Seeing her expression turn somber, I realized she must have recalled so sad mories, so I interrupted her thoughts and said, "Let go find so food. You can gather so firewood nearby for later use."
Upon hearing say that, Yanran withdrew her thoughts and got up to gather firewood.
The place we were at was neither the mountains nor the forest but a adow, with no prey to hunt nearby. I rode the horse for a couple of miles and ca across a large farmland, where I dug up so sweet potatoes and yams, and plucked a few ears of young corn.
Lastly, I left so broken silver coins in the place where I dug the sweet potatoes, yams, and plucked the corn, considering it as paynt for the people’s goods.
When I returned, Nanny Zhang, the coachman, and Yanran’s younger brother were already awake. So were harnessing the carriage, others helping Yanran gather firewood, and the little boy was squatting by the creek watching fish.
Seeing return, Yanran ca over and took the things from my hands.
I got off the horse and used my precious knife to dig a pit at the spot where we made a bonfire yesterday. I buried the ’bought’ sweet potatoes, yams, and corn in the pit, and set a fire on top with the firewood Yanran gathered.
Watching my actions, Yanran curiously asked, "Why not roast these foods over the fire instead of burying them in the ground?"
Though she was mature and composed, she knew nothing about these outdoor life skills. It was only at tis like these that she displayed an expression suitable for her age, looking at with a face full of doubt, her big eyes filled with curiosity.
I explained the reason to her in detail. I don’t know why, but my patience was always unbelievably good in front of her. Since childhood, Dad and Mom said I was a person with a cold temperant, and for a long ti, I believed it myself. But now, I feel that I’m not cold-hearted, just outwardly cold and inwardly warm.
Once the food was cooked, we extinguished the fire and dug out the food. It imdiately emitted a strong aroma. When everyone tasted it, they all said it was delicious. This little bit of skill earned Yanran’s admiration, making feel a bit proud!
After eating, we got on the carriage and continued towards Nong’an, moving leisurely along the way, stopping occasionally, until late morning when we reached Nong’an county town.
Nong’an county is a prosperous and beautiful coastal town. After arriving, I inquired about the location of the Shen family and quickly headed over.
When I arrived at the Shen family, Sister Juhua was very happy to see visit unexpectedly. She kept talking with and complained, saying that if I had co a day earlier, it would have been better because my older sister and brother-in-law had just left last night...
Although I expressed regret vocally, I felt a bit of secret joy in my heart. If Sister were still here and saw how I was helping Yanran, she would definitely make a big deal of it, and I didn’t want Yanran to misunderstand , thinking I had ulterior motives for helping her.
The Shen family warmly welcod us. Lady Cui arranged for the servants to prepare a al and clean the room for us to rest, while Uncle accompanied warmly for a chat.
Sister Juhua’s husband, nad Dai Xiangchen, also sat with for a while. He was a tall, slightly chubby man with an open and humorous temperant. He bore a great resemblance to a forr favorite eunuch of Sister’s. However, I heard that the eunuch was killed many years ago while trading outside, otherwise, I might mistake them for one person.
During our conversation, I introduced Yanran to Sister Juhua and entrusted her to their care.
Sister Juhua is a warm-hearted woman and readily agreed, even sending soone to take Juhua’s younger brother out to play with her few baozi.
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