Chapter 14: Miss Bai

It was a young girl, barely over ten years old, dressed in ill-fitting hemp clothes, yet there was no trace of timidity in her demeanor.

One hand rested on her waist, while the other held a wooden stick, glaring fiercely at the Feng family’s eldest grandson, who was nearly a head taller than her.

The eldest grandson of the Feng family had just stumbled back after being struck by the stick, almost falling face-first into the dirt. Once he regained his balance, he angrily raised his fist.

“You little wretch, you dare hit me?”

“I hit you, that’s right!”

“You little wretch, you’re asking for a beating!”

Just as Wei Yunlan was wondering why no one from the Bai family was stepping in to help, she saw the girl swing her wooden stick and, with a few swift strikes, single-handedly knock down the three eldest grandsons of Madam Feng, who were all considerably older.

The situation—where the strong bullied the weak, the many ganged up on the few, and the older picked on the younger—was instantly reversed.

Madam Feng, who had earlier ignored her grandsons’ bullying, immediately became flustered.

However, before she could say anything, Madam Bai, supported by Madam Liu, stepped forward.

“Just now, your young grandson tripped my four-year-old great-granddaughter. Ah Zhi is quick-tempered and is closest to her niece, so she rushed out without thinking.”

“You…”

Madam Feng was about to speak, but Madam Bai didn’t give her a chance, continuing, “But in the end, Ah Zhi is young and frail. She doesn’t have much strength. Your three grandsons are all strong, so they shouldn’t have been hurt too badly, should they?”

With those words, Madam Bai effectively silenced Madam Feng’s intended reproach.

What could she say?

Could she really say that her three grandsons, who were taller and stronger than the girl, had been beaten by someone younger than them?

Or should she claim that they deserved it for tripping a four-year-old child and getting what they deserved?

Even though Madam Feng was usually used to being unreasonable and stirring up trouble, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at this moment.

With her pride at stake, she immediately turned and shouted at her three grandsons still lying on the ground, “Da Qiang, get up quickly! Don’t just lie there making things even more embarrassing!”

The three grandsons of Madam Feng, lying on the ground and wailing in pain, had faces full of bitterness.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to get up—they were clearly in pain from the blows they had taken from the wooden stick and simply couldn’t rise.

The constables didn’t mind the commotion in the ranks, but if it affected the speed of the march and caused them to spend another night in the wilderness, they wouldn’t be happy.

The Feng family had been causing trouble for the past couple of days, and the silver they had provided barely covered the gaps. The constables were already dissatisfied. Seeing the three Feng boys still lying on the ground and refusing to get up, one of them lashed out with a whip.
 “Crack!”

This time, the three boys, no longer daring to cry out in pain, scrambled to their feet, crawling and rolling as they hurriedly got back up.

The pain in their legs could be endured, but if the whip landed on them, it wouldn’t be so easy to bear!

“Good-for-nothing.” The young girl from the Bai family made a face at the backs of the three boys, her hands on her hips and her head held high, looking every bit like a victorious little tiger.

She bent down to pick up the wooden stick from the ground. When her gaze met Wei Yunlan’s eyes, which held unmasked admiration, she couldn’t help but blush deeply.

She took a few steps forward but soon found herself unable to resist sneaking a glance back.
 This older sister’s eyes were truly beautiful, like a serene pond shimmering with light!

The little girl’s reaction was quite amusing, and Wei Yunlan couldn’t help but smile.

Suddenly, her gaze shifted to the bush where the young girl had just picked up the stick.

Out of nowhere, a rabbit leapt from the bushes!

Unfazed by the presence of people, the rabbit crouched in the roadside bushes, nibbling on something with its head down.

Wei Yunlan, walking at the very edge of the group and closest to the rabbit, was the first to notice it. Gradually, others began to spot it as well.

The rabbit, which had been calmly munching, suddenly darted off into the distance.

Wei Mingxuan, who had been quietly approaching with Wang Gui by his side, couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a shame, I thought we’d have an extra meal for lunch today!”

“Who says we can’t?” Wei Yunlan quickened her pace, moved a few steps forward, and began rummaging through the bushes. She identified the wild plants the rabbit had been eating.

It was a type of wild vegetable with long, three-pronged leaves, giving off a fragrant aroma.

While the meat wasn’t a problem—there was dried meat and cured pork to go around—they had indeed been without vegetables for two days.

Wei Yunlan was quite satisfied with this unexpected find. “Let’s keep an eye out for more along the way. We can add an extra dish or soup for lunch!”

The group made a note of the appearance of the wild vegetable and, as they continued their journey, they began picking more along the roadside.

Along the way, Wei Yunlan spotted several wild rabbits again, unsure if they were the same one from earlier. Thanks to these rabbits, she also discovered two more types of wild vegetables.

By the time the team halted for a rest, her bamboo basket was already half full.

“Wow, my dried meat!”

Hearing the children crying and fussing, Wei Yunlan immediately straightened up from the bushes and turned to look toward her side.

This time, the young boys from the Feng family had actually tried to snatch the dried meat from Jiarong’s hands!

The ones who had made the move to grab the dried meat were the younger children from the Feng family, around six or seven of them, a mix of boys and girls.

These kids were quick to flee, and Wei Mingxuan, along with Dong Da and Liu Xuan, managed to catch three of them. The rest deliberately ran in the opposite direction from the Wei family.

Wei Yunlan happened to meet them head-on and only managed to grab one of them. The other two, taking advantage of the confusion, managed to escape.

However, before they could run far, a small wooden stick struck one of the children on the lower leg, sending them tumbling face-first onto the ground in unison.

“Stealing from others, huh? I’ll teach you a lesson every time I see you do this again!”

Wei Yunlan couldn’t help but laugh as she watched the child, hands on their hips, standing proudly in front of the fallen culprits.

It was the same agile little girl from the Bai family.

“Bai girl, impressive skills! No wonder you come from a family of generals!” Wei Yunlan couldn’t help but give her a thumbs up.

“Call me Ah Zhi or Bai Si next time, Sister Wei,” the little girl said, blushing. “I’m not all that skilled, just some flashy moves. Compared to my father and second uncle, I’m nowhere near as good.”

With such impressive moves, it was clear that General Bai and his deputy, Bai Shoubei, were truly formidable martial artists.

It’s a pity that such a person, a figure of great strength, was forever buried in the northwest due to the palace intrigues and deceit that plagued the court.

Sighing quietly in her heart, Wei Yunlan once again thanked her, “Ah Zhi, I really appreciate your help earlier. I don’t have much to offer here, but would you mind taking some of these wild vegetables to make a soup?”

Bai Si, however, quickly waved her hands in refusal. “No, no. My grandmother says your family has already sent us so many things. I can’t take any more from you.”

After a pause, she looked up, somewhat embarrassed, and asked in a soft voice, “But… could I… learn from you how to identify wild vegetables?”

Wei Yunlan thought it was some kind of elaborate request, but it turned out to be such a simple one.

“Of course,” she said with a smile, handing her bamboo basket to Ningshuang. She then led Suihe and Bai Si back into the woods.

Perhaps sensing that only a few seemingly harmless women were nearby, a wild rabbit, which had not appeared for quite some time, suddenly darted out from the forest.

As Wei Yunlan reached down to pick the wild vegetables, the rabbit even brushed past her fingertips as it ran by.

Bai Si was astonished. “Sister Wei, that rabbit… it doesn’t seem afraid of you at all?”