Following Brother Zheng's directions, Chen Shiyi found the Gurgling Spring.
The spring was located in a mountain valley, where the slopes were covered with Camellia Trees.
On many of the tea tree branches grew clusters of delicate, translucent Tea Buds.
The Tea Buds were moist, refreshing, and sweet, quenching thirst—this was something the children fetching water together had told her.
She gathered some, using the hem of her shirt to carry them, and hurried back.
On the way back to the wooden house, she spotted Wen Zhirou from afar, standing on tiptoe and gazing intently in the direction she was coming from.
Seeing Shiyi's figure, Wen Zhirou's tense body relaxed with joy, and she rushed toward Shiyi.
"You found food."
Wen Zhirou's eyes sparkled brightly, especially when she caught the scent of the food wafting through the air, making her even happier.
The group sat around the food. As soon as they opened the Lotus Leaf Wrap, several pale green vegetable pancakes came into view. The rich aroma of rice mixed with vegetables was an immense temptation for those who hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.
Each person took a piece. The Wen family, being a well-bred clan, maintained their innate manners even in their reduced circumstances, eating slowly and deliberately. This made Chen Shiyi feel quite out of place.
Rui'er patted his belly, clearly still hungry, but he was very sensible.
"Uncle and Father haven't eaten yet. Should we save some for them when they return?"
Madam Wen gently ruffled his messy hair.
"Our Rui'er has grown up."
Wen Zhirou held a Tea Bud and asked, "This seems different from the elm seeds we had before. It tastes sweeter."
Chen Shiyi was somewhat distracted, still thinking about that house.
With her stomach slightly filled and after taking a sip of water, she walked back to the abandoned courtyard.
The courtyard was in an excellent location: facing a stream in the front, backed by a mountain, with a large flat area to the left that appeared to have once been a vegetable plot. Not far away, a vast bamboo grove rustled in the wind.
Moreover, this courtyard wasn't too far from the Fengming Mine.
It was truly perfect for their current situation.
She thought it would be best to inquire about the details of this courtyard first.
She surveyed the surrounding area and noticed that halfway up the mountain, about a li away, there was another household.
This household seemed relatively well-off.
On the walls of the Smoke-yellow Mud House hung several strings of crimson dried meat alongside white garlic. Under the eaves, a large wooden cage was casually placed, with the chirping of chickens inside. The courtyard was rather messy, covered in dust and fallen leaves, as if it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. To the right of the house, a short wooden barrel was filled with old clothes.
Chen Shiyi wondered, what kind of person would live in such a place?
Suddenly, a gleaming blade was pressed against her neck.
The cold steel sent a chill down her spine, and Chen Shiyi froze, not daring to move.
From behind, a wild, hoarse voice rang out.
"Who are you? What are you doing loitering around my house?"
Chen Shiyi hurriedly replied, "Spare me, brother! I've just been exiled here. I saw there was a household and wanted to ask about something. I mean no harm."
After a long moment, the blade against her neck slowly withdrew.
Chen Shiyi nervously cleared her throat and turned around to see the person's face.
Dressed in black clothes, washed to a faded hue, the figure they enveloped was burly, solid and powerful. The hand gripping the knife had bulging veins, the skin was dark, and the eyes were sharp, like a lurking wolf-beast. On the left forehead, there was a clear scar.
A bandit?
Chen Shiyi instinctively wanted to flee, but unexpectedly, that person pinned her against the doorway.
"You think you can come and go as you please?"
Chen Shiyi leaned back against the courtyard gate, her ink-black pupils constantly flickering, unmistakably revealing her panic and fear.
"I, I…"
The bandit sized her up for a long moment, then suddenly sneered.
"Speak, what do you want to ask?"
Chen Shiyi swallowed hard, speaking with great nervousness.
"I, I just wanted to ask, that abandoned courtyard over there, can it be lived in?"
"You want to know?"
"Mhm."
"Wanting to know is fine, but I'm someone who doesn't get up early without profit. What will you offer in exchange?"
"I have no silver."
"No silver, and you still ask questions."
After saying this, ignoring Chen Shiyi before him, he walked straight into the courtyard.
Chen Shiyi hurriedly followed behind him, saying,
"I can work."
Seeing that the person had no intention of paying her any attention, she continued,
"Any work you have, I can do it."
The bandit snorted coldly.
"Who here lacks that bit of strength? Get out."
Hearing his anger, Chen Shiyi quickly ran outside. Just as she reached the gate, she was called back by that person.
He frowned and asked coldly,
"Can you cook?"
Chen Shiyi nodded.
"I can."
"Make me a table of dishes. In exchange, I'll tell you how to move into that house."
Upon entering the kitchen, she discovered the bandit's home was indeed well-off.
The rice in the vat, the oil in the jar, were all full to the brim. The salt in the small jar hadn't clumped like lard but was as fine and distinct as sand grains—this was new salt.
A few strings of smoked meat hung from the kitchen ceiling. In a basket on the ground were several fresh bird eggs, and beside them, something green and fresh were wild vegetables picked not long ago.
In Xiangyang Village, Chen Shiyi did all kinds of work; making a few dishes was no trouble at all.
She deftly chopped vegetables, washed them, lit the fire, and stir-fried, preparing four dishes and a soup. She also took the opportunity to clean up his courtyard.
She thought, if she did a better job, perhaps the other person might offer a few more pointers, which would be much better than them blindly exploring and fumbling around on their own.
While she was cleaning the kitchen, the bandit was outside hammering and banging. Soon, more footsteps were heard entering the courtyard.
A booming voice roared in,
"Brother Cui, I finally managed to get a jar of Old Liang's rice wine."
The bandit's voice replied,
"Perfect timing. I've prepared a few hearty dishes here. Tonight, we won't leave until we're drunk."
As soon as Chen Shiyi brought out the dishes, the gazes of several men outside all focused on her.
There was shock, confusion, but mostly disbelief.
The one with the loud voice spoke up,
"Brother Cui, since when did you take a liking to this? This… she's still a child, right?"
"Exactly, this scrawny thing, and you actually fancy her?"
The bandit surnamed Cui laughed and beckoned them to sit at the square table he had just finished hammering together.
"I don't know where she crawled out from either. She said she could work, so I let her. Might as well make use of her."
Listening to the banter among the group of men, Chen Shiyi didn't dare utter a word. She simply brought all the dishes to the table, set out the washed bowls and chopsticks, and quietly stood to the side.
A man in a white robe, somewhat more refined in appearance.
“Chicken, fish, meat, and eggs—Yong’an, you’ve really gone all out today!”
“It’s nothing. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
The man in the white robe drank some wine and ate the dishes, seeming quite content.
“Young lady, your cooking is excellent. Where are you from?”
Hearing someone ask her, Chen Shiyi quickly gathered her wits and replied.
“I was exiled from Jingdu.”
Upon hearing this, the hands of the others, busy picking up food or drinking, paused for a moment.
The man in the white robe furrowed his brows and asked.
“What crime did your family commit?”
Chen Shiyi shook her head.
“I don’t know. I’m just a maid. I came here with my master’s family.”
The group fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“You mean your master was exiled, and they still brought along a maid to serve them?”
Chen Shiyi nodded, not quite understanding their reaction.
“No wonder. Someone from Jingdu wouldn’t be able to cook such a fine table of dishes.”