What Su Pan’er failed to recognize was that at the foot of the opposite mountain lived a group of people who followed Ye Han’s orders to secretly protect her. They saw everything that transpired clearly.
When they witnessed sacks of food and fodder suddenly rise from the ground and disappear into thin air, they all thought their eyes were deceiving them!
However, they soon realized that simultaneous hallucination was unlikely for everyone in the group.
Was this Miracle Healer Su, reputed to be a living Bodhisattva who saved people from miseries, truly capable of supernatural deeds?
After discussion, they put down everything that happened in writing and sent ssages to Ye Han, who was far away in Jingzhao Prefecture, via carrier pigeons. They didn’t know how Ye Han would react.
After seeing off the rascal pig, Su Pan’er was considerably more relaxed for having resolved a major issue on her mind.
Then ca the dessert and cold tea from the kitchen.
It was midsumr in July, and the midday sun was scorching. Even though there were many ways to alleviate the heat in the mountains, nothing could beat a bowl of chilled tea.
The dish that was sent was made by boiling lotus root, water chestnuts, millet, walnuts, and pine nuts into a porridge, topped with a thick juice made by boiling freshly picked sour plums from the slope with osmanthus, and then chilled. A small bowl of it in this weather was absolutely refreshing!
However, the mountainous conditions were austere; ice blocks were unavailable. But due to the cold air emanating from the deep wells in the mountains, these were ideal for chilling the dessert.
When Xiao Min brought the dessert in a delicate white porcelain bowl, its cool touch was very soothing!
"Ma’am, you should eat it quickly, or it will get cold soon!"
"Pffft!"
Su Pan’er laughed, "It will actually get cold?"
"No, it will get hot. Ah, wrong, it will get cold... Still wrong..." Xiao Min corrected herself several tis, which made everyone in the House laugh!
Su Pan’er also couldn’t hold back her laughter: "Regardless of whether it gets cold or hot, it will end up in my stomach." She suddenly thought of sothing, "By the way, have you sent so to those won from other families?"
Several families of wonfolk had accompanied her up the mountain, and now they were scattered around. Whenever she had anything good, she wouldn’t leave them out.
Upon hearing this, the faces of the other people in the house beca solemn.
Su Pan’er sampled a spoonful of the dessert. Hm! It was sour and sweet, definitely thirst-quenching!
She emptied the bowl after a few bites, the heat dissipating from her body had left her feeling physically and ntally refreshed. She couldn’t help but give a stretch.
Upon raising her head and noticing everyone’s solemn faces, she asked out of curiosity: "What happened? Why are all of you looking this way? Did sothing happen?"
The group looked at each other for a mont before Qingwen stepped forward: "It’s nothing major. It’s just that when you instructed to send the consignnt of food and fodder away, the wonfolk of a few families caused a commotion. Uncle Xiao frightened them and they quickly retreated."
"A few of the wonfolk caused a commotion? About what?"
Su Pan’er was sowhat confused.
The wonfolk who agreed to accompanying her up the mountain were generally from families of officials in Hezhong Prefecture. If their husbands or family mbers were still fighting against the enemy forces in Hezhong, wouldn’t her action of sending away their food and fodder instigate resentnt?
"Aren’t they all just short-sighted? Uncle Xiao berated them viciously, they covered their faces and ran off."
Qingwen’s face soured at the ntion of the incident.
Su Pan’er laughed softly. "It’s alright! Henceforth if they cause another commotion, tell them it was my idea. If they feel comfortable here, they can stay. If they feel they are superior, I apologize, but our humble abode in the bandit’s den has no room for such lofty individuals. Let them return to whence they ca.
Now I have worked to improve my temperant, otherwise, like the olden tis, I would have flung them off the mountain by now!"
Talking about the old tis, Su Pan’er couldn’t help but recall her fiery temper when she first arrived in this different world!
She couldn’t help but chuckle at herself for quite a while!
Feeling satisfied with her big al, she had another nap hugging Little Yanyan.
She woke up later to find Little Yanyan still asleep, so she wandered outside.
To her surprise, she saw a man wearing patchy clothing from a distance, carrying a small, child-arm-sized sweet potato in a bamboo basket, drawing closer. Seeing her, he imdiately halted and hesitated to approach.
Su Pan’er quickly beckoned him over. "What’s your na? Why did you dig up such a small sweet potato like this?"
"I am Zhao Liu, ma’am."
Zhao Liu, although not imposing in appearance, was quite clever and forthright. Seeing Su Pan’er gesture him, he promptly approached to pay his respects. "It was decided by the kitchen. They said that we are running out of millet and grain on the mountain, suggesting we dig so sweet potatoes to supplent. Thinking about it, the sweet potatoes are so small, it’s best to just boil them without peeling, combine it with other coarse grains, it should fill the belly."
Seeing him speak so fluently and sincerely, Su Pan’er couldn’t help but size him up.
"Living on sweet potatoes like this, do you find it hard?"
Considering these mountain robbers’ prior lives of fine food and drink in the mountains, and now being downgraded to living on coarse grains, presumably...
"Hey! Ma’am, where are your thoughts? I, Zhao Liu, am actually a farr from the foot of the mountain. Poverty-stricken, with a sick father who left with a great debt before he passed. Unable to repay, I was so frightened by the usurers in the village that I had no choice but to beco a robber in the mountain. When I lived at ho, we would eat tree roots and grass when we were extrely hungry."
So, he cos from a troubled background too.
Su Pan’er nodded and smiled. "Actually, I originally co from a humble background as well. Right from the foot of Deicide Mountain."
"What a coincidence!"
Zhao Liu scratched the back of his head. "Actually ma’am, you may not know that most of the mountain robbers here are similar to . We all had our reasons for becoming so. We don’t have any huge demands: just enough food to fill our stomachs, and clothes to wear. That’s all!"
That’s true!
Indeed, don’t most of the commoners just work hard in the fields all year round just to ensure that their families are fed and clothed?
"I understand!"
Su Pan’er nodded sowhat solemnly, about to say more when she heard soone calling for Zhao Liu from afar.
Zhao Liu responded loudly, turned to leave but then halted.
"Oh right, Ma’am, you have just recently co to the mountain. There is sothing you probably aren’t aware of."
With a aningful look in his eyes, Zhao Liu confided. "The Autumn harvest is almost here, and according to the traditions from previous years, the ti to pay tribute to Jang Si Lang is fast approaching."
"What day is it?"
Su Pan’er curiously inquired.
Zhao Liu suddenly laughed, then with a mysterious look, leaned over: "Hasn’t Ma’am ever wondered why, although our mountainous settlent is so close to The Postal Relay Station on the Road to Shu, the Imperial Court has never dispatched troops to apprehend us?"
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