One incense stick later, Song Xian had a great harvest.
Chen Changgui brought out his treasured ox cart, specially to send Song Xian and the others back to the Valley.
The cart was loaded with eggs, millet, and other food supplies, along with beds, tables and chairs, dustpans, teapots, and other daily necessities.
Song Xian happily sat at the back of the ox cart, counting on his fingers how much money he had saved this time and what else the family still needed to buy.
Bai Ge proudly said to Song Luyuan,
“It has to be our dad—he knows how to live and thinks of everything.”
“That’s my dad, none of your business.”
Song Luyuan immediately corrected her, sharply pointing at Bai Ge’s nose and warning,
“Listen here, don’t get any silly ideas—don’t even think about competing with us three brothers for dad!”
“Who envies you!”
Bai Ge snapped back stubbornly.
“Calling you uncle is just fine.”
The ox cart shook and wobbled as it traveled to the edge of the Valley’s woods, but it couldn’t go any further.
“This road into the Valley is really inconvenient. Since you’re building a house, wouldn’t it be better to pick a spot by the roadside? Why choose such a remote place?”
Chen Changgui remarked.
Song Xian agreed with Chen Changgui.
Convenient transportation was important.
If a child fell ill one day or some other emergency arose that required leaving the Valley quickly, a difficult road would cause delays.
He silently made a note to carve out a proper road that vehicles could use to enter and exit the Valley as soon as possible.
He also reminded himself to stock up early on medicinal herbs for headaches and colds.
Kids were mischievous and prone to catching colds.
Treating minor illnesses promptly would save them unnecessary suffering.
“Sigh, I really don’t understand what you young people are thinking.”
“Enough nagging, hurry up and use your old ox to carry our stuff in!”
Song Luyuan impatiently urged Chen Changgui, not bothering with any politeness.
Chen Changgui smiled awkwardly and nodded, helping unload the goods before loading them again onto the ox’s back.
He then led the ox through the woods and into the Valley.
The moment he stepped out of the woods, Chen Changgui felt like his earlier complaints were a joke.
This place was too beautiful!
A sudden wide-open plain stretched out, refreshing the eyes and uplifting the spirit!
The Valley was surrounded on three sides by mountains.
In the distance, lush, rolling peaks rose, shrouded in white clouds and thin mist, serene and far-reaching. Closer by were gentle, broad green grass slopes dotted with colorful wildflowers, with birds occasionally calling and flying past.
The scenery was picturesque, like a peach blossom land.
On the sun-facing hillside stood an exquisite Song Family Wooden House, about four zhang long and two and a half zhang wide, in a light yellow natural wood color with a faint warm luster.
The windows were open, with beautiful bamboo blinds hanging on the window frames.
The entire house was tightly joined using mortise and tenon joints, made from solid, sturdy materials.
After putting down the goods, Chen Changgui hurried over to the wooden house and curiously ran his hands over it.
“The wood feels a bit smooth. Did you apply something on it?”
Song Xian smiled and explained,
“It’s just wood, nothing else applied. Teak contains rich oils and silica, which makes it moisture-proof, rot-resistant, and prevents deformation. Right now, the house’s exterior is a light yellow, but after exposure to wind and sun over time, it will gradually oxidize to a golden yellow. The look will become even more beautiful, like the saying ‘there is a golden house in the forest.’”
“Strange, why does it feel like the wood’s surface was coated with something?”
Chen Changgui was puzzled for a moment before discovering a serious problem.
“This wood is still wet. How did you build the house already? You’re too impatient. This will easily crack and deform—it won’t last long.”
“There’s no choice, it’s already built. We’ll just live in it for now.”
Song Xian poured Chen Changgui a glass of water to thank him for his help.
He added a few freshly dried Meiganguo berries he had just sun-dried.
They were sweet and sour, very tasty, and drinking them regularly helped detoxify the body and delay aging.
“Sigh, young people really lack life experience and don’t understand things.”
Chen Changgui sighed but brightened as soon as he tasted the water.
“Well, well, if it causes problems, come find me. As the Master Carpenter, I won’t charge you extra!”
“All right, thank you, Village Chief.”
Song Xian gave Chen Changgui a bag of Meiganguo and a basket of Jingji Mushrooms as a reward for helping carry the goods.
“Oh, this basket of mushrooms is truly a rare mountain delicacy! You must have risked your life getting these from that ancient forest over there, right? How could I possibly accept them?”
Chen Changgui said this, but in truth, he had already taken the basket of mushrooms tightly in his arms and wouldn’t let anyone snatch it away.
As for the Meiganguo, he truly loved them and tucked them into his sleeve like a treasure, probably wanting to keep them all to himself and not let anyone see.
“Hmph, you hypocritical old codger. Aren’t you leaving soon?”
Song Luyuan, who had been holding back for a long time, finally lost patience and raised his hand in a punching gesture.
Chen Changgui screamed in fright and fled like a chick chased by an eagle, immediately pulling the ox and running off.
The ox was forced to trot quickly, snorting heavily with dissatisfaction, frequently letting out “moo” sounds.
Song Luyuan laughed heartily at Chen Changgui’s ridiculous reaction, but suddenly his forehead was lightly tapped.
The force wasn’t heavy, just a gentle tap, but it still confused Song Luyuan.
Who in their right mind would dare tap the forehead of the Valley’s Number One Wild Sword?
“Where’s your Etiquette? How can you talk to an elder like that?”
It wasn’t good to teach kids in front of others—it might hurt their pride.
But once they were alone, the necessary words had to be said.
Song Luyuan was in the height of his rebellious teenage phase, the most critical time for instilling proper Etiquette.
Song Xian didn’t want good kids to go astray just because adults failed to guide them properly.
Song Luyuan stubbornly retorted,
“How am I impolite? I didn’t even hit him. Before, I was much harsher to that old codger—kicking or punching him—and he never dared say a word.”
Song Xian’s face turned serious as he looked at Song Luyuan with genuine concern.
Bai Ge quickly found an excuse to slip away,
“You two chat first, I’ll organize the room and move the furniture inside.”
Song Xian brought over two bamboo chairs and sat facing Song Luyuan.
Song Luyuan plopped down carelessly.
The chairs were a bit low, so his long legs bent slightly, knees just touching Song Xian’s.
“Look!”
Song Xian said.
“Look at what?”
Song Luyuan was puzzled.
“Our first heart-to-heart talk as father and son.”
Song Luyuan refused to admit fault.
“I’m not wrong.”
“Where exactly are you not wrong?”
“Nowhere. I’m not wrong anywhere.”
“The man helped us transport our stuff, but you scared him off with that scowl of yours. You couldn’t even say a proper goodbye. Isn’t that wrong?”
“He’s not a good person! He wronged Bai Ge and even tried to hit her with a vine. He did something bad, so it’s only right I treat him that way!”
Song Luyuan’s tone was impatient, even a bit aggressive, but Song Xian breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew his second son wasn’t truly bad—just righteous and intolerant of injustice, which was why he treated Chen Changgui so harshly.
“We’re not saints; everyone makes mistakes. Admitting and correcting them is a good thing. Like when I treated you guys badly before and made big mistakes—you three brothers were kind enough to forgive me, and I’m grateful for that chance. Village Chief Chen was the same; he admitted his mistakes and compensated us, which we accepted. So when he helped us transport things later, we should have shown our gratitude politely. When he left, we should have said goodbye politely—not scared him off. Understand?”
“I understand, but don’t expect me to treat him well. Dad is the exception; everyone else, I won’t accept!”
Song Luyuan stuck out his neck, standing firm in his stance.
“I respect your stance.”
Song Xian stood up.
Song Luyuan smiled triumphantly, feeling victorious.
“But I have my own rule. Tonight’s dinner—grilled mountain chicken, grilled rabbit, grilled wild chives, grilled eggs—none of it’s for you.”
“Who cares!”
Song Luyuan pouted, biting into a dry millet cob, looking indifferent.
It was just grilled rabbit; he could catch one himself and grill it anytime.
True to his word, after catching a rabbit, Song Luyuan returned but still couldn’t help stealing glances at Song Xian as he busily prepared dinner.
Song Xian first took out the rabbit and mountain chicken he had marinated early that morning, brushing on more seasoning.
Both the rabbit and mountain chicken were caught using traps set in the mountains, utilizing Bai Pi Shu Pollen to stun them successfully.
This land was a treasure.
The towering mountains changed climate vertically with elevation, with vegetation ranging from towering ancient forests down to ordinary forests, shrubs, and grasslands.
The ancient forests at the lower level surrounded the whole mountain and were incredibly biodiverse—so much so it was almost unbelievable.
Many plants Song Xian thought wouldn’t grow in the same area coexisted here.
This discovery brought joy but also worry.
Such vast, lush, and diverse vegetation often meant a large population of animals too.
But strangely, he hadn’t found any traces of large animals in the ancient forest.
At most, there were small Poisonous Bugs.
Even mountain chickens and wild rabbits avoided the forest interior and stayed on the outskirts.
The ancient forest indeed felt mysterious and eerie, no wonder it was taboo for locals.
These days he dared to enter the ancient forest frequently because he had supernatural abilities that let him avoid many dangers easily.
Ordinary people would be at great risk going in.
Yesterday, he collected new batches of Du Zhong Seeds and Anxi Fennel in the ancient forest.
Wild Chive was a specialty of the Valley; once you found the right spot, there was a whole patch, and soon enough, you could harvest a whole basket.
Anxi Fennel was the soul mate of the Grilled Meat Technique.
Once dried and roasted, then crushed to season the grilled meat, the longer it marinated, the stronger the cumin flavor, and the tastier the roasted meat.
Authentic Grilled Meat Technique required brushing oil on the meat before grilling, so the surface became crispy and fragrant while locking in the juices, keeping the meat tender.
Local eating customs didn’t use cooking oil and there was none to buy, so if they wanted oil, they had to find a way to press it themselves.
Pressing oil.
They could use animal fat, but right now, they didn’t have fatty meat.
The only remaining option was to use seeds from oil-bearing plants.
Soybeans were the most common choice, but the local soybeans hadn’t been selectively bred for generations and were small with low oil content—estimated oil yield was less than 4%.
Also, soybeans were not cheap at the market, so buying beans to press oil was not cost-effective—better to just eat soy sprouts.
Du Zhong Seeds were different.
They were collected wild with zero cost, had an oil yield above 20%, and compared to soybean oil, were richer in unsaturated fatty acids.
They were also medicinal and very healthy.
Song Xian tried pressing five jin of Du Zhong Seeds.
Cracking the shells was a bit tough, but after roasting, crushing, steaming into cakes, and finally roughly pressing with stones, he managed to extract two bowls of oil.
Because his pressing tools were not professional, the oil yield wasn’t high this time.
Later, he planned to make a wooden wedge press to double the yield.
Before dark, Song Han and Song Jimin returned.
They had already returned the donkey to a friend and came back on foot, each carrying supplies—one with food, the other with fabric.
Everyone had been so busy setting up the new home that lunch was just a simple meal of millet cobs to fill their stomachs.
To celebrate moving into the new home for the first time, tonight’s dinner had to be a lavish feast.
Song Xian truly put all his top skills and energy into tonight’s meal.
Fortunately, he had once been a food blogger and had ventured into ancient oil pressing techniques, or else he wouldn’t have achieved this level of grilled meat perfection today.
The marinated cumin mountain chicken and rabbit, brushed with oil and placed over the fire, instantly emitted an intoxicating aroma.
On the other side, Song Luyuan, who insisted on grilling his own rabbit separately, was immediately overwhelmed by the scent.
Like a puppy, he sniffed vigorously and followed the aroma to Song Xian’s side.
His black, bright eyes were hot and eager as he looked at Song Xian.
“Dad, I’ll change! I promise to be a polite child who says goodbye properly from now on.”
Song Xian happily patted Song Luyuan’s head.
“I knew it—my A Yuan is the kindest and most polite!”
No, he really didn’t know!
From then on, before killing anyone, the Valley’s Number One Wild Sword learned to say goodbye politely:
“I’ll see you off properly to Yama!”