Chapter 16: Releasing the Tiger Back to the Mountain

The next day, Ye Xin Ran woke up early, made flat breads, and picked a few cabbages to cook a pot of soup.

Chang Sheng no longer resisted eating. The sound of him slurping the soup echoed as he drank from the bowl.

Chang Ping and Chang An were both disturbed by the noise and stopped what they were doing to look at him.

Chang Sheng, halfway through his bowl of soup, finally noticed the silence around him. He looked up at his younger brothers. “Why aren’t you eating? Why are you both just staring at me?”

“Big Brother, your slurping is too loud,” Chang Ping said.

Chang An quickly agreed, “Yes, Big Brother, you even taught us to be mindful of table manners.”

“I am being mindful,” Chang Sheng tried to explain.

But Chang An pointed at his face and said, “Big Brother, you’ve got cabbage leaves on the corner of your mouth. Stop talking.”

Both Chang Ping and Chang An burst into laughter. Chang Ping teased Chang Sheng, “How about it, Big Brother? I told you Auntie’s cooking is delicious. Last night, you said all pork smells good when cooked, but this cabbage soup is pretty great, too, right?”

Chang Sheng’s face turned red at the comment. He glanced at Ye Xin Ran’s expression from the corner of his eye before softly nodding. “Yes, it really does taste good.”

After breakfast, Ye Xin Ran asked Chang Ping and Chang An to clear the dishes while she prepared to head into the mountains to return the tiger and also check on the herbs she had discovered the day before.

Before she could leave, she noticed Mrs. Chen from next door peeking around the door.

“Sister Chen, is there something you need?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

Mrs. Chen had been hesitating but, when she heard Ye Xin Ran call her name, she was startled and quickly turned around, smiling. “Nothing, nothing.”

“If there’s something, just say it, no need to be shy,” Ye Xin Ran said straightforwardly.

“Well…” Mrs. Chen hesitated, then said, “Actually, I wanted to ask how to eat that purple yam you gave us yesterday. I’ve never eaten it before. I cut a piece this morning and found it sweet, so I came to ask, worried I might ruin it.”

“This!” Ye Xin Ran smiled. “It can be eaten raw in a salad, cooked with vegetables, or made into porridge. It’s very versatile.”

“I see!” Mrs. Chen rubbed her hands together. “Now I know how to handle it.”

Seeing that Mrs. Chen wasn’t leaving, Ye Xin Ran grew a little puzzled. “Is there something else?”

Mrs. Chen seemed to have made up her mind and said casually, “Yesterday, my husband told me that your family is new to this area, and we should talk to you more often. If you need anything, just ask.”

Ye Xin Ran let out a sigh of relief.

Her helping Zhang Da Li’s family had been a spur of the moment decision, with no intention of expecting anything in return. She hadn’t realized she would end up receiving their support.

It turned out to be a good thing.

Since Mrs. Chen had offered, Ye Xin Ran invited her into her yard. They sat on stools, and she asked, “Sister Chen, do you know why the villagers avoid us when they see us?”

Chang An had mentioned that only two children in the village would play with them, so Ye Xin Ran knew that their behavior wasn’t directed at her personally.

At the mention of this, Mrs. Chen sighed. “Don’t you know, Ye Nian Zhi? It’s said that Xiao Huai’an killed someone and was exiled here. We are simple, honest country folk. Who would dare associate with a family like that?”

“I see…” Ye Xin Ran fell into thought.

She had known that Xiao Huai’an was exiled but hadn’t known that it was because he had killed someone.

But although Xiao Huai’an appeared cold and ruthless, he didn’t seem like the type to take lives recklessly.

“Does Sister Chen know why he killed someone?”

Mrs. Chen waved her hand. “I don’t know about that! I only heard it from others.

It’s said that a group of exiled criminals were sent to various villages. The village heads from other areas picked capable people to settle in their villages, but when our village head saw Xiao Huai’an sitting in the corner with three children, nobody was willing to take them in, so he took them in himself. Because of this, the villagers complained about him for quite a while.”

After saying this, Mrs. Chen quickly glanced at Ye Xin Ran, seemingly afraid that she might be upset, and added, “We all just want to live peacefully and avoid trouble. It wasn’t meant in any bad way.”

“I understand,” Ye Xin Ran nodded.

For honest, hard-working farmers, any unexpected trouble is hard to bear.

So, it’s only natural for them to instinctively reject people who might bring trouble. It’s human nature.

But humans are social creatures, and to live well here, Ye Xin Ran knew she had to maintain a good relationship with the village head and others.

“Thank you, Sister Chen. The children have told me that during their time in the village, only Xiao Hua has played with them.”

“Ah, neighbors should let the children figure things out themselves. It’s not just us, even Aunt Zhang from the Zhang family helps take care of the kids.”

“Her?” Ye Xin Ran sneered, “She’s not like you, Sister Chen. The children know exactly what’s going on.”

After seeing off Mrs. Chen, Ye Xin Ran didn’t waste any time.

She found an old bamboo basket with a hole in it by the wall, lined it with an old bed sheet, and placed the little tiger inside. She then covered it with some leaves and put a piece of flat bread in her pocket. She turned to Chang Ping and said:

“Chang Ping, there are three more flat breads from this morning. Heat them up if you get hungry at noon. I’ll definitely be back before dark.”

“Bao, take me with you! I’m strong and can protect you!” Chang Ping was still worried.

“It’s day time, so there’s no danger on the mountain. Stay at home and take care of your brother and Chang An.”

With that, Ye Xin Ran set off.

She walked along the same path as yesterday, heading towards the village’s out skirts. When she reached the fork in the road where she had gone up the mountain yesterday, she paused for a moment and looked up at the mountain.

It was here that she had discovered the Ice Spirit Flower the previous night.

She hadn’t expected that a long-lost herb from the future would be found so quickly in this place.

The little tiger in the basket seemed to sense a familiar scent and began restlessly clawing at the edge of the basket to look outside.

Ye Xin Ran continued up the mountain and found a flat area to sit down. She then carefully took the little tiger out of the basket.

“Take a good look at the path. Once you’re familiar with it, head back home quickly. Don’t let any other wild animals find you.”

Ye Xin Ran gently touched the tiger’s injured ear.

Although she couldn’t afford to keep the tiger, at least she felt stronger than half the people in the world after having petted one.

The little tiger cooperated, and after Ye Xin Ran released it, it refused to leave, constantly rubbing its head against Ye Xin Ran’s pants leg.

It didn’t seem much like the king of beasts.

Seeing that it wouldn’t leave, Ye Xin Ran took out two blood tonic pills from her space and fed them to the tiger.

“I worked hard to develop these, and each one costs thousands of coins. You ate two yesterday, and today you’ll eat two more. That’s a total of ten thousand taels of silver. I see you can’t repay it now, but when you grow up, remember to hunt and pay me back, got it?”

The little tiger couldn’t understand any of that, and it didn’t know it had already incurred a huge debt at such a young age. All it knew was that the pills she had shoved into its mouth were terribly bitter, so it stretched its neck trying to spit them out. However, Ye Xin Ran held its mouth shut tightly.

The tiger shook its head, managed to break free from her grasp, and ran off as if for its life.