Chapter 14: A Different Breakfast

After the courier left, she turned around and saw a large rat burrowing out from the pile of firewood beneath the shed. It darted across the courtyard, jumped down into the pigsty, climbed back up, and scrambled along the wall to vanish outside.

“What impressive agility,” she quipped, finding humor amid hardship. She unloaded the basket in front of the house and opened the door.

A spider, as big as her fingertip, descended from the top of the doorframe on its thread. She pinched the thread, the spider dropped to the ground and tried to escape inside, but she kicked it away.

The house was divided into two rooms: the outer room was cluttered with miscellaneous items, while the inner room held only a low wooden bed with a thin layer of dry grass. All in all, it was cleaner than the rural courier’s lodging.

She glanced at the four large jars—each empty, though one had a ladle inside. Well, the room needed airing anyway, so she decided to fetch water. Stepping into the courtyard, she followed the path southward, then west for several dozen paces, reaching the well.

She carried back two and a half buckets, swaying as she walked. Just as she lifted the jar’s lid, a dark object was thrown over the courtyard wall and landed with a slap inside.

A muttering voice sounded from the other side of the wall: “Why are you tossing things blindly?”

“I didn’t use much force, just tossed it casually…”

Wang Ge glanced over just in time to see the top of someone’s head flash past. Clearly, this courtyard shared a wall with the neighbors; the rat had been thrown over from the western neighbor, and the person was now peering over.

She picked up the dead rat by its tail—it seemed to be the one that had been skittering about earlier, still smeared with pig dung. Rats are filthy; she couldn’t feed it to the pigs. She took it under the shed, dug a pit with the axe, and buried it. Returning to the jar, she poured in the water, which instantly turned black, showing just how dirty the jar was—it was hard to tell how long it had been unused. She ladled out the dirty water and set off for a second trip.

At this time, Li Tian was also carrying a pole to fetch water, Wen Shizhi followed to keep him out of trouble, and Huan Zhen stayed behind to guard the house. Li Tian, for all his skills, could not apply them to carrying water; he fetched two full buckets, but spilled so much that less than one remained.

Night fell quickly. Wang Ge stopped her chores, poured out the grass she’d brought, covered the bed’s original straw, shut the door, and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring courtyard, the three young men were just beginning to sort through the case, with Huan Zhen recounting the details: “The county magistrate’s surname is Jiang, given name…”

Wang Tian interrupted, “Isn’t he dead? Why bother with his name?”

Huan Zhen continued, “Someone familiar with the matter revealed that Magistrate Jiang and his wife, Lady Meng, were not on good terms. Lady Meng died on her way to offer incense at the Nuwa Temple outside the city. Her head was leaning out of the carriage window and was struck by a branch. The coachman swore Lady Meng made no sound during the journey, and when her death was discovered, her face was so mangled, her eyes were gone.”

Wen Shizhi asked, “Are we certain the deceased was Lady Meng?”

Huan Zhen replied, “The official examiner confirmed it was her.”

Wen Shizhi pressed, “Was anything stolen?”

Huan Zhen answered, “All belongings were intact.”

Wen Shizhi continued, “Was she violated?”

Huan Zhen responded, “No.”

Wen Shizhi declared, “Then it must be a vendetta!”

Wang Tian couldn’t help but interject, “Are you two ill? Couldn’t she really have died from the branch? Maybe Lady Meng leaned out to enjoy the scenery, or perhaps she heard something and lifted the curtain at the very moment a slanted branch struck her vitally, causing her to faint! Then… the branches by the roadside… swish, swish, swish, swish!”

Wen Shizhi dismissed this, “How could it be such a coincidence?”

“Coincidence? Every year, some of my household’s riders are injured by branches!”

Huan Zhen reminded, “They say the magistrate had a mistress.”

“Is she pretty?” Wang Tian instantly lunged toward Huan Zhen’s face.

Bang! Huan Zhen kicked him off the bed, Wen Shizhi grabbed the basket at the bed’s foot and placed it over Wang Tian’s head. After a bout of scuffling, the three decided to retrace Lady Meng’s route to the temple the next day.

“How do the three of us sleep with two beds?” Wen Shizhi worried.

Huan Zhen replied, “Hasn’t Tian always dreamed of sleeping under the sky, earth as his mat?”

Wang Tian feigned ignorance, shoved past Huan Zhen, pressed his belly to the wall, and pretended to snore.

In the middle of the night, Huan Zhen was kept awake by Wang Tian’s real snoring. He quietly slipped outside and imitated an owl’s call. Iron Wind emerged from the shadows by the wall.

“How did you sneak in?” Huan Zhen asked, curious, since the courier station was surrounded by solid stone walls and had a watchtower at its center.

“My men used the Huan clan’s token to enter openly,” Iron Wind replied.

Huan Zhen was speechless.

Iron Wind continued in a low voice, “The couriers insisted on assigning my men to the luxurious lodgings in the postal district. We had to spend some money to get quarters in the rural area. Rest assured, Huan Lang, except for here and the eastern courtyard, the surroundings are all secured by my men.”

At that moment, Wang Ge from the neighboring courtyard pushed open her door.

Huan Zhen and Iron Wind fell silent.

Wang Ge had been startled awake by the commotion of rats; several were darting around her. Afraid of being bitten, she stepped outside. Having slept for over two hours, she was no longer tired. She dragged a piece of wood to the jar, brought over the sharpening stone and axe, poured a little water on the stone’s surface, and began to sharpen the axe.

There must be a rat’s nest under the shed; she dared not approach it. As she sharpened, the pig woke and began to grunt.

Iron Wind whispered, “My men have checked—the neighbors are honest folk.”

“Shut it, you noisy pig!” Wang Ge cursed at the animal.

Iron Wind was speechless.

With the first glimmer of dawn, restless Wang Ge began chopping firewood, disturbing Wang Tian in the neighboring courtyard, who angrily climbed the wall and shouted, “Are you mad? Chopping wood in the dead of night?”

Traveling abroad, Wang Ge dared not cause trouble; she quickly set down the axe and went out to fetch water.

Wang Tian scratched his messy hair, pulled out two stalks of straw, and returned inside to lie down. Half an hour later, Wen Shizhi suddenly sat up, “Quick, don’t miss breakfast!”

Wang Ge carried the pig’s feed bowl to the main kitchen. No wonder it was called the main kitchen—it was vast, with many couriers in charge of cooking.

One person ladled sticky slop from a large jar in the courtyard and was about to pour it into her bowl when Wang Tian saw him.

“Damn it, mmph mmph mmph!” He began cursing, but Huan Zhen covered his mouth. “Mmph mmph mmph!” Wang Tian struggled and stamped his feet in fury.

But Huan Zhen didn’t guard against Wen Shizhi, who stepped forward and angrily demanded, “You! Is this what you’re giving us to eat?”

The courier raised his ladle, clicking his tongue. Wang Ge quickly laughed, turned her back, blocked the courier, and used the bowl to push Wen Shizhi toward the kitchen, rapidly explaining, “This is for the pigs. Our food is over there.”

The courier fiercely swung the ladle at Wen Shizhi’s retreating back, “Brat! Lucky you dodged fast.”

“Ahem!” Iron Wind, Iron Thunder, and their men entered the courtyard, loudly calling, “Bring out breakfast!” They were all disguised as commoners—some with fake beards, some with straw hats; only Huan Zhen could recognize them.

The couriers had been notified the previous day that these “lords” were on official business for the court, not to be offended or have their identities exposed. So they had risen early to prepare quality breakfast for them. Each courier carried a basket brimming with steamed buns: “Please, everyone, eat your fill. There’s more if needed.”

Remarkable! The county’s courier station served such fine meals? Wang Ge hadn’t eaten refined grain since her reincarnation, much less white flour buns. She hurried to set down her bowl, but as she reached out, the courier slapped her hand and scolded, “Yours is in the house! And you, you, you! Yours are all inside!”

Wen Shizhi behaved, “Hmph,” and followed Wang Ge. The two swept through the kitchen, finding four flat wheat cakes on the stove—clearly leftovers from the previous day.

Wang Ge took the top one, Wen Shizhi grabbed the remaining three, and saw that Huan Zhen and Wang Tian were bargaining for buns with the burly men, who generously gave them some.

Wen Shizhi immediately stuffed a wheat cake into Wang Ge’s hands, then moved next to Huan Zhen, opening his mouth obediently. Huan Zhen smiled and stuffed a bun in.

Wang Ge pursed her lips, cast a longing glance at the buns, tucked the cake into the cloth pouch at her waist, and quietly left with the pig’s bowl.

She recognized Huan Zhen—the young gentleman who had accompanied the nobleman teaching Ah Xing to read and gifting wooden tablets. She knew he must be on important business and was disguising himself as a commoner. So she avoided even a single extra glance, fearing she might cause him trouble.

Once Wang Ge left Huan Zhen’s line of sight, he didn’t look again. He had recognized the young girl; the teacher had especially instructed him to look after her if she came to Tao Yi County for the craft exam, and ensure she faced no injustice.

It seemed the young girl hadn’t recognized him, which meant his disguise was flawless! Last night, Iron Wind’s teasing had almost shattered his confidence.