Bone-Returning Seed (Nine)

After coaxing my nephew, the sun was already setting, so I hurried back to the inn. I had barely seen Old Ding off when I started a fire to cook.

Lin Zhong hasn't had time to tend to his flowers and plants these past few days, and I've been cooking for three days straight, with hollyhocks rolling around in the dishes every meal. I've seen the flower seedlings in the yard almost completely plucked away.

The pair of chicks that Wei Ji gave to Huai Xu and Feng Qiao are still there. Although I've been busy these days, I haven't forgotten to feed them millet. I was thinking of killing one to add to the dishes, but then I felt it was not auspicious. After thinking it over, I decided to just pinch off all the hollyhock seedlings and leave it at that.

Just as I was about to wield the scissors, Huai Xu called out "Godmother" as she entered the room. I quickly hid the scissors behind my back, saying, "You're back quite early today."

Huai Xu hummed in agreement: "I'm going back to my room now."

Lin Zhong stepped into the courtyard, carrying two fish in his hand. Seeing me standing in the flower bushes, he frowned and walked towards me.

I took two steps back: "Where did you get this fish?"

Lin Zhong strode forward: "The twins from the Rao Gang caught them, give us two."

I exclaimed "Oh!" and took a half step back, accidentally bumping into the flower stand behind me. On the stand was a pot of hollyhocks that I had propagated last year, a rare double-petaled, pale yellow variety. I wondered where Lin Zhong had found it; I always saw him tending to his plants, and he seemed to take great care of this one. I quickly reached out to steady it, and thankfully, I was just in time. The pot didn't fall, but some flower buds were scattered all over the ground.

A hint of heartache flickered in Lin Zhong's eyes. Knowing how difficult it was for him to protect her, I couldn't help but feel guilty: "I'm sorry..."

Lin Zhong sighed, came to me, leaned down slightly, reached behind me, took the scissors from my hand, and said softly, "Master, I told you not to cook today."

The next few days passed quickly.

Since Feng Qiao moved to Yanziping, I've been almost entirely silent, and Lin Zhong takes Huai Xu out early and back late every day. It must be true that "one is influenced by one's company," because the originally lively and outgoing Huai Xu has developed a reserved and calm demeanor, like a well-honed sword waiting to be drawn.

The day before crossing the sinkhole, Feng Qiao and I were finally released from our confinement. Lin Zhong told us to gather more people to go to Yuzui Rock in the afternoon. I understood that this was a simulation before midnight the next day, but I wondered why it had to be at the hottest and windiest time of day. Lin Zhong, however, believed that the more unfavorable the time, the better it was to temper one's character, overcome difficulties, and become fearless.

As the sun began to set, a gentle breeze rose from the river. The exiles from Yanziping, the boatmen, and the villagers from nearby streams all flocked to the scene. Neither the fierce air currents nor the clamor of voices could disturb Huaixu in the slightest.

On the way back to the inn, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. Although the final test had not yet arrived, the warmth of reuniting after hardship flowed between them like a gentle stream.

Huai Xu said, "Feng Qiao, you're finally back! I really want to eat your cooking!"

Feng Qiao suppressed a smile and replied, "What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you when we get back."

Huai Xu counted on his fingers: "I want to eat stir-fried mushrooms with cured pork, mushroom soup, and steamed sugar cake."

Feng Qiao looked at Lin Zhong and me, then asked, "Aunt, Uncle Lin, is there anything else you'd like to eat?"

I laughed and replied, "Feng Qiao, you're finally back! Auntie really wants to eat your cooking. Cook whatever you like, we won't be picky. Right, Lin Zhong?"

Lin Zhong smiled, a rare occurrence for him: "What the master says is true."

Feng Qiao's face turned bright red. Huai Xu grabbed my arm and scolded, "Godmother, you're making fun of me again!"

"What nonsense!" I denied with a laugh. "I was praising Feng Qiao's cooking. I like it, is that not allowed?"

Huai Xu snorted lightly: "Then let me ask you, godmother, who cooks better, Uncle Lin or Feng Qiao?"

That's a question... I quickly dragged Huai Xu a few steps away from the other two. "Don't you know I taught them both how to cook? Are you trying to make me compete with them? Or should I ask you who's a better cook?"

Huai Xu smiled, happiness overflowing in his eyes: "Now I think Feng Qiao is still better at burning things."

I'd only ever heard the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," but I never imagined that beauty could also be found in the mouth of a lover...

I frowned: "The fish your Uncle Lin has been cooking these past few days has tasted pretty good. How is it not as good as Feng Qiao's?"

Huai Xu pouted: "Godmother—why can't you understand? This has nothing to do with the taste."

"Huh?" I was both curious and helpless. "Little Miss, what do you mean by 'closed' or 'closed'? You should explain it more clearly."

"Take the hollyhock sprouts we often eat, for example. Godmother, do you prefer them stir-fried a little tender or a little older?"

"Either is fine. Tender has its own flavor, and old has its own flavor. Let's switch things up."

"No! You can only choose one."

I reluctantly agreed, saying, "Then let's go with the tender one."

"I like to cook it a little longer so it absorbs the flavor better."

"Godmother understands. So Feng Qiao is cooking exactly to your liking now. He really puts his heart into it." I nodded, feeling gratified but also a little heartbroken. One of the chefs I personally trained has already become a private chef...

Huai Xu then asked, "Godmother, don't you think Uncle Lin cooks according to your preferences?"

"Really?" I asked doubtfully. "I'm not a picky eater at all. I like both meat and vegetables, and I can eat both salty and sweet food. For me, food is only divided into edible and inedible. Where do I get so many preferences?"

"Godmother—" Huai Xu pinched my arm in frustration, "Ugh, you're really driving me crazy!"

I quickly smiled apologetically, "Don't be angry, don't be angry, it's all your godmother's fault." I glanced up and saw Luo Erying resting her horse at the entrance of the inn. "Hey, isn't that Yingzi?"

"Aunt Qing, Sister Huai Xu!" Luo Er Ying waved and ran towards us.

"Yingmei!" Huai Xu released my arm and walked away from me.

The two sisters hugged each other tightly. I walked over to them and asked with a smile, "Yingzi, what brings you here at this hour?"

Luo Erying couldn't hide her excitement: "My sisters and I went to Lotus Mountain to pray to the gods on behalf of Sister Huaixu!"

Huai Xu looked bewildered: "Why go to Lotus Mountain to pray to the gods?"

"Ouch!" Luo Erying stamped her foot. "Lotus Mountain is your birthplace! Don't you remember worshipping the Tree Grandma when you were little?"

The Liao people revere the mountain god, and the tallest tree near the village is usually worshipped as a sacred tree. Once a girl or baby born in the village can walk, the elders will take her to the tree to kowtow and acknowledge her as the "tree mistress," thus praying to the mountain god to bless the child's safe growth.

“Grandma Tree…” Huai Xu’s expression remained bewildered.

Upon seeing this, a hint of disappointment flashed across Luo Erying's face.

I quickly replied, "Yes, yes, it's the sacred tree in the village. The Liao people all worshipped it when they were young. Yingzi, thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, Aunt Qing." Luo Erying took off her purse, took out a piece of red cloth wrapped in it, carefully opened it, and presented it to me and Huai Xu like a treasure. "This is the bark of the Mountain God Tree. Aunt Qing, burn it to ashes, mix it with water, and give it to Sister Huai Xu to drink. Tomorrow, the Mountain God will surely appear and help us!"

The sacred tree recognized by the village is forbidden to be touched, let alone damaged, by anyone other than the village's shaman. Disobedience is punishable by severed limbs or even death.

I was shocked when I heard this, and quickly held the bark in my palm: "Yingzi, how...how did you get this?"

"Don't worry, Aunt Qing," Luo Erying said with a smile. "It wasn't stolen. I got it from the shaman elder of Lotus Cave."

“How could you easily obtain the bark of the sacred tree?” I pressed. “Yingzi, did you offer precious sacrifices to the mountain god?”

"The shaman elder of Lianhuadong is making a batch of Nuo masks, and they are short of long hair. So I asked the sisters in the village. When they heard that it was to pray for Sister Huaixu, they all volunteered to cut their own hair. You gave me a bunch, I gave me a bunch, and we quickly gathered enough!"

In the Liao people, it's customary for girls to cut their hair before getting married, which explains why Luo Erying is wearing a headscarf today.

Huai Xu, with tears in his eyes, exclaimed, "Are you all stupid?!"

“Yingzi—” I was also moved to tears.

“Sister Huai Xu, Aunt Qing,” Luo Er Ying said solemnly, “I understand what you’re arguing about, and the daughter of the Liao family understands too.”