It was already well past lunchtime, and Yun Yin guessed that Zhang Lin must be getting anxious waiting. She quickly headed deeper into the woods.
The forest was filled only with the chirping of birds. She walked straight ahead until she reached the big tree, but after calling out for quite a while, there was no response.
Thinking something might have happened to Zhang Lin, Yun Yin was just about to climb the tree to check when she suddenly heard an “Ouch!” It turned out Zhang Lin had just woken up and nearly fallen out of the tree—but since he was tied with a rope, he didn’t actually fall.
Speechless, Yun Yin helped him down and said, “Honestly, you can even fall asleep like this?”
“If I hadn’t tied you properly, that fall would’ve cost you half your life.”
Zhang Lin rubbed his arm and grinned. “I had nothing to do. I waited and waited, and since you didn’t come, I just took a nap up there.”
Yun Yin tied her whip back around her waist and handed him a flatbread. “Alright, let’s go.”
Seeing the still-warm bread, Zhang Lin swallowed hard. “Lady Yun… is this really for me?”
Seeing how pitiful he looked, Yun Yin nodded. “Eat. There’s more after this. Tonight you’ll even have bamboo tube rice.”
“As long as you follow me, you won’t go hungry. So don’t even think about pulling anything like before—not even for a moment.”
Zhang Lin took a huge bite, finishing more than half the bread in one go, and nodded repeatedly. “Got it, Lady Yun. I won’t do it again. I’ll follow you from now on—whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it, as long as I get food.”
Satisfied, Yun Yin said, “Good. Then let’s go. First, help me build a thatched hut.”
She led Zhang Lin back to the slope she had previously chosen and pointed to a flat area below. “Build a thatched hut here. How long will it take?”
Zhang Lin didn’t ask questions, nor did he wonder why she wanted a hut here. After eating, he looked around and thought for a moment. “If it’s just one room, including making mud bricks and drying thatch, it’ll take me about ten days on my own.”
Yun Yin handed him a machete. “Go cut some trees. And bring back a thicker piece of bamboo—I’ll make bamboo tube rice later.”
At the mention of bamboo tube rice, Zhang Lin’s eyes lit up. Taking the machete, he said, “Don’t worry, Lady Yun. I’ll build you a sturdy and well-made house.”
After watching him head into the mountains, Yun Yin rekindled the fire, boiled water, and cleaned the jars she had bought. Once they were dry, she packed all the mushroom sauce into the ceramic jars.
Afterward, she washed the glass jars with plant ash, dried them, and placed them into a wooden box along with a few books. Once everything was securely packed and wouldn’t collide, she locked the box and hid it in a nearby thicket.
In ancient times, jars like these were valuable items. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to sell them for money. Better safe than sorry—even though glass existed, craftsmanship like this was rare. As someone without official household registration, she needed to be cautious.
By the time she finished, Zhang Lin still hadn’t returned, so she continued organizing the mushroom sauce. Tomorrow she would visit Luo Man and could bring one jar of vegetarian mushroom sauce and one jar with meat for her to taste.
As for the chicken mushroom oil, she only had one jar and might not find more in the future, so she kept it for herself. The spicy mushroom sauce was even more precious—she had learned that chili peppers didn’t yet exist here, making her spicy sauces completely unique.
Thinking about how long it might be before she could enjoy spicy food again made Yun Yin a bit gloomy. She decided to keep all the spicy sauce for herself.
In total, she sorted out thirty jars of meat sauce and ten jars of vegetarian sauce. She set aside what she would give Luo Man to taste and packed the rest to bring along tomorrow. If Lady Luo didn’t want them, she would have to find another buyer.
Looking at the jars spread all over the ground, Yun Yin felt a sense of satisfaction—this was her hard-earned property.
Just then, Zhang Lin returned, dragging logs and bamboo. Yun Yin went over to help. After unloading everything, she handed him a bowl of water. “Drink. I just boiled it.”
Zhang Lin drained it in one go and wiped his mouth. “Thank you, Lady Yun.”
Yun Yin glanced at the bamboo he had chosen—it was suitable. Nodding, she said, “Rest for a bit, then go dig some river mud to make bricks. I’ll gather some bamboo shoots—we’ll have bamboo shoot and pork bamboo tube rice tonight.”
“Alright, Lady. I’ll keep watch over things here.”
Yun Yin nodded and quickly entered the mountains with a basket.
To be honest, she wasn’t worried about him running away with her belongings. She had observed him along the way—though Zhang Lin looked strong, he was actually simple and honest, with just a little bit of cleverness.
After she gave him bread and didn’t limit how much he could eat, he looked ready to follow her forever.
According to him, back home his family disliked him for eating too much. Later, when famine struck and his family died, he fled with others from his hometown—but again, because of his appetite, he wasn’t welcomed.
Yun Yin twitched at the thought of him eating ten flatbreads in one go. No wonder people disliked him—he really did eat a lot.
Fortunately, she could still afford flatbreads costing ten coins. Once she started cooking for herself, it would be even cheaper.
As she walked and planned ahead, she soon reached the bamboo shoot patch. With a few swift cuts, she gathered enough for the day, along with some elm seeds to make soup.
When she returned to the slope, Zhang Lin was already making mud bricks, using thatch in place of straw.
After watching for a moment without disturbing him, Yun Yin went to prepare bamboo for cooking. He had already removed the branches, so she only needed to cut the bamboo into sections and clean them by the river.
She soaked the rice, diced pork belly, and marinated it with ginger, garlic, and salt, then prepared the bamboo shoots. After blanching them to remove bitterness, she stir-fried the pork, added the bamboo shoots, and finally mixed in mushroom sauce.
Though the ingredients were simple, her cooking skill made the dish fragrant and appetizing.
She placed the filled bamboo tubes over the fire to roast, then boiled water to make egg drop soup with the two eggs she had bought using her last three coins.
As Zhang Lin worked, he kept glancing over, and when the aroma spread, he could hardly focus anymore.
Noticing this, Yun Yin called, “Come have some soup. The rice needs more time—have a bowl and rest.”
Zhang Lin quickly washed up, sat down, and gulped the soup down before even thanking her.
“It’s hot! Are you alright?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” he said, savoring the taste. “I used to fight for food, so I’m used to eating fast. This soup is delicious—can I have another bowl?”
“Drink as much as you want,” Yun Yin said, refilling his bowl. “There’s more food coming.”
Later, when the bamboo tubes turned golden, the rice was ready. Splitting one open released a fragrant aroma. Yun Yin took a bite—the flavors of oil, bamboo, and mushrooms blended perfectly.
She ate two and handed the rest to Zhang Lin. “These are yours. If it’s not enough, there’s more bread.”
Zhang Lin nodded eagerly. “Thank you, Lady Yun. Your cooking is amazing. You really meant it when you said you’d provide meals, right?”
“Of course,” she said. “Work well for me, and you’ll never go hungry.”
Relieved, Zhang Lin said, “Then I’m at ease.”
“Lady Yun, when will you get me temporary registration? Then we can sign a work contract.”
Yun Yin raised an eyebrow. She herself hadn’t even secured registration yet. Pointing to the mud, she said, “That depends on your performance. Do well, and I’ll sign you on sooner.”
Zhang Lin quickly finished eating and returned to work. “Don’t worry—I’ll work hard!”
Yun Yin shook her head with a smile, cleaned up, and went to cut thatch by the river. Though she couldn’t build the hut herself, she could at least help gather materials.
As dusk fell, they worked side by side—one making bricks, the other cutting thatch. Progress was slow, but Yun Yin wasn’t in a hurry. Until the hut was finished, they could make do outdoors. As for Zhang Lin, he could stay in a roadside shack and gather information as well.