"I'll go too, I need to wash as well." Xie Siyu hurried over, "I'm all dirty too, I need to get clean."
Xie Sanyou followed without hesitation, "I'll go too, I'm dirty."
"Alright, everyone go," Mrs. Gao smiled good-naturedly.
So Xie Daji and Xie Erqing joined them as well.
The two older boys led the five children as they rushed towards the stream.
A small stream flowed quietly, with dense aquatic plants growing along the banks. Occasionally, little fish could be seen darting among the stones at the bottom.
"There are fish!" Xie Siyu exclaimed happily.
"It would be better if there were big fish, we could catch and roast them to eat," Xie Sanyou added.
"Then let's look around, maybe we can find some," Xie Erqing suggested.
Xie Daji's eyes lit up, waving his hand, "Let's go upstream, maybe we'll find some there."
Fifth Xie reminded them quickly, "Don't wander too far, come back right away if you can't find any. Daji, keep an eye on your younger brothers."
Xie Daji responded affirmatively, and the four brothers followed the stream upstream.
Gu Jiu felt very regretful, she still wanted to bathe. It was May, and the weather was scorching hot, so the water wouldn't be too cold. How nice it would be to get in and wash!
Gu Jiu cupped water to wash her face and hands, then sighed deeply.
Fifth Xie asked what was wrong.
Gu Jiu said, "I want to take a bath and wash my hair and clothes."
Xie Zhan frowned, "You can wash clothes and hair, but don't even think about bathing. Out here in the wilderness, who knows if there are prying eyes nearby, with the vicious wolves of Dahu Village watching hungrily."
Gu Jiu pouted, "I know, why are you so fierce? Can't I even think about it?"
In fact, she wanted to brush her teeth even more, but she didn't have any toothbrush or toothpaste.
She knew that in this era, wealthy families used their fingers with blue salt to brush their teeth, or they would soften willow, peach, or locust twigs to use as toothbrushes. For common folk, it was common to never brush their teeth their whole lives.
Salt was extremely expensive in this era. Commoners could barely afford to eat it, let alone use it for brushing teeth - they might as well have their brains beaten out.
Gu Jiu pondered, making a toothbrush wasn't too difficult. If she was lucky enough to find a wild boar in the old forest, she could use its bristles to make a toothbrush.
As for toothpaste, she would need to think carefully. There should be recipes for making toothpaste in traditional Chinese medicine formulas.
"Ding-dong," the system's voice sounded, "Based on your current environment, there are four usable toothpaste recipes. The first: willow twigs, locust twigs, mulberry twigs, boil the water and simmer into a paste, adding ginger juice, asarum powder, and rhizoma zedoariae powder. The second..."
Gu Jiu was overjoyed. Could she make toothpaste and sell it? Imagining the scenes of counting silver in the future, Gu Jiu couldn't help but feel elated.
"Hahahahaha..." Gu Jiu let out a burst of cheerful laughter.
Fifth Xie was perplexed, "Sister, what's wrong with you? Don't go crazy! If you really want to bathe, wait until it gets dark, and let the sisters-in-law cover for you. But don't go crazy!"
Xie Zhan squatted nearby, idly splashing water. He snorted, "Who knows what good idea she's come up with."
Gu Jiu's laughter stopped abruptly. This young man is too smart for his own good, are you mocking me?
Fifth Xie immediately perked up, "Sister, you've thought of a good idea, tell us so we can all be happy."
Gu Jiu didn't hide it. "I suddenly remembered a recipe for making toothpaste that I saw before. Once we settle down, I'll make it and sell it. I'm sure we can earn a lot of money."
The Xie family was too poor. Although they were considered well-off in Huaishu Village, they were still destitute. They needed to find a way to improve their family's living conditions, or life would be too difficult.
"Toothpaste? What's that?" Fifth Xie asked.
"Paste for brushing teeth," Xie Zhan explained.
"Yes, we'll make toothpaste and also some toothbrushes to sell as a set. Oh, Xie Zhan, Fifth Brother, when we're in the forest, help me hunt a wild boar. We'll use the boar bristles to make toothbrushes first and see how they work."
Fifth Xie's eyes widened, "Wild boar? Those are vicious beasts, not easy to hunt. But if Sister wants it, no matter how dangerous, we must try."
Xie Zhan snorted coldly. Fourth Brother didn't even say a word, yet she wants a wild boar? She must be dreaming, they won't even get a pig's tail!
Gu Jiu didn't care about Xie Zhan's mood. She happily fantasized about earning a fortune in the future, feeling pleased with herself.
Just as she was lost in her dreams, she failed to watch her step. With a yelp, she slipped and fell into the water.
Instinctively grabbing with her hands, she felt something slimy that she had grasped. Looking closely, she cried out, "Fish! It's a big fish!"
The fish was too slippery to hold, so Gu Jiu hurriedly threw it towards the shore.
Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie hadn't recovered from the shock of her falling when a large, dark, wriggling fish landed near them.
Gu Jiu waved from the water, "Quick, come here! There are more, hurry and help me block them!"
Without bothering to get up, she spread her hands and trapped several big fish within a patch of tall grass.
Fifth Xie and Xie Zhan reacted swiftly. One reached in to catch the fish, while the other cupped his hands and scooped one up, tossing it onto the grass. In no time, they had caught four large fish.
Gu Jiu laughed joyfully, and Fifth Xie was also delighted. It had been so long since they'd eaten meat, and finally they could indulge. Sister had such amazing luck, falling and catching several big fish at once.
Before they could finish celebrating, the four younger boys upstream began cheering, "There are fish over here, really big ones! Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, hurry and help us!"
The three of them rushed over to find the four children standing in the water with several fish trapped in front of them.
Alarmed, the fish turned to swim back upstream.
Xie Zhan grabbed a rock and hurled it at one of the fish, immediately flipping it over on its white belly.
Gu Jiu quickly jumped in to retrieve it.
The remaining fish scattered wildly, some darting into the grass, others wedging into crevices between rocks.
Everyone busied themselves, chasing and blocking the fish's escape routes. After much effort, they managed to catch three more.
Everyone was overjoyed. Including the ones caught earlier, they had eight or nine big fish - a bountiful harvest.
When they returned to their camp and people saw the large fish they were carrying, envious looks abounded. For impoverished families, eating meat even twice a year was rare. Having a little something savory was enough to make everyone drool.
Zhang Yushi made a sour remark, "They really have all the luck. We all went to the stream to fetch water, but how come they're the only ones who caught fish? We didn't get anything!"
Fifth Xie didn't care about the sourness, excitedly proclaiming, "It's my sister's good fortune. My sister accidentally fell, and the fish just jumped into her arms. We couldn't even stop them!"
He boasted to his young companions, "This is my sister Gu Jiu. I have a sister now, my sister is beautiful and lucky."
Xie Changsheng from the Xie family clan pursed his lips, "Like anyone doesn't have a sister. I've had a sister for ten years."
"Can your sister be as beautiful as mine?" Fifth Xie looked up proudly.
Xie Changsheng mumbled a couple of words before falling silent.
Fifth Xie immediately strutted like a victorious rooster, tail feathers fanned high.
Gu Jiu could barely stand to watch such childishness.
Mrs. Gao had been too preoccupied with joy to notice that Gu Jiu was drenched, water dripping down her pant legs.
"Oh my," she exclaimed. "You little monkey, what have you done? Quickly, someone from Second Xie's family, find Gu Jiu some dry clothes to change into. We can't have her catching a cold."
