Chapter 21: A Fortunate Encounter

The women wanted to help but, realizing their own lack of strength, held back silently.

They carried their things and the piglet while the rest of the women hurried back to fetch the men for assistance.

In no time at all, Tian Mi’s name spread throughout Fengqiu Village, and the villagers started saying it was like a deity had descended to aid them.

When Tian Dabiao heard the news and was about to head out with Uncle Xu Er, Uncle Cui, and Uncle Cui Er to help, Tian Mi had already dragged the two wild boars back.

This girl’s strength was truly extraordinary. Dragging a boar in each hand, she didn’t even look winded.

The men quickly stepped forward to help, while the children cheered with such joy their grins stretched ear to ear.

Several of the older women chuckled, their teeth showing as they laughed. “Oh my! We haven’t even finished the meat from earlier! Mi’er, you’re something else!”

The people of Fengqiu Village were exceptionally skilled in construction. They had cut down trees and made numerous brick molds. In just one day, they had already produced many earthen bricks mixed with small stones. Since they had plenty of tough chestnut shells, they added those in as well, intending to use the bricks for the valley walls.

With so many people working together and tools being crafted on-site, their efficiency was incredibly high.

Uncle Xu Er and Tian Dabiao, seeing the villagers working so diligently, decided to hunt two more wild boars. They then asked Village Chief Zhou to forgo making dinner that night and invited everyone from Fengqiu Village to join them for a celebratory feast of freshly slaughtered pork.

Village Chief Zhou was overjoyed by the invitation but also felt a bit embarrassed.

Tian Dabiao said, “The brothers from Fengqiu Village are working so hard. Don’t hold back—let’s all enjoy a meal together and celebrate. The sooner we get the valley entrance and the houses built, the better. Some villagers mentioned there might be wolves on this mountain.”

The old village chief’s face turned pale at the mention of wolves. In such a deep mountain, it was highly likely they were present.

Uncle Xu Er took Uncle Cui and Uncle Cui Er to process the wild boars, while Tian Dabiao continued working with the Fengqiu villagers, digging and mixing mud for bricks.

Tian Mi urged, “Dad, we need to speed things up! It’s autumn now, and winter will be here before we know it.”

Tian Dabiao nodded and said, “Daughter, everyone is putting in their best effort. The problem is, we’re short on tools. The folks from Fengqiu Village are cutting down trees, making molds, and crafting bricks, but without enough tools, even willing hands are limited. If we had more tools, more people could work simultaneously.”

Tian Mi agreed and asked, “What kind of tools do we need?”

Tian Dabiao replied, “There’s a lot we’re short on. You’d better ask the people from Fengqiu Village for the specifics!”

Tian Mi asked her father to write a list of the needed tools, as it seemed inevitable that she would have to make a trip to town.

“Dad, have everyone make a list of what they need tonight. I’ll head to the county town and bring everything back in one trip,” she said.

Tian Dabiao nodded in agreement and went to fetch Uncle Liu to help with the records.

---

A new emperor had ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Jingkang. Taxes were reduced, and efforts to restore production were implemented, but none of this had much impact on the people in the territories ruled by Prince Qi or Prince Yu.

Bai Muchengg was preparing to lead an expedition against Prince Qi. For the newly crowned emperor, every battle was crucial.

The Empress Dowager, however, was worried about Bai Muchengg. He was often away leading troops, and if something were to happen, there wouldn’t even be a proper heir. This thought left her seething with frustration. She recalled that, years ago, when she had gone to a temple to consult a monk about the marriage prospects of her two sons, the elder son’s fortune seemed favorable. But when it came to the younger son, Grandmaster Kongming had said there was no need to arrange a match for him—he had a fated romance awaiting him.

When she had shared this with the then-Prince Jin, he dismissed the idea of arranging a marriage for Bai Muchengg, as he deeply trusted Grandmaster Kongming.

Why did Prince Jin trust Kongming so much? Because the master had predicted that he bore the aura of an emperor.

Now, with the throne securely under him, he trusted the prophecy even more—it had come true, after all.

---

During a family banquet that evening, the Empress Dowager cradled her three-year-old grandson and asked her younger son, “Muchen, look at your elder brother. His son is already three. And yet, your so-called ‘fated romance’ hasn’t shown any sign of appearing. What’s going on?”

The Emperor and the Crown Prince both turned to look at Bai Muchengg. They had been hearing about this fated romance for more than five years, yet there hadn’t been the slightest hint of it coming to fruition.

In the past, whenever this topic came up, Bai Muchengg had always been indifferent, brushing it off with a casual attitude.

But now, every time he heard the words “fated romance,” it infuriated him. That nonsense! If that plump woman was supposed to be his fated match, he’d rather shave his head and join a monastery. The mere thought of her brazenness and her audacity to tease him made his face burn with embarrassment.

Recalling the events of that night, when she had once again dared to flirt with him, made him blush furiously.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “Mother, please don’t mention this ‘fated romance’ again. Such things are utter nonsense. Grandmaster Kongming was probably half-asleep when he said that!”

Oh! Something was up. Everyone in the room stared at him intently.

He knew that saying too much would only make things worse!

“I’m not interested in women!” Bai Muchengg snapped, his tone laced with irritation.

The crowd’s eyes widened even more. Could it be that this so-called fated romance was… a man? Their expressions turned incredulous and disdainful.

Realizing what they might be thinking, especially given they were in the capital, Bai Muchengg grew even angrier.

“I’m even less interested in men! Can’t you people think normally?”

The idea that someone could provoke this usually composed young man into such an outburst made the whole situation seem even more extraordinary.

Bai Muchengg refused to engage further. After hastily finishing his meal, he declared he needed to head to the military camp and left in a hurry, determined to escape any further inquiries about his “fated romance.”

For someone as proud as him, such an embarrassing matter was something he never wanted to discuss—ever.

---

Back in the Yu Prince’s fiefdom, the territory was in chaos, like a boiling pot ready to overflow. Whether she could survive was still uncertain.

As Bai Muchengg stormed out, the rest exchanged knowing glances. It was clear: he had already encountered something—or someone.

---

That evening in the mountain valley, everyone gathered around a massive bonfire to share a communal meal. The children from Fengqiu Village, who hadn’t eaten this much meat in ages, were overjoyed, practically skipping with excitement.

The villagers were all smiles, chatting about their daily lives. The aunts, however, kept retelling the tale of Tian Mi hunting the wild boars, embellishing it further each time.

“Good heavens! The big girl killed a wild boar with a single arrow! I remember back in our village, even the best hunter, Wang the Hunter, was gored to death by a wild boar!”

“That’s right! Then she jumped and smashed the other one’s skull open with a single blow from her hoe! I’ve never seen such an incredible girl! If she were a young man, I’d marry my daughter to her in a heartbeat!”

The crowd roared with laughter, the cheerful atmosphere lasting well into the evening.

---

After dinner, Tian Mi looked over the list of needed items. It was quite extensive—plenty of tools for carpentry, molds for bricks, plows for clearing land, machetes… so many things, and gathering them all would be no easy task. There was only one place that could meet all these needs: the county town.

Tian Dabiao added, “Daughter, the folks from Fengqiu Village pooled together ten taels of silver. They’re hoping you can bring back some cloth and two catties of salt as well.”

With the weather cooling, such preparations were indeed necessary.

“Here’s two hundred taels of silver—this is from your grandmother’s family and your Uncle Xu Er. Take it with you. And this three hundred taels, we got it from the bandit hideout. Do you think it’ll be enough to buy everything you need?”

Under normal circumstances, that would be plenty. But these weren’t normal times, and the specifics of the situation remained uncertain. Still, Tian Mi had no intention of worrying about running out of money.

It’s chaos out there already; what’s stopping me from stirring things up a little too?

As long as it wasn’t at the expense of ordinary folk, it was fine.

“Don’t worry; it should be enough. I’ll just do as much as the money allows!”

Tian Dabiao found this approach reasonable. Even though he trusted his daughter’s competence—having witnessed her meticulous planning during their journey—he still reminded her repeatedly to stay safe. He also told her that he would meet her at the hillside the following afternoon.

Tian Mi reassured him, “Dad, I’ll hire a cart to bring everything back. Any transport service still operating in times like these is bound to have strong backing. You just stay here and focus on repairing the valley entrance and the houses. That’s our top priority.”

Her father knew she was right. The outside world was too dangerous, with men being conscripted and women targeted by traffickers. However, Tian Mi, weighing nearly 170 jin and anything but weak, was perhaps the safest person to venture out.

---

The next morning, Aunt Feng prepared a hearty breakfast for Tian Mi: a large bowl of hand-pulled noodles topped with leftover pork offal from the previous night. Her grandmother accompanied her as she ate.

“Mier, be careful out there. Don’t trust what strangers tell you. Don’t go with them, and don’t eat anything they give you. Do you hear me?”

Tian Mi couldn’t help but smile. “I know, Grandma.”

After finishing her meal, Tian Mi slung her satchel over her shoulder and set off. Behind her, her grandmother’s voice called out once more, “Mier, keep your belongings close! Don’t let anyone snatch them from you!”

“Got it!”

She used to be a bit of a scatterbrain, causing her elders no end of worry. But now, things were different.