Song Wenqing spent the entire afternoon gathering river snails in the fields with Jiang Yao, and they ultimately returned home with a full harvest.
While Pei Jinrong was busy cooking, Song Wenqing took a small jar to the woodshed to scoop out some rice wine. After five days, the rice wine already emitted a sweet alcoholic fragrance, and merely smelling it was enough to whet one’s appetite.
The area outside the courtyard was highly damp tonight, suggesting it would likely rain again. Consequently, he set up the dining table in the main room and poured three bowls of rice wine. Shortly after, Pei Jinrong entered the room carrying the freshly prepared dishes. Their household income these past few days relied entirely on Pei Jinrong weaving bamboo baskets; the amount was modest, so they ate rather simple vegetarian meals.
The majority of the vegetables were home-grown, but because Pei Jinrong possessed excellent culinary skills, the three of them emptied every single dish.
After the meal, Song Wenqing went to brew medicine for Jiang Zhi, while Pei Jinrong took charge of washing the dishes and simmering the porridge. The porridge was meant for Jiang Zhi; the young girl had just awoken after sleeping the entire day, so it was not yet suitable for her to consume anything too greasy. Seeing that Jiang Zhi was awake, Jiang Yao sat happily by the bedside, chatting with her about the interesting events that had occurred over the past two days.
Brewing medicine required time. Song Wenqing calculated that by the time the young girl finished her porridge and rested for half an hour, it would be ready for consumption. Since the chickens had not been fed yet, he set down his palm-leaf fan. The stove fire was low right now and the heat was just right, so stepping away for a brief moment would not cause any issues.
The moment he walked over, he noticed Gray Ball holding a half-grown chick in its mouth; the dog was not biting it, but simply keeping it inside its mouth for fun. Song Wenqing frowned, stepped forward to lift Gray Ball up, retrieved the chick from its mouth, and gently tapped Gray Ball on the head.
A low whine rumbled from Gray Ball’s throat as it whimpered, and someone unaware might have assumed Song Wenqing was bullying it. Yet the moment he placed Gray Ball onto the ground, the very chick he had just rescued from the dog’s mouth trotted straight back over and stuffed its head right into Gray Ball’s mouth once more.
Song Wenqing remained silent.
Gray Ball looked even more aggrieved, barking loudly at him.
Left with no alternative, he could only herd the remaining chicks still foraging in the backyard into the coop and lock it. After feeding the chicken grass to the birds, Song Wenqing sat back down to continue brewing the medicine.
Fearing that the young girl might find the medicine bitter and refuse to drink it, he retrieved two pieces from a jar of dried apricots he purchased on the street this morning, intending for her to eat them after consuming the medicine. Dried apricots not only dispelled bitterness but also promoted blood circulation and replenished vital energy. By the time Jiang Zhi’s constitution recovered, this jar of dried apricots would likely be entirely depleted.
Song Wenqing touched the sides of the bowl, and once it was no longer scalding, he carried it into the room. Upon seeing Song Wenqing, the rims of Jiang Zhi’s eyes turned red. She attempted to rise from the bed to bow to him, but fortunately, Pei Jinrong stepped forward quickly to stop her.
“Thank you very much for saving my life, Brother Wen,” Jiang Zhi said in a choking voice as she sat on the bed.
Song Wenqing hurriedly waved his hand and said, “Drink the medicine first.” Watching her consume every single drop, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
Jiang Zhi ate a piece of dried apricot herself and offered another piece to Jiang Yao.
“Sister, I do not want it, you should eat it quickly,” Jiang Yao said in refusal, yet his eyes could not tear themselves away from the treat.
Song Wenqing pursed his lips into a smile and said, “There will be more tomorrow.”
Only then did Jiang Yao accept it, his eyes shining brightly as he said happily to Jiang Zhi, “Sister, in a few days you will be able to eat the snail meat prepared by Brother Jin. Brother Jin’s culinary skills are not inferior to those at home; I ate two whole bowls tonight.”
Jiang Zhi gently pinched his chubby cheek and said, “Yao Yao is truly wonderful.”
Because Jiang Yao was still young, it did not take long before he sat nodding off to sleep by the side. Knowing that Song Wenqing had matters to discuss with Jiang Zhi, Pei Jinrong carried Jiang Yao toward the side room.
After they departed, while Song Wenqing was still deliberating how to open the conversation, Jiang Zhi spoke up in a low voice, “Brother Wen, Yao Yao and I are from the capital. We were kidnapped by mountain bandits while on a spring outing with our maternal grandmother. A month ago, the bandit chief held a grand wedding, and taking advantage of the darkness when they were all intoxicated, we managed to escape.”
Hearing Jiang Zhi state that they were from the capital, Song Wenqing did not feel exceptionally shocked. In truth, he had already surmised as much from their behavior, demeanor, and speech. Furthermore, he suspected their status was quite high, because the aura they exuded gave him a highly familiar sensation, identical to Pei Jinrong.
He hesitated for a brief moment before saying in a warm voice, “Everything is fine now. You two may rest here for the time being and leave once your health improves.”
He was not adept at comforting people, so he simply let the young girl sleep and departed.
Jiang Zhi’s body recovered day by day, and color gradually returned to her face.
With two additional people in the household, the food supply naturally became tight. Song Wenqing sold the brewed rice wine. It chanced that a wealthy family in the county seat was hosting a wedding during those few days, and coupled with the fact that his wine was beautifully brewed, he ultimately accumulated a net profit of three taels of silver. Pei Jinrong did not remain idle either; during the busy farming season, every household in the village required baskets, and at times his hands were scraped raw, which made Song Wenqing feel incredibly pained.
The group managed to consume the snail meat before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Song Wenqing also began preparing the items needed for the trip to the county seat, which would allow them to see Jiang Zhi and Jiang Yao off on their journey.
Fearing that the two children might go hungry on the road, he slipped them two taels of silver, ensuring they would have spare money to purchase snacks in addition to their travel expenses. After packing all their belongings, the four individuals hired a horse carriage at the market, and after a bumpy journey, they finally arrived at the county seat.
Jiang Yao had never experienced a parting before, and the small child sat on the carriage weeping uncontrollably, saying, “Brother, Brother Wen, I will come find you to play again next time.”
Song Wenqing’s eyes curved with laughter as he rubbed his head and said, “Then let us make a pinky promise.”
After bidding them farewell, Song Wenqing pushed Pei Jinrong toward the city gate and retrieved their official documents from his bundle.
“Are you two from Yunhan Village?” The city guard inspected the pair with a suspicious look.
Song Wenqing nodded. The several guards exchanged glances, and a look of disdain instantly surfaced in their eyes. The reason was none other than that Yunhan Village was the poorest settlement under the jurisdiction of Qingyu County. Seeing that their attire was poor, the guards looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts.
The guard called out loudly, “Brothers, they are from Yunhan Village, let them through!”
Hearing this, Song Wenqing’s face instantly darkened. He clenched his fists, stood firmly in place, and directed a cool gaze at the men who were still laughing. It was only when Pei Jinrong tugged at his sleeve that he recovered his senses.
Qingyu County was completely different from the impoverished backwater of Yunhan Village; the main streets were extraordinarily bustling. The weather was beautiful today, and if this were in Yunhan Village, absolutely no one would be idling at home at this hour. Qingyu County, however, was a sea of people, which was likely due to the approaching festival.
Song Wenqing did not say a word, remaining silent throughout the walk.
A new shop was celebrating its grand opening, and firecrackers crackled loudly. Song Wenqing came to a halt and said, “Ah Jin, Yunhan Village will become better and better in the future.”
Pei Jinrong’s heart skipped a beat. If anyone else had spoken those words, he would certainly have assumed they were joking. But because the person speaking them was Song Wenqing, he felt that Song Wenqing could truly achieve it.
Pei Jinrong let out a soft laugh and said, “I believe you.”
The sky was nearing darkness now. Song Wenqing was in no hurry, and furthermore, since the two of them intended to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival here anyway, he planned to locate an inn to stay.
The prices in Qingyu County were considerably higher than in the village. Feeling a bit pained over the money, he ultimately spent five hundred copper coins to book a double room for five days. A duration of five days was entirely sufficient to resolve their minor affairs.
During the period when Jiang Zhi and Jiang Yao resided with them, the two adults had restrained themselves, fearing the children might witness something unsuitable for minors.
Now, both Song Wenqing and Pei Jinrong were young and full of vigor. Once they finished bathing and the atmosphere shifted, their hearts felt as though they were consumed by fire.
Both took advantage of the darkness, knowing that no matter how red their faces flushed, it would remain unseen, and their bodies drew closer and closer together.
Their hearts beat rapidly, sounding exceptionally prominent in this quiet night. Pei Jinrong was the first to admit defeat, turning around to push Song Wenqing down onto the bed.
Song Wenqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down involuntarily. The youth’s trembling hands parted his garments, and as the scalding body pressed down upon Song Wenqing, his mind instantly went completely blank.
The last time they did this, he had removed his garments himself. This time, with Pei Jinrong taking the initiative, both of them were highly inexperienced.
Accompanied by the sound of fireworks celebrating the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Song Wenqing whimpered softly beneath Pei Jinrong.
Pei Jinrong leaned down, his voice raspy as he asked, “Can brother help me?”