Chapter 33: A Sturdy Man

Ye Xin Ran’s face turned even redder in an instant.

“Why am I blushing for no reason?”

And Xiao Huai’an was so annoying, why did he have to stare at her and ask such pointless questions?

“Oh, maybe the pot was too hot earlier and it burned me a bit,” she replied irritably.

“You’ve worked hard,” Xiao Huai’an said in a comforting tone.

The children seemed to sense the awkwardness between the two adults. One pulled the other, and they all ran out of the house.

Ye Xin Ran wrapped up the leftover flat breads and handed them to Xiao Huai’an.
“There are two on the plate for your breakfast. Take the rest with you to eat on the mountain. I have to go next door to learn sewing from Sister-in-law Chen later, so I won’t see you off.”

“Alright. Thanks for taking care of the house,” Xiao Huai’an said again.

“If you truly feel guilty about leaving everything to me, I do have a favor to ask.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

Ye Xin Ran immediately pulled out a piece of the Ice Spirit Flower left over from her last batch of medicine.

She had kept it in her cold storage space and only remembered it earlier.

“You’re often in the mountains. Keep an eye out for flowers like this one, and if you see any, bring them back for me.”

The deeper parts of the mountain were too dangerous for her, so she had to rely on Xiao Huai’an for now.

“No problem!” Xiao Huai’an agreed without hesitation or asking what she planned to do with it.

He tucked the Ice Spirit Flower into his pocket, causing Ye Xin Ran to feel a pang of heartache.

This was a hard to find treasure! If Xiao Huai’an couldn’t locate any more, she’d lose this one for nothing. That would be a huge loss!

“No pain, no gain,” Ye Xin Ran told herself to ease her regret.

“It’s just one flower. Why are you so upset?” Xiao Huai’an interrupted her thoughts, noticing her expression.
“And look, your face is red again. You sure blush a lot!”

Ye Xin Ran nearly choked on her frustration.

“Who blushes a lot? Your whole family blushes!”

She ignored him, turned, and stormed out of the kitchen.

Xiao Huai’an bit into a sweet bun, watching Ye Xin Ran’s hurried departure. A faint smile curved his lips.
“She’s actually mad. Why does she get upset so easily?”

---

Ye Xin Ran was genuinely flustered but wasn’t making excuses.

She went back to her room, grabbed a piece of cloth from her trunk, and headed to Zhang Da Li’s house next door.

Sister-in-law Chen was already waiting in the yard. When she saw Ye Xin Ran, she quickly greeted her.
“Come, come. I’ve got everything ready.”

Following her gaze, Ye Xin Ran saw a basket on the table filled with several colorful spools of thread.

Pulling Ye Xin Ran to sit down, Sister-in-law Chen said,
“After you mentioned it yesterday, I stayed up late digging out all my sewing tools. But it’s been years since I’ve made clothes, so I might be a little rusty.”

Ye Xin Ran had heard people mention that Sister-in-law Chen was an expert at making clothes. The garments she made for her children were praised by everyone.

In the past, people even hired her to make clothes, but the tough times over the last couple of years had left no one able to afford new ones.

“Do you think this fabric will work?” Ye Xin Ran asked, handing over the material she brought.

Sister-in-law Chen looked at the large piece of fabric with envy.
“Oh my, such a big piece! You could make several outfits from this. The color is a bit muted, but it’s practical, it won’t show dirt and is great for children.”

“Then I’ll trouble you, Sister-in-law Chen. I’ll send the children over later to get their measurements. Just make the clothes as you see fit. By the way, how much would it cost per outfit?”

When money was mentioned, Madam Chen felt a little embarrassed.

Her family wasn’t well-off, and she wanted to help however she could. But Madam Ye had helped her family before, how could she accept payment?

After a moment of consideration, Madam Chen said,
“If Madam Ye doesn’t mind my poor skills, I’ll take care of the clothes for you. I won’t charge anything, let’s just consider it in exchange for that scoop of rice your family lent us before. Would that work?”

“That’s way too cheap!” Ye Xin Ran thought.

“No, that won’t do.”

Hearing Ye Xin Ran’s refusal, Madam Chen became flustered. She felt she had been too greedy. After all, Madam Ye trusted her to make the clothes, how could she even think of asking for payment?

“Then… maybe for half a scoop of grain?” she asked tentatively.

“I meant it’s too cheap, not too expensive!” Ye Xin Ran explained. “How about this, if the children like the clothes you make, I’ll add two more scoops of rice on top of the original scoop. How does that sound?”

Ye Xin Ran knew that rice wasn’t cheap these days. Instead of giving Madam Chen coins to buy food herself, it was better to directly give her the grain.

“Two more scoops?” Madam Chen was so startled she began coughing.

It took her a while to calm down. She apologized,
“Sorry, it’s my old problem. Please don’t mind me, Madam Ye. Did you really say two extra scoops of rice?”

“Yes,” Ye Xin Ran affirmed, reaching out to feel Madam Chen’s pulse.

Startled, Madam Chen asked, “You know how to diagnose illnesses?”

“I know a little,” Ye Xin Ran replied.

Using her fingers to assess the pulse, she noticed irregularities, a weak pulse, and signs of phlegm heat combined with stagnant blood flow, indications of chronic coughing caused by internal block ages.

Seeing Madam Chen’s hopeful expression, Ye Xin Ran reassured her, “It’s nothing serious. You’ve been holding in too much stress. If you take a lighter view of things, your health will improve significantly. When you have time, buy some mulberry bark from the clinic and drink it regularly as tea, it’ll help with your recovery.”

Madam Chen nodded repeatedly, “That’s what the doctor said before. I’ll make sure to take things lightly and live my days well.”

“Good,” Ye Xin Ran said, standing up. “I’ll go fetch the children.”

The three kids were in disbelief when they heard they’d each get a new set of clothes.

“Auntie, why don’t you make it for Big Brother instead? He needs nice clothes for school. Second Brother and I can keep wearing old ones,” Chang An suggested, still calculating frugally.

But Ye Xin Ran, not entertaining any objections, shooed all three off to Madam Chen’s house. “Just get your clothes made, no more nonsense!”

After dropping the children off, Ye Xin Ran strapped on a basket, hung a machete at her waist, and headed toward Mi Lu Mountain.

Despite its reputation for danger, Ye Xin Ran believed that wealth always came with risks. If it were like the nearby hills that anyone could easily access, there wouldn’t be much left to find. Mi Lu Mountain’s isolation made it more likely to yield valuable discoveries.

On her way, she passed villagers heading to the fields, most looking disheartened.

Some squatted at the edges of the fields, sighing at the sight of their rice seedlings.

They had pains takingly planted the rice, but it hadn’t rained for half a month. The river was nearly dry. If this continued, this year’s harvest would be ruined.

Ye Xin Ran understood the struggles of the farmers but knew there was nothing she could do.

As she neared the village entrance, she saw the village head leading a group of a dozen men in her direction.

The village head noticed Ye Xin Ran and called out, “Madam Ye, are you heading up the mountain again?”

Ye Xin Ran nodded.

The village head’s goatee quivered with anger as he scolded, “You reckless young lady! I’ve told you the mountain is dangerous, yet you just won’t listen!

Xiao Huai’an can go because he’s a big man, nine feet tall and full of strength. But look at yourself! You’re not even as tall as his shoulders, and you’re so thin. What will you do if something happens?”