Chapter 42: A Visit to the Doorstep

“Thank you, that’s wonderful!” Ye Xin Ran said, beaming with joy.

She handed the Luo Suo Zi plant she had dug up to Er Dan’s mother, who examined it carefully before nodding. “Alright, I’ve got it memorized.”

Hearing their conversation, Dong Zi’s father came over to take a look and said, “I saw one of these on my way up the mountain. If you don’t have enough, I’ll help you find more!”

“Thank you, Brother Zhang San!” Ye Xin Ran replied gratefully.

At that moment, she realized that in the future, she could enlist the villagers’ help in gathering medicinal herbs. That would speed up the process considerably.

The villagers worked energetically, and before they knew it, the mountain mist had cleared, leaving behind a stifling heat.

The men were drenched in sweat, while the women kept wiping their faces with handkerchiefs.

“Zhu Zi, Dong Zi, a few of you go to the spring and fetch two buckets of water for everyone. Let’s take a break, have some water, and eat some dry food before continuing,” the village leader said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Some people in the group had already reached their limits.

As soon as they heard the leader’s words, one of them plopped down on the ground.

“Oh, I’m exhausted!”

“Village leader, when will we finish digging this trench?”

“As long as no one slacks off, it’ll be done in no time!” the leader replied.

“No slacking, no slacking, we wouldn’t dare,” the villagers replied in unison.

Zhu Zi and the others brought back four buckets of water from the spring, and everyone scooped some to drink in big gulps.

Although Ye Xin Ran preferred boiled water, her thirst got the better of her. She took out two bowls, giving one to the brothers Chang Ping and Chang An, and used the other to scoop some water for herself.

The spring water was icy cold, a perfect antidote to the oppressive heat. After drinking half a bowl, Ye Xin Ran handed the bowl to Xiao Huai’an.

When working in the fields, people weren’t too particular, so it was common to share a bowl.

What surprised Ye Xin Ran was that Xiao Huai’an didn’t pour out the leftover water to refill the bowl. Instead, he directly drank the remaining half.

The act left Ye Xin Ran momentarily stunned, and she choked. “Cough, cough!”

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Huai’an asked nonchalantly.

“Nothing, nothing!” Ye Xin Ran quickly reassured herself that she was overthinking things.

Xiao Huai’an probably just didn’t want to bother refilling the bowl, not that he intended to share water directly with her.

She lowered her head to retrieve some steamed buns from her basket, missing the faint smile that tugged at the corners of Xiao Huai’an’s lips.

The buns were made of pure white flour. To avoid drawing attention, Ye Xin Ran had mixed pumpkin juice from her storage into the dough, giving the buns a cornmeal-like color.

She handed out one bun to each person. Chang An and Chang Ping were delighted to discover a large piece of meat stuffed inside theirs.

The two stared at Ye Xin Ran with wide, shining eyes.

“Go ahead, eat,” Ye Xin Ran said with a smile.

The brothers devoured their buns with relish, clearly enjoying every bite.

A few women nearby noticed and whispered among themselves:

“Look at that Xiao family daughter-in-law, she seems like an excellent cook!”

“Those kids sure look like they’re enjoying their food!”

“Who said their life wouldn’t last long? That lady is wealthy and a great cook. Xiao’s family father and son are living a blessed life!”

While the women gossiped, the men couldn’t help feeling envious. Xiao Huai’an was so lucky to have married the daughter of a wealthy landowner, especially one who was so down to earth. Why couldn’t they have such good fortune?

Standing on the outskirts of the crowd, Granny Zhang watched the children savor their food, her heart burning with jealousy and resentment.

If it weren’t for this woman, all these benefits would have been hers.

She gnawed on a boiled piece of kudzu root and downed most of a bowl of water, stewing in her thoughts: “I need to talk to my son when we get back. We must act soon.”

After the short break, everyone resumed the repetitive labor.

Tree roots and stones were relatively easy to clear, but the biggest challenge was dealing with large trees blocking the path.

Their massive roots twisted and tangled, making it impossible to dig around them. The only solution was to put in significant effort to clear the roots before they could excavate the trench.

Although the work was far more exhausting than farming, no one complained.

This water was a matter of life and death.

It wasn’t until the sun dipped westward that the village leader called out from the hill top, “Alright, everyone, pack up. That’s enough for today!”

“Finally done!”

“No kidding! This is way harder than farming, I think my back is about to break!”

Hearing this, the leader chuckled. “We can’t have broken backs, you still need to keep working tomorrow!”

“So, make sure to get a good night’s rest. No shenanigans tonight!”

“Zhang Feng Lin, have you no shame? After all this, you’re still thinking about that?”

“Me? A bachelor? I’m not thinking of anything. I’m just reminding you family men!”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Ye Xin Ran, swept up in the cheerful atmosphere, smiled faintly, only to catch Xiao Huai’an’s enigmatic gaze.

What does he mean by that? Why is he looking at me?

Ye Xin Ran quickly wiped the smile from her face and shot him a glare before picking up her basket and leading the two children down the mountain.

The group chatted and laughed as they descended, only to find a carriage parked by the road side at the base of the hill.

The horse grazed lazily on the grass, but the person in the carriage had their eyes fixed on the approaching group as if they’d been waiting for a while.

The villagers in front hesitated, unsure of how to approach, until the village leader walked over. He stopped in front of the carriage and asked, “Young man, are you waiting for someone? We’re from the nearby village. If you need help, just let us know.”

The young man in the carriage immediately jumped down, cupping his hands in a respectful salute. “Uncle, I’m looking for a girl, around sixteen or seventeen, not very tall, with a large scar on the left side of her face.”

Though the other details were vague, the mention of the large scar on her left cheek instantly brought Ye Xin Ran to the village leader’s mind.

“What do you want with her?”

“Uncle, do you know her?” the young man asked, his face lighting up with hope.

At this point, the leader became cautious.

The young man had only mentioned finding someone but hadn’t explained why. If his intentions were malicious, it could cause trouble for Ye Xin Ran.

“Hmm… Doesn’t ring a bell,” he said evasively.

Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Xin Ran and the two children appeared from the back of the group.

The young man immediately spotted her among the crowd.

He by passed the village leader and walked directly to Ye Xin Ran, bowing deeply.

“Excuse me, miss, but did you save someone on the mountain a few days ago?”

This man was a stranger to her, so Ye Xin Ran instinctively denied it. “No, I didn’t.”

The young man froze, puzzled.

Could he have gotten it wrong?

His master had described her clearly: a girl with a large scar on her left cheek, living nearby. It seemed like a perfect match!

He stepped closer to confirm, but before he could speak, a tall figure suddenly appeared, blocking his way.

Left with no choice, the young man raised his voice. “Miss, did you encounter a scholar on the mountain, take his clothes, and even stab him with needles?”