Night gradually fell, and in the flickering firelight, only the two of them could still be seen working.
Yun Yin called out to Zhang Lin, who was about to continue tamping the earth. “Go wash your hands and feet first. You can finish the rest tomorrow.”
She glanced at the sky—the moon was bright, the stars were shining. Tomorrow would likely be a clear day. She handed him a bamboo tube filled with hot water. “Go rest by the roadside tonight. If any traveling merchants stop there, ask around—see how busy this road usually is.”
Zhang Lin held the warm bamboo tube, hesitating. “I’ll ask around… but this is the only official road between Beijiang County and Long’an County, so there should be a fair number of people.”
After a pause, he added nervously, “Lady… what if someone finds out I’m a refugee? And what if those officers who tried to arrest me before come back?”
“They caught us here last time. They might come again.”
Yun Yin replied calmly, “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘The most dangerous place is often the safest’?”
“Besides, it’s late at night. Who’s going to come arrest you now? Even officials need rest.”
She glanced at his clothes and added, “But your clothes do need mending. Do you know how to sew?”
Zhang Lin shook his head quickly. “No… my mother used to mend them for me. After we fled, no one cared anymore—everyone wore rags, as long as it covered the body.”
“Alright, take it off. Let me see.” Yun Yin took out the needle and thread she had bought earlier and carefully began patching his clothes.
Though her sewing wasn’t particularly skilled, it was good enough for practical use. She handed the repaired clothes back to him. “Once we earn some money, I’ll buy you new clothes.”
Zhang Lin’s eyes immediately filled with tears. Wiping them, he said, “Lady Yun, you’re too good to me… my own mother treated me just like this.”
Yun Yin had no intention of being anyone’s mother. Just giving him food and clothes made him think she was wonderful—if he hadn’t refused to enter servitude, he’d probably have been cheated out of everything long ago.
She waved him off. “Go wash your face and get some rest.”
After Zhang Lin left, Yun Yin tidied up, spread a layer of clean thatch on the ground, washed up, and went to sleep.
On Zhang Lin’s side, he had barely sat down in the thatched shelter when he heard the sound of galloping hooves. Peeking out, he saw a group of guards with sabers at their waists escorting a carriage, stopping by the roadside.
They had noticed him already, but seeing he was alone and unarmed, they paid him little attention. Once they had dismounted and lit a fire, one of them asked, “Young man, are you heading to town or returning home?”
Zhang Lin quickly stepped forward. “My name is Zhang Lin. It got late, so I’m resting here. Are you all heading to Long’an County?”
The man waved his hand. “No.” He didn’t say where they were going.
Zhang Lin chatted with them casually while adding firewood. “By the way, sir, is this road usually busy?”
“You don’t know? This is the fastest route from Chang’an to Mianzhou. Of course it’s busy. A lot of people transport silk from Mianzhou to Chang’an. There are always many travelers—we’re actually behind schedule, otherwise we wouldn’t be stopping here tonight.”
Zhang Lin nodded, chatted a bit more, and then everyone went to sleep.
At dawn, the merchants departed. Once they were far away, Zhang Lin ran back to the hillside, calling out, “Lady Yun! Lady Yun!”
Yun Yin had just finished practicing martial arts. Hearing him shout, she set a pot of water to boil and replied, “Why are you yelling so early?”
“I found out—there really are quite a few merchants passing through here. But only a few who miss lodging will stop overnight. Do you have some plan, Lady?”
Yun Yin said, “I’m thinking of setting up a food stall here—just to see how much traffic there is.”
Hearing that the group he met had dozens of people, she recalled the merchant group she encountered yesterday was about the same size. Even just serving breakfast and dinner might be enough.
She baked some flatbread and said, “After you eat, go build two stoves near the roadside hut, and set up a shelter to block wind and rain. I’ll head to town. For lunch, catch a fish yourself. I’ll cook something good for you tonight.”
“What about the thatched hut here? Aren’t we building it?” Zhang Lin asked while chewing bread.
Yun Yin waved as she headed into the mountains with a basket. “Finish the stoves there first. We’ll build this one later.”
She had already spent one night outdoors. The weather wasn’t too cold—keeping a fire going would be enough. Though she could sell mushroom sauce for money, household registration alone would cost two strings of coins, and she wasn’t even sure that would be enough. It was better to start earning sooner.
She returned to the toon tree she had found the previous day. The leaves hadn’t grown much overnight, but nearby she found an even larger tree. She picked some to give to Luo Man and kept the rest to make toon paste—perfect for mixing with noodles.
After gathering toon shoots and elm seeds, Yun Yin took a basket of mushroom sauce, told Zhang Lin to watch their belongings, and headed to Pingxi Town.
She had already hidden the glass jars and books deep in the mountains the night before. The remaining pots and utensils weren’t valuable, but they were all she had, so someone needed to guard them.
Arriving early, she found that Luo Man’s restaurant had just opened. Luo Man led her to a side room. Yun Yin set down her basket and said, “Sister Luo, thank you for your help. I’ve brought the mushroom sauce—please have a taste.”
She opened one jar of vegetarian sauce and one of meat sauce.
Even before opening them, Luo Man could smell the aroma. Once opened, the fragrance grew richer and lingered in the air.
She tasted both and nodded repeatedly. “I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. Your cooking is excellent—savory with a hint of sweetness. It’s perfect with rice.”
“How much do you have?”
Yun Yin placed the basket on the table. “This is all I’ve made so far. If you need more later, I can make more.”
After considering, Luo Man said, “I’ll take all of it. What price are you asking?”
Yun Yin had already thought this through. “The cost isn’t low, so the price will be higher. This vegetarian one is about one jin—50 coins. The meat one is 70 coins—the meat is expensive, so this is already a fair price.”
Luo Man nodded. “Not cheap, but customers who dine here can afford it.”
“There are forty jars total. I’ll give you 2,500 coins. Does that sound right?”
Yun Yin shook her head. “The two opened jars are a gift. Just give me 2,480 coins.”
“You call me sister—I won’t let you lose out,” Luo Man said, calling someone to take the jars away. “Do you want copper coins or silver?”
Yun Yin asked, “When registering a household, does the village head accept silver or coins?”
“So you’re planning to settle down?” Luo Man thought for a moment. “I’ll give you official silver—it’s more convenient.”
“Where are you planning to register?”
Yun Yin described her location.
“That’s Linjiang Village,” Luo Man said. “You’ll need to find the village head there. He oversees both Linjiang and Pingjiang villages.”
“Linjiang Village…” Yun Yin accepted the silver and said goodbye. “Thank you, Sister Luo. Without you, I couldn’t have done this so quickly.”
She offered the toon shoots and elm seeds as a gift. Luo Man declined at first but eventually accepted.
“I wish you success,” Luo Man said. “Next time you come to town, come find me—I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Yun Yin then headed to Linjiang Village.
The village was easy to find, located by the river. As she approached the largest house, she heard a child reciting clearly:
“Heaven and earth are dark and yellow, the universe vast and wild…”
Hearing the familiar Thousand Character Classic, Yun Yin smiled. Even though this wasn’t the Tang Dynasty, much of Chinese culture still endured.
As she was about to enter, she overheard a couple talking:
“Father, the market is in two days. Let’s sell our eggs and save money to send our second son to school.”
“He already knows the Thousand Character Classic—his older brother taught him. If he studies, he’ll do just as well.”
The man sighed. “I want to, but we can’t afford to send both children.”
After listening briefly, Yun Yin stepped forward and called out, “Is Village Head Sun here?”