and so I thought of finding someone to cultivate them myself."

"Manager Wang, that excuse of yours is far-fetched." Wang Xiujin shook his head upon hearing the reason Manager Wang had concocted. "We never intended to keep it a secret. If we can cultivate them on a large scale, it might even lower the consultation fees at pharmacies. Still, keeping it under wraps for now is the right move, just to prevent certain people from feeling their interests are threatened and resorting to petty tricks to ruin a major undertaking. How can we be expected to guard against thieves every single day? The Fourth Prince hasn't finished training his men yet, so it's better to keep a low profile."

"Master, there is one more matter," Manager Wang hesitated for a moment. "The manager of the rouge shop in the southern district is an old acquaintance of mine. A few days ago, he begged me to find a job for his distant relative, and without thinking much of it at the time, I agreed."

"The manager of the southern district rouge shop—the one surnamed Chen? He seemed like an honest enough man." Wang Xiujin recalled for a moment and remembered which manager it was. "What kind of job did you arrange for him?"

"I haven't assigned him anything yet, thinking I should let the master vet him first before making a decision. It's just that this fellow..."

"Is there something improper about him?" Wang Xiujin picked up his teacup and slowly sipped his tea without lifting his eyes, having already guessed that this distant relative probably had some background; otherwise, a simple shop manager wouldn't be troubled about placing a relative.

"He's a constable who was driven out of the yamen."