Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

Xue Bingbing was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "Don't worry about things at home."

The meal was lavish: braised pork ribs, free-range eggs obtained in exchange with the villagers, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and a large bowl of white rice. There was also a small jar of wine, which Liu Xiangyang had taken out of his spatial storage; the label was torn off, and he simply said it was something he had stored away before.

"Brother, when we go into the mountains tomorrow, bring back lots of good food!" Zuo Qingqing mumbled, gnawing on a rib.

"All you ever think about is eating," Roland said with a laugh, patting her on the shoulder.

"Brother Xiangyang, take this with you." He Xiaoqin gently pushed a small cloth bag over. "These are pancakes I made yesterday. I added sugar and oil, so they keep well."

Liu Xiangyang took it and nodded: "Okay, I love the pancakes you make."

Jiang Xiaowen didn't say anything, but just served him another bowl of rice.

Leqi and Leyao sat next to him. Leyao would occasionally put food on his plate, while Leqi asked in a low voice, "Brother, have you checked all the tools?"

"Checked."

After the meal, Liu Xiangyang didn't let the girls clean up immediately, leaving them all in the main room.

The door was closed, and the windows were shut.

"I'm going into the mountains for two main reasons," Liu Xiangyang said calmly. "First, to hunt. With more people in the family, and you all following me, I can't let you eat coarse food. I need to prepare more meat." He paused, took out the notebook from his pocket, and placed it on the table. "Second, to find some medicinal herbs. Master Han gave me a prescription that will help with your training. Once it's prepared, long-term use will also benefit your health."

Zuo Qingqing's eyes lit up, He Xiaoqin and Jiang Xiaowen exchanged glances, while Luo Lan, Le Qi, and Le Yao looked at Xue Bingbing.

Xue Bingbing spoke clearly: "Xiangyang went into the mountains for the sake of this family. While he's away, we'll continue as usual at home. We'll go to work and study as usual. We shouldn't let anyone notice anything unusual, especially since the new educated youth have arrived. We should be careful in our words and actions."

"Understood, Sister Bingbing," everyone replied.

"Brother, be careful," Leqi said.

"Come back soon," Le Yao replied.

Liu Xiangyang nodded: "Don't worry."

The meeting ended, and the girls went to wash up.

Liu Xiangyang stayed in the room and began to prepare.

Hunting rifles, spears, knives... each item was inspected, sharpened, and assembled.

Small hoes for gathering herbs, birch bark, moss, red ropes, copper coins, bamboo skewers, and wooden chips... were all sorted and placed into the baskets on his back.

Xue Bingbing walked over, picked up the thick coat, looked at it, and put it back. She then rummaged through the depths of the closet and pulled out a slightly worn but more sturdy military green cotton-padded jacket—one that Liu Xiangyang had obtained from Lu Dajun years ago.

"Wear this, it's cold in the mountains at night." She folded the cotton-padded coat and put it at the bottom of the basket.

Liu Xiangyang didn't say anything, but simply reached out and touched her hair.

Late at night.

When He Xiaoqin, Luo Lan, and Zuo Qingqing came over after washing up, Liu Xiangyang had already finished getting ready.

"Get some rest," he told them.

The night was quiet. Liu Xiangyang practiced the guiding technique throughout, frequently climbing to the mountain peak, and finally fell asleep with calm breathing.

As dawn approached, he quietly got up.

Dressed neatly, with a basket on his back, a short spear in hand, and a hunting rifle slung across his shoulder, he walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), glanced at the three people still sleeping, and then turned and left the house.

Inside the main room, Xue Bingbing was already up and boiling water by the stove. When she saw him come out, she didn't say anything, but simply handed him a freshly baked flatbread filled with braised meat.

Liu Xiangyang took it and finished it in a few bites.

Xue Bingbing then handed over a military water bottle, which contained warm sugar and salt water.

After finishing his drink, Liu Xiangyang slung the water bottle over his shoulder.

The two walked to the courtyard gate. The morning mist was thick, and the first rooster crowed in the distance.

"I'm leaving," Liu Xiangyang said.

Xue Bingbing stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and gently kissed his lips.

"We're waiting for you."

Liu Xiangyang nodded emphatically, turned around, and strode into the gray morning mist.

Instead of leaving the village directly, he went around to the clinic.

Dr. Han's window was still dark. Liu Xiangyang took out a small oil paper package from his basket—it contained high-quality brown sugar from his space, wrapped in ordinary oil paper. He gently pushed open the window a crack, put the package inside, and placed it on the table by the window.

"Master, I'm going into the mountains."

After speaking in a low voice, he closed the window, turned around, and strode towards the silent and bountiful forest.

The morning mist flows through the forest like a layer of milky white gauze.

Liu Xiangyang's footsteps trod silently on the accumulated humus. He didn't take the mountain path he usually followed, but instead ventured into the deep mountains along a dry streambed. He glanced back, put all the baskets into his spatial storage, and held only a short spear in his hand.

After about two hours in the mountains, the sun rose higher and the mist in the forest dissipated.

After crossing the first mountain ridge, the sun was already high in the sky, and the forest became sultry, filled with the sounds of various birds.

Liu Xiangyang stopped by a stream, took a sip of water, and closed his eyes.

The guiding technique slowly circulated, the breathing became deep and steady, and the mind also calmed and focused. At the same time, spiritual power spread out silently, like mercury spilling onto the ground, precisely covering a range of fifteen meters around the body.

Liu Xiangyang felt that his mental scanning was clearer. Compared to before when he could only vaguely perceive, now his mental scanning could perceive the outline and nature of the objects.

He looked towards a pebble beach upstream of the stream.

He sensed something special about that area; the outlines and life feedback of several plants closely matched the description of Astragalus membranaceus in his notes. He walked toward that direction.

Parting a few clumps of water wormwood, on the pebble beach, several plants with straight stems and pinnate compound leaves swayed gently in the wind, their tips adorned with small, butterfly-shaped yellow flowers.

That's right, astragalus, judging by the thickness of its stems, is at least three to five years old.

Liu Xiangyang squatted down, put down his basket, and took out a small hoe. He didn't start immediately; he first carefully examined the surrounding soil and the possible direction of the roots before cautiously hoeing along the main root.

With steady, gentle movements, he carefully removed the gravel and compacted soil, and after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he unearthed three astragalus plants with thick main roots and well-preserved fibrous roots. He wrapped the roots with prepared damp moss and placed them in the inner layer of his basket.

He continued upwards, entering a denser mixed forest where the humus was thick and soft underfoot.

His mental perception remained at a low level, scanning his surroundings like a radar. When his perception swept over a vine entwined around an old elm tree, the shape of the plant he sensed caught his attention—it was a Schisandra chinensis vine.

The fruit was still green, but it was already taking shape. He collected some tender vines and a few green fruits and wrapped them in oiled paper.

It was nearing noon, and the woods were steaming with heat.

Liu Xiangyang found a shady rock to sit on, took out the sugar-coated pancakes made by He Xiaoqin, and ate lunch with his water bottle. The pancakes were fragrant and chewy, with plenty of sugar and oil, and were very filling.

After resting for half an hour, he set off again. This time, his target was Acanthopanax senticosus, which, according to his notes, thrives in sunlight, is cold-resistant, and often grows on the edge of forests.

He walked along a ridgeline where the trees were sparse and sunlight could penetrate, focusing his mental perception on scanning the shapes of the bushes.

After walking for about half an hour, he found several clumps of bushes at the foot of a sunny slope. The branches were covered with fine thorns, and the leaves were palmately compound, making them quite distinctive. He carefully cut off the tender branches and some root bark with his hunting knife and put them away.