The little tavern wasn’t very big, with only a dozen or so tables. Since it was mealtime, about half of the tables were occupied, so business was actually pretty good.
As soon as the three of them entered, the owner behind the counter came over to greet them.
“Oh, Shopkeeper Tang, you’re here! And you’ve brought guests.”
“Hahaha, Shopkeeper Zhao, business is booming, I see. My younger brother has brought his niece to town, so I brought them here for a meal.”
From the familiar way the two men spoke to each other, it was obvious they were old acquaintances.
Shopkeeper Zhao personally led them to a table farther inside.
They ordered four dishes. Two of them were famous northeastern dishes: chicken stewed with mushrooms and pork stewed with pickled cabbage and glass noodles. The other two were fried peanuts and braised tofu.
The older patriarch and Uncle Lizheng kept telling Second Granduncle not to order so much. They were all simple farmers from the village.
“Why are we eating so well? This is almost like celebrating the New Year!”
When the dishes arrived, Tang Yuan noticed that every portion was quite generous.
She couldn’t help remembering her previous life, when she’d traveled to Northeast China. The food there had also been cheap and served in huge portions.
Apparently, that straightforward generosity had remained unchanged from ancient times to the present.
Once the food was served, Second Granduncle ordered some alcohol as well—not much, only about two ounces per person.
After all, eating such good food without having a little alcohol would be a waste.
Tang Yuan didn’t care about the three men drinking and chatting. She simply concentrated on eating.
Oh my goodness, it was delicious!
For one thing, she’d been here long enough that she hadn’t had much oily or rich food. Even though she’d been staying at Granduncle’s house, they were still farmers—and ancient farmers at that. Their livelihoods depended entirely on what they could grow from the land, so their circumstances were naturally limited.
The only two times she’d eaten meat were during the first few days after arriving and the times she’d secretly eaten inside her space.
And secondly, this was ancient food.
There were no preservatives or artificial additives. Everything was completely natural!
It was simply too delicious.
She ate until her stomach was completely full. Only then did Tang Yuan notice what several people at the neighboring table were talking about.
“This can’t possibly be fake. It’s absolutely true. The daughter of the family next door to my wife’s parents married into that village. She came back and told them herself. She said that family had lost everyone except for one little girl. Although the girl was alone, her family had left her a house, farmland, and quite a bit of money.
“One family from her clan wanted to take advantage of the fact that she was the last member of her household. The whole family, from the old to the young, moved into the little girl’s home. They ate her food, drank her water, and eventually even tried to kill the poor girl.
“But guess what happened in the end?”
After saying this, the man picked up his wine cup and took a sip.
“What happened? Hurry up and tell us! It’s like you’ve stopped halfway through taking a dump. Doesn’t that bother you?” one of his companions urged him.
“Bah! You bastard. We’re eating here! Why are you talking about shit and piss?”
The man laughed and cursed at him before continuing.
“That little girl’s grandfather was a truly good man when he was alive. He had accumulated tremendous virtue. After he died and went to the underworld, the Judge of the Underworld summoned him and appointed him as an underworld official.
“That family was already being protected by an official in the underworld, and they still tried to wipe out his only surviving bloodline. Do you think the old man would let them get away with it?
“That very night, the Black and White Impermanence came.
“You know what the Black and White Impermanence do, right?”
The people around the table had stopped eating altogether. Every one of them looked incredulous.
“Seriously? It was actually those two? You’re not just making this up, are you?”
“Why would I lie to you? More than one person saw them. Several people saw them and were scared half to death. That old woman from the family is still bedridden from the fright. They say she might not have many days left.
“They immediately obediently returned everything to that little girl. Only then did the entire family manage to save their lives.”
The man spoke with such conviction that it wasn’t just his tablemates listening anymore. Everyone in the tavern had put down their chopsticks and was listening intently.
Granduncle, Second Granduncle, and Uncle Lizheng had stopped talking as soon as the story began.
Tang Yuan wanted to cover her face.
Damn it, this has already spread all the way to the city!
She had thought that without telephones or the internet, how could news possibly travel so quickly?
“The Judge of the Underworld, Zhong Kui, is as big as a whole room! One of his eyes is as big as a calf! When he eats those little ghosts who have committed crimes, he swallows them one at a time—crunch, crunch!”
Tang Yuan couldn’t bear to listen anymore.
Did I even describe him like that?
The story was getting more and more ridiculous with every retelling.
Since she couldn’t listen anymore, she decided not to.
She quietly told Second Granduncle that she was going outside for some fresh air. He reminded her not to wander too far and then let her go.
She headed toward the few shops diagonally across from the tavern.
She had noticed them before lunch. Since she had finally come into town, she naturally wanted to buy some things to take home.
After all, ever since she arrived in this world, Granduncle’s family had been running around taking care of everything for her. They provided her with food, clothing, and everything else.
Tang Yuan felt embarrassed about constantly eating and living at someone else’s expense.
There were plenty of things in her space, but she couldn’t take them out openly yet.
So she might as well buy some things here.
By the time Granduncle, Second Granduncle, and Uncle Lizheng finished eating and came outside, they saw Tang Yuan walking toward them with a large basket on her back.
“What were you doing? Where did you get that basket? What’s inside it?”
A piece of old cloth had been spread over the top, so they couldn’t see what was inside.
Tang Yuan put the basket down before answering.
“I bought it at the general store. It’s full of things I bought for everyone at home.”
Granduncle immediately became anxious.
“You little girl, what did you buy? Don’t tell me you’ve been wasting money! You just got a little money in your hands, and already you’re spending it all?”
“No, I didn’t buy much. I just bought some yam cakes for Great-Grandma. They’re soft and easy to chew, so she’ll like them. And I bought some candy for Yingzi and Lanzi. Not much, just enough for them to have something sweet.”
Of course, those weren’t the only things she’d bought.
Fortunately, Granduncle didn’t question her further.
It was getting late, and they still had quite a long journey home. Better to leave early than late, so Second Granduncle didn’t keep them.
Just as they were about to leave, Tang Yuan quickly lifted the old cloth covering the basket and took out a small jar.
She stuffed it directly into Second Granduncle’s hands.
“Second Granduncle, this is for you. Please keep it and drink it.”
Without waiting to see his reaction, she immediately put the basket back on her back and led the way toward the city gate.
Second Granduncle stood there holding the jar, somewhat stunned.
A faint scent of alcohol reached his nose.
He couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
This girl… Why does she have so many manners?
Then he thought about everything that had happened to her.
He didn’t know whether these changes in her life were ultimately a blessing or a misfortune.
Meanwhile, on the ox cart heading back to the village, Granduncle was hugging a jar of liquor and talking nonstop.
“You little rascal! I thought you’d only bought those two things. So this was your plan all along, huh? You even bought alcohol!
“Do you know how expensive this stuff is? Even if you had a mountain of gold and silver, you couldn’t afford to spend money like this!”
Tang Yuan sat on the ox cart, swaying gently with its movement.
The sun was shining brightly today, and the warmth made her feel so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open.
As soon as they got onto the ox cart, Tang Yuan had divided the remaining two jars of alcohol between Granduncle and Uncle Lizheng.
And Granduncle had been lecturing her ever since.
The alcohol hadn’t actually been purchased.
Tang Yuan had only bought three empty three-jin wine jars from the general store.
The liquor inside them came from the loose buckwheat spirits stored in her space.
After finishing his lecture, Granduncle lifted the jar in his arms and brought it close to his nose.
He took a deep sniff.
“Oh my goodness! What kind of liquor is this? Why does it smell so good? It’s much more fragrant than the wine we had at the tavern at noon!”
“Yuan’er, you absolutely can’t waste money like this again. Don’t buy this stuff anymore, understand?”
Tang Yuan obediently answered aloud.
“Okay.”
But inwardly, she thought:
I’ll buy it again next time.