Jiang Si did not return home, instead deciding to take a stroll along the willow-lined embankment.
Her young servant A-Ji was uneasy: “Fourth Miss, please let this lowly one escort you back to the manor. Otherwise, if the young master finds out, he’ll scold us.”
A-Man scoffed: “Our miss is just going for a walk by the willow embankment, not venturing into a dragon’s lair or tiger’s den. What are you so nervous about?”
That night, she and the miss had even gone to Lake Moyou to rescue someone and set fires. Now in broad daylight, they were being nagged by a mere servant boy. How ridiculous.
“Oh, my dear sister A-Man, why are you adding fuel to the fire instead of helping to dissuade her?” A-Ji made a pleading gesture with a bitter smile.
A-Man gave him a withering look: “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m not adding fuel to the fire. It’s simply that even if our miss were to enter a dragon’s lair or tiger’s den, I would follow her. It’s that simple.”
Unable to argue with A-Man, A-Ji irritably kicked a small pebble at his feet. Clinging to his last hope, he pleaded, “Fourth Miss, it’s almost mealtime. Why don’t we return to the manor first? After eating, you can ask the young master to accompany you out…”
Jiang Si finally spoke: “If Second Brother blames you, I’ll explain to him.”
A-Ji opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more.
Fine, she was the master and could go wherever she pleased. How could a mere servant stop her? He just hoped the young master wouldn’t beat him too harshly.
Jiang Si’s desire to walk along the willow embankment wasn’t for a simple stroll.
She was going to gather “herbs.”
Though not versed in medicine, she had learned some peculiar prescriptions from the Wu Miao clan elders. Those formulas each had miraculous uses, requiring the most bizarre “herbs.”
This time, she needed to gather a type of grass that grew under century-old willow trees, called Bai Jiao. The Bai Jiao grass looked no different from ordinary green grass. If consumed alone by humans or animals, it has no effect. However, when properly prepared, it had great use. This grass could only be identified by its scent.
Along the Jin Shui River, green shadows stretched endlessly, with century-old willows not uncommon.
It was early summer, and quite a few people were out for a stroll along the willow-lined embankment – men and women, young and old. Occasionally, mischievous children would run past Jiang Si’s group like whirlwinds, leaving behind peals of silvery laughter.
At such times, A-Ji would glare and shout: “Watch where you’re going, you little rascals! If you bump into someone, you won’t get off lightly!”
“Oh, stop it. Why are you picking fights with children?” A-Man found A-Ji’s shouting ruined the misty, beautiful scenery of the green willows along the embankment.
A-Ji felt somewhat indignant: “I’m just worried they might bump into the miss.”
“I’m here to protect the miss.”
“Yes, yes, sister A-Man is the most capable.”
While the servant and maid bickered, Jiang Si had already walked ahead.
“Miss, wait for your servant!” A-Man hurried to catch up.
Jiang Si stopped beside a green willow, her pale fingers twirling a willow branch as she asked A-Man, “Do you know how to weave a flower basket?”
A-Man chuckled: “Your servant knows how to pick flowers.”
“I can! I can weave a flower basket!” A-Ji eagerly volunteered.
A-Man smirked coldly.
What are you showing off for? Even if you could make flowers bloom, you still couldn’t be the Miss’s maid!
“Then A-Ji, weave a basket from willow branches, and A-Man, pick some fresh flowers. We can take them back to decorate the rooms.”
A-Man and A-Ji busied themselves with their assigned tasks.
Seeing the two occupied, Jiang Si slowly circled behind the willow tree. She crouched down, took a deep breath, and after finding the Bai Jiao grass, carefully wrapped it in her handkerchief.
This way, by the time the flower basket was woven and filled with fresh flowers, she would have gathered enough Bai Jiao grass.
“Let’s head back.”
Suddenly, people on the embankment surged in one direction like a tide, with exclamations rising one after another: “Oh no, someone’s jumped into the river!”
“Miss?” A-Man looked at Jiang Si.
“Let’s go see.”
A-Ji quickly tried to stop them: “Fourth Miss, the riverbank is crowded and slippery. We’d better not go over. There’s nothing good to see about someone jumping in the river.”
Heavens! If it were the young master instead of Fourth Miss, he’d be running faster than the master himself!
Jiang Si smiled: “I said for you to go and see what’s happening.”
She understood the principle of knowing one’s limits.
In broad daylight, with so many onlookers, was she supposed to push through the crowd and publicly strip to jump in and save someone?
Hearing there was excitement to witness without worrying about Jiang Si’s safety, A-Ji was delighted and took off running.
The riverbank was already crowded with people. A-Ji, with his thick skin and nimble body, squeezed through. After a while, he emerged from the crowd amidst curses to report back to Jiang Si.
“Fourth Miss, the one who jumped was a woman. She’s just been rescued and is now sitting by the river crying.”
The woman’s wails drifted over the crowd to Jiang Si’s ears: “I can’t find my Niuniu, I don’t want to live anymore!”
“I heard from people nearby that the woman who jumped sells tofu. They call her the Tofu Beauty. She was widowed early and raised a daughter alone. Who’d have thought her daughter went missing a couple of days ago? It’s truly pitiful…” A-Ji relayed what he had heard to Jiang Si.
“Didn’t they report it to the authorities?” A-Man blurted out.
“Of course they did. But every year, so many women and children go missing. How can the officials keep up with all of them?” A-Ji sighed, taking the opportunity to urge Jiang Si, “Fourth Miss, you see how dangerous it is outside? We should hurry back to the manor.”
The woman’s cries grew louder: “My poor daughter is only fourteen. While other children are out playing, she’s always grinding tofu with me. She’s never had a single carefree day. Niuniu, where are you? Come back!”
“Fourth Miss, let’s go back.” A-Man felt as if a stone was pressing on her heart after hearing those cries.
The woman was being supported as she walked out of the crowd, or more accurately, dragged out.
Her entire body sagged, her feet leaving long marks on the ground. Yet despite such a wretched state, traces of youthful beauty still lingered on her despairing face.
Suddenly, the woman’s vacant eyes blazed with an astonishing light. She forcefully broke free from those supporting her and ran towards Jiang Si.
A-Man reacted swiftly, immediately stepping forward to shield Jiang Si.
The woman flew past the mistress and maid like a gust of wind. Jiang Si caught a whiff of a faint, sour scent.
“Niuniu, Niuniu!” The woman ran extremely fast, grabbing the sleeve of a young girl in blue.
Shrill cries came from maids and older female servants: “You mad woman, let go of our miss!”
“Get out of my way and give me back my Niuniu!” The woman, as if possessed, allowed several maids and servants to punch and kick her while she clung desperately to the girl’s sleeve. “Niuniu, it’s a mother! Look at mother!”
The girl turned her head, frowning slightly: “Madam, please let go. You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
The woman, seeing the girl’s face clearly, numbly released her grip.
Jiang Si saw the light in the woman’s eyes rapidly extinguish, turning to cold ashes.
“Sister Xiu, you’d better go home. Maybe Niuniu has already returned,” a bystander kindly advised, seeing that the woman had offended someone of status.
“Niuniu, I must go home to find my Niuniu!” The woman ran off in a deranged state.
The girl pursed her lips, and as she turned her head, her eyes met Jiang Si’s.
“Aren’t you — Fourth Miss Jiang?”
Jiang Si raised an eyebrow.
What a coincidence! She had come to gather some “herbs” and even encountered a young lady from Duke An’s manor!