A yellow fish for a tub of bath water!

If not for her experiences along the journey, Fu Tingyun might have considered this an elegant affair. She would have comfortably soaked in a bath, then changed into clean and comfortable clothes, and had a wonderful sleep… But now, knowing that water could save lives, she could no longer view it casually or use it thoughtlessly for bathing.

Asen had experienced even more hardships than Fu Tingyun.

He sat beside the wooden tub, staring blankly at Fu Tingyun, hesitantly asking, “Are we using it for bathing?”

Of course, they couldn’t use it for bathing!

Fu Tingyun thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t we pour the water into water skins to store it and carry it for drinking on the road?”

“That’s great!” Asen jumped up excitedly upon hearing this. “However, we can’t pour untreated water directly into the water skins; we need to boil it first. Otherwise, after so many days on the road without flowing, the water will spoil and cause illness if we drink it.”

Fu Tingyun understood this principle too, but hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Her face flushed slightly.

No wonder Grandmother often said, “Understanding worldly matters is knowledge; mastering human relations is literature.” She still had much to learn!

The two of them circled the room and found the kitchen located in a connected suite behind the side room. Beside the stove were piled some rice straw and pieces of wood.

Asen showed Fu Tingyun how to bundle the wood with rice straw for firewood and how to arrange the firewood with tongs for burning.

Fu Tingyun smiled, “You don’t think I can’t cook, do you?”

Asen was unimpressed: “Then let me see you bundle some firewood?”

Fu Tingyun had never actually done this before.

When she learned to cook, there were always daughters-in-law and maids to light the fire and wash vegetables; she was only responsible for the cooking itself.

Asen taught her with some contempt: “The straw is used to bring the fire to the wood. If you bundle too much, it’s wasteful; if too little, the fire won’t reach the wood… Who cooks with one person feeding firewood into the stove while another stir-fries? Everyone throws firewood into the stove while focusing on the wok, calculating when the fire is about to die out, then abandoning the wok to tend to the stove… When the fire first starts, the flames are small, then they grow stronger in the middle, and finally diminish again… With the first bundle of firewood, the wok is cold, and even the strong fire of the second bundle is only a small flame until the wok heats up. The small flame of the second bundle is hotter than the large flame of the first… If the fire burns too strongly, the food will scorch; if the fire won’t ignite, the food won’t cook… Stir-frying is manageable; you can still make do. But when cooking rice, if the bottom scorches while the top is still uncooked, eating half-cooked rice will cause stomach pain.”

Fu Tingyun’s head was spinning from all this information: “I just want to boil water, so does it matter if the fire is strong or weak?”

Asen glared at her: “Do you know how many bundles of firewood we can make from the straw and wood here? Do you know how many bundles it takes to boil a pot of water? If you just throw everything into the stove carelessly, we’ll run out of firewood before the water boils… What then?”

Fu Tingyun felt Asen was exaggerating to show off his fire-making expertise, and smiled, “Isn’t boiling one pot enough to fill all our water skins?”

Asen grumbled, “Anyway, we can’t waste it.”

Fu Tingyun suppressed her smile: “Alright, I’ll listen to Asen!”

Asen’s lips curled in a somewhat smug smile.

Fu Tingyun held back her laughter for a long time.

The two sat on small bamboo stools by the stove entrance, bundling firewood.

Fu Tingyun asked him, “How does Master Zhao have so many gold coins?”

Asen was displeased with her doubting Master Zhao Jiu: “He saved them, of course!”

Saved them? If everyone could easily save a few small gold coins, who would need to rent others’ fields for farming?

“How did he save them?” Fu Tingyun asked with a smile. “Tell me, so I can save some too!”

Asen gave her a look: “Copper coins exchanged for silver, silver exchanged for gold, saved up, of course!” Then he impatiently said, “Let’s quickly bundle the firewood; we still need to cook afterward!”

This child was tight-lipped!

Fu Tingyun felt both disappointed and reassured.

Someone walked in: “What are you two doing?”

The two looked up to see Master Zhao Jiu standing at the kitchen door with a cloth bag.

Asen ran over, seeking praise: “We didn’t want to waste the water you bought with gold coins, so we’re boiling it to fill our water skins for drinking on the road!” Then, taking the cloth bag from Master Zhao Jiu’s hand, “Master, what’s this?”

Master Zhao Jiu ignored Asen and stared at Fu Tingyun standing by the stove entrance. His gaze was deep, and in the dim light of the kitchen, it seemed somewhat mysterious.

For some reason, Fu Tingyun recalled the two of them in the kitchen at Biyun Temple… It was just like this, with no one around, dim light… his gaze deep and quiet…

She began to feel uneasy.

He was Master Zhao Jiu!

Not really her family’s servant.

When he told the people of Li Family Village that he would take her to Xi’an Prefecture to seek relatives, his expression was so unpleasant.

Earlier, she had been too happy to think carefully, but now, recalling it, he must have felt compelled.

Now with no outsiders present, would he change his mind? Would he lose his temper? Would he think she was like a piece of sticky candy, impossible to shake off once attached?

In the silence, Fu Tingyun lowered her eyelids.

Then she heard Asen shouting: “Flour, eggs, tofu, winter melon… Master, where did you get all these things?” The sound of him swallowing was audible.

Fu Tingyun quickly looked up.

It was true!

The cloth bag was opened, and several eggs were carefully placed on the stove top by Asen.

Four tubs of water had cost four small gold coins…

She blurted out: “How much silver did this cost?”

Her face immediately burned hot.

In the past, when speaking of money, one would substitute it with “that stuff,” but now she immediately asked the price of everything she saw… She had changed a lot… But deep down was the lingering thought that if not for her, Master Zhao Jiu certainly wouldn’t have spent money buying water, flour, and vegetables… When she first met him, he wasn’t even wearing shoes… It wasn’t that he had no money… Master Zhao Jiu was a very frugal person… With him spending money like this, she felt genuinely distressed…

Master Zhao Jiu pressed his lips together, his eyes filled with mirth, clearly restraining himself from laughing out loud: “What is money for if not to spend!”

Fu Tingyun disliked this attitude.

Her Sixteenth Grand-Uncle was just like this, spending every cent he earned, feeling free and unrestrained when young because he could earn money. But when he grew old without savings, it was difficult to adapt to frugality after living in luxury, and when he died, his coffin was still bought with public funds.

She couldn’t help muttering softly: “What if a person is still alive but has no more silver, what then?”

Master Zhao Jiu was startled, then burst into laughter.

His brows relaxed, his eyes sparkling, showing a joyfulness she had never seen before.

Fu Tingyun’s eyes widened.

“I have my arrangements for the water we carry on the road,” he said with a smile. “We’ll leave Li Family Village at dusk tomorrow. You should go prepare. Asen, you cook the meal!”

Asen cheerfully responded, “Yes,” taking out the items Master Zhao Jiu had brought back one by one.

Master Zhao Jiu had already said to Fu Tingyun: “Aren’t you itchy? Go freshen up quickly.” He also reassured her, “Things will be better once we reach Xi’an Prefecture!”

How did he know she was itchy?

Being bundled up throughout the journey, Fu Tingyun had developed heat rash.

She didn’t want him to think she was delicate, so she only scratched when alone, but he had noticed anyway.

A strange sense of gratitude welled up in her heart as Master Zhao Jiu turned and walked out: “I need to see the clan leader of Li Family Village with Seventh Master; I’ll be back soon!”

…

Because of Master Zhao Jiu’s words, Fu Tingyun couldn’t resist the temptation of bathing after all. She thoroughly washed herself, feeling as if she had shed several pounds of weight, her whole body much lighter. Then she found a white cloth, tore it into strips, and bound her hair with it as a form of mourning for her uncle and aunt’s family.

When she came out, Asen was frying tofu.

Seeing him having to stand on a stone to reach the wok with the spatula, Fu Tingyun hurried over to help.

Asen shooed her away: “Master said to let me cook.”

“You can help me tend the fire,” Fu Tingyun said, taking the spatula from his hand. Though not very skillful, her movements were graceful and fluid as she turned the tofu.

Asen had to admit she was better than him and obediently sat by the stove to help with the fire.

Soon Fu Tingyun had prepared two dishes and asked Asen, “Does Master Jiu prefer noodles or flatbread?”

“Brother Yuanbao makes whatever he eats!” Asen thought for a moment. “But he eats more when we make flatbread.”

Judging by his appearance, Master Zhao Jiu didn’t seem like a picky person.

Fu Tingyun began to knead the dough and said to Asen, “You should wash up too! I hear it’s still a seven or eight-day journey from here to Xi’an Prefecture!”

Thinking about how each tub of water cost a small gold coin, she felt a bit guilty having used two tubs, leaving two more.

Asen said somewhat reluctantly, “Better save it for Master!”

“Let’s leave one tub for Master!” Fu Tingyun strongly encouraged him.

This way, she wouldn’t be the only one enjoying the water.

If everyone shared, she would feel more at ease.

Asen smelled terrible, and unable to resist Fu Tingyun’s persuasion, he hesitated for a long time before finally joining forces with Fu Tingyun to carry a tub of water to the side room, where he took a bath.

By the time he came out, Fu Tingyun had already finished baking the flatbread and was making egg and winter melon soup.

“Master Jiu hasn’t returned yet?” he asked with his hair still wet.

“Not yet!” Fu Tingyun wiped the sweat from her forehead. “It’s still early; let’s wait a bit longer. If he doesn’t come back soon, you can go check on him!”

Asen naturally had no objection and asked her, “Where are the clothes you changed out of, Miss? I’ll go wash them first!”

Fu Tingyun broke into a cold sweat.

Among the clothes she had changed out of were her undergarments…

“No need, no need! I can do it myself!” Realizing they had already used three tubs of water, she quickly said, “Besides, there’s no water left!”

Asen giggled, “I saved half a tub of water.”

“Asen is so capable!” Fu Tingyun praised him, asking Asen to help carry the prepared food to the square table in the main hall.

Master Zhao Jiu returned.

Fu Tingyun hurried to greet him: “Did the clan leader of Li Family Village say anything?”

After all, the Seventh Master taking them in was done without the clan leader’s permission.

“No,” Master Zhao Jiu said casually, “he just asked about our situation.”

Fu Tingyun sighed in relief and asked Asen to fetch water for Master Zhao Jiu to wash his hands before eating.

Master Zhao Jiu immersed his hands in the water, but his mind was on what the clan leader of Li Family Village had just said: “…once you’ve delivered your family’s young miss to Xi’an Prefecture, you will have fulfilled your former master’s wishes. Being a woman, she will eventually marry; you might consider settling down here in our Li Family Village…”