"Master, do you know where I can find ochre acacia?"
After drinking the herbal soup, Sun Miao'er instantly felt warmth spread throughout her body, even warming her heart.
Fu Yu hesitated for a moment, then his thin lips moved slightly, “Zhe Kui prefers damp and hot conditions, and is most abundant in river valleys and mountain streams.”
However, Dahuai Village is surrounded by no mountains, so it would certainly be difficult to find nearby.
Sun Miao'er thought so. The matter of finding Zhe Kui could only be put on hold for the time being. She would first work with Yun Niang to finish weaving the white yarn before discussing it again. But she was still somewhat disappointed. She was used to planning things out in order to reduce the sense of crisis.
He seemed to have sensed her subtle emotional shift and said in an extremely calm tone, "I know there's a valley about ten miles south of Dahuai Village, though it's a bit far. We can try our luck there."
Sun Miao'er's eyes suddenly lit up, and she exclaimed happily, "Really?"
"Yes," he replied.
It's always good to save some time. Sun Miao'er and he agreed on a schedule: in the morning, when Yunniang was instructing the workers in the workshop, she could get up early to dig for ochre, and in the afternoon, she could deliver the raw silk she bought to Yunniang, so that it wouldn't delay anything.
As dawn broke, Fu Yuchi was waiting for her outside the courtyard.
This immediately reminded Sun Miao'er of the scene when she went to his room to wake him up that morning, and she teased, "Master beat me to it again."
Fu Yuchi smiled faintly, her peach blossom eyes narrowed, and her dark pupils shimmered. "I can't just sleep in every day. As your teacher, I have to set an example."
The two set off as soon as they left the Wei family's house. After all, it was autumn, and the weather was not as hot as in summer. The mornings were late and the dew was heavy, with a biting chill in the air.
Sun Miao'er hadn't expected the cold to come so suddenly, and she hadn't made any full preparations. She had only walked half a mile when the morning dew made her hair wet, and the chill penetrated her scalp and rushed straight down to her forehead.
"Put it on."
Fu Yuchi took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders, as if he had come prepared.
Sun Miao'er subconsciously pulled her cloak tighter. She had been wondering why her master was wearing a cloak today, since she had never seen him so frail before.
It was originally prepared in advance for myself.
We traveled on the official road, which was wide and flat. As dawn approached, the number of people and vehicles on the road gradually increased.
"Selling steamed buns! Hot steamed buns!"
A vendor was selling steamed buns by the roadside. Sun Miao'er rubbed her hands together, feeling warm from her journey, and then took off her cloak and held it in her arms.
"Are you hungry?" His concern was natural and familiar, just like any other day.
Fu Yuchi's gaze fell on the steamed bun shop. There were many carriages and horses parked next to the stall, and merchants would stop by to have breakfast.
Sun Miao'er walked past him and approached the steamed bun shop. "Brother, what kinds of fillings do you have for your steamed buns?"
"We have vegetarian options like shepherd's purse, chives, and scallions, and meat options like minced pork," the stall owner replied while handing out buns to other customers.
Sun Miao'er frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Give me two pork ones and two shepherd's purse ones."
"Would you like a bowl of hot soup to warm you up?" the stall owner suggested.
Sun Miao'er nodded and chose a corner to sit down.
Soon the steamed buns arrived, along with two bowls of hot rice soup, steaming with white vapor.
Sun Miao'er divided the buns, took a vegetarian one for herself, and pushed the remaining three to Fu Yuchi.
"Just one?" he asked.
Sun Miao'er pursed her lips. "One is enough."
To everyone's surprise, Fu Yuchi turned around and pushed the meat bun towards her, laughing, "You're too thin. You don't look like a girl at all. Eat more."
Sun Miao'er could tell he was teasing her, and subconsciously shifted her gaze downwards. Indeed, her body was completely bare, lacking any semblance of a girl's appearance, leaving only a passable-looking face.
However, if you cover your head, you look no different from a young man. Thinking back to my past, although I can't say I was hot and sexy, I was still well-proportioned.
Thinking of this, Sun Miao'er took a big bite of the bun, but could she really catch up with her congenital deficiency by eating too much?
She silently typed a question mark in her mind.
"Eat slowly, don't choke, drink some soup," Fu Yuchi whispered a reminder.
Just as Sun Miao'er finished eating her first steamed bun, someone suddenly arrived at the next table.
They were a group of镖夫 (bodyguards), looking travel-worn and covered in dust.
The group crowded the table and began to talk loudly.
"Has the King of Wei truly rebelled?"
Another person chimed in, "That's for sure! Believe it or not, if we go a little further north, we'll see people fleeing famine to the south!"
"I heard that the King of Wei rebelled because of the Fu family?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Miao'er glanced at Fu Yuchi's expression out of the corner of her eye—it remained unchanged.
He was even calmer than usual.
Someone at the next table shouted, "The Fu family harbors rebellious intentions; they are undoubtedly traitors and rebels, merely a front for the King of Wei!"
"I heard that the King of Wei wanted to speak out for the Fu family but failed, so he resented the emperor's injustice and rebelled in a fit of anger?"
Sun Miao'er suddenly felt that the steamed buns in front of her no longer tasted good. She wondered what he was thinking at that moment. This was probably the deepest and most painful scar in his heart.
When it was opened, it was still covered in blood.
"I'm not eating anymore." Sun Miao'er put down her chopsticks and got up to leave.
Fu Yuchi pressed her hand down and said, "Eat before you leave, it's alright."
He shook his head, a gentle smile still on his face.
After a long while, she heard her master sigh softly, "It seems that the world is truly in turmoil."
After Sun Miao'er finished eating, the steamed buns for the other group were served, and they stopped eating.
In between, she also heard a lot of rumors, such as that the current emperor was instigated by a woman and blinded by lust, which led to the extermination of the Fu family. Another example was that the Prince of Wei was recruiting soldiers, and some bodyguards were even planning to join the army.
She didn't want to listen anymore, so she quickly paid and hurried on her way.
"Why are you walking so fast?" Fu Yuchi caught up with her from behind, his face full of warmth and gentleness.
But Sun Miao'er didn't believe that his gentle and peaceful demeanor at this moment was genuine, because people are not plants or trees, how can they be without feelings?
It can only be said that his heart has undergone countless trials and tribulations to become what it is today, allowing him to remain so calm in the face of gossip and slander against his family.
"Go early and come back early," Sun Miao'er said dismissively.
Fu Yuchi joked, "I'd like to hear them talk a little longer."
"Does it sound good?" Sun Miao'er looked up, met his eyes, and asked abruptly.
He curled his lip into a wicked smile, "That sounds good. I want to hear what other people are saying about them."
When he first heard these words, he would get angry and even fight with people, but after hearing them many times, he became numb to them.
Because he could do nothing but rage, over time even his anger dissipated, leaving only a chilling cynicism and mockery.
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