Chapter 44: Encountering a Scoundrel (3)

So really, you couldn’t blame her for sneaking over to take a bath.

She had no choice.

But Xuan Yue didn’t buy it. He crossed his arms behind his back and continued pressing her with the same question from earlier. “Why do you know how to dance?”

Ugh, there was no getting around this one.

Wen Lan secretly rolled her eyes and decided to make something up.

“I don’t know how to dance. That was just random flailing earlier. Didn’t I say already? I just want a better life. Right now I’ve got no money and nothing decent to wear, but I managed to take a hot bath. I got happy, so I started dancing around.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Lan let out a very unladylike sneeze.

The hot spring water might have been warm, but wearing wet clothes under the autumn moonlight with the breeze blowing—well, that cold really cut to the bone.

She sneezed two more times.

Xuan Yue noticed her clothes were completely soaked. She looked so small and thin, standing in front of him shivering.

But then again, so what if she knew how to dance? What did that have to do with him?

So, he stopped asking questions, called out to Commander Tie, and turned to walk back.

Now it was Wen Lan’s turn to be baffled.

Had he come all the way out here just to interrogate her about dancing?

This guy was really something else!

Still, since the issue of her sneaking into the bath ended without punishment, Wen Lan was quite pleased. She quickly cleaned herself up and carried the basin back to the firewood room.

After changing out of her wet clothes and helping herself to a hot bowl of chicken and matsutake mushroom soup, Wen Lan instantly felt revived.

That night, she slept quite soundly.

The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Wen Lan brought Xuan Yue’s breakfast to the table.

Millet porridge with the leftover chicken soup from yesterday.

She waited for Xuan Yue to wake up and then tried to negotiate with him. “Big Brother, can I take the wild pheasant you hunted yesterday to the market and sell it? I want to buy some fruit to improve your diet a bit.”

Xuan Yue nodded.

Seeing how readily he agreed, Wen Lan grew bolder and asked, “Then can I also take some of the cured meat hanging from the beam to sell? It’s so dried up it’s practically mummified. If we don’t deal with it soon, we might not be able to get much for it.”

“Do as you like.”

“Thank you, Big Brother. I promise I’ll only buy daily necessities—I won’t waste a single coin.”

Wen Lan was so happy she could practically fly. Today, she was finally going to earn her first pot of gold.

To make her business dealings easier, she changed into the outfit Qingfeng had lent her.

With her sleeves tied with hemp rope and a coarse cloth wrapped around her head, Wen Lan felt that aside from being a bit short, she really did look like a man.

Confidently, she packed the mountain goods into a basket and headed out.

What she didn’t know was that the hunter had quietly followed her.

Xuan Yue still didn’t fully trust Wen Lan. Though he was certain he had no designs on the emperor’s throne, if this village girl turned out to have some secret identity, he would never keep her by his side.

After walking ten li, Wen Lan finally arrived at the marketplace.

Unlike last time, today it was already bustling since she came early. There were vendors selling hair ties and decorative hairpins, people carrying loads of tofu, as well as meat stalls, vegetable stalls, and fruit vendors.

But these stalls weren’t organized like the ones in Wen Lan’s memory. Everyone just set up wherever they pleased.

A pork stall might sit right next to a pancake vendor, and a vegetable-selling farmwife might be seated beside someone selling hair ornaments.

Wen Lan was late, so the prime spots were already taken. But she wasn’t in a hurry. She casually found a spot, laid down some oiled cloth, and set up shop.

Because she had her own marketing strategy.

Sure enough, once she got everything in place, Wen Lan began calling out, “Come take a look! Genuine wild goods from Yunzhong Mountain—no chemicals, no additives, all-natural green food!”

As soon as she shouted, a few people browsing the market wandered over.

Seeing that people were gathering, Wen Lan immediately channeled her skills from her old days as a food live streamer. Picking up the colorful-tailed wild pheasant the hunter had caught yesterday, she promoted it enthusiastically. “Look at this, sir! Thick feathers, strong claws—clearly a lively wild pheasant from the mountain forests. Take this home and stew it, it’ll nourish your body and extend your life. Today you’re twenty-five, tomorrow you’ll be twenty-four!”

A man who had been eyeing her sales pitch with suspicion asked, “Hey, where are you from, kid? You don’t look familiar.”

“I’m from Yushou Village.”

“Yushou Village? No one hunts in Yushou Village. Did you steal this stuff?”

Steal?

What the hell—she hadn’t even made her first sale yet, and someone was already accusing her of theft?

Did she look like a thief?

Wen Lan was a little angry, but after calming down, she figured: short and small, looking like she couldn’t even catch a chicken—no wonder people were suspicious.

She really didn’t look like a hunter.

“These things weren’t hunted by me. A hunter from Yunzhong Mountain did. I’m selling them for him. Sir, are you buying or not?” If not, then get lost.

“Nope.” The man left bluntly.

Wen Lan wanted so badly to roll her eyes, but afraid of ruining her simple, honest image, she forced a smile and kept calling out.

“Come take a look! Local specialties from Yunzhong Mountain! Top-quality wild pheasant and cured meat!”

But no one was interested.

Everyone glanced at her, then quietly walked away.

Wen Lan decided to bring out her trump card. She bent down and pulled out a jar of chicken soup she’d cooked yesterday from her basket, ready to launch a “taste before you buy” campaign.

But just as she was about to start, a swarm of people suddenly crowded around her stall.

“You’re new here, huh?” Before Wen Lan could even open her mouth, a scrawny guy with patchy hair pointed at her nose and questioned her.

Wen Lan took a closer look. She recognized him—it was Yin Guanghong, the eldest son of the Yin family.

That was Meng Qiancheng’s wife, Yin Susu’s older brother.

The Yin family had risen from Yushou Village. Their success was largely due to Yin Guanghong’s uncle, who served as the town’s lizheng (village head).

While lizheng wasn’t really an official position in the Southern Dynasty and didn’t carry much rank, it still made him the head of the town. And since Jiming Town was far from the emperor’s reach, the Yin family flourished under his care, eventually running a profitable grain business.

Later, Yin Guanghong’s father bought a house in town, and his mother took him there to live.

Meanwhile, since his father was still the village head, he stayed back in Yushou Village with a concubine to manage local affairs.

To make life difficult for that concubine, his mother deliberately left Yin Susu in the village so she could constantly make trouble for her.

That little drama was a favorite gossip topic for Yushou villagers.

Yin Guanghong was a few years older than Lin Furong. After moving to town, he became part of the “Security Patrol”—which, honestly, was no better than being a thug.

Seeing this Yin Guanghong swaggering over with a group of guys, Wen Lan instantly understood what was going on.

She set the chicken soup on the ground, stood up, and gave him a polite smile. “Yes, I’m new here. This is my first day selling.”

“No wonder you don’t know the rules.” Before Yin Guanghong could even speak, one of his underlings jumped in, puffing out his chest. He pointed at Yin Guanghong and asked, “You know who this is?”

Isn’t it just balding Yin Guanghong? Who doesn’t know?

Wen Lan scoffed inwardly, but outwardly she feigned innocent confusion. “Who is he?”

“This is our Lord Yin! Aren’t you going to greet him properly?”

“Hello!” Wen Lan greeted him in a very official tone, then gestured to her goods. “Are you gentlemen interested in buying something?”

“Buying?!” The underling gave her a shove. “Where the hell are you from, kid? You show up on Lord Yin’s turf without paying respect—itching for a beating, are you?”

“I’m not itching for anything.” Wen Lan looked over the group, sizing up her chances in a fight.

Mostly, she was wondering if the martial arts she’d learned would still be effective now that she was stuck in Lin Furong’s petite body.

She continued, “I didn’t know your Lord Yin earlier, so how was I supposed to greet him? But now I do.” She smiled sweetly at Yin Guanghong. “Lord Yin is really impressive, bringing so many people just to collect protection fees.”

“Then hand over the money!”

“I don’t have any.” Wen Lan spread her hands.

Which was true.

“No money?” Yin Guanghong spat the grass stalk from his mouth and grabbed Wen Lan by the collar. With his exaggerated swagger, he almost looked like one of those over-the-top domineering CEOs.

Too bad he was ugly.

Wen Lan, face-to-face with his pockmarked mug, turned her face away to avoid his stink.

“No money, and you’re setting up shop in Jiming Town?” he snarled, spraying spit on her face.

Wen Lan grimaced and wiped it off with the back of her hand, then pointed to his hand. “Can you let go of me?”

“What, you want to fight?” Yin Guanghong lifted her higher and then shoved her back hard.

Poor Wen Lan staggered several steps and nearly fell.

Her temper flared instantly. Damn it, just a wannabe security thug and he thought he was royalty?

If he kept pushing her, she’d spill his bedwetting secret from when he was ten years old—everyone in Yushou Village knew about it.

But before she could speak, Yin Guanghong charged at her again, apparently determined to teach her a lesson for not backing down.

“What? You got a problem?” he said, pushing her shoulder.

Wen Lan’s eyes blazed with fury, her teeth clenched.

“Not happy? Then fight me!” Yin Guanghong shoved her again—this time his hand hit her chest.

Wen Lan froze.

What the hell? Molesting her in public? He touched her chest?!

Yin Guanghong froze too. She was a girl.

A girl disguised as a boy? He raised a wicked brow, and his lecherous eyes started roaming all over Wen Lan.

“Lord Yin?” his lackeys surrounded him in alarm, not knowing what had just happened. They worried he’d been ambushed.

“Want us to beat him up for you?” one rat-faced man asked.

“Beat him? We’re here to collect dues, not pick fights!” Yin Guanghong snapped at him, then turned back to Wen Lan with a grin.

“What village are you from?”

“He said he’s from Yushou Village,” someone from the crowd helpfully tattled.

“Yushou Village?” Yin Guanghong’s eyes widened. He was from there himself—how come he’d never heard of a pretty girl who liked dressing as a man?

“Impossible. I’m from Yushou Village too. How come I’ve never seen you?”

“See, I told you he wasn’t from Yushou,” that busybody piped up again. “He even said he hunted all this himself—obviously lying. Bet he stole the stuff.”

“Hey, dude! When did I say I hunted this stuff? I said I’m selling it for a hunter. Are your ears broken?” Wen Lan fumed. Why was there always someone who stirred the pot wherever she went?

Didn’t they fear getting smacked?

“What’s your name?” Yin Guanghong’s tone suddenly turned 180 degrees—now he sounded friendly.

Wen Lan instantly got goosebumps.

He’d touched her chest. He must know she was a woman.

Was he trying to flirt with her?

If she told him she was Lin Furong, would he vomit blood on the spot?

After all, Lin Furong was rumored to be involved with his brother-in-law. Would he dare touch her?

“What’s it to you what my name is?” Wen Lan decided not to reveal herself. So far, the idiot hadn’t realized she was Lin Furong.

To be honest, if he hadn’t been so balding and obnoxious, she probably wouldn’t have remembered who he was so quickly from Lin Furong’s memories.