Chapter 30: Mo Jinnan Leaves Without a Word

When Hu Zhaodi stood up, her small, slender frame swayed slightly. Goodness! Acupuncture detoxification is exhausting; I nearly fainted.

“Mr. Mo, the poison in your body has been completely cleared. It’s getting late; I should head home now,” she said.

Mo Jinnan offered, “Miss Hu, let me walk you back.”

“No need; you just finished detoxifying. You should rest well,” she replied before turning and striding out of the cave.

Back at the Ji family’s home, Uncle Ji, his wife, and their three sons were all waiting for her.

The eldest Ji brother greeted her, “Zhaodi, you’re back! Have you eaten dinner yet?”

“I have, Brother Ji. It’s getting late. Why are you all still up?” she asked.

“We were waiting for you. Today, my father sent all the meat to Fumanlou, and it brought in a good sum. We’ve been waiting for you to come back so we could divvy it up,” he explained.

Hu Zhaodi smiled, accepting the silver that Uncle Ji handed her, then passed him a tael of silver.

“Uncle, this is for your hard work. Please keep it.”

Uncle Ji waved his hands, declining, “Girl, you keep it. Every time we split the silver, you give me some, even though I hardly help. All I do is drive the ox cart to deliver the meat, so it feels wrong for me to take this.”

“Uncle, don’t say that. Work deserves fair pay. Even the ox needs good feed, right? Please, just accept it; you’ve earned it.”

“Alright then! I’ll take it with a thick skin,” he relented, thinking he’d save it for Zhaodi’s dowry one day, should she find a good match.

Hu Zhaodi, unaware of his thoughts, watched as he put away the money, then divided the rest equally among the four of them. Afterward, she took a tael from her share and offered it to Uncle Ji.

“Uncle, this is for you and Aunt. Use it to treat yourselves when you go to town. Don’t hold back on yourselves.”

Aunt Ji’s eyes grew misty. “Zhaodi, you’ve already given us so much. Since you came into our lives, your uncle and I have been blessed. We eat rice and meat every day—things we never dared dream of before! Keep your money, dear; you’ll need it for yourself.”

“Auntie, I’m young and able to earn more. Isn’t it only natural for me to honor you as my elders? Go on, keep it.”

Uncle Ji looked troubled. “It just doesn’t seem right…”

“If you don’t take it, I’ll stop staying with you and move back to the cave,” she teased.

“Fine, fine. I’ll take it,” he sighed, pocketing the silver reluctantly before casting a sideways glance at his three sons. Ah, to think a lodger treats us better than our own sons.

If only she were truly our daughter.

These past days, all the earnings came from meat, while the medicinal herbs remained unsold since Hu Zhaodi hadn’t found the time to go to town. Seeing the newly earned silver, the three Ji brothers each took out a few coins to offer to their parents.

Hu Zhaodi noted their actions with satisfaction. Uncle Ji and his wife had been kind to her, and if their sons were unfilial, she wouldn’t want to help them make money. After all, she was perfectly capable of supporting the elderly couple herself.

The eldest Ji brother then said, “Zhaodi, we’ve accumulated quite a bit of herbs now. When do you think we should sell them?”

“Brother Ji, there’s no rush for the herbs. Let’s wait a few more days, and I’ll find time to take care of it.”

“Alright then! You must be tired after a long day. I’ve heated some water for you. Go wash up and rest; we’ll head back now,” Aunt Ji said.

“Yeah, I’m a bit worn out. You all get some rest too. I’ll meet you at the usual spot tomorrow.”

The three Ji brothers said their goodbyes and left. Hu Zhaodi washed up quickly and then sat cross-legged on her bed to meditate.

—

The next day, Hu Zhaodi awoke from her meditation before dawn. After washing up, she grabbed some vegetables and set out toward the mountains.

For the past ten days, Rufeng had always met her on the outskirts of the forest. But today, even as she ventured along the narrow path into the dense woods, he was nowhere to be seen.

Without giving it much thought, she picked up her pace toward the cave. But when she arrived, she found the cave empty. The only things left were two folded quilts where Mo Jinnan had been sleeping and a neatly cleaned set of pots, bowls, and pans.

Staring at the vacant cave, she mumbled to herself, “Wow, just up and left without a word? How ungrateful! Not even a simple goodbye?”

She huffed, “Good riddance! Now I don’t have to drag myself here at the crack of dawn every day to cook for them. It’s not easy making money, you know?”

Grumbling to herself, she stuffed the spices into her basket and, with a quick thought, stored the quilts and cookware into her space.

The two quilts would be useful back at the Ji family’s place, where Uncle Ji and his wife only had a thin mat on their bed, and their old quilt was nearly threadbare. Even if she bought new ones later, these could serve as padding and provide extra warmth in winter.

After putting everything away, she belatedly noticed a few words carved on the smooth ground nearby: “Urgent matters called me away. Until we meet again.”

Hmph! Fine by me. More money-making time for me to build a big house.

Actually, I’d rather we never meet again.

With that, Hu Zhaodi turned and made her way to the meeting spot with the Ji brothers. As she walked, she took a piece of bread and a bottle of milk from her space for a quick breakfast.

Once she reunited with the Ji brothers, the four of them headed deeper into the mountains.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Hu Zhaodi managed to catch a wild mountain goat and even dug up a hundred-year-old ginseng root. She couldn’t help but think to herself, Ever since those two left, my luck’s been fantastic.

Meanwhile, the eldest and third Ji brothers each caught a wild rabbit and had dug up quite a few medicinal herbs. The fifth Ji brother was slightly less lucky, with only a few wild mushrooms in his basket aside from the herbs.

By midday, all their baskets were full. Since they hadn’t brought any food, and Hu Zhaodi couldn’t openly share items from her space, she decided they might as well head home for lunch. They could rest and sort the herbs in the afternoon, then take everything to the apothecary in town tomorrow.

With this in mind, she called the Ji brothers to head back. As they left the forest, Hu Zhaodi, as usual, parted ways with them and pretended to head back into the woods.

The Ji brothers, none the wiser, took her meat and herbs and headed back.

Hu Zhaodi, however, didn’t actually go back into the forest. Instead, she waited until the Ji brothers were out of sight, then retrieved the cookware and quilts from her space and carried them home.

When she returned to the Ji household, Aunt Ji had already prepared lunch.

After finding a spot for the cookware and quilts, Hu Zhaodi washed her hands and sat down to eat. After a few bites, she looked at Uncle Ji and said, “Uncle, I’ve saved up a bit of silver lately, and I’d like to buy some land and build a house.”