Chapter 17: Farewell and Departure

Today was Xia Qingfeng’s last day in Yong’an Village, and they planned to leave tomorrow.

Last night, Xia Qingfeng had already packed up the house. Anything she could secretly hide in the space was stashed away. However, things like food, niter, pots, and utensils couldn’t be hidden, and with that, one cart wouldn’t be enough to carry everything. So, she asked Cang Dao to go to the town today to buy another cart, which would stay outside the village to wait quietly.

Today, Xia Qingfeng planned to invite a few close families from the village to her home for a meal. Early in the morning, she and Cang Ji went to the butcher’s house in the neighboring village to buy half a pig and a dozen eggs. She also sent Cang Qiang to the mountain to hunt some wild rabbits and pheasants, which he secretly brought back to the house.

Xia Qingfeng didn’t own any land; she only had a small half-acre plot in the backyard where she grew some basic vegetables. She wasn’t planning to leave any of them behind, so she pulled everything out. The portion they couldn’t finish today would be put into the space, and the rest would be taken with them for the journey. Li Shanni from the next door heard the commotion and came over early with her daughter-in-law to help.

As a widow, it wasn’t easy for Xia Qingfeng to invite too many people, so she only invited the village chief’s family, Li Shanni’s family, and Wang the carpenter’s family.

Xia Qingfeng prepared four large tables of food, with ten dishes on each table. Since her house was too small, they spread the mats out in the yard, and everyone sat on the ground. Li Daya sat with Xiaoxu, Xiaotou, and Xu Xiaoxiao at one small table. Xia Qingfeng, Li Shanni, the village chief’s daughter-in-law, and the daughters-in-law holding babies sat at a large table. The village chief, Cang Ji, and the men from each family sat at two other tables.

Xia Qingfeng also specially took out a few bottles of white wine from the space, opened them, and poured the liquor into a jar to treat the guests. There were no fine wines at the hospital’s market, but for people from ancient times, this was already considered a fine brew.

Of course, there was no shortage of good food and wine for the three brothers. Xia Qingfeng placed all the dishes in two large bowls, with an additional jar of wine. Just as she left the kitchen, two black shadows dropped from the sky, carrying the meat and wine, and flew out the back window.

After the meal began, Xia Qingfeng stood up, raised a glass, and said, “Today is my last day in Yong’an Village. Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving to search for my parents. Thank you all for taking care of me and my daughter during our time here. Please, let me offer you a toast.”

The village chief also stood up and said, “Xia girl has had a hard time. Despite everything, she helped the people of our village. Honestly, we’re all reluctant to see you go, but filial piety comes first. I hope you have a safe journey and find your parents soon. If you have the chance, come back and visit. If you run into any trouble, come back. The whole village is waiting for your return.”

“That’s right! Youzhou is bitterly cold, and the journey is long. You must be extra careful. It’s not easy for a widow and orphan, but if you really find your family, we’ll be at ease. If you can’t find them, make sure to come back,” Li Shanni said, unable to hold back her tears. Daya, who was sitting next to her, also held Xu Xiaoxiao’s hand tightly, her eyes red, clearly very reluctant to say goodbye.

Wang the carpenter also nodded and said, “If things aren’t good in Youzhou, bring your parents along. We’ll help you build a house. When the time comes, we’ll help you clear the land and grow medicinal herbs together.” Li Dazhu, who was standing by, nodded continuously in agreement.

“Alright, thank you, Village Chief, thank you everyone. If I can, I will definitely return,” Xia Qingfeng said, feeling a pang in her heart. She really didn’t want to leave the village. If there were ever a chance, she truly wished to bring her parents here to settle down.

Cang Ji, sitting quietly aside, observed the scene without speaking. Although he had only recently started interacting with the Madam, it was clear that she and her daughter were not only kind-hearted but also capable. At present, their most outstanding skill seemed to be cooking. No wonder the master had repeatedly reminded him in his letter to strictly obey the Madam’s orders without any questions. If there was anything they didn’t understand or were curious about, they weren’t to ask, just follow instructions.

The atmosphere was a bit melancholic, so the Village Chief quickly said, “Alright, alright, Xia girl’s journey to find her parents is a good thing. We should be happy for her. Now, let me have a taste of Xia girl’s cooking—just looking at it makes me hungry.”

Li Shanni also smiled and said, “This girl’s cooking is really good. As neighbors, we’ve all benefited a lot. Come on, come on, everyone should eat more!”

With that, everyone toasted and exchanged pleasantries, and by the afternoon, the guests finally started to leave.

That evening, Cang Dao, Cang Qiang, and Cang Jian quietly moved the niter and other items to the cart outside the village. Xia Qingfeng worked through the night, preparing a lot of dried food. She also boiled the jars of salted eggs and salted duck eggs she had prepared earlier. Some were packed into jars, and the rest were stored in the space. After selling the ginseng, Xia Qingfeng had started pickling eggs, and she had already prepared many jars, which were all stored in the space. In her previous life, salted eggs were the perfect accompaniment to congee! And the three brothers—Cang Dao, Cang Qiang, and Cang Jian—could easily eat several at one meal.

Xia Qingfeng also shared the method of pickling salted eggs with the Village Chief and suggested that he set up a workshop in the village for processing. This could form a whole industry chain—raising chickens and ducks, pickling and selling them. It would provide a source of income for everyone during the off-season.

Besides the quilt she would use at night, everything else was packed into the cart.

The night passed without incident, and the next morning, Xia Qingfeng didn’t start a fire. She planned to go to the town to have breakfast and load everything into the cart. After locking the door, she was ready to hand the keys back to the Village Chief.

But as she turned around, she saw many people standing at the door, each carrying a basket. The Village Chief stepped forward and said, “We’ve come to send you off.” He then placed a chicken from his basket onto the cart. One by one, the villagers came forward, handing over their own baskets. Some brought eggs, some brought cured meat, some offered homemade pickles, and others brought various vegetables and wild fruits they had picked from the mountains. The little children, unable to hold back their tears, clung to the aunt who always gave them candy and pastries, as well as the pretty young lady who was leaving, feeling heartbroken at the thought of her departure.

Xia Qingfeng and Xu Xiaoxiao’s eyes were also red, and Xu Xiaoxiao even handed out the cakes and candies she had prepared for the journey to the little children.

Xia Qingfeng and Xu Xiaoxiao gave the villagers a deep bow, then climbed into the cart and left.

As they watched the figures of the villagers grow smaller and blurrier in the distance, Xia Qingfeng hugged Xu Xiaoxiao and wiped away her tears, saying, “Xiaoxiao, if we have a good life in Youzhou, we will definitely return. I will make sure these kind people live good lives.”

Xu Xiaoxiao, nestled in Xia Qingfeng’s arms, also had red eyes and nodded heavily.

After the cart had traveled about two miles out of the village, it met up with Cang Jian’s cart. Xia Qingfeng got down and took out a few small pouches from her bundle. She handed one to each of Cang Dao, Cang Qiang, Cang Jian, and Cang Ji, saying, “This is a sleeping powder I made myself.” 

Then, she handed each of them a small porcelain bottle, saying, “This is the antidote. Before using the sleeping powder, just take one pill from the bottle, and you won’t be affected. The sleeping powder is very potent; after it’s used, it will keep the person unconscious for at least five hours. Keep this on you for self-defense.” 

The four men exchanged a glance, then tucked the pouches and bottles into their clothing. They thought to themselves: it seems this Madam’s talents go beyond just cooking. We’d better treat her well; she might have even more valuable things to offer.

The cart resumed its journey, with Cang Dao leading the way and Cang Qiang bringing up the rear as they made their way toward the town.