Chapter 712 Want to Know What's Going On

I can barely eat breakfast anymore, the dough is so soggy.

Song Chunxue ignored them, finished her meal in the kitchen, fed the dog, and left.

Discussing old grievances in front of the person in question, especially since they involve a messy debt, is something Mei Yang should suffer alone.

Indeed, Song Chunxue was a little annoyed as she walked down the street. She didn't know where to go, and even when she went to the mountaintop to meditate, she couldn't calm her mind.

Turning her grief into appetite, she bought a pig's trotter and a clove of garlic from a roadside vendor before heading to the river, satisfied.

Find a secluded spot and go to the riverbank; you might even spot some little frogs.

Speaking of toads, Song Chunxue thought to herself, "It's true that different places nurture different people." She had seen toads in dry land and toads by the river, but she had never seen those green little frogs from the south.

Not only is the north short of water, but it also lacks even frogs, with only ugly toads.

The waters are beautiful, the people are beautiful, even the toads are beautiful in the South—it's truly outrageous!

However, she also saw Yu Wanqing washing his pants by the river.

"Why did you do this? A cultivator should not do bad things. If you had even a tenth or a twelfth of the righteous thoughts in your senior brother, you wouldn't have been beaten like this."

Yu Wanqing sighed, "It's easier said than done. I'm just trying to make a living, and often I don't know where my next meal will come from..."

"Stop giving me that nonsense. Even if you had money, you'd still end up like a beggar. You might as well just stay a beggar. If it weren't for your pitiful state, your senior brother wouldn't have let you leave."

He wasn't exactly a vicious person, but his underhanded tactics, opportunistic behavior, and taking money to sabotage others were quite disgusting.

"There's no other way. I'm just a greedy person. I want to save up money to build a Taoist temple for my master. If I were just thirty taels short, I could go back."

Song Chunxue ignored him.

She stepped across the stones to the other side, ready to go and check on the medicinal herb field.

“Wait, Master Song,” Yu Wanqing called out to her, “I know this is a bit shameless, but I have a favor to ask. If I can’t take Gou Dan away, I would be grateful if you could take him in. He’s better than the others on your mountain; I just happened to run into him.”

Song Chunxue asked in surprise, "Aren't you taking him with you?"

"We have to prepare a way out for him." Yu Wanqing rolled up his trouser leg, the trousers in his hand were patched on top of each other, and it was clear that they had been worn for many years.

The shoes were left on the stone, almost completely worn out.

The only decent thing about him was his whisk and Taoist robe; no one knows where he spent the money he collected.

You shouldn't be so self-conscious about building a Taoist temple.

Song Chunxue asked, puzzled, "Then what are you after?"

"What am I after?" Yu Wanqing laughed, his dirty goatee twitching as he staggered a few steps. "The world isn't black and white. If you take the wrong path at the beginning, you can't wash yourself clean no matter what. I have many things to gain, but they're definitely not what you want to hear."

That's true, Song Chunxue had no intention of pitying him.

Yu Wanqing stumbled backward and fell, accidentally knocking his shoe off the rock into the water.

Surprisingly, the upper of one shoe separated from the sole. The tattered upper floated downstream with the water, while the sole sank to the bottom.

Song Chunxue remembered that she had two pairs of men's shoes in her Qiankun bag. She had bought a pair for her senior brother when she was in the capital, and she had picked out another pair yesterday when she went to the market.

They look about the same size, so at least they'll do.

Who could blame her? Yu Wanqing, that wicked thing, looks a bit like the grandfather who held her when she was little.

"Here, wear these for now. If you can't wear them, give them to another beggar." Song Chunxue threw the shoes into the bushes and turned to go up the mountain.

I'll buy another pair for my senior brother later.

Although she now has a senior fellow disciple, she still has a long-standing friendship with him.

Besides, my senior brother always remembers what he lacks only after he has spent all his money.

Seeing that the crops and herbs in her field were growing well, Song Chunxue cut some chives, pulled up two cloves of garlic, and dug up a piece of ginger, thinking of making dumplings when she got home.

She hasn't officially become a disciple yet, so she should enjoy every last bite of chive dumplings she can have.

When she got home, as soon as she opened the gate, she saw four people sitting around a table in the yard.

“You’re back,” Master Zhang stood up. “What are you cooking? I’ll help you.”

Meiyang is still here.

We're still not done talking?

It's such a small matter, and you haven't even finished asking?

Or perhaps they got along so well that they didn't want to leave?

"Would you like some dumplings with chive filling?"

Lord Zhao stood up. "I don't want to eat. Is there anything else?"

“Yes, I’ll go get the bag, you guys chat.” Song Chunxue looked at the Taoist priest, “You can sit down too, I can manage on my own.”

"It's faster than you doing it alone." The Taoist priest noticed her dissatisfaction and took the meat and vegetables from her hands. "I'll chop the filling."

Mei Yang drank the tea. "I'm not talking nonsense, don't worry."

"I didn't say anything. It's good that you two get along. Why don't you stay for dinner and leave after you finish eating?" Otherwise, she felt that Mei Yang would leave when the food was almost ready.

This is a farmer's self-awareness; they would never stay for a meal at someone else's house unless they were particularly enthusiastically invited to stay, the kind of invitation that involves dragging and pulling someone along. Otherwise, they would feel like they were sitting on pins and needles if they were trying to freeload.

After all, people have experienced hunger in the past, and many people are still starving now. Food is limited, especially wheat flour.

Not to mention dumplings.

Farmers usually call it "bianshi" (扁食), saying that eating bianshi means you have to watch your expression.

They only get to eat dumplings once every few years, and if they happen to run into someone who freeloads, they'll hold a grudge and curse them for a lifetime.

Therefore, even if life is good, people shouldn't linger at mealtimes.

“Okay, I understand,” Mei Yang readily agreed.

In the kitchen, the Taoist priest watched as she deftly peeled the radish and began to shred it. He then picked up a cleaver to chop the meat, preparing to mince it.

Seeing his senior brother's nimble movements, Song Chunxue noticed that his knife skills had improved.

What were you guys talking about just now?

"It's nothing, I just asked you about your relationship with Meiyang back then. We mainly talked about the crop harvest here. The harvest is good now, but after the spring planting, there are quite a few children begging on the streets."

Speaking of this, the Taoist priest said in a somber tone, "There are constant conflicts in various places, and a few people who are delusional about becoming emperor have already started an uprising. Perhaps your Lord Xie will be able to return soon."

Song Chunxue stopped what she was doing. "Senior brother, even you are like this."

“I thought you were used to it by now. Your senior brother may seem aloof, but he’s actually more down-to-earth than anyone else. He and Mei Yang are good at chatting, rambling on and on, which makes Mei Yang speak freely.” The Taoist priest stopped what he was doing. “Then I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Song Chunxue poured out the shredded radish, intending to cook it before chopping it up. "And then, is there anything else?"

The Taoist priest couldn't figure out what else she wanted to hear.

"Where are you cultivating? Or is it a matter of whether you and Lord Xie can stay together?"

"..." It never ends, Song Chunxue laughed in exasperation.

"I didn't say it before, and I don't want to know now. I just want to know when your injuries will heal, and whether you have any powerful magical artifacts on you?"

She looked earnestly at the Taoist priest, "Now that he's back, I won't hide or hesitate anymore. Personal feelings are trivial. I want to know how many trials I will face amidst the conflicts and my own carefree life. I want to know the answer."

The Taoist priest looked out over the courtyard. "Lord Zhao will protect you."

"What about you, senior brother? Do you want to sacrifice yourself for the benefit of the people?"