Chapter 7
Qingyun was so anxious that she blurted out modern language. She timidly withdrew her hand, raised a guilty smile, and then made up another story, "This desert is full of dangers. I haven't finished speaking yet. I'm not going to try my luck in this desert."
She acted mysteriously, speaking in a low voice as she recounted the fabricated story, "Since I can say that this grass grows, I naturally have a way to obtain the seeds. It is said that these seeds were stolen by a distant relative of the author, and the thief was none other than the mother of my former maid. Now these seeds are in the hands of that maid..."
Her meaning was clear: this maid had been freed from her lowly status and her labor contract with the Qing family had been terminated. If anyone wanted to find her, it was only Qingyun. She knew where this person's original residence was, but if Song Junwu went there, it would inevitably frighten her.
It took her a while to realize that what she said sounded like she was trying to escape. Moreover, criminals who entered the place of exile could not easily leave. Song Junwu glanced at her upon hearing this, his eyes devoid of emotion. It was unclear what the other person was thinking. Qingyun felt even more guilty under his gaze. She herself felt that her explanation was full of loopholes.
After a short while, Song Junwu didn't say anything more, only saying "we'll see later," and then ordered his men to pile all the hay on the ground.
[Host, you'll arouse suspicion if you do this...]
Qingyun was almost giving up. "You try to come up with a flawless explanation in a few seconds while I'm staring at you like that?" she thought. She squatted down to continue weaving the straw rope, a growing unease in her heart. "Didn't you see how everyone around us was too afraid to speak under that oppressive atmosphere?"
System: [Host, I can use algorithms to summarize a perfect explanation!]
Qingyun: [Damn it, why are you only telling me now?]
System: [You didn't even ask...]
Good heavens, I was too impatient. It seems I should check if any plants exist in this dynasty before planting them, otherwise I might really make a mess of things!
Song Chaoyun lowered her head and gently skimmed off the tea foam with the lid of the teacup. She took a sip and found the tea tasted rather unappetizing, so she simply set it aside before replying, "Since you suspect her, why don't you expose her on the spot?"
Song Junwu rubbed his palms together, frowned, and said, "I just don't know her intentions. I was thinking that you used to be on good terms with her. Have you ever heard of such a thing?"
"No," Song Chaoyun picked up the account book on the table that she was supposed to look at, examined it carefully, and then continued, "We've always been at odds, and she never cares about my status. When we argue, it never ends."
But then she seemed to suddenly remember something, raised her head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Speaking of which, since she was demoted, she has become quite unruly, well-behaved, and has never talked back to me. I suppose she has grown up?" Song Chaoyun shifted her gaze to the man who was deep in thought.
"I don't know, but I do think the seeds are in her possession, but she refuses to hand them over herself, insisting on fabricating a story to deceive people," Song Junwu said, lowering her eyes. "I don't understand what she means by this."
What's there to hide?
Song Chaoyun picked up her pen and wrote a comment on the ledger, saying casually, "It's not like she's unwilling to give it to you, so why do you care how she gives it to you? In the end, we're the ones who benefit, so why worry about these things?"
Upon hearing this, Song Junwu scoffed, "I've become a little too fond of her. If she wants to do it, we'll just turn a blind eye."
Qingyun, unaware that her little trick had been exposed, was still working hard, rolling up her trousers and bending over, tamping the sand with her bare feet. The man who had been defiant and arrogant towards her earlier was now standing behind her, his eyes shifting as if he was struggling with something. Finally, he stepped forward and said to Qingyun, "I underestimated you a few days ago, young lady."
Hearing the sound, Qingyun looked up, her clear eyes peeking out from under the brim of her straw hat. She looked at the man, somewhat surprised, and asked, turning her head, "Why are you only coming to find me now?"
The man took a deep breath, maintaining a forced smile. He had made a great decision. Many people had laughed at him recently, but he was born into a prestigious family. It would be quite shameless for him to deny what he had said. "My surname is Feng, and my given name is Sijing. I have thought it through these past few days. A real man keeps his word. From now on, I will follow your lead."
Seeing his serious expression, Qingyun nodded, "I'll come to you if I need anything in the future. You can go about your business now."
That's it? Feng Sijing was still a little confused. He thought Qingyun would make fun of him, but he didn't expect that he was being petty. He had never intended to do that kind of thing. He was so embarrassed that his face turned red and then green. He threw a bag at Qingyun and ran away without looking back.
Taking the bag, Qingyun was puzzled. What could this person possibly have for him? He opened it and found several flatbreads, but they didn't look black and felt a bit soft. "So this person is giving me his own provisions?"
She put everything into the food bag clipped to her waist, considering it Feng Sijing's apology. She adjusted her straw hat, and then heard the little girl's voice again, "Big sister, you're really amazing to have managed to win over Lord Feng!"
She stood aside without daring to speak until the person had walked away before she dared to talk to Qingyun.
Qingyun looked at the little girl and then seemed to remember something. He quickly took out a few cakes from the bag and stuffed them into her arms. "I can't eat that many. Help me share some of the food."
The little girl was startled. Her big, doe-like eyes stared at Qingyun, as if trying to figure out from her expression whether it was just polite talk. After a long while, she seemed to realize it. She swallowed hard, carefully accepted the cake, and put it in her pocket. Although she wanted to eat it right now, she looked around and knew she couldn't let anyone see her, or someone would snatch it from her.
Qingyun was completely unaware of the little girl's thoughts. She looked at the distant Gobi Desert, feeling melancholy. She was still thinking about how to legitimately take out the ice grass seeds. She asked the system for advice, but all the suggestions it gave were terrible. This guy was completely useless.
The little girl slowed down her enthusiastic work and bowed in the direction behind Qingyun, "Lord Mu."
The visitor merely gave a soft "hmm" in response, then turned to Qingyun, "Your travel permit has already been issued. When do you plan to set off?"
Lost in thought, she didn't notice anything until the other person spoke to her. Only then did Qingyun come to her senses and realize it was the scarred woman from before. She asked in confusion, "What travel permit?"
The scarred woman raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting Qingyun to ask such a question. "How did you get out without a travel permit? Didn't Lord Song say you were going to find someone to get grass seeds?"
System: [A travel permit was a kind of identification document in ancient times. Population movement was strictly managed in ancient times; without one, one would be sent back! This document was required to pass through checkpoints and post stations in various locations.]
The system promptly provided additional explanations for her. After listening, Qingyun realized what was going on and quickly said with a smile, "It's normal that I've grown up in a secluded family and don't know anything about this."
The scarred woman didn't doubt this explanation. She handed all the documents to Qingyun, saying, "Lord Song has arranged for me to go with you. Please call me when you go. If you travel alone on your own, you will be sent back immediately." After all, Qingyun was still a criminal, and letting her leave the place of exile was already a violation of the rules.
This is really unavoidable now. Damn it, how come it was only mentioned yesterday and it's already operational today?!
System: [So, host, remember to draft your lies in the future.]
Qingyun: [Why do I notice you've been talking so much nonsense lately?]
There was no response in her mind anymore. She'd finished her day's work and completed her small task. She'd planted so many saplings in just a few days; thinking about it made her feel quite remarkable. Qingyun eagerly opened the store and saw the water purifier inside. Then a question suddenly occurred to her: "This water purifier needs to be plugged in to be placed in the well! How will I use electricity?"
Upon hearing this, the system spoke with smug satisfaction: "Host, you've underestimated this system. All electrical appliances from the modern world are powered by solar and hydroelectric energy in this era! If you put the water purifier in the well, it will automatically start working when it comes into contact with water."
Wow! This thing is so useful? Qingyun gave a thumbs up. "It really has to be AI high-tech."
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she thought, "But wouldn't someone see such a large water purifier at the bottom of the well?"
System: [The well is so deep... Besides, our company's products blend seamlessly with the water's color when submerged; our engineers used the chameleon principle...]
[Stop! Stop! Stop!] Qingyun quickly stopped the system from promoting its amazing technology. [When I get back, the first thing I'll do is give your company a huge thumbs down.]
The system, however, was displeased. Even its cold, electronic voice carried a hint of grievance: "Host, you're only alive because of our company. We simply send the souls of the deceased to different worlds in different timelines."
Qingyun chuckled: So I should be thanking you all?
I checked my points and found I already had 600, so I decided to buy them all at once. Soon, several miniature models appeared on the table.
Qingyun: ...
She was completely immune to any tricks this system could pull, and asked with a mixture of doubt and expectation, "Will these models automatically grow larger if I just throw them into the water?"
A burst of musical music filled my mind. [Congratulations, host, you answered correctly! Considering transportation issues, this technology was developed by our engineers…]
Qingyun waved her hand to stop her, saying, "No need for this nonsense." She really didn't have time to waste on this system.
Seeing that it was late at night and not many people were likely to be out and about, except for the city guards patrolling, now was the best time to do something. She got out of bed, put her straw sandals back on, and placed water purifiers in several wells in the city. However, these six were only for temporary relief; she still needed four more. The newly opened wells near the sand dunes had been ordered by Song Junwu not to be used by people or livestock, so the water source was clean and she didn't need to worry about it.
Thinking of this made her feel a little better, but then she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to mention the mosquitoes when she went to see Song Chaohua that day! She slapped her forehead and cursed herself for being an idiot for forgetting this. She couldn't wait any longer and ran straight to the commander's mansion to see the princess.
Because Song Chaoyun left the capital without permission, she could not build the princess's residence in a grand manner. She could only stay secretly in Song Junwu's official residence. Normally, no one would be received in the middle of the night, but when the eunuch next to Song Chaoyun heard that it was Qingyun, he immediately went in to report.
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