“Before we head north, Nangong An, let’s go up the mountain one more time. I want to pick up some yam tubers. Once we settle down, we can plant some Chinese yams.”
Nangong An looked at her awkward way of walking and figured that he must have been too rough last night and hurt her. He didn’t refuse her suggestion and readily agreed.
“Alright. But you’re tired from last night. Stay in the tent and rest well. I’ll take Feng Ying with me.”
He made the decision directly—he simply didn’t want her going again. These were things he could do for her; there was no need for her to exhaust herself.
Yunxi held her sore waist and endured the aching in her thighs. She really didn’t want to go anyway. Since someone was willing to help pick them, that was naturally for the best.
She was more than happy to enjoy some peace and quiet.
After Nangong An left, she entered the space, took off her clothes, and jumped into the small pool she had enclosed to soak. She discovered that the water there changed with the temperature—right now it was slightly warm and very comfortable.
After soaking for about fifteen minutes, she suddenly remembered the rice seeds she had scattered randomly before. She hurriedly got up to take a look.
When she reached the plot where she had sown the rice, the sight before her completely stunned her.
It had been less than two days since she scattered the seeds, yet they had already grown nearly ten centimeters tall. The speed was simply unbelievable.
Could it be that this space could shorten a plant’s growth cycle?
Looking at the empty patch of land where she had harvested cabbage and radishes yesterday, she decided to test the idea. She took some lettuce seeds, loosened the soil casually, splashed some water on it, and directly scattered the seeds.
“Madam Nangong, are you there?” A woman’s voice suddenly came from outside the tent.
Hearing this, Yunxi quickly flashed out of the space. She lifted the tent curtain and saw Lin Hai’s wife, Madam Li, standing outside.
“Madam Nangong, I heard you’re leaving. These are some sugar cakes we made. Please don’t mind—take them with you to eat on the road,” Madam Li said shyly.
They had only just settled down and had no surplus grain or silver. They didn’t even have eggs or vegetables. These sugar cakes were made from flour Yunxi had bought, mixed with some glutinous rice flour—something they would normally only make during the New Year.
Looking at the sugar cakes in Madam Li’s hands, still warm, Yunxi took one and bit into it. It was soft and chewy with a hint of sweetness—very tasty. She had to admit their craftsmanship was quite good.
Suddenly, she thought of the mugwort leaves by the river. If, in spring, they picked the tender ones and made mugwort cakes to sell, could that be another source of income? But then she thought about how far this place was from Nanling City—it wasn’t very realistic.
Still, she mentioned the idea briefly to Madam Li. Whether it would succeed or not would depend on their own fate.
After Madam Li left, Yunxi went to the river, pulled up some mugwort, and transplanted it into the vegetable garden in the space. That way, whenever she wanted to eat it, she could make it anytime.
Just then, bursts of laughter came from the thatched huts.
Yunxi hurried over to see what had everyone so happy.
“Brother Nangong, you’re amazing! You actually brought back wild boar piglets!” Everyone praised Nangong An enthusiastically, their eyes full of admiration with not a trace of jealousy.
Could Nangong An say that the piglets had followed him home on their own?
He and Feng Ying had been picking yam tubers and were about to leave when four little piglets suddenly darted out and then followed them down the mountain.
What he didn’t know was that the piglets were drawn to the spiritual spring water at his waist.
Yunxi looked at the four piglets, then at their newly reclaimed land, and suddenly felt that raising these piglets wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Once grown, they could be exchanged for silver, and their manure could be used to fertilize crops—a win-win situation.
Before she could share her thoughts, she heard them discussing how to eat the piglets—roasting them would be the most fragrant, stewing them would be the most nourishing.
Seeing how excited they were, Yunxi was afraid they’d grab knives and start slaughtering them on the spot.
So she quickly said, “Alright, it’s best to raise these piglets and eat them later.”
“Raise them? How can that work? Wild boars are the hardest to tame—you can’t raise them,” said a tall, sturdy man.
“If they could follow us back, then they can definitely be raised. Raise them long enough and they’ll become domestic pigs. We just need to build the pigpen sturdy so they can’t get out.”
Thinking about the future, she recalled that to make pork chewier, people would let pigs roam freely, but they would still return on their own at feeding time because there was food waiting for them.
Then she continued, “As long as you feed them on time, they’ll behave.”
Everyone thought it made sense. With nearly fifty people, how could they not manage to raise four little wild piglets?
Once the idea was settled, they followed Yunxi’s method and began moving stones and carrying yellow earth to build a pigpen.
A whole group of people worked vigorously.
Watching them so united, Yunxi felt truly happy and hoped they could stay like this forever.
By lunchtime, with their quick hands, the pigpen had already been completed. Several women also brought back large baskets of pig fodder.
Watching the piglets eat happily inside, everyone was overjoyed, already imagining what the future would be like. Sweet smiles spread across their faces.
After lunch, Nangong An bid farewell to Lin Hai.
Before leaving, Yunxi repeatedly reminded him of the rice planting methods.
Lin Hai carefully noted everything down.
After spending nearly a month together, it was still hard to part.
Yunxi thought that if, at the beginning of their escape, the original owner had followed such an organized and united group, maybe she wouldn’t have been separated from her parents.
Sigh. She wondered how the original owner’s parents were now—were they still safe?
Wu Sheng brought the carriage over. Nangong An directly scooped Yunxi up in a bridal carry and placed her into the carriage, not giving her any chance to protest.
Though she was a modern person, she still felt embarrassed being held like this in front of others.
But ever since they had slept together, Nangong An had completely changed. He was afraid she would get tired or fall at every turn, doting on her with utmost care.
There is no banquet that doesn’t end. Amid everyone’s blessings, the carriage gradually drove away.
Once they reached the official road, Nangong An said solemnly to Wu Sheng, who was driving the carriage,
“Wu Sheng, take a shortcut. We’re going to Nanling City.”
“Yes, Master,” Wu Sheng replied firmly.
From here to Nanling City, it would take half a day by carriage, but about two days on foot.
After Yunxi got into the carriage, it sped along, swaying back and forth. Drowsiness quickly overtook her. She lay down in Nangong An’s arms, found a comfortable position, and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Looking at her sweet sleeping face, Nangong An carefully laid out the cushion and gently set her down so she could sleep comfortably.
When she woke up again, she was already on a bed.