Chapter 169

Two days later, Aunt Tie Zhu couldn’t hold back and approached Wang Yuan’er again to discuss the matter from a couple of days prior.

Wang Yuan’er replied, “I’ve asked her about it, but since our two families are so close—almost like having a shared doorway in the wall—she sees Huzi as her own brother.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Tie Zhu looked disappointed but insisted, “That’s even better! We know each other well.”

“That may be true, but brotherly affection isn’t the same as romantic feelings, is it? Wouldn’t it be awkward?” Wang Yuan’er chuckled, glanced around, and lowered her voice slightly. “Auntie, you should also ask Huzi about his feelings. Chun’er mentioned that Huzi might have a bit of interest in Meizi.”

“What? Who are you talking about?” Aunt Tie Zhu was shocked. “Meizi? That feisty girl from Li’s Wonton Shop?”

In town, there was a wonton stall named Li’s, run by a husband and wife. Their daughter, Li Mei, was famously fierce—she once chased a troublemaker across nine streets over the price of a bowl of wontons.

The thought of the sharp-tempered girl made Aunt Tie Zhu’s scalp tingle. Without bothering to ask Wang Yuan’er for further clarification, she hurried off to question her son.

Wang Yuan’er turned back and noticed Wang Chun’er standing by the door. She walked over to her and said, “Honestly, I think Huzi is quite a good guy.”

Wang Chun’er smiled gently and said, “There will always be someone better, someone who happens to be the sister’s perfect match.” With that, she went off to the kitchen to busy herself.

Wang Yuan’er found herself troubled, wondering what kind of man would be suitable for her younger sister.

“Elder Sister, that Young Master Cui is here!” Wang Qing’er came running in from the shop.

Wang Yuan’er was startled. Young Master Cui? Cui Yuan?

When she walked to the shop, she saw that it was indeed Cui Yuan, who had been missing for over a month. His skin was darker than before, his jaw was covered in stubble, and his face looked a bit haggard.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Cui Yuan, who was leaning by the door, turned to look. When he saw her, he smiled and said, “Look at you, walking with such vigor—seems like your foot has fully recovered!”

Wang Yuan’er paused for a moment before nodding politely. “It’s almost fully healed. But what about you, Young Master Cui? It’s been a long time!”

“Oh? Has the little lady missed me?” Cui Yuan teased playfully. For some reason, whenever he saw Wang Yuan’er, he couldn’t resist teasing her, finding it amusing to see her blush and get flustered.

So interesting!

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Wang Yuan’er’s brows furrowed, and she snapped, “Young Master Cui, watch your words.”

This little lady was always so proper. Cui Yuan chuckled mischievously. Seeing that she was about to walk away, he quickly added, “Hey, hey, is this how you treat your savior? I just teased you a little!”

Wang Yuan’er turned back and said, “A young lady’s reputation cannot be trifled with.”

“Alright, alright, after a month apart, you’ve grown even more serious,” Cui Yuan said, finding it dull. “I’ve been traveling for a while and happened to pass by your house. Do you have any hot food? Even a bowl of noodles will do—I’m starving!”

Wang Yuan’er, still annoyed, was about to retort sharply. But then she remembered how he had carried her for two hours through the mountain paths previously. Her face flushed slightly, and she said, “Come in and sit.”

She stoked the fire, opened the stove, boiled water, and pulled out a handful of dried noodles. Once the water boiled, she put all the noodles in and stirred them with chopsticks to keep them from sticking.

Not long after, the noodles were cooked. Wang Yuan’er took a large bowl, filled it with noodles, added a ladle of clear soup, and quickly washed the pan. She poured some oil into it and fried two thick, golden egg pockets, placing them atop the noodles. Finally, she chopped a handful of scallions and sprinkled them on top before carrying the bowl out.

Cui Yuan was sitting at the small table in the shop, resting his head on his hand and lost in thought. When he saw her arrive, he perked up.

“Here.” Wang Yuan’er placed the bowl on the table and pushed it toward him with her slender hands.

Cui Yuan looked at the bowl—two eggs atop a pile of noodles—and immediately grinned. He picked up the chopsticks and began eating, praising as he went, “Who’d have thought a little lady not much to look at could make such excellent clear soup noodles?”

Hearing this, Wang Yuan’er glared at him, but seeing how he ate with relish as if he hadn’t eaten in ages, she suppressed her annoyance and went to fetch a pot of tea.

When she returned with the tea, Cui Yuan had already emptied the bowl, even finishing the soup, and leaned back with satisfaction, letting out a hearty belch. He was truly famished!

Wang Yuan’er handed him a cup of tea and said, “Have some tea to moisten your throat.”

Cui Yuan took the cup of tea and drank it in one gulp, paying no attention to the heat.

“Careful! It’s hot!” Wang Yuan’er exclaimed. When she saw that he was fine, she couldn’t help but test the temperature of the tea herself.

“It’s getting colder now—this bit of heat isn’t a problem,” Cui Yuan said, watching her movements, a slight warmth rising in his heart.

Wang Yuan’er murmured in agreement, unsure of what to say next. She remembered the book she had brought earlier and pulled it out from her sleeve to hand to him.

“This is the Le Mountain Records I mentioned to you before.”

Cui Yuan glanced at her and said, “You really have a passion for this, don’t you? Rest assured, the river channels in Changle Town are being repaired and widened. In the future, they’ll be bigger and broader, and the embankments will be solidly built, so there won’t be any flooding or waterlogging.”

“It’s not flooding—it’s a flash flood. A sudden mountain flood, unrelated to the embankments,” Wang Yuan’er corrected urgently. She then grabbed the book back from him, quickly flipping to the page she had marked. “Look here—this happened once a hundred years ago, a sudden mountain flood.”

As she leaned in close, Cui Yuan caught a faint scent emanating from her. It wasn’t the floral fragrance often used by noble ladies but a unique and indescribable aroma. Her expression was anxious, her brows tightly furrowed as she earnestly pointed out the events recorded in the book to him.

“Look, see here!” Wang Yuan’er exclaimed, lifting her head and unintentionally locking eyes with him. Her gaze was like a calm and bottomless ancient well, profound and unfathomable.

Wang Yuan’er panicked and instinctively stepped back, nearly falling to the ground.

Cui Yuan felt awkward and flushed slightly, coughing to ease the tension. He decisively picked up the book and began reading, his eyes skimming through lines rapidly.

Standing to the side, Wang Yuan’er’s heart pounded like a drum, racing uncontrollably. How strange—she only glanced at him, so why was she so flustered?

Wang Yuan’er patted her flushed cheeks, pretending to busy herself arranging food in the shop to calm her racing heart.

“You’re basing your claim that there’ll be a mountain flood on this unofficial history? Isn’t that a bit too arbitrary?” Cui Yuan laughed lightly behind her.

Wang Yuan’er quickly turned around and said, “I’m not saying it’s certain, but what if it does happen? Can’t we take precautions? Just like repairing river channels and strengthening embankments to prevent flooding?”

“Do you know how much silver it costs to repair river channels and embankments?” Cui Yuan shook his head. “Every year, nearly a million taels are spent on such repairs, yet flooding still occurs—though with less damage. Mountain floods, on the other hand, are sudden, vast in scale, and unpredictable in direction. Preparing for them is far more difficult.”

Wang Yuan’er’s face turned pale. Her reaction, a mix of panic and helplessness, puzzled Cui Yuan. “The chances of a sudden mountain flood are quite low. How can you rely on an unofficial history to conclude that there will be a mountain flood in Changle Mountain?”

Wang Yuan’er let out a sound, her words slightly hesitant. “I just thought it looked scary and wondered if we could prepare for it like we do for floods—maybe keep an eye on water accumulation in mountain streams and monitor soil looseness.”

Cui Yuan found the idea even more puzzling. How could a young woman have such unusual thoughts?

Feeling startled but determined, Wang Yuan’er forced a smile and said, “Just treat it like an idle thought. It’s still a long time before any mountain flood might happen. It’s not too late to bring it up then.”

Despite this, she wasn’t ready to give up. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Could we not redirect mountain streams the way we repair river channels?”

“Have you ever seen embankments built on a mountain?” Cui Yuan smiled.

Wang Yuan’er’s hand fell limply. What could she do? Could Changle Town ultimately face the same devastating fate as in her previous life? If that were the case, what would be the point of all her efforts?

“What’s wrong?” Her pale face and the sudden aura of sorrow and despair around her made Cui Yuan frown in discomfort.

“It’s nothing,” Wang Yuan’er replied with a forced smile.

Cui Yuan thought Wang Yuan’er was still dwelling on the matter of the mountain flood and comforted her, “What’s written in unofficial histories might have happened before, but it’s not entirely reliable. Mountain floods are rare occurrences—don’t let it weigh too heavily on your mind.”

But what if it really does happen in the next few years? Wang Yuan’er said to herself, though she couldn’t bring herself to voice it aloud. Instead, she said, “As the saying goes, ‘Those who lack foresight are bound to face imminent worries.’ Call me paranoid or anxious if you like, but I strongly feel this flood will come.”

“And even if it does, it’s a natural disaster. How can men fight against nature? You don’t know when it will come—or if it will come at all. Why not live in the present and avoid letting such worries cloud your mind?” Cui Yuan shook his head. “As you said, even if it does come, so what? ‘Soldiers come, you build a wall; water comes, you block it with soil.’ There will always be a solution. Floodwaters will eventually recede, the rains will cease, and the sun will always shine again.”

Wang Yuan’er froze for a moment. “You’re certainly optimistic.”

“If one isn’t optimistic…” He started to say something but left it unfinished. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ve got a question for you: if you had a stash of gold and didn’t want anyone to know or find it, where would you hide it?”

“Either deposit it at a bank or just bury it!” Wang Yuan’er rolled her eyes—such a simple question, was there even a need to ask?

“Where would you bury it?” Cui Yuan paused, taken aback.

“In the ground, of course. They say, ‘Soil gives birth to gold, enriched soil creates gold, and more gold changes the soil.’ Burying it in the ground would be the best option, wouldn’t it?”

Cui Yuan shot to his feet, his peach-blossom-shaped eyes suddenly shining brightly. That was it! He had been investigating the flow of that stash of gold for so long without finding a trace. How had he overlooked this possibility?

Bury it on site, wait for the commotion to pass, and then dig it up—the quality of the gold wouldn’t change, and perhaps it would even improve.

“Ha! What an effortless discovery. Coming to see you today was absolutely worth it!” Cui Yuan exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands before heading toward the shop door. After walking a few steps, he turned back and said, “If I succeed, I’ll be sure to thank you.”

Wang Yuan’er was baffled. What had she even done?