Zang Liujiang had been really busy lately, so busy that he didn’t have time to check how much Yu Huishui was eating. Although every meal was delivered on time by Cuicui, Zang Liujiang’s noisy presence was nowhere to be seen.
Yu Huishui looked at the dishes on the table, all of which were ones he had eaten more of when he was at the Prince’s Mansion. It seemed that Zang Liujiang had remembered them and had someone replicate them.
Chewing a mouthful of bread forcefully, Yu Huishui felt a bit empty inside.
“Cuicui,” Yu Huishui finally couldn’t hold back. When Cuicui and the Wang family girl came to clear the dishes, he secretly asked her, “Where has Zang Liujiang been lately?”
“The big boss?” Cuicui, while efficiently stacking the dishes, recalled that she hadn’t seen much of Zang Liujiang these past two days.
“Not too sure, he probably went down the mountain?”
Cuicui noticed Yu Huishui’s slight disappointment and couldn’t help but think the worst. “What? Did you and the big boss have another fight?”
“No,” Yu Huishui rubbed his face, feeling a bit down as he randomly flipped through the book in his hand, muttering softly, “He doesn’t even come around, so there’s no fight to be had…”
Cuicui heard him clearly and turned to see Yu Huishui looking dejected. She scratched her head, trying to figure it out, but the Wang family girl blurted out the most piercing words.
“Could he have found a new love?”
“New love?” Yu Huishui’s face turned pale for a moment. He wanted to say it was impossible, but the words stopped at his lips.
Yeah, Zang Liujiang had always wanted to marry a wife. It was just a mix-up that he kidnapped the wrong person. How could he be sure that Zang Liujiang didn’t want a real girl as a wife?
Cuicui quickly pulled the clueless Wang family girl aside, lowering her voice to scold her, “What nonsense are you spouting? You’re going to make him cry!”
The Wang family girl, being straightforward, quickly covered her mouth and looked back cautiously, indeed seeing Yu Huishui’s drooping eyes, sadness written all over his face.
Thinking about it, it might be true. Originally, Zang Liujiang just came around less often, but he still returned to the room to sleep at night. However, last night, he rushed back quietly until the early morning without waking him up. It seemed like they were tired of seeing each other.
The more Yu Huishui thought about it, the more he felt that Zang Liujiang having a new love was highly possible, making the emptiness in his heart even more pronounced and painful.
Yu Huishui hated this feeling the most. His unease made it hard to focus on reading, so he might as well find Zang Liujiang and ask him directly.
The Wang family girl was still regretting with Cuicui when they heard a noise behind them. Yu Huishui suddenly stood up, determination written all over his face.
“I’m going to find him!”
“Great!” The Wang family girl, filled with righteous indignation, raised her hand, eager to make up for her earlier slip of the tongue. “Let’s go catch him in the act!”
Cuicui didn’t think Zang Liujiang would have any affair, but she couldn’t let the clueless Wang family girl lead the unfamiliar Yu Huishui around.
“Don’t rush, we need a reason to go down the mountain.”
Cuicui saw the Wang family girl pulling Yu Huishui, ready to dash out, and quickly stopped them.
“A reason?” The Wang family girl pondered for a moment, her round eyes lighting up as she ran outside excitedly. “I’ve got one! Wait for me!”
Soon, she returned with a heavy basket on her back.
“We’ll say we’re going down the mountain to sell this!” The Wang family girl lifted the cloth covering the basket, revealing a mix of herbs. “Once we sell these, I’ll treat you to some sweets!”
“That’s a good idea.” Cuicui nodded, thinking that with this basket of herbs, it wouldn’t be a wasted trip.
The three of them discussed for a while, planning to take the vegetable delivery cart down the mountain. The cart driver was nice, and after delivering the vegetables, he would occasionally take women who wanted to go down the mountain to the village. He earned enough from one trip, charging just one copper coin per person.
Yu Huishui went to grab the basket on the ground, thinking that as a man, he couldn’t let the girls carry the load.
Cuicui also reached for the basket, thinking that Yu Huishui was wearing new clothes, and it would be a hassle to wash them if they got dirty. It would be better for her to carry it.
As they both reached out, the Wang family girl was even more eager to grab it.
The two sisters in front of her had both been hurt by the big boss. With their hearts wounded, carrying something heavy seemed even more pitiful.
After a long tug-of-war, with words exchanged back and forth, they were suddenly interrupted by the door being pushed open by Xiao Yaba.
“Xiao Yaba!” The Wang family girl’s eyes sparkled as she called out to the wooden-faced child.
“Ah,” Xiao Yaba looked at her in confusion.
“Help me carry the basket, and I’ll buy you sweets. Deal?”
“Ah!” With a shout of surprise, the basket was snatched away by Xiao Yaba.
The four of them set off together to find the vegetable cart driver at the village gate.
“Big brother! We’re going down the mountain!” The Wang family girl, lively as ever, hopped onto the cart, making it creak and groan.
Yu Huishui handed four copper coins to the driver, who happily accepted them. The cart wasn’t big, just enough for the four of them. Once they were all seated, the driver raised his whip and urged the donkey to leave the village.
The cart moved slowly, creaking along. The Wang family girl, unable to stand the silence, started chatting with the driver.
“You’re quite an interesting little girl!” The driver laughed heartily, enjoying the conversation. “I don’t think you all are from a bandit den. Everyone seems really nice!”
“Of course!” The Wang family girl boasted, leaning on the cart’s edge. “Our village is great!”
“I once went to a bun shop, and the owner said you bandits are unreasonable. I argued with him!”
The driver mimicked the bun shop owner, making the Wang family girl laugh.
“I heard your big boss got married?”
The driver suddenly remembered the rich lady the bun shop owner mentioned and asked the Wang family girl, “Did he marry a wealthy lady?”
Everyone’s eyes instantly fell on Yu Huishui, then quickly scattered away.
“Yes, our big boss did get married,” Cuicui replied.
“May I ask,” the driver lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard, “was your sister-in-law kidnapped?”
“Of course not!” The Wang family girl shouted, startling everyone in the cart.
“Our big boss and his wife are in love. Who’s spreading rumors?” The Wang family girl waved her fist and patted Xiao Yaba beside her. “Isn’t that right?”
“Ah ah!” Xiao Yaba, whether in agreement or pain, responded with a spirited shout.
Indeed, they were in love, Yu Huishui thought. But who knew how long it would last?
“I thought so,” the driver, his curiosity satisfied, didn’t ask further and continued down the mountain.
The wind was strong along the way, and the group huddled in the cart, too cold to enjoy the scenery. It wasn’t until they reached the village and saw people that they felt a bit better.
“It’s freezing,” the Wang family girl rubbed her hands. “How do we find the big boss?”
“Look for Da Hei,” Yu Huishui said confidently, scanning the passersby. “Da Hei is distinctive, easy to find with a little inquiry.”
The Wang family girl, not forgetting her herbs, squatted in a corner with her basket. Soon, a group of women gathered, picking through the herbs.
“Aunties, sisters, can I ask you something?” The Wang family girl, helping with the selection, smiled sweetly. “Have you seen a tall man riding a big black horse?”
“Why are you asking about that?” One of the women, nervously looking around, said, “They’re bandits. Don’t get involved.”
“So you’ve seen him?” Cuicui chimed in, “Which way did he go?”
“Oh dear, you girls don’t listen,” the woman waved her hand, pointing east. “He went to the biggest teahouse over there.”
“Thank you, auntie. We’re just asking,” the Wang family girl smiled, adding more herbs to the woman’s bag. “I’ll give you extra. It’s great for tea!”
The herbs the Wang family girl brought were well-picked and clean, quickly selling out, earning her a string of coins.
She had saved these herbs since winter, and earning this much made her very satisfied.
“Let’s buy sweets!” The Wang family girl happily packed up the empty basket, only to see Yu Huishui already holding several bags of sweets, with Xiao Yaba munching away beside him.
“No need to buy, I’ll treat you,” Yu Huishui handed over the paper bags, filled with all sorts of sweets.
“Huishui sister…” The Wang family girl was moved, her determination to catch the cheater burning even brighter.
Huishui sister was such a good person, she had to get justice for her!
“Huishui sister, you rest in the bookstore. Cuicui, Xiao Yaba, and I will go find him!” The Wang family girl, feeling guilty for eating the sweets, pulled Cuicui and Xiao Yaba, running off with the sweets.
Yu Huishui wanted to follow, but the mountain girls ran so fast that he couldn’t keep up. He had no choice but to wait in the bookstore for them to return.
The small village didn’t have many readers, so the bookstore was quiet. The shopkeeper dozed behind the counter, holding a book, seemingly asleep.
Yu Huishui wasn’t in the mood to read, randomly flipping through a book.
“Miss, do you like reading?”
Yu Huishui was staring at an illustration in the book when a slightly teasing voice came from beside him. He looked up to see an unfamiliar face.
The man wore a dark padded robe with white-soled cloth shoes, his face pale, eyebrows raised high, with deep-set eyes and heavy dark circles, smiling at him.
Despite his neat appearance, he gave off an uncomfortable vibe.
“I can’t read,” Yu Huishui decisively closed the book, refusing further conversation.
“You don’t look like someone who can’t read,” Zhu Quanyou glanced at the book in Yu Huishui’s hand. “This Jin Ping Mei…”
“What Jin Ping Mei, this is…” Yu Huishui, knowing it was a racy book, instinctively retorted, realizing he had fallen into a trap.
Already troubled by Zang Liujiang, Yu Huishui was even more annoyed now.
“You’re smart,” Zhu Quanyou found it amusing. He had passed the scholar exam before coming here and often went down the mountain to buy books. Today, he felt lucky to meet a literate and pretty girl.
“Stay away from me,” Yu Huishui showed his unfriendly side, glaring at the tactless stranger.
The old shopkeeper, hearing the commotion, looked up, recognized the person, and quickly buried his head again.