Chapter 3

On her way back, Xiao Wanling paused at the sight of the mountain peaks basked in a glowing orange sunset. The beauty of the scene held her in place for a while.

From afar, she noticed the wooden house’s door was still closed and assumed Shen Qing had not returned yet.

She unfolded a large banana leaf, turned the immortal tofu out from the clay jar, and began brewing stevia syrup beside the stone stove.

Suddenly, the firewood pile rustled. Startled, she gripped her fire-poking stick tighter and cautiously prodded the heap.

Two plump rabbits with their legs tied together tumbled out. Seeing fresh meat, Xiao Wanling instinctively swallowed—only to quickly realize these gray rabbits were probably caught by Shen Qing.

She walked to the door and spotted a string of fish dropped on the ground. She murmured, “He fell asleep just like that? Didn’t even eat?”

Pushing the door open gently, she saw Shen Qing sitting cross-legged on the bed, head drooped, broad shoulders slumped, his arms resting limply at his sides.

The sight gave her the illusion that he looked very pitiful—helpless and alone, like an abandoned child.

But she quickly dismissed the thought. Shen Qing was the same man who had taken down eight hired thugs single-handedly. He probably just felt upset about losing his savings.

Shen Qing slowly lifted his head. As the figure in white and green grew clearer in his vision, he stared blankly, half-wondering if he was dreaming.

Xiao Wanling spoke softly, “Sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep; I’ll call you when lunch is ready.”

With that, she turned and gently closed the door, leaving Shen Qing staring after her in shock.

Xiao Wanling poured the finished syrup into a bamboo tube and placed it in a basin of water to cool.

She pushed the fire back to roast the fish and rabbit meat. If only there were salt and seasonings, she thought. That would make it perfect.

While gathering firewood, she discovered an old cloth bundle hanging from a tree branch. Inside were coarse salt and small red fruits—cornelian cherries! Shen Qing must have found them and even brought back a branch.

Why hadn’t he said anything? Likely because he’d been too tired.

Xiao Wanling sharpened a stone and cleaned the rabbits to stew them.

She roasted the cornelian cherries on hot stones until half-dried, removed the pits, tossed a few into the clay pot with coarse salt, and let it all bubble away. The smell of meat soon filled the air.

Judging the time, she called Shen Qing for lunch.

He woke at the sound of her voice, saw her bringing in the bamboo tube, and suddenly remembered—he had fallen asleep on her bed. Embarrassed, he jumped up and kicked the hay into a pile to cover it up.

Xiao Wanling had cut the immortal tofu into small cubes and placed them in the bamboo tube.

Shen Qing picked it up and sniffed—sweet. He took a sip, and the flavor seemed to seep right into his heart. The silky tofu slid down his throat, unforgettable from the very first bite.

Before he knew it, he had finished it all. Seeing Xiao Wanling preparing to carry in the clay pot, he quickly asked, “Do you need help?”

Xiao Wanling didn’t stand on ceremony. “Get the rabbit meat out. We’ll drink the soup later.”

Shen Qing used his dagger to lift the whole rabbit and placed it on a banana leaf, carrying it into the house.

Xiao Wanling sat down, cut the banana leaf into bowl-sized pieces, added some tofu, and drizzled the remaining syrup over it. She handed it to Shen Qing with both hands. He lost his savings—some sweets might cheer him up.

Shen Qing sat at the edge of the bed, tore off a rabbit leg, and mimicked her way of wrapping it in banana leaf to pass it to her.

He folded his own leaf, tipped the tofu into his mouth, then finished half a rabbit. Stealing a glance at her, he saw she was still slowly chewing one rabbit leg. He slowed down to match her pace.

Xiao Wanling didn’t finish her portion. After going so long without meat, eating too much would only upset her stomach.

Once she was done, Shen Qing resumed devouring the rest. He left her a tube of broth and polished off everything else before taking the clay basin outside to clean.

The sun blazed high at noon. Shen Qing made a few more bamboo tubes and then called it a day. Noticing Xiao Wanling chewing on two whitegrass roots after every meal, he tried one himself—and his eyes widened. It’s sweet?

Xiao Wanling looked serious as she said, “There’s plenty along the trail to the river. Brother Shen, you’ve spent a lot because of me. Since the stolen money wasn’t recovered, I want to do some work to pay you back.”

Shen Qing’s heart sank. Pay me back? Did she want to draw a line between them?

Was she planning to leave?

They had only spent one day together, and he already didn’t want to part with her.

But the five taels for the military tax were due soon. If he couldn’t pay, he’d be forced to join the military. He didn’t want to leave her alone; what if someone bullied her?

He thought for a moment. “The village women pick tea or mulberry leaves. If you’d like to, go with them. I’ll be in the mountains for a few days. If you’re scared, you can stay at Uncle Xue’s house.”

Xiao Wanling silently wrapped the aromatic grilled fish in banana leaf, filled a bamboo tube with syrup, and handed them to him.

Shen Qing returned her half-jade pendant, golden hairpin, and the oil-paper bundle. “Keep these safe.”

After a nap, they joined the group heading out after noon.

Shen Qing and Xiao Wanling stood at the entrance to the Xue family home.

When Xue Defu heard Shen Qing was going into the mountains and wanted his wife to look after the young woman, he was all too eager. He needed money to pay his own military tax too.

Grinning from ear to ear, he said, “I have already told my wife! The sooner we leave, the sooner we’re back.”

Mrs. Liu came out, handed him two dry flatbreads, mumbled a few reminders, and then went back inside. She treated Xiao Wanling like she was invisible.

Xiao Wanling didn’t mind. She had no expectations from people who didn’t care.

Most of the village houses were rammed-earth dwellings, but the Xue family had a three-room brick-and-tile house near the mountain, resembling a cave-house.

Earlier, the eldest sister-in-law had said she was bathing and dressing the eldest nephew. As Xiao Wanling’s legs were sore, she was about to step inside to rest when—

Xue Cui flung open the curtain and barked, “Do you know how to pick tea? Ugh, so much trouble!”

Xiao Wanling recognized her—the girl who fancied Shen Qing. “Seems the troublesome one is you, Sister-in-law Xue.”

She regretted giving away two portions of immortal tofu earlier. What a waste. She turned to leave.

“Lazy thing! Just want to play white lotus in front of Shen Qing? You might as well stay home and leech off others!”

Seeing her in the same outfit for days, Xue Cui assumed she had no money or support from her family—so she felt emboldened to speak freely.

Xiao Wanling called into the house, “Sister-in-law Xue, if you’re busy, don’t trouble yourself.”

The boy from yesterday suddenly ran out and rammed his head into Xue Cui’s belly.

Cheng Qiao’er quickly stepped in. “Stop that, young man! We have a guest.”

The boy wailed, “I don’t care! I bet she stole the candy I hid under my pillow!”

Mrs. Liu shouted from the door, “What stealing?! Why would your aunt take your candy? She can afford her own!”

Cheng Qiao’er turned to Xiao Wanling, apologetic. “Sorry, Sister Xiao! This child won’t stop once he starts. How about you come back another day, and I’ll introduce you to the steward then?”

Xiao Wanling had no interest in getting tangled in the Xue family’s mess. “I’ll come back another time.”

Xue Cui cut in, “Oh no, then Shen Qing will say we bullied you. I’ll take you myself.” Without waiting for agreement, she yanked Xiao Wanling by the arm. A girl who was close to her came running, and the two dragged Xiao Wanling along towards the village outskirts.

“Let go! I can walk just fine,” she snapped.

Xue Cui snorted and let go. The other girl followed suit.

Qishan Village was a flat patch among the mountains. The tea fields lay to the left, and the mulberry groves to the right.

From afar, a group of women and girls stood in a line, baskets strapped to their backs, listening as a middle-aged man took roll.

Seeing Xue Cui’s group arrive late, he frowned. “Next time, come earlier!”

Xue Cui stood silently in the lineup, smirking as if watching a show.

Xiao Wanling guessed this was the steward. She stepped forward. “Sir, I’m here to pick tea. It’s my first day.”

Tea was picked year-round. Even with straw hats, the sun would darken anyone’s skin over time. Xiao Wanling, with her fair, glowing complexion, stood out like a sore thumb.

The steward cleared his throat. “Whose household are you from? I haven’t seen you before.”

“Shen Qing’s,” she replied confidently.

“What?” He blinked, then sighed with regret and waved her over. “Come with me.”

Xue Cui suddenly interjected, “She’s not even had a trial—what if she’s slow and drags everyone down?”

Another chimed in, “We all have quotas. We want to finish early and go home.”

The steward’s face darkened. “Did any of you meet your quota on your first day?”

The second girl paled. “T-that’s not what I meant…”

“Get to work! I’ve got my eye on the slackers,” he barked. The group scattered in a rush.

The steward glanced at Xiao Wanling again—she showed no fear. Steady temperament, he thought. He smiled. “Hope I didn’t scare you.”

Xiao Wanling smiled. “Not at all. A steward with authority is how things get done.”

He wrote down her name, gave her a basket and rough clothing, and returned to the tea pavilion.

Xiao Wanling approached one of the older women to ask for tips, but after what just happened, everyone avoided her.

Not one to push, she glanced at the sorted leaves for size and shape and began picking by imitation.

Recalling what she’d seen online, she used both hands to pinch the tender leaves from the bottom upward. Gradually, she got faster.

Xue Cui and her friend exchanged glances and deliberately picked the tea from her row.

Tea bushes were spaced in neat rows, and most people stuck to their own. But Xue Cui was itching to cause trouble. The girl who had been scolded by the steward earlier needed someone to blame—and Xiao Wanling made an easy target.

They disrupted her rhythm, forcing her to start over each time.

At sunset, the day’s work ended. The steward began tallying everyone’s harvest.

“Xue Cui, twelve jin!”

“Xiao Wanling, five jin!”

Xue Cui was already waiting. “Five jin? Pathetic! Hahahaha!”

Xiao Wanling took her forty-two copper coins, thanked the steward, and left without giving the mockery a second thought.

The tea leaves were like green tea. One jin per hour was standard. For her first day, she was proud of her result.

Watching her retreating figure, Xue Cui felt like punching cotton. “Stop right there. I helped you, and you didn’t even thank me. Don’t you have any manners?”

Xiao Wanling didn’t turn back. “You’ve done nothing but cause trouble. If you were my daughter, I’d have given you a beating.”

Xue Cui trembled with rage and chased her. “Stop!”

Xiao Wanling took the mountain path instead of returning through the village. Xue Cui stomped in place, yelling, “Xiao Wanling! Tomorrow you’ll pick even less!”

Xiao Wanling did the math. With prices high, a full day’s work brought about 100 copper coins—enough for a bit of meat or five jin of rice. It wasn’t sustainable.

Selling food suited her better. But first, she needed to earn enough for pots, bowls, and utensils.

After two more days of tea picking, she had nearly three hundred coins. Someone kindly warned her to lie low and watch out for Xue Cui.

On the third day, before dawn, Shen Qing returned.

When he heard that Xue Cui had made things difficult for Xiao Wanling, his face darkened. He dumped a wild boar and hurried home.