Chapter 16:Yu Qi

Staying at a villager’s house was far more beneficial than lodging at an inn, as it allowed for easier collection of supplies.

With the autumn harvest yet to come, every household’s grain reserves were not abundant. However, the vegetables planted in the fields and the wild fruits scattered across the mountainside were in no short supply.

Wei Yunlan planned to take the opportunity to stockpile some vegetables and fruits into the space, along with well water—this was essential too!

After two days of being scorched by the sun on the road, she seriously doubted that they would encounter a water shortage further along the journey.

Having some reserves prepared in advance would provide a great sense of reassurance.

Stockpiling water was not difficult. The family they were staying with had a well in their courtyard, and behind the village was a small stream flowing down from the mountain gully. The stream water was clear, and the upper reaches could be directly used for drinking. Downstream, several villagers had gathered by the water to wash clothes.

From the entrance of the house they were staying at, Wei Yunlan could see Suihe and Gui Xiang already carrying two wooden basins of clothes towards the stream.
 Wei Yunlan walked in that direction as well.

Ningshuang and Tingxue were about to follow when she stopped them, saying, “You stay in the courtyard and help Granny Wang with the fire for cooking. I’m just going out for a little while. I’ll be back soon.”

The two maids did not follow her. Wei Yunlan passed the spot where the villagers were washing clothes, greeted Suihe and the others, but didn’t stop. She continued walking along the stream, heading upstream for a little while.

She stopped when she reached a part of the stream where the water was clear and visible down to the bottom. She untied the water pouch from her waist and crouched down by the stream.

Her right hand only had to touch the things she wanted to collect, and they would be stored into the space.

At that moment, she appeared to be filling the water pouch with stream water, but in reality, she was using the opportunity to gather quite a bit of the stream water into her space. The three large water tubs she had moved from the Marquis’s small kitchen, along with various pots, bowls, and containers that could hold water, were all filled to the brim.

She was now at the edge of the forest, and she could vaguely see a few fruit trees with red fruits hanging in the woods.

It would be a good opportunity to collect wild fruits into space, but Wei Yunlan didn’t look that way. There were guards from Tianshu Pavilion following her.

Earlier, they might not have been watching closely in the courtyard, but now that she was alone, it was likely they would send someone to follow her.

However…

She just so happened to have a matter she wanted to ask someone from Tianshu Pavilion to help with.

Wei Yunlan took a few more steps toward the forest, stopped beneath a tree, and looked up around her. “Is anyone there?”

A moment later, a soft rustling came from the treetop above.

A female guard, whom she had encountered once before during the night, revealed herself from among the branches.

So her guess had been right—Tianshu Pavilion had indeed sent someone to follow her.
 With a light tap of her toes, the female guard landed gently on the ground. Her face was mostly concealed, only revealing a pair of slender, willow-shaped eyes.

“Something you need?” Her voice was cold and concise.

Wei Yunlan nodded slightly and politely asked, “I don’t believe I’ve had the chance to ask your name.”

“Seventh Lady Yu.”

 So she had a ranked name.

Wei Yunlan had vaguely heard that the core members of Tianshu Pavilion often used such ranking-based titles, which meant this guard must be a fairly high-ranking member within the organization.

Since it was the second time this woman had appeared, it was probably not merely because she was female. She was likely the leader of the group Tianshu Pavilion assigned to this mission.

Wei Yunlan couldn’t help but wonder—what had prompted Tianshu Pavilion to assign someone of this level to such a task? Could it be that the 25,000 silver taels were simply too tempting?

“Captain Yu,” she addressed her formally.

Seventh Lady Yu accepted the title calmly, confirming that Wei Yunlan’s guess had been correct.

“I have a small matter I’d like to trouble Tianshu Pavilion with. Of course, the payment will be separate.”

“What is it?”

“I’d like a milking ewe.”

A flicker of surprise flashed through Seventh Lady Yu’s willow-shaped eyes.

Wei Yunlan waited a moment, thinking she might refuse, when suddenly the other woman responded crisply, “Alright.”

“Anything else?”

“That’s all.” Wei Yunlan had just reached into her sleeve to retrieve a silver note when the female guard vanished in a swift blur.

Well then, she thought, I’ll pay when the sheep arrives!

By the time she returned to the farmhouse courtyard, dinner was already laid out. It was the most sumptuous meal they’d had since the start of their exile. Granny Wang had used the two chickens bought from Madam Li’s family to make a hearty pot of braised chicken with potatoes and a chicken soup.

There was also a dish of stewed mushrooms and tofu, and a plate of stir-fried greens.

Eaten with white rice, everyone was especially satisfied. Even Madam Gao, who normally had a small appetite, finished a full bowl.

Not to mention Wei Mingxuan, who was still growing, and Wei Maolin, Dong Da, and Liu Quan, who had walked the entire day without once resting in the cart.

After the meal, Wei Yunlan took over the task of preparing rice cereal for little Jiarong and slipped into the kitchen to boil a few extra pots of water, storing them into her space while no one was watching.

It had been a long and tiring day. Once she returned to her room, her head had barely touched the pillow before she sank into sleep.

Perhaps it was because her mother had mentioned her maternal great-grandfather several times during the day, but that night, Wei Yunlan dreamed of the old man.

The dream took her back to her sixth birthday—one of only two times she remembered meeting her maternal great-grandfather. The other had been the day he was laid to rest.

At that birthday banquet, her great-grandfather had arrived in a flurry of dust, having just emerged from closed-door cultivation at the Astrologer’s Pavilion atop Xiantai Mountain. He had barely enough time to hand her a birthday gift before rushing off again to report back to the emperor.

As a child, all she had managed to remember was the silhouette of his sage-like figure fading into the distance.

In the dream, she opened ornate gift boxes one by one, and in the last one, she found an ancient jade carved with the image of the Guanyin seated on a lotus pedestal.

Wei Yunlan jolted awake.

She lowered her gaze to her right palm—there it was, a faint lotus-shaped birthmark no bigger than a fingernail.

It all came back to her. The space-bound jade… it had been her great-grandfather’s birthday gift when she was six.

No wonder she had instinctively known how to open the mechanism on that box inlaid with the image of pine trees, cranes, and springtime.

She had hidden it there herself as a child!

But how had she forgotten something so important?

Just then, Cheng Yue’e pushed the door open gently, Jiarong nestled in her arms. She was about to shut the door behind her when she noticed Wei Yunlan was already awake in bed.

“Yunlan, you’re up too?”

From the crack in the open door, a flurry of noise drifted in—people talking, footsteps, even laughter.

Wei Yunlan glanced at the sky through the window. It was still early. Were they leaving ahead of schedule?

“No,” Cheng Yue’e shook her head, her face brimming with joy. “We’re still setting off at the hour of the dragon. But early this morning, the village chief’s son ran into a merchant caravan coming in from the west. He managed to snag a bunch of supplies at a good price, and now half the village has gathered to see. They even brought in three milking ewes! Your mother and Mingxuan have gone over to take a look.”

“Yunlan, this might just solve Jiarong’s food supply problem!”

Wei Yunlan’s eyes widened in shock.

Good heavens—how much time has passed?

At most five hours since she had told Seventh Lady Yu she needed a milking ewe!

Was this the efficiency of Tianshu Pavilion at work?