Ye Wenxue put the herbs she had collected into her basket, carefully walked forward, dug it open, and found a ginseng root as thick as a wrist.
...Since I've already transmigrated into a book, what's so strange about ginseng growing in the mountains of the south?
Ye Wenxue thoroughly dug through the soaked soil, unearthed the ginseng, and then used her wood-type ability to wander around the surrounding underground, digging through several places where the aura was clearly unusual.
However, they did not find any ginseng, only some kudzu root, yam and other things.
The family had enough food to get through the winter, but they were short of vegetables and other necessities. Ye Wenxue accepted whatever came her way, dug it all up, put it in her basket, and carried it back to the valley to store.
As she walked and dug, Ye Wenxue stood up again and found herself in a completely different landscape.
Unlike the other mountains, which are either towering into the clouds or exceptionally steep, this place is rather ordinary.
Peeking through the rain, I saw a valley with two thatched huts by the stream, their roofs billowing with smoke, clearly indicating that people lived there.
Ye Wenxue had no interest in exploring other people's homes and was just about to turn and leave when she suddenly heard several voices coming from the thatched hut in the distance:
"Grandpa, it's been raining heavily lately, and the charcoal isn't burning well. Why don't we wait until the weather clears up?"
“We’re almost out of food at home, and we’re just waiting for me to burn charcoal to sell for money to buy more. Don’t just stand there, come and give me a hand.”
Charcoal burning?
Ye Wenxue paused as she turned around, recalling her two failed attempts at burning charcoal.
She hesitated for a moment, then decided not to waste time figuring it out herself. There were so many things to stock up on for winter, and she needed to free up her time to do other things.
Professional matters should be handled by professionals.
For example, she is good at killing, but burning charcoal is not within her skill range.
Ye Wenxue walked straight to the thatched hut.
Perhaps the noise of the rain masked her footsteps, and it wasn't until Ye Wenxue closed her bamboo umbrella, put on her raincoat, and stood under the thatched hut that anyone noticed her.
The person inside the thatched hut was startled. They swiftly drew their knife and held it in front of them, stammering, "Who...who are you? What do you want?"
Ye Wenxue glanced at the girl and saw a long knife scar across her face that had disfigured her. She could roughly guess why the girl was so wary.
Before Ye Wenxue could reply, the people inside noticed the commotion outside and quickly ran out with their weapons.
The two thatched huts housed only four people, including the elderly, the infirm, and the only able-bodied man who was blind, leaning on a wooden cane to grope and protect a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.
"A guest is a guest. Please come inside and have a chat. My humble abode is poor and we have nothing to offer. Please forgive us."
Ye Wenxue didn't want to make things difficult for the two elderly people, one weak and one sick, so she directly stated her purpose: "No need to trouble yourself. I happened to pass by and got lost nearby. I overheard that the old man was going to burn charcoal, so I came here specifically to ask for his advice."
The four of them breathed a sigh of relief when they recognized the voice as a woman's.
The person was wearing a straw raincoat and a straw hat, and it was only vaguely clear that he was good-looking, but it was impossible to tell whether he was male or female.
Although these days one cannot let one's guard down even when dealing with a woman—after all, women who can survive peacefully in chaotic times are not easy to deal with—they would rather have a woman than a rough and fierce man.
"This... charcoal burning method isn't particularly difficult..." The old man, still gripping the wooden stick, continued speaking directly, following up on Ye Wenxue's words. He didn't intend to invite anyone inside to sit down and discuss the matter further, his only thought being to send away the uninvited guest.
“Father,” the blind man interrupted, groping for a gentle smile at Ye Wenxue, “This young lady has come in the pouring rain, why don’t you come inside and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up? Burning charcoal is simple in theory, but difficult in practice, and it can’t be explained in a short time.”
The little girl with the injury on her face let out a loud snort, clearly unhappy.
Ye Wenxue could tell that the blind man had no bad intentions, and she was too lazy to bother with a sulking young girl. She simply said, "I'm in a hurry to go home, so I won't bother you any longer."
“It’s not really a bother,” the blind man said, seeing her insistence. He didn’t extend the invitation further and called to the girl, “Lanqing, go and move out the table and chairs, and get a pot of hot tea and some dried fruit.”
"Okay." The little girl reluctantly went into the house, and the two elderly people quickly went in to help.
After the table, chairs, and hot tea were all set out, the blind man invited Ye Wenxue again, and Ye Wenxue did not stand on ceremony.
This person clearly has something to ask of him.
She also wanted to find a way to make charcoal, but she didn't want to owe anyone a favor, so an exchange would be the best option.
The blind man was helped to sit down by the little girl, who politely raised a cup of tea and said, "Please."
Ye Wenxue took off his raincoat and sat down, quietly waiting for the blind man to explain his intentions.
The two elderly people looked at each other, then turned and went back into the house.
The young girl, worried that the blind man would be mistreated, refused to leave and sat diagonally opposite him, staring wide-eyed at Ye Wenxue.
"I have a request, young lady..." The blind man hesitated for a long time before speaking.
Ye Wenxue: "That depends on whether the charcoal-burning method is worthwhile."
The blind man suddenly laughed: "My name is Xu Lin. All I ask is for your information about the current situation down the mountain, and... do you know anyone from Shanqing Village?"
Ye Wenxue narrowed her eyes warily instantly: "Why are you asking this?"
Sensing the hidden meaning in her words, the blind man sighed: "I had a classmate, a fellow villager from Shanqing Village, named Cheng Dingfang. Before we went up the mountain, we made a promise to go to the capital together to take the imperial examination next year, but alas..."
The blind man touched his eyes with trembling hands: "It's a pity I went blind by accident and haven't been down the mountain for half a year. I don't know what's happening down there, nor do I know where my old friends are."
He didn't know which village the person who suddenly broke into the valley came from, but the nearest village was Shuixi Village, which was not far from Shanqing Village. So this person might have heard of Shanqing Village.
"What good will it do if you know?" Ye Wenxue didn't quite understand Xu Lin's words, nor did she quite understand the friendship between scholars.
Xu Lin remained silent: "He still owes me one tael of silver, saying he'll pay me back when we meet next year."
Ye Wenxue: "......"
Why didn't you just say so earlier? You wrote such a long, flowery statement when it could have been resolved in a single sentence.
Ye Wenxue was silent for a moment: "Cheng Xiucai, he's gone."
That's right, Cheng Dingfang is Cheng Xiucai, the deceased scholar in his previous life.
It's true what they say, you never know what kind of unexpected encounter you'll have in life. I got lost and found someone who turned out to be Cheng Xiucai's creditor. What a twist of fate!
The porcelain bowl suddenly fell to the ground.
Xu Lin's lips trembled: "What? Impossible! How could Brother Cheng be gone? He hasn't paid me back the money yet!"
The whole family had exhausted their savings and were barely surviving on the one or two taels of silver that Cheng Xiucai owed.
Unfortunately, his father had gone down the mountain several times before but had not found the person. He never expected that the person was already gone.
Xu Lin was utterly despondent and gave up on asking about the situation down the mountain. His eyes were brimming with tears, and he was about to cry in front of Ye Wenxue.
His one tael of silver!
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