Chapter 2: Mountain Dwelling (Revised)

For this entire year, the Dragon King had acted as if he had forgotten the Great Yin Dynasty entirely. Hardly a single drop of rain had fallen, and even the mountain springs of Dongxiao Mountain seemed on the verge of drying up. With the onset of midwinter in sight and a year of zero harvest, the lives of the common folk... were truly becoming unsustainable.

A peddler, making his way through heavy wind and snow, urged the old man boiling tea by the roadside to quickly send over a pot of hot tea. Sitting at the nearby table were several commoners in tattered clothes; in the current circumstances, being able to sit idly and enjoy a cup of hot tea was a rare luxury.

"Old Man Li, I don't know if the Dragon King will show mercy next year. If this drought continues, my family truly won't be able to keep the pot boiling. Sigh!" A man with a sallow complexion held a teacup, carefully cupping it in his palms with a depressed expression.

The older man sitting opposite him also looked grim. "The heavens haven't had eyes these past few years. It's either floods or droughts. Take this year, for instance—only a few drops fell, which is no different from nothing at all. His Majesty prayed for rain three times, but it was of no use. In the early years, people used to say it was because the Crown Prince lacked virtue and the heavens were punishing him, but the Crown Prince is old news now. Why hasn't the heavens lost its anger yet?"

The others glanced sideways but said nothing. The Great Yin Dynasty had always maintained strict control over speech, but in recent years, they truly couldn't keep a lid on rumors and gossip. Having reached this point in their lives, it was inevitable that the common people would utter a few words of complaint.

The old man called Old Man Li sighed for a long time before suddenly lowering his voice. "Xiao Lin, doesn't your wife have the good fortune of having met that goddess on Dongxiao Mountain? How is she? Has she let anything slip lately? What will next year be like? Is she truly as divine as the legends say?"

Xiao Lin gave a bitter smile. "I was just thinking of preparing a generous gift to have my wife go and inquire. It's one thing to talk about this in our town, but we must never let it spread outside... She truly is a goddess. During last year's floods, if she hadn't accurately predicted the entire year's cycle of natural disasters from the very beginning, we would have been forced to believe. If it weren't for her, at least eighty percent of the people in Dongxiao Town wouldn't have survived. Old farmers can predict wind and rain, but who has ever heard of someone predicting an entire year at once?"

"Furthermore, when the wife of Wang the Lame from the east town's tofu workshop died in childbirth, the person had already been buried. Yet, with one move, that lady saved her back from the gates of hell. If that doesn't make her a goddess, then our town's fortune-telling Wang the Half-Immortal isn't even human."

"But she refuses to admit it. The elders say that peering into the secrets of heaven is a great taboo. She's just a young girl; how could she not be afraid? The goddess is kind-hearted to save us, but we cannot be greedy and ask her about every little thing... If it weren't for a truly difficult situation, I wouldn't dare disturb her."

Most people in the Great Yin Dynasty revered Taoism, and there were indeed some capable Taoists who seemed to be famous divine physicians of the age. Out of ten, seven were descendants of Taoist lineages, especially the Taoist Heavenly Sect, which had been honored as the state religion.

…………

As dawn was just breaking, Xu Weishu wiggled a few times, reluctantly rubbing her cheek against the quilt before finally getting up in a daze and letting out a yawn.

She stretched her snowy jade feet under the bed and stepped on something fluffy. She couldn't help but scratch it a few more times, and as a result, the little fluffball crawled up her long legs and into her arms.

It was a little round ball about the size of two palms, with a round face, a round body, a round nose, and short legs. It felt fleshy to the touch; anyone holding it would be unable to resist giving it a few squeezes.

Baoqin gently pushed open the door and saw her young mistress sitting upright on the bed, looking beautiful, though her head was nodding downwards.

The cat ancestor in her arms, fat as a ball, also maintained an air of noble elegance, crouching on her mistress's knees and dozing with squinted eyes.

The master and the pet actually looked somewhat similar.

Baoqin sighed, clearly having grown accustomed to this. She draped clothes that had been warmed thoroughly inside and out on the charcoal brazier over her young mistress, muttering under her breath, "We didn't receive this month's monthly allowance again. Meiniang said there's a cash flow problem and it has to be delayed. The Madam feels the household expenses are too high and wants to cut back on usage. Now, the monthly ration is a third less than before, and even so, the manor still wants to withhold more."

Xu Weishu set the "ball" on the bed and bent down to put on her shoes.

Baoqin hurried to bring a wooden stool for her to rest her feet on.

"They say there isn't enough manpower in the needlework department. They only sent some fabric over, and it's a bit moldy; who knows how long it's been piled up in the warehouse, it must be old stock. As for the charcoal, it's bad enough that the quantity is insufficient, but except for the top layer, it's all low quality and produces far too much smoke. I can use it, but the young mistress has a constant cough; how can she use that? Not to mention the food—I don't even dare bring it in for fear of offending the young mistress's eyes."

Baoqin's voice was crisp and clear. To Xu Weishu, it sounded like the singing of a lark, which helped alleviate some of her drowsiness.

"Wasn't it expected? Why be angry?"

Xu Weishu smiled. "We've already made things difficult for Nanny Cai and Guiqin. Guiqin is Meiniang's biological daughter, and Nanny Cai has several old sisters in the manor. It would be a miracle if they gave us any pleasant faces."

"Hmph, wicked servants!"

Xu Weishu smiled faintly. "Alright, go ask Old Man Zhao to make some spring pancakes. Ask Xiao Liuer what vegetables are available in the heated greenhouse and have them sent to the kitchen. It's mealtime now; we shall only consider eating."

Baoqin, ultimately unwilling to let her young mistress go hungry, tucked a hand warmer into her bosom and headed toward the kitchen. There wasn't a speck of snow in the courtyard; several little maids had spread a layer of coarse salt early in the morning. She actually felt a great deal of heartache over it; even coarse salt cost a lot of money to buy. The family was not well-off, and life was lived quite frugally. Yet, ever since the Duke and Madam had passed away, the young mistress had suddenly become very compassionate toward the poor and weak, making it difficult for Baoqin to even offer advice, even though she also hoped to improve the young mistress's reputation.

Having a good reputation was always a good thing for a woman... Sigh, in the earlier years, the young mistress did indeed seem a bit arrogant.

Upon reaching the kitchen door, Old Man Zhao was lying on a reclining chair, directing Xiao Liuer to steam egg custard. Though steaming egg custard seemed easy, there was a science to steaming it so that it was neither too old nor too raw, but smooth and delicious.

"Old Man, the mistress wants to eat spring pancakes today. Have Xiao Liuer check the greenhouse for any fresh vegetables and prepare them quickly," Baoqin said with a polite smile. Old Man Zhao stroked his beard and raised an eyebrow. "They are already prepared and fresh out of the pot. How could I make the mistress wait?"

Baoqin didn't open the food box but simply carried it back herself. Old Man Zhao had served her young mistress's food and drink for nearly two years, and not once had the mistress found fault. Sometimes even she couldn't guess what her mistress wanted to eat, yet this old man knew perfectly well. No wonder people said that living to an old age without dying was a form of thievery!

Upon returning to the main courtyard, she saw Su Juan standing by the corner gate talking to a gatekeeping crone. Baoqin froze and hurried over to ask in a low voice, "Is there a guest?"

Su Juan gestured with her chin.

Following her gaze, Baoqin saw a bamboo basket on the ground containing two still-flapping wild pheasants, along with a basket of eggs—at least forty of them. After a thought, Baoqin called over a coarse-working maid from the guardhouse and told her to inform Old Man Wang that the young mistress had guests. She figured the young mistress would surely offer them a meal.

And indeed, as Baoqin stood silently waiting by the bedroom door, she heard her young mistress's gentle and soft voice from within.

"It was Sister Wang's fate to survive; that she and the child are both safe is the will of Heaven. I dare not take the credit. Granny Yuan, please do not be formal." As she spoke, the young mistress glanced outward, and Baoqin hurried into the room to set the table.

Golden spring pancakes were rolled with fresh, succulent carrots, bok choy, and cucumber strips. Old Man Zhao's cooking skills had actually become even more refined than the young mistress's; once the vegetables were stir-fried, they looked perfectly colorful and fragrant. Accompanied by pickled vegetables, thick millet porridge, and salted duck eggs cut in half...

Baoqin watched as Granny Yuan ate voraciously, finishing in no time. Just then, Su Juan brought over the large white flour buns, egg custard, pickled cucumbers, and rice porridge that Old Man Zhao had prepared, finally filling her stomach.

The young mistress did not mind that she had eaten so much that the table was messy. She had Su Juan bring water for Granny Yuan to wash her face, and added earnestly, "There will be no more drought next year. In half a month, there will surely be heavy snow. Auspicious snow heralds a bountiful year; there might be a good harvest next year. However, in July, there will likely be continuous rainfall, and it will be heavy rain. One must guard against flooding."

Granny Yuan was first joyful, then sorrowful, but she still sighed, "As long as there is no drought, it's fine. We've suffered disasters every year; we can always find a way to live."

Xu Weishu sighed, not telling her that for the next decade or so, this land would be unable to escape famine. She then provided a simple prescription for medicine that was very inexpensive; Granny Yuan's husband always suffered from headaches, and she had taken his pulse once.

Granny Yuan took the prescription and left happily, offering endless thanks.

She was happy, and Xu Weishu was also happy. There was no other way; as soon as her merit points were depleted, the jade piece embedded in her body would begin to absorb her essence. If it lasted a little too long, she feared her entire being would collapse and vanish. To stay alive, she had no choice but to work hard to help others and accumulate merit.