diskusbooks Chapter 73 Discovering Chestnuts
Chapter 73 Discovering Chestnuts
Dongfang Jin looked at the river by the village, the same river where Gu Chenglin's ex-wife had jumped: "The river water seems to flow down from the north mountain. Has no one in the village ever investigated the cause?"
A river suddenly appeared in the village. Doesn't anyone find it curious?
Gu Chenglin pointed to the mountains on three sides: "No, Lingwu Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the mountains on the west side are even more continuous and endless."
No one has ever set foot there. When I was a child, I heard from the village elders that the first people to settle in Lingwu Village were attacked by a pack of wolves.
I heard that they killed quite a few people that time, and it was only because a general happened to be passing by that he and his soldiers managed to drive the wolves away.
Since then, the villagers could occasionally hear wolves howling, but they never saw wolves come down from the mountain again.
The mountains on the north side are quite steep, with several cliffs, and very few people go there.
As Dongfang Jin listened to him speak, she recalled that Aunt Gu had told her that Gu Chenglin had been looking for food in the nearby mountains since he was a child.
Most of the land he reclaimed back then was in the Beishan area, and the new house built by the Gu family was also on land that Gu Chenglin reclaimed back then.
Standing halfway up the mountain, looking at the surrounding environment.
Lingwu Village is nestled in a valley at the foot of Sanmian Mountain, and you can see the entire village from here.
The whole village is like a big pipe. You can count the number of decent houses in the village on one hand. The rest of the houses are either mud-brick houses or thatched huts.
One word—poor.
The road out of the village runs right next to the river, and two streams flow through the village.
One of them is the stream in front of the village head's house.
A stream meanders through the village, forming a crescent shape as it converges and flows eastward, while on the other side, a river from the south joins it.
Standing on the hill, Dongfang Jin pointed to the large plot of land by the river to the south and asked, "Chenglin, is that the land our family bought from Master Tang?"
Gu Chenglin looked in the direction she pointed and said, "Yes, it's all the way to the river."
Dongfang Jin turned to look at him: "It's more than eighty acres, isn't it?"
Right? The land deed does show eighty acres of fertile land, but she thinks it's at least a hundred acres.
"Yes, Mr. Tang said that when he bought this land, the land by the river and the land at the foot of the mountain were given to him as a gift."
Because that area is close to the river to the south and at the foot of Nanshan Mountain, few people from this area go there.
As you can see, the stream over there by the orchard steams with heat in winter.
Initially, Mr. Tang didn't want to buy it, but he had consulted an expert who said the area was a treasure trove... so he bought the whole place.
Dongfang Jin looked at that area and didn't ask any more questions, because there were no villages or houses south of her home.
Is it a treasure bowl? Standing here and looking down, it does indeed look like a large gold ingot.
As for the steam rising from it, it's probably related to that hot spring. I'm ignorant...
Standing here, you can vaguely see the village across the river to the south.
That huge tract of land is all his? Looks pretty good.
She squatted down to pick up the spiky chestnuts from her basket, but as soon as she picked one up, Gu Chenglin pulled her up and wouldn't let her touch it.
That old man, how dare he look at her like that, how can she send him into the space?
He told her not to take it, and she wouldn't take it until she said she had enough, at which point Gu Chenglin stopped.
Then, carrying the basket on his back and pulling her along, she wasn't in a hurry to see the many chestnut balls still on the tree.
After crossing that hill, this is the halfway point of Nanshan Mountain. There are low bushes everywhere here. If it weren't for Gu Chenglin leading the way, she might have gotten lost.
This is truly a narrow, winding path; without someone to guide you, you might really get lost.
After walking around for about half an hour, the view suddenly opened up.
This is a small valley. Standing here, you can clearly feel that the temperature is higher than outside. Looking into the distance, there is even some mist rising up.
The trees and low-lying greenery over there were noticeably greener and more lush than what we saw on the way here.
Is this where the hot spring is located? It's quite secluded.
This valley runs from east to west, directly separating it from the southern mountain area; no wonder it went unnoticed.
If you come from Lingwu Village, you have to cross two mountains.
On the way, Gu Chenglin said that Lingwu Village is named after Lingwu Mountain because the mountain area is called Lingwu Mountain, and it used to be shrouded in mist.
Places where this situation is found are considered unlucky and ominous.
Good heavens, how secluded this place is! The thick fog and swirling mist must be an ominous place, right?
No wonder they're so poor; there must be a reason.
Gu Chenglin also said that, apart from the hunters who had crossed three mountains, none of the other villagers had crossed two mountains in the area surrounding Lingwu Village.
There are no hunters in the village now, and people are generally well-fed and no longer take risks.
Full? Two meals a day is considered full? Do they misunderstand the meaning of "full"?
She felt that the people in Lingwu Village were lazier than she was, but they didn't seem like it.
Is it...
It seems that these ancient people still harbored fear of legends and the unknown.
Thinking about modern times, those who love adventure and travel, there's nowhere they can't go.
The more outrageous your advertising, the more attractive it becomes.
Lack of culture is truly terrifying... That's why we say such things about the ancients!
However, this place does give people a sense of tranquility.
So, will she make use of this area as well? Haha...that's a possibility.
When she has money, she will definitely buy up the entire area within a hundred miles.
Hehe, building a hot spring resort wouldn't be bad! It's decided!
Get rich, get rich, only by getting rich can you get rich, haha...
Dongfang Jin was pulled by Gu Chenglin into a cave, which showed no signs of being artificially excavated.
It appears to be naturally formed; the divine work of nature is indeed far more spiritual than anything carved by human hands.
The entire cave wall is covered with stalactites-like stones, layer upon layer.
It is evident that this natural landscape has withstood the test of time.
The passage of time seems to be imprinted here, revealing the experiences it has undergone to present such beauty.
The highest point of the cave entrance is three meters high, and viewed at an angle, the cave looks like a "dolphin" lying there.
Inside the cave is a pool five or six meters in diameter, shrouded in mist, resembling a fairyland.
Water flows from the belly of the "dolphin" and then from its tail outwards, the babbling brook flowing silently and slowly into a pond not far away in the valley.
It seems that the water in the ditch over her orchard flows out from here.
Perhaps because the water flow was too weak, the Tang family didn't discover this place. It seems this was specially prepared for her.
Dongfang Jin looked around the area and asked Gu Chenglin in surprise, "How did you find this place?"
Gu Chenglin led her to the small cave he had carved. This place was behind the entrance and was difficult for most people to find.
After helping her sit down, Gu Chenglin told her how he discovered this place.
Dongfang Jin sat on the rock, looking curious: "To be honest, I really don't think you're Old Lady Gu's son."
Gu Chenglin didn't look at her, tilting his head and digging at the pebbles at his feet: "Hmm, it's definitely not."
Dongfang Jin was shocked by his words: "What?"
Really? Gu Chenglin knows about his past? How did he find out? I'm so curious!
"How did you know?"
Gu Chenglin did not tell Dongfang Jin the truth, but instead recounted his visit to Uncle Xu's house years ago.
When I inquired about this in the village, most of the older people knew about it.
Later, Gu Chenglin said that he had overheard his wife talking to herself one night.
"So, she stole you from your own mother?"
How did you steal it? You're incredibly audacious! Was your mother without anyone by her side? What about her son? Dongfang Jin asked several questions in shock.