Ziling decided to venture deeper into the mountain to see whether she could truly find water.
The farther she walked, the damper the soil beneath her feet seemed to become.
Soon, she noticed several thriving plants growing on a nearby hillside, their leaves glistening brightly beneath the sunlight.
Drawing on her modern education, she immediately guessed there was likely a water source nearby.
Sure enough, after walking a little farther, a small hidden puddle finally came into view.
Though the amount of water was tiny, for people who hadn’t drunk anything in two days, it was enough to temporarily save their lives.
The moment Gong Hao spotted it, he nearly shouted with joy.
“Sister-in-law! There really is water! You’re amazing!”
He hurried toward the puddle excitedly.
“We should fill the water bags quickly and hurry back. We’ve already been gone too long. If we delay any longer, the guards might trouble Big Brother and Mother.”
But Ziling herself had no intention of drinking this muddy water.
After all, she had spiritual spring water inside her space already.
Finding water was simply an excuse—something that would finally allow her family to drink openly without suspicion.
“Gong Hao,” she instructed calmly, “go back first and tell the guards we found water. Tell them the amount is small, but probably enough for everyone to survive another day. Bring them here. I’ll stay behind.”
Gong Hao didn’t fully understand why his sister-in-law was so determined to help everyone find water.
In truth, he didn’t even want those people drinking it. Many prisoners had bullied their family repeatedly before.
Still, he obediently followed her instructions and hurried off to fetch the others.
The moment Gong Hao disappeared, Ziling quickly returned to where they had found the ginseng earlier.
She had noticed several smaller ginseng plants nearby and planned to transplant them into her space.
At the same time, she dug up several medicinal herbs and carried them inside as well.
Entering the spiritual herb garden, she immediately went to check the herbs she had planted earlier.
The instant she arrived, her eyes widened.
The herbs had already grown into a lush green patch.
Clearly, under the nourishment of the spiritual spring water, plant growth inside the space had accelerated tremendously.
Carefully, she transplanted the newly gathered ginseng and herbs into the garden before dusting off her hands happily.
Now that water had been found—even if only a little—she could finally cook something openly tonight without arousing suspicion.
For now, she still couldn’t prepare anything too unusual.
After thinking briefly, she decided tonight’s meal would be instant noodles.
Quickly, she removed the packaging from several packs and placed only the compressed noodle cakes into her bundle.
Even though instant noodles themselves would still appear strange in ancient times, they were far less suspicious without modern packaging.
She also slipped several eggs into the bundle before quickly leaving the space.
The moment she emerged, she heard noisy voices approaching from afar.
Gong Hao had returned—with the guards and the other prisoners.
The instant everyone saw the puddle, cheers erupted.
Some people rushed forward and drank directly with their hands, while others hurried to fill every water pouch they had.
At that moment, one sharp-eyed guard noticed Ziling’s bulging bundle and sneered strangely.
“Oh? Your bundle looks awfully full. Hiding something valuable in there?”
Ziling’s heart tightened instantly, but she quickly forced herself calm and smiled naturally.
“Just some herbs I dug up. You know my husband is injured and needs medicine. I thought perhaps we could sell extra herbs in the next town for some money.”
The guard clearly didn’t believe her and reached out to grab the bundle.
But just then—
A wild rabbit suddenly darted out from nearby bushes.
Everyone’s attention shifted instantly toward it.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Ziling quickly hid the bundle behind herself.
By the time the others looked back again, the guard could no longer openly snatch it away.
After everyone finished collecting water, the puddle was nearly dry.
Soon, the guards led everyone back toward their resting place.
By the time they returned, night had already fallen.
The moment Ziling arrived, she noticed Gong Mohan staring fixedly toward the direction they had gone.
Only after she walked close did he finally relax slightly.
For a brief moment, she almost thought she saw him quietly let out a breath of relief.
Finding a secluded spot, Ziling took out the instant noodles and eggs, preparing to cook a warm meal for her family.
But before she could begin, she sensed an intense gaze upon her.
Looking up, she found Gong Mohan staring directly at the round compressed noodle cake in her hand.
“Ahem…” Ziling laughed awkwardly. “Why did you come over here?”
Without answering, Gong Mohan reached out and picked up one noodle cake, turning it over repeatedly in his hand.
These strange curled strands looked like noodles…
But how had they become a solid cake?
“What exactly is this?”
“This is called instant noodles,” Ziling explained smoothly. “They’re noodles made from flour. They’re easy to carry and store. I bought them earlier from a traveling merchant. They need to be cooked or soaked in hot water before eating. Before now, we didn’t dare boil water openly, so I never took them out.”
Gong Mohan knew perfectly well she was lying.
Still, he chose not to expose her.
The people he had sent to investigate her should probably be returning soon anyway.
At that moment, Ziling suddenly grinned.
“Gong Mohan, I need your help with something.”
Then she pulled out the yellow-patterned snake.
Gong Mohan stared at it silently.
This… truly was not the timid noble daughter he had once heard about.
Looking at Ziling holding the snake so casually, suspicion toward her identity deepened yet again.
“You want the snake gallbladder?” he asked calmly.
“Of course. Snake gall is valuable medicine. We’ll need lots of money during exile. At the next town, I plan to try selling herbs and see whether someone might buy the gallbladder too.”
Unexpectedly, she had already begun planning that far ahead.
“If you need money for anything,” Gong Mohan said quietly, “you can simply ask me.”
Ziling instantly smiled mischievously.
“Well, naturally. You’re my husband after all. Husband and wife are one body. If I need something, of course I’ll ask you for it.”
Taking advantage whenever possible was entirely in line with her personality.
And teasing him a little whenever she could felt even more satisfying.
What she failed to notice, however, were Gong Mohan’s slightly reddened ears.
Ignoring her afterward, Gong Mohan skillfully skinned the snake and swiftly removed the gallbladder before handing it over to her.
When Ziling accepted it, she casually grabbed his wrist as though teasing him again—but secretly checked his pulse.
Compared to yesterday, his condition had improved noticeably.
It seemed the spiritual spring water truly was effective.
“Awhile later, eat first,” she said casually. “After dinner, I’ll treat your wounds again.”