Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 22 - 19: Meng Jintang

That evening, Chen Song had someone deliver a message saying he was swamped with work and couldn’t come home for the time being. He told De’an to wait two days before going to the private school and to help out at home in the meantime.

It was already very late, but many of the neighborhood women were still at the Chen family’s house, waiting for Chen Song to bring back the latest news.

When it turned out Chen Song wasn’t coming back, everyone was quite disappointed.

Aside from their disappointment, they couldn’t help but tease Chen Song a little.

He doted on his wife and daughter too much, so afraid something might happen to them that he would even delay his eldest son’s schooling.

Mrs. Zhao, who lived next door to the Chen family, said, "My house is right next to yours. If anything really happens, just give a shout and someone will come. Don’t be afraid. Our village is safe; we don’t usually have any lawbreakers around."

The others all agreed. After a few more words, they dispersed.

The rest of the night was indeed peaceful.

But early the next morning, more people came to the house.

They all knew Chen Song hadn’t returned the night before and that Xu Su Ying had no new information, but it was a slow time of year and everyone was idle. Now that such a juicy topic of conversation had finally appeared, they couldn’t resist talking more about it.

With so many people around, it was inconvenient for Chen Wanqing to make her incense.

While most of the villagers were simple and honest, there were always a few cunning ones. If one of them were to sneak in, breaking her incense-making tools would be a small matter, but ruining her finished incense would be a major problem.

It was impossible to stay in the house, so Chen Wanqing simply told her mother she was going with De’an to Xiaoao Mountain to gather herbs.

De’an was just accompanying her and could read his books once they got there, but she knew of a few patches of huangqi that were ready for harvesting.

Since she had time today, she might as well get it done.

Huangqi could replenish qi and nourish the blood, act as a diuretic to reduce swelling, promote circulation to relieve obstruction, and help heal sores and regenerate flesh. Its medicinal value was extremely high.

Beyond that, smoking lamb chops with huangqi branches could perfectly neutralize the gaminess of the meat. Spreading dried huangqi leaves on the bottom of a clay pot could impart a sweet flavor to duck, similar to cinnamon.

The *Incense Manual* also recorded that when huangqi root was combined with spikenard and Lingling Fragrance and heated at a low temperature, it would release a crisp fragrance reminiscent of cedar. This incense was called "Spring’s Message in the Snow."

"Sister, enough about your ’Spring’s Message in the Snow’ or ’Spring’s Message in the Plum Blossoms,’ I don’t understand any of it. I just want to ask, after we dig up this huangqi, can you talk to Mom and ask her to make us Dried Orange Peel Duck again?"

Chen De’an had a greedy look on his face, practically drooling. He was a grown man now; matchmakers had even been visiting the house to discuss marriage prospects for him over the past couple of years. Outwardly, he appeared quite handsome and dashing, steady and reliable.

But right now, he looked like a greedy child, staring at her pleadingly. ’Compared to Zhao Jing... better not to,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, it’s just as Mom always says—comparing people is deadly.’

"Sister, why are you looking at me with such disappointment? Sis, if I didn’t know it was you with me today, I’d almost think Mom had been swapped in your place... OUCH! Sister, what did you hit my head for?"

Chen Wanqing pulled back the hand she had used to rap her brother’s head and shot him a light glare. "It’s not like we’re starving you. How come all you talk about is food? Are we not feeding you enough at home?"

Chen De’an clutched his stomach, aggrieved. "Who ever complains about having too much good food? Sister, I’m at that age—a growing boy who can eat his father out of house and home. I digest fast! I’m already hungry again..."

Chen Wanqing couldn’t be bothered to argue with her brother. ’He isn’t hungry,’ she thought, ’he’s just greedy.’

She pointed to their usual spot and told her brother to go sit and read there. "I’m going to dig up some huangqi. You know the place. If I don’t come back for a long time, then you can come look for me."

"I should just go with you. I don’t feel right about you going alone."

"The path is difficult. You just wait out here. Besides, I have a pickaxe and I can climb trees. If anything really happens, I’ll hide first. Go on and read your book. Don’t waste time."

Leaving her brother behind, Chen Wanqing headed off in a familiar direction.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, she saw the familiar patch of huangqi. The roots were thick and their color a vibrant yellow. The best time for harvesting had arrived.

Chen Wanqing was overjoyed. She quickly put down her basket and took out her tools, including a trowel and gloves.

However, before she could even begin her work, she heard a rustling sound from behind her.

Chen Wanqing thought she had run into a wild animal coming down the mountain. Her scalp tingled, and on high alert, she grabbed her pickaxe and was about to scramble up a large nearby tree to hide.

"Wanqing, don’t be afraid. It’s me."

A man’s voice, both familiar and strange, came from behind her. Chen Wanqing hesitated slightly, her feet frozen in place, only turning around after a moment.

"Mr. Meng, is that you?"

Meng Jintang nodded, his eyes greedily gazing at Chen Wanqing, his expression sorrowful and weak.

Dazzling sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering into flecks of golden light that fell upon his heroic, handsome face, momentarily sending Chen Wanqing into a daze.

The man before her was Meng Jintang, and yet he wasn’t.

The Meng Jintang of a few years ago was bright and open-minded, transparent and bold, as dazzling and brilliant as the scorching sun. No matter where he went, he was the center of attention.

He was warm and strong, radiant, and even his smile was captivating and powerful.

But the Meng Jintang of today was filled with a sense of powerlessness and exhaustion.

He seemed to be lost in the river of time, unable to come to his senses, yet forced to accept the reality that he had woken from a long dream to a present that was no longer the past.

The two looked at each other, neither speaking for a long time.

After a long while, it was Chen Wanqing who spoke first. "Did you come here specifically to wait for me, Mr. Meng?"

"Yes." Just as he always had, Meng Jintang never hid anything, always speaking his mind directly.

He said with a hint of self-mockery, "I know I shouldn’t have come looking for you, but some things need closure... I didn’t want to disturb your life now by showing up so rashly, so I could only wait here quietly."

Meng Jintang and Chen Wanqing had been engaged years ago. Chen Wanqing had been innocent and naive, not yet understanding the taste of love. Meng Jintang, two years her senior, had already known what it meant to be unable to sleep at night, driven mad with longing, to toss and turn, thinking of her day and night.

A young man full of affection, he would find any excuse to run over whenever he had a spare moment.

Perhaps the autumn harvest was starting, and he had to help his future father-in-law with the crops. Or his family had gotten some fresh fruit, fish, and shrimp, and he had to bring them for his future in-laws to try. Or perhaps he was worried De’an and Yao’an were struggling with their studies, so he came over to help his little brothers-in-law...

He could always find some excuse to make trip after trip to the Zhao Village.

As a result, even the people of the Zhao Village would tease Xu Su Ying, saying, "This son-in-law isn’t half a son, he’s a whole one."

"You’re not marrying off a daughter; you’re taking in a live-in son-in-law."

Back then, Meng Jintang would follow her everywhere, to the point that he would have stood guard outside the latrine while she used it if he could have.

When Chen Wanqing went into the mountains to gather herbs, he naturally wouldn’t miss such a rare opportunity and would pester her relentlessly until he could tag along.

This patch of huangqi had started with just a few plants. It was Meng Jintang who had poured his heart and soul into it, specifically transplanting and cultivating seedlings, and even buying new varieties from elsewhere to plant here. And so, it had slowly grown into a large patch.

Now, the huangqi remained, but the people were no longer the same.