After dinner, Yeman went into the room and immediately fell asleep.
In the Mountain Area, there wasn't much happening at night, but it wasn't quiet.
But no sound could disturb her; eating and then sleeping was just fattening up.
In the Kitchen, a lamp was lit.
Tonight, more than one household was busy. Autumn harvest was approaching, so most people finished the day's work that same day. Having meat to eat made them tidy up even more efficiently. However, some families couldn't bear to light a lamp, relying only on the Firelight from the stove.
Madam Shui lit the lamp very brightly.
The Steamed buns were all steamed and placed in a jar. The Meat Patties were fried and wrapped in a clean cloth. Clothes and shoes were also packed up.
Early in the morning, when Yeman got up, she saw a pitiful donkey and a large pile of belongings.
Even though a Child was watching, the Meat Patties were still warm after a night.
Madam Shui gave a Meat Patty to her son and pulled him to wash his face.
Yeman put the Steamed buns into the Spatial Dimension; although the clothes were in a large bundle, they weren't very heavy.
Madam Shui brought over hot water, only to see that her donkey and the Divine Doctor had already gotten along well.
Although the donkey is stupid, perhaps it possesses great wisdom. "It runs faster than an ox, has a better temper than a horse, and is no weaker than a mule."
Yeman finished packing, still dressed in men's clothing.
She wore two layers of Headscarves, as there was still dew in the morning. She wore a large padded coat.
The coat, which a Young Gentleman wouldn't wear, looked particularly large and imposing on Yeman.
Wearing it in the early morning or evening, or when resting somewhere at night, was quite good; as for midday, it was also fine—didn't people use cotton quilts to keep popsicles warm?
Yeman put on an extra pair of old trousers, which had so many patches they could almost be called fashionable.
The girl helped the Old Madam out.
The Old Madam was in high spirits and didn't need support! She was a bit anxious about the Divine Doctor.
Yeman gave medical advice: "You must be careful and not get agitated."
The Old Madam calmed down, but that old medicine must have cost several hundred taels of silver, right? She couldn't repay it yet.
Yeman, riding the donkey, cupped her hands: "Until we meet again!"
Madam Shui quickly said, "You haven't eaten breakfast yet."
Yeman replied, "No need. I need to make good time while the weather is good; I have business in the Prefecture City."
Madam Shui cautioned, "Be careful on the road."
Yeman waved and truly left.
Early in the morning, the Mountain Villagers became busy, some yawning, as tidying up the meat last night had affected their rest.
Everyone watched Yeman ride away on the donkey and grew curious, flocking to Madam Shui's house to inquire.
The Old Madam explained to the people: "We don't know; they just stopped by for lodging for one night."
Mountain Villagers were generally simple and enthusiastic; someone stopping by for lodging was not a big deal.
As for where they came from, they didn't know much more than that.
They were enthusiastic upon arrival, and then left like a gust of wind, leaving behind a poem.
"Grandmother!" the girl called from inside the house.
"What is it now?" Madam Shui asked.
The girl ran out, holding a Silver Ingot in her hand, giving it to her mother.
Madam Shui was stunned; why was she given Five taels of silver again? She didn't know how much her auntie was worth.
A Village Woman looked on enviously: "Why give so much Silver?"
Madam Shui's expression didn't change: "Didn't you see all the food she took? She said the bamboo shoot stew with meat she ate last night was delicious, and she almost took all our dried bamboo shoots."
Did she think the Village Woman was a fool? Her loud voice could be heard across this entire mountain area: "How much is that worth?"
Madam Shui, though not as loud, had confidence: "You know nothing! You eat it every day and don't think much of it, but city folk think it's valuable! They call this Delicacies of the Mountains and Seas."
A Village Man chimed in: "We sell it cheap, but the people who eat it don't pay cheap. Even if someone profits in between, we have no connections."
An Old Man said: "If you sell it for a lot of Silver, you also have to be careful about being robbed."
Madam Shui said: "So, regardless of how much it's worth, we just eat these Mountain Delicacies every day."
That Village Woman was jealous: "What good luck."
Madam Shui thought to herself, how could it not be? Her auntie had a dangerous encounter and met a Divine Doctor who came to the door; how could that be worth just a few taels of silver?
If the Divine Doctor was willing to leave Silver, it meant she was satisfied.
Madam Shui wasn't entirely satisfied, but chasing after her seemed unlikely.
Someone joked: "Your family was busy all night; did you take all that food to treat guests?"
Who knew? Madam Shui had her own business to attend to.
***
Old Ancestor Yeman rode the little donkey quickly.
If the donkey was truly let run, it could cover forty li in one hour. She encountered a marketplace and stopped to rest.
There was a Tofu Pudding stall, and there weren't many people at this time.
Yeman sat down, took out a Meat Patty to eat with the Tofu Pudding—perfect.
A moment later, she saw some commotion starting.
A man wearing a Green Robe, perhaps in his twenties, his Robe was old and wrinkled; after being grabbed a few times, it was torn, but he firmly protected a Box, and the other party couldn't snatch it away.
These few people causing the disturbance moved toward the Tofu Pudding stall.
The Tofu Pudding seller became anxious!
Yeman finished eating, brushed past the troublemakers as they left, then led her donkey back onto the road.
The marketplace was extremely crowded; no one paid attention.
It was just that the Box disappeared, and both sides were left arguing for nothing.
The Green Robe man, looking utterly devastated, left the marketplace, only to suddenly feel two Silver Ingots appear on his person.
Just as the Box had suddenly vanished, this Silver appeared just as suddenly.
Although he intended to sell it, that ancestral item was worth more than ten taels of silver; but compared to being robbed, it was ultimately better.
Yeman imitated someone else, riding the donkey backward, letting it walk slowly.
She took out the Box; it was an extremely exquisite Box, inside which was a white jade lion paperweight.
Setting aside the carving skill of the paperweight, there was a layer of patina on top; the key was that it possessed Spiritual Energy!
Even if it couldn't compare to a Spirit Stone, it at least proved that Spiritual Energy existed.
She put the Box back into the Spatial Dimension, took out a Steamed bun to eat; the weather truly was wonderful.
She didn't have time to admire it yet; she would let the donkey run a bit more when the time was right. She would have plenty of opportunities to admire things later.
In her current state, she could appreciate things herself, but it might not be a pleasant sight for others.
Moreover, her poor health affected her mood.
That night, one person and one donkey stopped at a Post Station.
The Post Station was deserted; several rooms were in disrepair and somewhat dirty inside.
Overall, it was better than a Pigsty, at least Yeman had food and drink now.
Even if the environment smelled a bit foul, it wasn't as foul as a Pigsty. It was well-ventilated here, and as long as there was no source of the stench, the wind would disperse most of it.
As for human waste, that was truly not a problem.
That stuff, though not valuable, was precious; people nearby certainly wouldn't miss it. There was no need to hire a cleaner.
As for the disrepair of the building, it wasn't raining tonight, so the building wouldn't collapse.
Yeman ate her fill, checked on her donkey, closed her eyes, and slept.
Several thieves came in the night.
More diligent than cleaners, were they going to steal the donkey too?
Yeman got up and asked, "Do you have any Silver?"
The thieves looked at each other.
Yeman observed that they were just a bunch of poor wretches; the Old Ancestor couldn't even be bothered to exert herself. She used a branch to draw out a set of Sword Qi.
The thieves were scared witless! Too terrifying!
Alas, the Old Ancestor was speechless.
She could only say it was good that the thieves were timid; otherwise, fighting them wouldn't have been worth the effort.
She mounted the donkey and hurried on through the night.
The Official Road was also in disrepair, but it was still an Official Road, and the donkey ran on tirelessly.
As dawn approached, Yeman saw a Post Station and stopped to rest.
There shouldn't be any thieves this time; it was already getting light, and some people were already on the road, working hard.