Lin Shu’s departure was low-key and shouldn’t have caused much of a stir. After all, the female lead’s fame was growing daily, and compared to Lin Yao, Lin Shu’s presence had long since faded.
However, some servant in the residence let a word slip, and news of Lin Shu’s failed attempt to poison Lin Yao and her subsequent removal by the Marquis and Marchioness leaked out. Closely following this, the Marquisate’s secret—that Lin Shu was a fake heiress while Lin Yao was the real one—was also unearthed.
The high-ranking noblewomen in the capital whispered among themselves about how well the Marquisate had kept the secret. They felt fortunate that Lin Shu had been set on marrying the heir of the Duke of Ying; otherwise, had they engaged her as a daughter-in-law for their own families, wouldn’t they have lost face when the truth came out?
The young noble ladies who couldn’t stand Lin Shu mocked her openly.
“Usually, she’s so arrogant, looking down on our families, but it turns out she’s a counterfeit. What daughter of a Marquisate? She’s just a village girl!”
“So, Lin Shu tried to poison Lin Yao to take her place, but the plot was exposed and the Marquis sent her back to that godforsaken wilderness?”
“Not exactly. Word is she requested to leave herself. Originally, the Marchioness only intended to send her to a manor in the outskirts, never to enter the city again for the rest of her life.”
“What? She’s mad! I heard the place where the Marchioness gave birth back then is a land of poor mountains and treacherous waters. The villagers there can’t even eat or dress well. When farmers can’t make ends meet, they even sell their children for food! Staying at the suburban manor, even if she never entered the city, would surely be better than going to that impoverished small village? What is she going there for? To farm?”
“Maybe her head is filled with water? Whatever the reason, the result is truly satisfying!”
While outsiders reacted this way, those close to Lin Yao felt even more vindicated.
“Sister Yao, you endured too much. I really thought you were her younger sister raised in the countryside. How did a counterfeit have the nerve to oppose you at every turn?”
“Hee-hee, Lin Shu actually tried to fight Sister Yao for the heir of Duke Gu. Now, forget about the Duke’s heir; she wouldn’t even be a match for someone from the lowest household in this capital. In the future, she’ll only be able to find a farmer who works the land for a living. It’s a pity the village she went to is so far away; otherwise, I’d certainly send someone to see how she’s doing.”
“Pfft, pfft.”
One sentence made several of the young ladies burst into laughter.
Lin Yao did not join in the laughter; instead, she frowned.
Among them, the daughter of the Count of Changyuan, who was more intelligent, realized that Lin Yao was the one raised by those “despicable” farmers they were mocking. She immediately smoothed things over: “You mischievous girls, say a little less. We are here today to congratulate Yao-yao and the heir of Duke Gu on their happy union. Let’s not put the cart before the horse.”
The others realized their mistake and chimed in agreement.
“Right, right, that’s the important matter. In the past, Lin Shu interfered and caused constant misunderstandings between Sister Yao and the heir. Now that the eyesore is gone and Sister Yao has reached a happy ending with the heir, we just have to wait to drink Sister Yao’s wedding wine!”
The outspoken daughter of the Minister of Rites stuck out her tongue and explained, “Sister Yao is different from that Lin Shu. Even if Sister Yao was born in the wilderness, she was like a dragon in shallow water teased by shrimp, or a tiger in the plains bullied by dogs. As for Lin Shu, she’s a wild pheasant wearing phoenix feathers; even if she grew up in a phoenix nest, she could never become a true phoenix.”
Lin Yao’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly, and her expression became indifferent. “I know you are speaking up for me, but there are many in the countryside who have never even been to the county town in their lives, let alone this prosperous capital. With Lin Shu gone, she and I will likely never see each other again. Why waste our breath on an irrelevant person? Besides, since I let her leave, I have made peace with her. I will no longer pursue past matters.”
The Minister’s daughter huffed, “Sister Yao being magnanimous is her own business, but I’m quite petty. Fine, fine, between the two of you, one is the moon in the sky and the other is mud on the ground; there’s really nothing more to say about a patch of rotten mud. I won’t mention her again so as not to spoil the mood.”
At this time, Lin Shu was unaware of the rumors regarding the real and fake heiress swirling through the capital. Several days had passed, and she remained quite excited.
She lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, gazing at the azure sky and cotton-candy clouds one moment, and observing the two lines of wheel tracks left on the official road the next. If they encountered merchant caravans or pedestrians, she would secretly peer at them with curiosity. But most of the time, she was staring at the flowers and grass alongside the road, muttering to herself.
While Lin Shu was still full of energy, Nanny Gui had already withered, leaning against the cushion she had specially brought, appearing listless.
She couldn’t understand what there was to see out there. It wasn’t as if Shu-jie’er had never seen the world; she had cultivated many precious plants in her own small courtyard. Why was she now so mesmerized by wild grass and flowers?
“Shu-jie’er, what are you muttering about? Say it aloud so this old woman can hear too?”
Hearing this, Lin Shu’s mouth began to spill words like beans from a jar, rattling on and on: “Nanny Gui, look over there! There’s actually a wild chestnut tree! Chestnuts are wonderful things; you can make sugar-roasted chestnuts, chestnut stewed chicken wings, chestnut ribs, chestnut braised rice… slurp, slurp, so fragrant. It’s a pity that wild chestnut tree hasn’t fruited yet…”
“Nanny Gui, those are dandelion seedlings. Many people don’t know this, but it’s an edible wild vegetable!”
“Purslane, the five-element vegetable! When it blooms, its body has five colors: green leaves, red stems, yellow flowers, black seeds, and white roots. It’s very beautiful! This thing is found everywhere, North and South. It’s a highly nutritious wild vegetable with many ways to eat it: cold-dressed, stir-fried, pickled, or even added to hotpot!”
“Thistles, thistles! I see Japanese thistles! Don’t mind the prickles on the tender leaves; if you blanch them and cook them, they’re nutritious and delicious! The flowers are very pretty, purple and spiky like hedgehog fur. And the roots—the roots are like radishes. Not only can they be used as medicine, but they can also be stewed in soup; they are very nourishing…”
“That’s foxtail grass. It hasn’t grown its ‘fox tail’ yet. Though it’s everywhere, it can be used in medicinal diets. Those tails can also be woven into little animals to amuse children—it works every time.”
“That is…”
Nanny Gui’s expression went numb.
She knew Shu-jie’er liked plants and flowers and usually liked reading related miscellaneous books. In the past, she had once suspected Shu-jie’er was tending to them to develop poisons to secretly harm people.
Now, she was certain: everything in Shu-jie’er’s head was about eating.
From Shu-jie’er’s mouth, it seemed there wasn’t a single wild flower or weed in the soil that couldn’t be eaten.
“…It’s a pity Uncle Shi Qing didn’t bring an iron pot. Otherwise, when we eat our dry rations, we could set up a stove and cook. I could pull some wild vegetables to boil; it would be so much better to eat them with the rations.”
Nanny Gui glanced at her. “What you see in books differs from reality. I suffered in my youth; wild vegetables don’t taste good. Most are sour and astringent. If they were truly good, restaurants would have served them on the table long ago.”
“That’s because the people eating them didn’t prepare the ingredients properly. If the cooking method is right, wild vegetables can be a delicacy. There’s no chance now, but otherwise, I’d show you my skills and let you have a taste.”
Nanny Gui scoffed, “Shu-jie’er’s fingers have never touched laundry water; I didn’t know you could actually cook?”
Lin Shu was unyielding despite having no experience. “I’m smart! I can do anything after reading it once in a book.”
Nanny Gui mocked, “Shu-jie’er is indeed bright, but it’s a pity that cleverness was all used for harming people.”
Lin Shu hummed but didn’t respond, continuing to admire the green mountains and clear waters outside. She and Nanny Gui didn’t see eye to eye, so she wouldn’t look for trouble.
“Putting on an act.” At this time, Nanny Gui still had the energy to ridicule Lin Shu, but as the journey grew longer, Nanny Gui became like a white radish that had been exposed to the sun for days—completely withered.
Lin Shu: “Nanny, look! There’s a river in the distance, such clear water! The sunlight shining on it makes it sparkle; it’s so beautiful!”
Nanny Gui: “Gag!“
Lin Shu: “I hear birds! Nanny, do you think that’s an oriole or a lark or something else? Such a lovely song.”
Nanny Gui: “Gag, gag!“
Lin Shu: “Wow, the stars are out! The stars tonight are so bright and twinkling, like jewels!”
Nanny Gui was already too weak to open her eyes.
“Nanny, are you sick? Why do you keep dry-heaving? Why don’t you stay in the next town and stop traveling with us? Don’t lose your old life for my sake,” Lin Shu suggested kindly.
Look, her originally ruddy and hydrated complexion had turned dull, no longer as good-looking as before.
“This old woman is perfectly healthy; you don’t need to worry about me.” Nanny Gui was stubborn to the end.
Lin Shu shook her head with a look of helplessness. “I really can’t do anything with you. I’ll tell Uncle Shi Qing to slow down.”
Nanny Gui rolled her eyes weakly. “Do you really still think you’re the daughter of the Marquisate? Will Shi Qing listen to you? Haven’t you noticed? Every time we travel, we never miss our mark; we always reach a courier station or a town inn before evening.”
The main arteries of the official roads in the Dayuan Dynasty radiated from the capital to the major provincial cities, with countless branches below connecting almost all local towns. Following the official road would basically take you to every town in the dynasty. Every sixty li, there was a station. Although these stations only served government personnel, Shi Qing was a guard of the Marquisate and a personal attendant of the Marquis, so he was qualified to stay in them.
Throughout the journey, the three of them either rested in town inns or these courier stations at night; there truly was never a time they missed their mark.
However, things should not be spoken of so lightly. Just as the two were muttering, the heavens began to rain.
The spring rain wasn’t heavy, but it drizzled incessantly, delaying their progress. For the first time, Shi Qing missed his mark. He couldn’t reach the next town or a station before dark, and there wasn’t even a sign of human habitation nearby.
The group 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. Come inside and rest, otherwise you might catch a cold.”
Hearing this, Shi Qing frowned and made no move.
Lin Shu knew what he was conflicted about and said, “It’s already this late, why be so fastidious? Besides, I’m not the only one in the carriage; Nanny Gui is here too.” When the female lead was bandaging your wounds, I didn’t see you being so particular.
Only then did Shi Qing say thanks, changed into clean clothes, and came inside. The three of them leaned against the carriage walls and closed their eyes to rest.
In the middle of nowhere, they naturally didn’t dare to fall into a deep sleep. Lin Shu took the initiative to take the watch for the second half of the night. Shi Qing glanced at her and did not refuse.
After this incident, although Shi Qing still maintained his stoic demeanor, Lin Shu could feel that his attitude toward her had softened.
On the few occasions when they weren’t in a hurry, Shi Qing would even go into the nearby wilderness to hunt some wild game. Once the wild chickens or rabbits were prepared and roasted over a fire, Lin Shu and Nanny Gui would eat until their mouths were oily.
This return journey took Lin Shu a full two months.
The road was not always smooth. Occasionally, when passing through remote areas, Shi Qing would drive the carriage very fast. Lin Shu could faintly hear chasing footsteps behind them, mixed with frustrated shouts and curses. Nanny Gui was startled, but Lin Shu remained relatively calm.
Although the Dayuan Dynasty in the book was a rare era of peace and prosperity, no matter how peaceful the world was, there was no shortage of bandits and outlaws—at most, they were small in scale and hadn’t become a major threat. Shi Qing was experienced and had his own ways of dealing with them; furthermore, he had traveled this road once before two years ago.
As the carriage reached the latter part of the journey, the scenery along the way changed. From time to time, rolling mountains could be seen, and streams and rivers became more frequent.
After reaching Jingxi Town and asking for directions, Shi Qing drove the carriage onto a narrow rural path, heading all the way toward Tianshui Village under the jurisdiction of Jingxi Town.