Chapter 2

Waking up from the dream, Feng Yuanyuan’s mind still swayed with the image of Old Man Li exchanging her for money, smiling as if receiving a windfall, a bountiful harvest in autumn.

Knowing Old Man Li as she did, if given the chance, he would indeed sell her.

The question was, was that woman really a brothel madam?

Feng Yuanyuan had no evidence, but the dream had made her cautious.

Regardless, preparation was key to avoiding trouble.

Neighbors often lamented Feng Yuanyuan’s unfortunate fate—no parents at such a young age. However, this background had taught her to be self-reliant and vigilant.

After calming down, Feng Yuanyuan formed a plan.

Firstly, she needed to confirm the truth of the dream. If it was real, she had to leave before Old Man Li took action. Even if it meant becoming a beggar on the streets, it was better than being sold to a brothel.

Though uncertain about the specifics inside a brothel, based on the words thrown around during neighborhood arguments, Feng Yuanyuan guessed that a woman entering a brothel would have a worse fate than a servant girl.

While Old Man Li was still away, Feng Yuanyuan closed the door of the west room and crawled under the old wooden bed.

Under the bed was hard-packed earth, damp from lack of sunlight, with a goose-egg-sized pebble embedded in one spot.

Feng Yuanyuan took the pebble and used a small shovel to dig, quickly uncovering a small pottery jar.

Old Man Li was a spendthrift when it came to food and drink, depleting money as soon as it reached his hands. Old Lady Li had lived frugally for most of her life, finally saving a small private fund.

Last year, knowing she was seriously ill, Old Lady Li, aware that Old Man Li wouldn’t treat Feng Yuanyuan well, specifically left this jar for her.

“Yuanyuan, after I’m gone, take care of yourself.”

“If he treats you well, continue to regard him as your grandfather. If he mistreats you, he’s not human. Seize the opportunity to find another family.”

“When you grow up, you’ll surely encounter some men. Keep your eyes open, don’t be deceived by their sweet words.”

The image of the old lady, worn but with a kind face, appeared in Feng Yuanyuan’s mind. Pausing for a moment, she hugged the pottery jar and crawled out from under the bed.

In the jar were sixty copper coins and a delicate silver bracelet, a gift from Old Man Li in his younger days, said to be hard-earned money saved for a long time.

Old Lady Li was deeply moved and happily married him.

Looking at the bracelet, Feng Yuanyuan remembered the image of Old Lady Li washing and cooking despite her illness and the slaps and punches Old Man Li directed at her.

The storytellers in the teahouse often chanted, “Sentiment is priceless.” Feng Yuanyuan felt that Old Man Li’s affection did have a price, just the value of this bracelet, not worth Old Lady Li sacrificing her entire life for.

The silver bracelet was delicate, suitable for wearing on the ankle when leaving, concealed by long stockings or pants.

As for the copper coins…

Feng Yuanyuan fetched needle and thread, sewed two hidden pockets inside a set of clothes, threaded twenty coins into each, and put the remaining twenty into a visible money pouch to act as a decoy.

Just as she finished, she overheard a conversation from the street.

“Old Li is back. How’s the roof over there?”

“Alright, it should be done after one more trip tomorrow.”

Feng Yuanyuan quickly hid the money pouch and pottery jar, made some adjustments, and went out to welcome him.

Old Man Li chatted with the neighbors for a while before entering the house, holding a sweaty and dirty jacket in one hand and a palm-sized river fish in the other.

Feng Yuanyuan’s footsteps paused, her gaze landing on Old Man Li’s hands.

In the dream that noon, not long after Old Man Li parted ways with the mysterious woman, he encountered an old acquaintance returning from fishing. The acquaintance gave him a small fish, suitable for making soup.

“Are you cooking?” Old Man Li noticed Feng Yuanyuan, a complex expression passing through his eyes. He stopped at the doorway for a moment before asking in his usual manner.

Feng Yuanyuan also snapped back to reality, smiling, “I made pancakes for lunch. I planned to cook egg drop soup to go with it when you come back.”

“Alright, here’s a fish. Use it to make fish soup.” Old Man Li handed over the live fish, flapping a few times, splashing a few droplets of water.

Feng Yuanyuan pretended to be delighted, asking, “Did Grandpa buy this fish?”

“No, it was a gift from Old Zhang. He’s stingy; even a fish like this isn’t enough to get stuck in my teeth,” replied Old Man Li.

With her answer, Feng Yuanyuan took the fish to the riverside to clean it. She scraped the scales more vigorously than ever before.

Though the fish was small, the aroma wafting from the pot when boiled was strangely enticing.

Sitting by the stove, Feng Yuanyuan appeared to be diligently adding firewood. Meanwhile, Old Man Li, who had rushed through the backyard, was now sitting at the back door of the main room, gazing into the distance at the mountains, lost in thought.

The fish soup needed to be thick to taste good, but the small fish only yielded a large bowl.

Feng Yuanyuan placed the soup bowl in front of Old Man Li.

Just as Old Man Li was about to drink, he glanced at her and scooped out a small portion, saying, “You have some too; you’ve been losing weight lately.”

If it were yesterday, Feng Yuanyuan would have felt a warmth in her heart, thinking that the old man was actually caring for her.

Now, Feng Yuanyuan was well aware that Old Man Li was just trying to alleviate his guilt towards her father using this approach.

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

Feng Yuanyuan had no appetite at all, but she planned to escape, and escaping required building up strength!

With this bit of fish soup, Feng Yuanyuan quickly ate three pieces of pancake.

Old Man Li’s brow furrowed; the cheeky girl was not only a big eater but also disobedient. It would be better to sell her off sooner!

With their own thoughts, the old man and the girl went back to their rooms after dinner.

As night fell, Feng Yuanyuan packed a small bundle in the dark, containing two sets of clean clothes.

The pancakes were still leftover, which she planned to take as provisions for the journey. With limited resources and a tight schedule, that was the best preparation she could manage.

Would she encounter other bad people after escaping? But at least, escaping provided a chance to meet good people, whereas staying would only result in becoming Old Man Li’s twenty taels of silver.

Lying in bed, thinking about what might happen tomorrow, Feng Yuanyuan tossed and turned before finally falling into an exhausted sleep.

Unexpectedly, she had another dream during the night.

In the dream, she went to the Stone Bridge Lane in her hometown and found a man known as “Master Mei.”

Master Mei was an imposing figure, towering at nine feet tall, making a living by collecting money and doing tasks for others. Using the silver bracelet as payment, she asked Master Mei to take her to a place called Peach Creek on Cangshan Mountain.

Later, in the picturesque Peach Creek valley, Feng Yuanyuan encountered a beautiful woman who seemed like a goddess. The woman had a cold demeanor but was willing to take her home.

When Feng Yuanyuan woke up from the dream, the sky outside the window was already getting bright.

She pinched her arm and recalled the dream from start to finish. Feng Yuanyuan’s original plan was to leave the city, pick a random direction, and just keep walking away from Old Man Li.

However, the dream unfolded step by step, more like a guide on how seven-year-old her should seek refuge with a mysterious beauty.

Could it be that fate had a hand in this?

Why would the heavens help her?

When Grandma Li was critically ill, Feng Yuanyuan prayed to the heavens, but there was no response. So, this time, if she encountered danger, it couldn’t be the benevolence of the heavens.

Besides the heavens…

There was also Lord Fu!

She only dreamed after helping Lord Fu fix the roof, so it must be Lord Fu showing his divine presence.

With this in mind, Feng Yuanyuan faced the upcoming journey with confidence, unafraid!