Chapter 5: Meeting an Old Friend in a Foreign Land

After leaving the Pan family, the three of them found an inn in the village to rest. Though called an inn, it was actually just a small guesthouse. It wasn’t large, with about four or five rooms. The innkeeper was a widow named Meng. At fifty years old, she remained single and childless, so in her spare time, she transformed her house into an inn to provide lodging for travelers and alleviate her loneliness.

Scholar Village was located in a remote area, far from the main roads, so there were few passersby. Most of the time, the inn’s rooms remained vacant, but the beds were always clean. It seemed that Innkeeper Meng cherished her home and spent her free time tidying up.

Finding such a clean place to stay in this barren mountain was a pleasant surprise for Di Jiang. She immediately had Wen Yao and Shuxiang fetch a bucket of hot water so they could take a warm bath and change out of their dirty clothes after days of traveling.

As Di Jiang soaked in the bathtub, she sighed while washing herself. “Ai…”

“What’s wrong, Shopkeeper?”

“Nothing, just feeling frustrated.”

“Ai, I feel the same…” Wen Yao also looked gloomy.

“I thought delivering something for Pan Yuelang was doing a good deed, but I didn’t expect it to not only fail to make the elderly couple happy but also escalate their conflicts. Unknowingly, I ended up making things worse… It’s really hard to be a good person in this world…”

“Yeah.” Even Shuxiang, who rarely spoke, nodded in agreement.

“Even Shuxiang, who usually remains silent and avoids expressing opinions, has spoken up. It shows how difficult Old Pan’s life is…” Di Jiang leaned on the bathtub, staring straight ahead, clearly dissatisfied with Old Pan’s inability to stand up for himself.

Wen Yao rested her head on her hands on the table, sighing as she nodded. “Old Pan is truly pitiful.”

“Ai!” The three sighed together, sharing the same sorrow for his inability to resolve his situation and frustration at his lack of initiative.

“Shopkeeper, Pan Yuelang will surely succeed, right?” Wen Yao moved closer to Di Jiang, full of hope.

Di Jiang couldn’t bear to hide the truth any longer, so she nodded.

“And his father? Will he enjoy wealth and honor?”

Di Jiang shook her head. “Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed.”

“Shopkeeper, you’re being evasive!” Wen Yao frowned.

Afraid of further questioning, Di Jiang said indifferently, “I can’t foresee his future.”

“Again with the ‘can’t foresee the future’! Is there anything in this world you can’t predict?” Wen Yao protested. “You once said you couldn’t foresee Prince Rui’an’s future, yet he survived just fine. In fact, he looks even more handsome now, exuding an aura rivaling the current crown prince. Surely, you can save Old Pan too, right? He’ll live in luxury with his son, right?”

“I truly don’t know about Prince Rui’an’s affairs. I’m not omnipotent,” Di Jiang shrugged, cutting off Wen Yao’s next words. “Besides, there are many couples like Old Pan in this mortal world. You may dislike them now, but you’ll forget about it in a few days. Don’t forget the purpose of our trip.”

“You said you brought us here for a spring outing—just sightseeing, no serious matters.” Seeing that Di Jiang didn’t want to help Pan Xingui, Wen Yao feigned ignorance.

Di Jiang ignored her, rolled her eyes, wrapped herself in her bathrobe, and climbed into bed.

“Shopkeeper, you’re going to sleep already?!” Wen Yao ran over and tugged at Di Jiang’s blanket.

“What else?” Di Jiang glared at her.

“Teach us some wisdom!”

Di Jiang waved her hand dismissively. “Talking with you two is boring. I’d rather chat with Zhou Gong.”

Di Jiang grabbed a corner of the blanket, tugging it away from Wen Yao, who refused to let go. Eventually, Di Jiang let go, and with a thud, Wen Yao fell flat on her back.

“I didn’t mean to,” Di Jiang quickly said. “And I really have an appointment with Zhou Gong.”

“Zhou Gong is a celestial deity. How could we mere spirits ever meet him? Shopkeeper, you just want to sleep and can’t come up with a better excuse! I’m ignoring you!” Wen Yao got up, angrily turned around, and left.

Shuxiang, expressionless, came over, lowered the bed curtains, and extinguished the candle by the bedside. “Shopkeeper, rest early. I’ll take my leave.”

“Go ahead. Good night, sweet dreams.” Di Jiang approvingly nodded, thinking to herself, “I do appreciate this diligent and quiet servant. When I took him in alongside Wen Yao—one active, one reserved—they turned out to be quite complementary.”

Satisfied, Di Jiang fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of playing chess all night with a bearded man dressed in dark robes.

In the end, Di Jiang lost the game.

The man asked her, “Long time no see, do you have a gift?”

Di Jiang thought for a moment, then pulled out a large bag of peanuts from her sleeve and tossed it to him, emphasizing, “I personally picked and roasted these. They’re perfect with wine.”

The man happily accepted the peanuts, stroking his beard and laughing heartily. “Then I am truly blessed…”

The next day, winter sunlight streamed through the window, warming Di Jiang’s body until her bones felt relaxed. She lazily yawned, surprising the other two in the room.

“Shopkeeper, you’re finally awake,” Wen Yao exclaimed urgently.

Hearing Wen Yao’s voice, Di Jiang instantly became alert. Opening her eyes, she saw Wen Yao and Shuxiang sitting nearby, cracking sunflower seeds. A pot of tea on the table was steaming, and half the snacks had already been eaten, indicating they had waited for a long time.

Di Jiang smiled slightly. “Good morning.”

“Morning?” Wen Yao glared at her. “Do you know what time it is? It’s almost dinner time!”

“Not that exaggerated,” Di Jiang glanced outside the window and laughed. “It’s just past noon.”

“But we’re waiting for dinner!”

“Alright, alright, you’re right. I’ll get up right away!” Though Di Jiang said so, her actions remained unhurried as she slowly climbed out of bed to get dressed.

Wen Yao sighed, her face showing dissatisfaction, but she still came over to help Di Jiang wash up.

Once Di Jiang finished washing and dressing, Shuxiang brought in breakfast.

Di Jiang sat at the table, looking at the steamed buns and pickles before her, unable to muster any appetite. After a few bites, she remarked, “This is too meager.”

“In a place like this, having food is already good. Are you still picky?” Wen Yao rolled her eyes sarcastically, making Di Jiang lose her appetite even more.

She put down her chopsticks and grinned. “Let’s go eat street food.” With that, she lifted her skirt and rushed downstairs, with Shuxiang and Wen Yao hurrying after her.

As they stepped out of the inn, they saw the sun high above, melting the snow on the surrounding mountains. Although mist still lingered atop the peaks, creating an early spring haze, the atmosphere was much warmer compared to yesterday’s chill.

Today was market day, and small stalls lined both sides of the street, bustling with vendors’ calls. The village nestled against the mountain brimmed with vitality.

Di Jiang noticed a white banner hanging at a stall across the street, with the words “Sweet Rice Wine” written on it. She ran over, sat down at the stall, and told the vendor, “Two servings of sweet rice wine, please.”

“Coming right up!” The vendor shouted, quickly opening the lid and starting to cook.

Wen Yao and Shuxiang sat close to Di Jiang. Wen Yao urged, “Shuxiang and I have already eaten. Do you really need two servings, Shopkeeper?”

Di Jiang shook her head. “I only need one.”

“What about the other serving?”

“Waiting for an old friend.” Di Jiang smiled faintly. Not long after she spoke, a young man in a green robe approached from afar. On his back was a wooden sword half his height, and in his hands was a brown earthenware jar resembling a wine container.

Others might assume he carried wine, but Di Jiang knew it contained Mei Jie’s ashes.

The newcomer was Zhong Xu.

“Oh, Boss Zhong, what brings you here?” Di Jiang waved her handkerchief at him. As soon as she spoke, Zhong Xu visibly trembled. He looked around and finally spotted Di Jiang under a pavilion in the corner.

“How did you end up here too?” Zhong Xu exclaimed in surprise.

“Isn’t that the question I should be asking you? Why are you questioning me instead?” Di Jiang cleverly deflected, pointing to Wen Yao. “A distant cousin of Wen Yao fell ill, so I came to treat him.”

“Oh? What illness requires the esteemed Di Jiang to visit personally?”

“A leg ailment,” Di Jiang said with a sigh. “A broken leg.”

“…” Zhong Xu stared at Di Jiang, disbelief in his eyes, but he said, “Madam Di’s medical skills are unparalleled. Truly admirable.”

“Yes, yes…” Di Jiang nodded with a smile, completely at ease. While she spoke calmly, Wen Yao discreetly tugged her sleeve, winking and whispering in her ear, “Shopkeeper, I don’t have any cousins!”

“Pretend Old Pan is your distant relative. You’ve shown concern for him anyway. What harm is there in claiming kinship?” Di Jiang whispered with a laugh, lying without batting an eye.

“But didn’t you say we shouldn’t interfere in worldly affairs? If you cure Old Pan, wouldn’t that count as altering his fate? What if you incur heavenly punishment?” Wen Yao fretted.

Seeing Wen Yao about to reveal the lie, Di Jiang stomped on her foot under the table to silence her. Wen Yao dared not speak further and bowed her head, looking quite aggrieved.

Ignoring her, Di Jiang turned to Zhong Xu with a smile. “Master Daoist, what brings you on such a long journey?”

“I’m here to bury Ruan Qingmei.” Zhong Xu glanced at the jar in his hands.

Di Jiang nodded knowingly. Though pretending ignorance, basic courtesy was necessary. Seeing his sorrowful expression, she decided not to dwell on the deceased. Smiling again, she said, “I ordered an extra bowl of sweet rice wine. Would Master Daoist like to warm up?”

Zhong Xu’s expression turned strange, but he still sat down opposite Di Jiang.

Di Jiang passed him the sweet rice wine, but he pushed it back.

“Master Daoist doesn’t like sweets?”

“Cough, cough!” Shuxiang nudged Di Jiang, reminding her that Daoists don’t drink alcohol.

Di Jiang shook her head and sighed. “What a pity. This sweet rice wine is fragrant for miles. Just smelling it makes one drunk, yet you can’t partake.”

Zhong Xu’s face darkened as he ordered a bowl of millet porridge.

Di Jiang ate facing him, unabashedly staring. Irritated by her gaze, he furrowed his brow and asked, “What does Madam Di want?”

“Nothing much. I just missed seeing you after a few days.”

“…” Zhong Xu stopped talking, lowering his head to focus on his porridge, ignoring her.

From where she sat, Di Jiang could only see his furrowed brows. She continued, “Why does Master Daoist look so troubled?”

“It’s habit.”

“Oh.” Di Jiang nodded, refraining from disturbing his meal. When he was nearly finished, she asked, “When do you plan to bury Sister Mei?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is the Awakening of Insects!” Di Jiang exclaimed.

“Yes.”

“Hmm, that means the underground insects will be disturbed.”