Chapter 8: Crafting the Extraordinary Equipment!

After finishing the meal, Zhang Hao was still the one clearing the dishes.

After transferring the money, Li Siyu went down to busy herself with farm work.

The three-compound courtyard returned to its quiet calm.

Zhang Hao stepped out of the kitchen, picked up his phone, looked at the 500 yuan Li Siyu had transferred to him, then turned and walked out of the courtyard.

...

In Zhao Family Village, on a muddy dirt road.

Zhang Hao kept his head down, avoiding small puddles on the road, and trudged forward silently.

Soon, he stopped in front of a somewhat dilapidated door. Seeing the half-open gate, he pushed it open and called out, "Aunt Zhao, are you home?"

Entering the yard, the yellow earth was uneven with occasional puddles. A large yellow dog lifted its head from its kennel, glanced at him, then lowered its head and went back to sleep.

From the rundown thatched cottage came a response, followed by footsteps.

"Who is it?"

A middle-aged woman wearing somewhat old clothes, with shoulder-length short hair and features not particularly delicate but rather darkened by the sun, stepped out of the cottage.

When she saw it was Zhang Hao, she squinted and smiled, "Isn't this Zhang Hao? What brings you here?"

Zhang Hao smiled and approached, "Aunt Zhao, do you still weave bamboo baskets these days?"

"Bamboo baskets? Of course, why?"

Aunt Zhao nodded with slight puzzlement.

Zhang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's like this, Aunt Zhao, I want you to help me weave a bamboo basket and some straw sandals."

"Aren’t you good at weaving too? Why come to me?" Aunt Zhao smiled but looked puzzled.

Zhang Hao brushed it off, "Ah, I just think yours are better. The bamboo baskets you weave last decades without breaking, and the straw sandals can last over ten years without wearing out."

At these words, Aunt Zhao almost grinned from ear to ear, waving her hand, "You're flattering me."

"Alright then, tell me what kind of bamboo basket and straw sandals you want to weave, and I’ll give you the time to make them."

Zhang Hao pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Aunt Zhao, for the bamboo basket, I need 48 strips each of spotted bamboo, water bamboo, and four-season bamboo. All the bamboo must be exactly five years old. When weaving, the strips need to be soaked in glutinous rice water repeatedly for a whole day, changing the water every half day, then buried in mountain soil for about two days before weaving normally."

Aunt Zhao’s smile vanished halfway through his explanation. She looked at him with surprise and confusion. "What kind of bamboo basket requires all this fuss..."

Zhang Hao smiled brightly, "Aunt Zhao, just trust me, don’t worry, the price will definitely be fair."

The bamboo basket he needed was named the Spirit-Stabilizing Basket in ancient texts, specially used to store rare treasures found in the mountains—like wild ginseng centuries old, or lingzhi mushrooms.

Mountain gatherers believed these items held spiritual energy in the soil. When dug up, some of this energy would be lost, so to prevent further dissipation, the Spirit-Stabilizing Basket was used to contain them.

This basket carried many intricate requirements.

Spotted bamboo, named for the brown spots on its stalk, was also called Xiangfei bamboo, named after a legend of Empress Shun’s two concubines whose tears fell on the bamboo, leaving those marks.

When woven into baskets, Xiangfei bamboo represented wood and helped lock in the spiritual energy, preventing it from dispersing.

Water bamboo, representing metal, was tough and ensured the treasures inside could not escape.

Four-season bamboo, also called Tang bamboo or bitter bamboo, represented fire. Its name suggested year-round vitality, helping suppress the overflow of spiritual energy.

Soaking these three types of bamboo strips in glutinous rice water for a whole day was even more particular.

Glutinous rice water, representing water, helped fuse the bamboo strips with water properties, increasing their toughness, and acted as a seal to lock in the overflowing spiritual energy.

Then burying the strips in mountain soil for two days was simple to explain. The mountain soil represented earth.

In fact, this small bamboo basket embodied the principle of the five elements in harmony.

Only baskets made this way could be called Spirit-Stabilizing Baskets.

All this was recorded in ancient texts as essential tools for mountain gatherers.

"And... what about the straw sandals?" Aunt Zhao asked uncertainly.

Zhang Hao grinned, eyes narrow, "The straw sandals require two-year-old dry rice straw, never rained on, from right outside your door. Also wheat straw and corn stalks grown last year in the mountains, and wild grass at least half a meter tall."

"Crush together the dog grass and wild berries, mix with mountain water, soak the collected straw and stalks for three days, then weave."

This too was recorded in ancient texts as necessary footwear for mountain gatherers.

The wheat straw, corn stalks, and wild grass from the mountain ensured the sandals' materials came from the mountain.

Crushing dog grass and wild berries, then soaking with mountain water, was for the same purpose.

Wearing these sandals meant being recognized by the mountain as a legitimate gatherer, carrying the mountain’s aura. With such aura masking the wearer, rare treasures like thousand-year-old ginseng or century-old lingzhi would not flee or stay alert.

Using rice straw from home, two years old and rain-free, was also recorded. This was to ensure the sandals' materials were not purely from the mountain but partially from home.

In this way, wearing these sandals always ensured a way back home, preventing getting lost in the mountains.

More importantly, these sandals could repel poisonous insects and snakes, and even some mountain spirits or monsters recorded in the ancient texts.

Of course, all this was written in the old books.

In truth, Zhang Hao didn’t really know the specifics.

After all, he wasn’t yet a true mountain gatherer—still in preparation.

But following the ancient instructions, he figured he couldn’t go wrong.

These were the accumulated experiences and treasures left by the great Ming Dynasty traveler Xu Xiake and generations of mountain gatherers.

"This is much simpler than the bamboo basket," Zhang Hao added at the right moment.

Aunt Zhao felt dizzy, almost unable to stand.

To be honest, she had woven bamboo baskets and straw sandals for years but never heard of such outrageous demands.

What kind of rice straw, various bamboo strips, glutinous rice water, mountain water, burying in soil...

Just remembering all the steps made her head spin.

"You better write down all these steps for me. There are so many I’m about to get confused," Aunt Zhao said, turning and going inside to fetch paper and pen.

Zhang Hao said nothing and carefully wrote out every step clearly and legibly.

"Alright, I’ll weave them for you, but I’m telling you, your demands are too high, so don’t expect the price to be low," Aunt Zhao sighed, looking over the list. She felt both exasperated and amused.

"Don’t worry, Aunt Zhao, you won’t lose out. I’ll come pick them up in five days," Zhang Hao said, waving goodbye as he left the yard.

Listening to his footsteps fade away, Aunt Zhao shook her head regretfully.

"This kid, always thinking up strange ideas. Old Master Zhang was such a good man, and he ended up with someone like this. Poor Siyu."

She glanced again at the paper with the steps, frowning as she muttered, "What on earth is all this... this kid, making such a fuss over weaving a bamboo basket and straw sandals. Really... sigh."