bookcurios Chapter 10 Doing Volunteer Work with Li Lianhua
Chapter 10 Doing Volunteer Work with Li Lianhua
“It is indeed a good idea, but isn’t it too early now? The people have just suffered a calamity. The dikes are all built with earth, and moving stones would be too strenuous. I’m afraid it would take several years to build.”
“The people want to build their homes better. Building dikes with earth is a waste of time every year. I’ll write you a formula for water-to-stone conversion when we get back. Once it’s built, it can last for decades.”
"On behalf of the people of Xuancheng, I thank Miss Wu. Upon returning to the capital, I will certainly inform His Majesty of your heroic deeds and reward you accordingly. This is my waist token. Take it to the government office tomorrow; no one will stop you." Zhang Shuo took the waist token from his waist and handed it to Wu You.
Wu You took it; it was cold to the touch, and he couldn't tell what it was made of. He replied, "Alright, I'll write down the recipe and send it to the government office tomorrow. But I prefer the freedom of the martial world, so I don't need any reward. It wouldn't be convenient for me to travel the martial world then."
"Of course it's needed, and we'll find a way when the time comes. It's getting late, so I won't bother you any longer. I'll head back now, and you should go home early too, young lady."
"I understand, sir, please take care." Wu You waved, and only after Zhang Shuo was out of sight did he slowly get up and walk towards the city.
The next day, Wu You slept until he naturally woke up, ate breakfast, and then copied down the cement formula on his phone. With the backing of the imperial court, Wu You became much bolder.
He spent some money to find a little beggar and had him run to the yamen with an envelope containing the formula and a waist token. He also asked the beggar to tell the imperial envoy that he could send someone to pick up the two crops.
Wu You found some more envelopes and put all the previously written treatment measures, hygiene and epidemic prevention information, and the newly written potato and sweet potato planting methods into them. Just as he finished putting away the paper and pen, someone knocked on the door. The two guards from yesterday opened it, followed by a carriage.
A guard stepped forward and bowed: "Greetings, young lady. My master sent the two of us to pick up crops. My name is Wang Dong, you can just call me Xiao Wang. This is Zhou Zheng." Zhou Zheng bowed: "Greetings, young lady."
"Hello, please come in quickly, the things are in the yard." With that, Wu You turned around and led the way.
Once under the eaves, he pointed to a few bags in the corner and said, "I didn't bring much. I kept some for myself, and the rest is all here. You can carry it."
There were only ten bags in total, and the two of them carried them all in five trips each.
Wu You handed several envelopes to Wang Dong: "Guard Wang, these are the post-disaster reconstruction and sanitation management information we discussed yesterday. I've written them down in detail. I hope they're useful to Your Excellency. There are also two envelopes with planting methods for potatoes and sweet potatoes."
"Also, adults can come to me if they need anything, like making porridge or decocting medicine. I hope I can help."
Wang Dong accepted the envelope: "Young lady, you are very righteous. I will definitely tell the magistrate that we can come to find you again if needed. We will take our leave now and report back to the magistrate." After saying that, he and Zhou Zheng drove away in their carriage.
The next day, Wu You began her volunteer work.
After being busy for several days, Wu You finally remembered his appointment with Li Lianhua. Judging by the time, she should be back soon. Although he didn't see her at the window of the old house, Wu You decided to go to the beach and greeted the guard, Wang Dong.
In the past few days, Wu You has discovered a new function of the house. Wherever Wu You has been, he can see it at any time from the window. He can move around 360 degrees without blind spots. When he opens the window, he can hear, touch and see, just like being there.
Moreover, as long as you open the window, you will be transported to the window scene, just like a teleportation anchor point, allowing you to teleport anytime, anywhere, which is extremely convenient.
Wu You greatly appreciated this feature, as it meant he no longer had to ride in that bumpy carriage so often. It seemed there was still much more to be done to explore the potential of this old house.
Wu You returned to the old house from the rented room, and then to the beach. Li Lianhua had not returned yet. Wu You had lunch on the beach and decided to wait there for the afternoon. If she didn't come back, he would leave a note.
Wu You spent the entire afternoon playing in the water at the beach, which was incredibly appealing to someone from inland China. He even took out his selfie stick and Polaroid camera, snapping countless photos.
As it was getting dark and Li Lianhua still hadn't returned, it seemed unlikely she would be coming back today. So she wrote down the details briefly and left behind the address of her current rented house and the key.
Finally, he said he would be back in about a month. If Li Lianhua was free, she could come and help. If she was busy, she didn't need to, and she could come back to get the key later.
Two or three days passed like this. Wu You returned from her volunteer work in the afternoon and saw the handsome man in her yard. Wu You ran over and happily greeted him, "Brother Li, you're back! Did you finish your work?" Sitting inside was a man of refined elegance and gentle warmth.
"Yes, I must thank Youyou for this trip," Li Lianhua said gently.
"No need to thank me, I didn't do anything." Wu You waved his hand.
“You’re kind-hearted, so of course we should thank you,” Li Lianhua insisted.
"Say what you will, Brother Li, please have a seat. I'll go cook." With that, Wu You headed towards the kitchen. Wu You had figured out most of the ancient kitchen over the past few days, but a flint and steel was still not as effective as a lighter.
After an hour, Wu You brought a plate of stir-fried potatoes, a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers, a bowl of cabbage soup, and two bowls of rice to the stone table in the courtyard. The portions were small, enough for only two or three people.
"I forgot to ask Brother Li what foods he should avoid. I'll be more careful next time." Wu You only remembered that Li Lianhua was allergic to peanuts.
“We used to have some, but now there’s nothing left.” Li Lianhua helped place them on the table.
"Is this still something that can be changed? Brother Li, why don't you try it and see if it suits your taste?" Wu You invited. She remembered that in the later stages of the story, the poison of the Jade Tea would cause the person to lose their sense of taste, which led to Li Lianhua cooking dishes with strong flavors.
It seems we need to find some good food for Li Lianhua, otherwise she won't be able to taste anything later. But the most important thing is to see if we can cure that poison. Wu You doesn't want to see that scene on the small boat in the finale.
"Okay, Youyou, you eat too." Li Lianhua said, picking up a piece of potato and putting it in her mouth. A fresh, fragrant, spicy and numbing sensation instantly stimulated her taste buds, a little too strong. She quickly scooped up a mouthful of rice and chewed it down: "What is this? It tastes so delicious?"
"These are potatoes, which I brought from the mountains. I also brought some seasonings with me. I found that there are very few seasonings here, and I'm not used to the taste. The salt is still bitter, so I refined it myself. Brother Li, why don't you try some of the others?" Wu You explained.
Of all the dishes served, Li Lianhua's favorite was the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, which had a sweet and sour flavor and was the most delicious.
After tidying up the table, the two sat down for a chat.
"Brother Li, I'm going to help out at the government office tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?" Wu You asked, thinking about the refugees.
“Youyou is kind-hearted, and I will do my best to help them in any way I can,” Li Lianhua said without hesitation.
“Okay, let’s go together tomorrow. But Brother Li, are your injuries any better? Do you need to rest for a few days?” Wu You asked with a worried expression.
"It's almost healed, it's nothing serious, and it's good to be active."
"Alright, then you can rest here tonight. I specially rented two rooms in the courtyard, one of which is reserved for you. I'll wake you up tomorrow morning."
"Okay, thank you very much, Youyou."