Chapter 183

The next day, Fan Xiaoxiao woke up in a lakeside pavilion.

When she opened her eyes, she was covered with the thin blanket that Gu Zhongtai had given her the night before, and beside her was the candle that had already burned out.

Last night, she and Gu Zhongtai sat by the lake all night, not knowing when that big shot left.

She stared at the candlelight for a while, then rubbed her temples. Was Gu Chongtai's last sentence last night something about urging her to become stronger quickly?

But she doesn't have any particular strengths.

Fan Xiaoxiao propped herself up and sat up, crossed her legs, wrapped herself in a thin blanket, and began to stare blankly.

She remembered how the people of the entire Zhou Dynasty had suffered greatly after the drought began. She didn't want to be attacked, so she had to take the initiative.

Looking back, all I know are basic life skills. At best, they can only help me accumulate some wealth.

money!

Fan Xiaoxiao was slightly taken aback, and suddenly remembered someone—Ji Yushu!

The jade-faced strategist of the rebel army whom I met in Guqu Town!

The book mentions that the rebels and the imperial court fought several protracted battles, during which the rebels suffered heavy losses. The main reason they lost was that the rebels were short of money!

Fan Xiaoxiao's expression turned serious. If she could save up some money now, she could have some leverage in her negotiations with Ji Yushu later. Relying on Tianshan was only a temporary solution.

After talking with Gu Zhongtai last night, she had actually come to understand what had happened yesterday.

What a coincidence! She clearly called for the Heavenly Venerable and Sang Lan'er, but it was some newly initiated disciples who came.

Regarding this matter, Fan Xiaoxiao only had two thoughts.

First, there are people in the Tianshan Mountains who are colluding with the imperial court and want her dead.

Second, the person who dislikes Fan Xiaoxiao is not the Heavenly Venerable.

Regardless of which it is, I can't rely solely on the Celestial Venerable. However, the fact that the man in black lured me out of Tianshan Town before making his move shows that he knew I was under the protection of the Tianshan Sect and that he was also wary of them.

Fan Xiaoxiao frowned and clicked her tongue. It seemed she couldn't easily leave the town anymore.

But how can she do business without leaving the town? What items can she use to do business without leaving the town?

Fan Xiaoxiao unconsciously rubbed her forehead, pacing back and forth in the waterside pavilion.

"Miss Xiaoxiao!"

Fan Xiaoxiao was brought back to her senses by Sang Lan'er's voice, and only then did she realize that it was time for the Heavenly Venerable to have someone take her down the mountain as promised.

"They're here!"

Sang Lan'er, who was standing outside the gate, looked a little tired. When she saw Fan Xiaoxiao open the courtyard gate, she gave a slight smile and handed over the things in her hand.

"Miss Xiaoxiao, you haven't eaten anything yet. Take this and eat it on the way. Come on, I'll take you down the mountain."

Fan Xiaoxiao took the thing handed to her, looked down, and realized it was a sesame seed cake.

"Thank you, Sister Sang."

"It's alright, let's go down the mountain."

On the way down the mountain, Fan Xiaoxiao held the pancake without eating it. Sang Lan'er looked at her strangely: "Why aren't you eating? I remember you came in a hurry last night, and you didn't seem to have eaten anything, did you? Aren't you hungry?"

Fan Xiaoxiao smiled and shook her head: "To be honest, I'm already too hungry to eat much. When we were fleeing, I developed some stomach problems from being hungry for so long. If I eat hard foods like flatbread directly, I'm afraid I'll get a stomachache."

Sang Lan'er didn't think much of what she said, but nodded and said, "I see. I didn't think it through. Let's hurry down the mountain."

The two quickened their pace and descended the mountain, finally reaching the foot of the mountain after more than half an hour.

Master Lu seemed to have been waiting at the foot of the mountain for some time. After seeing Fan Xiaoxiao and the other person, he quickly got off the carriage.

"Little girl!"

"Master Lu!"

Fan Xiaoxiao rushed over. She hadn't eaten anything all morning and had gone down the mountain. Now she felt like the world was spinning around her and she could see stars.

"What's wrong with you, girl?"

"Get in the car! Get in the car! Let's go home first!"

After Fan Xiaoxiao climbed onto the carriage using both hands and feet, she urged Master Lu repeatedly, and waved weakly to Sang Lan'er as a farewell.

"drive!"

The carriage slowly moved towards the woods. Master Lu glanced back at Fan Xiaoxiao, who was lying weakly in the carriage, and sighed softly: "Hey, there's a jar in the carriage. That's some thin porridge your sister asked me to bring you. Eat some first."

Thin porridge!

Fan Xiaoxiao sat up against the side of the carriage and immediately spotted the small earthenware pot. Thin porridge, please! Fan Xiaoxiao grabbed the pot; the outside was still warm to the touch.

Upon opening it, the familiar soft and sticky aroma still wafts through the air. Amidst the rising steam, there's a subtle, almost imperceptible sweetness.

She picked up the bowl and took a small sip, swallowing the warm food down her esophagus. The burning sensation in her stomach finally eased a little, and the heart palpitations from hunger subsided somewhat.

When they reached the edge of the woods, Fan Xiaoxiao finally recovered somewhat from her limp limbs. She climbed down from the carriage and discovered that Village Chief Fu and his men had cleared a large area of ​​woodland the day before, extending the carriage further in.

“They won’t be arriving until this afternoon. We were in such a rush yesterday that we didn’t have time to feed them while they were working. Your sister asked me to ask you if we should take care of their dinner today?”

"Of course we have to take care of them. Although they are helping us because of the Celestial Venerable, they are still working for us, so we have to make sure they get a meal."

As Fan Xiaoxiao spoke, she walked forward. Xiao Bao heard them discussing inviting the people from the Ginkgo Village office to dinner that evening, and the little guy ran over with his short legs.

"Auntie! Are you talking about what to eat tonight? How about we have that? That one!"

Fan Xiaoxiao stopped, puzzled, and looked down at the little guy clinging to her leg: "Which one?"

"That's it! Strings of them! Fragrant and oily!"

Xiao Bao frantically gestured and described what he wanted to say to Fan Xiaoxiao. Fan Xiaoxiao almost instantly realized that Xiao Bao was talking about barbecue skewers. She clasped her hands together, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind—that's it! She now had plenty of spice seeds! As long as she planted them, she wouldn't have to leave Tianshan Town! And she'd have a continuous supply of spices! Why couldn't she start a barbecue skewer business! Besides, this kind of hearty food was perfect for a wandering swordsman!

"Xiao Bao! You're such a clever little dumpling!"

After being reminded of her mistake, Fan Xiaoxiao picked up her baby and spun around in place! Her smile stretched almost to her ears.

"Auntie?"

"Xiao girl? What are you talking about?"

Master Lu followed, somewhat confused about what Fan Xiaoxiao was saying.

The latter's smile faded slightly, and he waved his hand, "No, it's nothing, we'll just have barbecue skewers today!"

After saying that, Fan Xiaoxiao hummed a little tune and headed into the woods. Having decided on a business venture, her immediate priority was to build a house. Moreover, the north was cold, and if she wanted to grow those spices, she'd need to build a greenhouse…

"Auntie, what are you holding in your hand?"

Xiao Bao's words interrupted Fan Xiaoxiao's thoughts. She looked down and saw that it was a sesame seed cake that Sang Lan'er had given her.

"Sesame cake? Auntie, aren't you going to eat some?"

Fan Xiaoxiao's eyes flickered, and she squatted down to pat Xiaobao's head.

"Xiao Bao, didn't the old man give you a set of silver needles before? Can I borrow it?"

(End of this chapter)