Chapter 4: One is the moon in the sky, the other is the mud on the ground...
Lin Shu's departure was low-key and would not have caused much waves. After all, the heroine was becoming more and more popular. Compared with the heroine Lin Yao, Lin Shu's presence was no longer as strong as before.
But one of the servants in the mansion let the cat out of the bag, and the news leaked out that Lin Shu failed to poison Lin Yao and was sent away by the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery and his wife. Then, the secret of the Marquis's mansion that Lin Shu was the fake daughter and Lin Yao was the real daughter was also dug out.
The upper-class ladies in the capital were all muttering about how the Marquis's Mansion was keeping the secret a secret. Fortunately, Lin Shu was determined to marry the Prince of England. Otherwise, if they took her home as their daughter-in-law, wouldn't they be embarrassed if they told others about it later?
Those noble ladies who disliked Lin Shu laughed out loud.
"She always seemed so arrogant, looking down on people like me, but it turns out she's a fake. What do you call a marquis' daughter? Turns out she's just a village girl!"
"So, Lin Shu intended to poison Lin Yao and take her place, but her plot was exposed and she was sent back to that remote and desolate place by the Marquis?"
"No, it is said that she asked to leave on her own initiative. Originally, the wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery simply wanted to send her to a farm outside the capital and forbid her from entering the city for the rest of her life."
"What? Is she crazy? I heard that the wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery gave birth to her son in a poor, mountainous area. The villagers there were starving and even sold their children to make ends meet! Staying in a farm outside the capital, even if she never enters the city, is definitely better than living in that poor mountain village. What is she going there for? Can't she farm?"
"Maybe she's lost her mind? Who cares why? This result is truly satisfying!"
Seeing outsiders like this, those girls who were on good terms with Lin Yao felt even happier.
"Sister Yao, you're so tolerant! I really thought you were her biological sister, raised in a farm in the countryside. How could a fake like her have the nerve to go against you at every turn?"
"Hehehe, Lin Shu was still trying to compete with Sister Yao for Master Gu, but now, let alone Master Gu, any humble family in the capital is out of her reach. In the future, she can only marry a farmer who works hard in the fields. It's a pity that the village she went to is too far away, otherwise I would have sent someone to see how she is doing."
“Puff.”
This sentence made the little sisters burst into laughter.
Lin Yao did not laugh, but frowned instead.
Among them, the daughter of the Changyuan Marquis's family was the most intelligent. Recalling that Lin Yao was raised by the very farmers they looked down upon, she immediately tried to smooth things over, saying, "You mischievous creatures, please cut the scorn. Today we're here to congratulate Yaoyao and Master Gu on finally getting married. Don't put the cart before the horse."
The others reacted and echoed.
"Yes, this is the most important thing. In the past, Lin Shu was a hindrance, causing constant misunderstandings between Sister Yao and Master Gu. Now that the annoying person is gone, and Sister Yao and Master Gu have finally gotten married, we can all just wait to drink in Sister Yao's wedding wine!"
The outspoken daughter of the Shangshu Mansion stuck out her tongue and explained, "Sister Yao is completely different from Lin Shu. Even if Sister Yao was born in the countryside, she's still like a dragon swimming in shallow water being bullied by shrimps, and a tiger in plains being bullied by dogs. As for Lin Shu, she's a pheasant covered in phoenix feathers. Even if she grew up in a phoenix nest, she'd never become a true phoenix."
Lin Yao's frown relaxed slightly, her expression indifferent. "I know you're feeling sorry for me, but many people in the countryside have never even been to a county town, let alone the bustling capital. Now that Lin Shu is gone, I'm afraid she and I will never see each other again. Why waste our breath on someone who has nothing to do with us? Besides, since I let her go, I've reconciled with her. I won't pursue the past anymore."
The daughter of the Shangshu Mansion snorted softly, "Sister Yao is generous for not arguing with her. I am just petty and narrow-minded. Forget it, forget it. You two are like the moon in the sky and the mud on the ground. There is really nothing to say about this pile of mud. I will not mention her in the future, so as not to spoil the fun."
At this time, Lin Shu was unaware of the rumors about the true and false daughter of a wealthy family that had spread in the capital. After a few days, she was still very excited.
She lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside, sometimes at the azure sky and cotton candy clouds, sometimes at the two lines of ruts left by the carriage on the official road. If she encountered a caravan or pedestrians on the road, she would stare at them furtively, with a look of curiosity. But more often, she would stare at the flowers and plants on both sides of the official road and mutter to herself.
While Lin Shu was still full of energy, Aunt Gui had already wilted, leaning on the cushion she had brought with her, looking listless.
She didn't understand what was so good about the place outside. Sister Shu was not new to the world. She had many rare flowers and plants in her yard. How could she be so fascinated by some wild grasses and flowers now?
"Sister Shu, what are you mumbling about? Tell me so I can hear it."
When Lin Shu heard this, her little mouth started to chatter like pouring beans, "Madam Gui, look over there, there's actually a wild chestnut tree! Chestnuts are good things, they can be used to make sugar-fried chestnuts, chestnut stewed chicken wings, chestnut spareribs, chestnut stewed rice, shashasha, it smells so good, it's a pity that the wild chestnut tree hasn't borne fruit yet..."
"Aunt Gui, those are dandelion seedlings. Many people don't know this, but it's an edible wild vegetable!"
"Purslane, the Five Elements Vegetable! When it blooms, it displays five colors: green leaves, red stems, yellow flowers, black seeds, and white roots. It's incredibly beautiful! It's found everywhere, from north to south. It's a highly nutritious wild vegetable that can be enjoyed in many ways: it can be served cold, stir-fried, pickled, or even used in hot pot!"
"Thistle, thistle! I saw thistle! Don't be fooled by the thorns on its tender leaves. Boil them in water and eat them. They're nutritious and delicious! Its flowers are beautiful, purple, like hedgehog hair, standing up one by one. And its roots are like radishes. Not only can they be used as medicine, but they can also be made into soup. They're especially nourishing..."
"That's dogtail grass. It hasn't grown a tail yet. Don't be fooled by its ubiquity; it can be used to make medicinal food. The tail can also be woven into small animals, sure to coax children."
"That is..."
Aunt Gui’s expression was numb.
She knew that Shujie'er liked flowers and plants, and Ping'er also liked to read some related miscellaneous books. She once suspected that Shujie'er picked these up in order to develop some poisons to harm people secretly.
Now she was sure. All Shujie thought about was eating.
Coming from Sister Shu'er's mouth, it seemed as if there was no wild flower or weed in the field that was inedible.
"...It's a pity that Uncle Shi Qing didn't bring an iron pot. Otherwise, we could bury the pot and cook while we eat our dry food. I'll go pick some wild vegetables and cook them. It would be great to eat with the dry food."
Nanny Gui glanced at her and said, "What you read in the book is different from the facts. I also had a hard time when I was young. Wild vegetables are not tasty. Most of them are sour and astringent. If they were really delicious, those restaurants would have served wild vegetables on the table long ago."
"That's because the person eating it didn't handle the food properly. If the cooking method is right, wild vegetables can become delicious. I don't have the opportunity now, otherwise I would show off my cooking skills and let Madam taste it."
Aunt Gui sneered, "Sister Shu, you've never touched water before. I wonder when you'll be able to cook?"
Lin Shu was not right but she was confident, "I'm smart. I can learn anything I read in the book once."
Aunt Gui mocked, "Sister Shu is very smart, but it's a pity that she uses all her intelligence to harm others."
Lin Shu hummed, didn't respond, and continued to admire the green mountains and clear waters outside. She and Aunt Gui didn't get along, so she didn't want to make things boring.
"Pretending." At this time, Aunt Gui still had the energy to ridicule Lin Shu, but as the journey got longer and longer, Aunt Gui became like a white radish that had been exposed to the wind and sun for many days, and completely wilted.
Lin Shu: "Mammy, look, there's a river in the distance. The water is so clear! The sunlight shines on it, and the water is sparkling. It's so beautiful!"
Aunt Gui: "Ugh!"
Lin Shu: "I heard a bird singing. Auntie, is it an oriole, a lark, or something else? It's such a beautiful song."
Aunt Gui: "Ugh!"
Lin Shu: "Wow, the stars are out! The stars tonight are so bright and sparkling, like gems!"
Aunt Gui was so weak that she couldn't even open her eyes.
"Mammy, are you sick? Why do you keep retching? Why don't you stay in the next town and don't come with us on the journey? Don't lose your life for me." Lin Shu suggested kindly.
Look, the originally rosy and rosy face has become dull and not as beautiful as before.
"Madam, I'm in good health, so you don't have to worry about it." Madam Gui was a stubborn person.
Lin Shu shook her head, looking helpless. "I really can't do anything with you. I'll ask Uncle Shi Qing to go slower."
Nanny Gui rolled her eyes feebly. "Do you really think you're the daughter of a former marquis? Will Shi Qing listen to you? Haven't you seen that we never miss a single trip and always arrive at the post station or the inn in the town before dusk?"
The main official roads of the Great Yan Dynasty radiated from the capital to the major provincial capitals, with countless branches connecting almost all towns in the region. Following the official roads, one could reach nearly every town in the Great Yan Dynasty. While post stations only served government officials, Shi Qing, as a guard in the Marquis's mansion and a personal attendant of the Marquis, was also eligible to stay there.
During the journey, the three of them either rested in the inns in the towns or in these post stations at night, and they never missed a day.
However, before they could even begin to talk about this, it started to rain.
The spring rain was not heavy, but it kept falling and would still delay the journey. Shi Qing failed for the first time. He could not reach the next town or the post station before dark, and he could not even see any people nearby.
Several people had to spend the night in the carriage.
Lin Shu lifted the curtain and looked outside. "Uncle Shi Qing, you've been caught in the rain. You should get in the car and rest. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Shi Qing frowned when he heard this, but did not move.
Lin Shu knew what he was worried about and said, "It's already this late, why bother being so particular? Besides, I'm not the only one in the car, there's also Aunt Gui." You didn't seem to be particular when the heroine was bandaging your wound.
Shi Qing then thanked him, changed into clean clothes and came in. The three of them leaned against the wall of the car and closed their eyes to rest.
It was in the wilderness, so of course no one dared to fall asleep. Lin Shu took the initiative to take on the job of guarding the second half of the night. Shi Qing glanced at her and did not refuse.
Since this incident, although Shi Qing still had that serious look on his face, Lin Shu could feel that his attitude towards her had softened.
On the rare occasions when he was not in a hurry to travel, Shi Qing would even go to the nearby wilderness to hunt some wild game. After preparing the pheasants and rabbits, he would roast them over the fire, making Lin Shu and Aunt Gui's mouths drool.
Lin Shu took two months to travel back home.
The journey was not smooth. Occasionally, when passing through some remote places, Shi Qing would drive the carriage very fast. Lin Shu vaguely heard the sound of chasing footsteps from behind, mixed with some angry shouting. Nanny Gui was startled, but Lin Shu remained calm.
The Great Yan Dynasty in the book was a rare era of prosperity and peace, but even in a peaceful world, there were always bandits, though at best they were small-scale and insignificant. Shi Qing was experienced and had his own strategies for dealing with them, not to mention that he had already walked this same path two years ago.
As the carriage moved to the back, the scenery along the way changed. From time to time, you could see rolling hills, and there were more streams and rivers.
Shi Qing drove to Jingxi Town and asked for directions before driving onto a narrow country road heading towards Tianshui Village under the jurisdiction of Jingxi Town.
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