Chapter 37: A Precious Find!
The maid named Xiaohuan often found herself wondering what kind of life her master, Li Yi, had lived before coming to the mountain. Who were his family members? Was he already married? Did he have someone special in his heart? ...
As time passed and they spent more time together, she gradually learned a few things.
Some of the information Li Yi had inadvertently revealed during casual conversations dispelled some of her speculations. However, much remained uncertain.
On the night of Qixi, when Li Yi's behavior became unusually strange, Xiaohuan had formed a certain guess in her heart.
"If love can last forever, does it matter if we're together every day?"
The meaning of these two lines had once puzzled her, so she had pestered Sister Qin, the only literate person in the stronghold, to explain them. She still remembered Sister Qin saying at the time, "Your master... must also be someone with a story."
Her gaze fell back to the painting in her hands. Looking at the beautiful woman depicted in the scroll, Xiaohuan's imagination began to run wild. Could this be the woman her master had loved in the past?
A handsome scholar and an elegant beauty—they should have been an enviable couple, supporting each other through life...
But fate had other plans. The scholar was captured by bandits and forced to become their live-in son-in-law, while the beauty remained alone in her boudoir, her days filled with tears...
Although Li Yi usually showed no trace of sorrow, his heart must be burdened with untold bitterness, right?
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, an inexplicable wave of emotion surged through her. She felt a lump in her throat, her heart heavy with sorrow, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.
"Xiaohuan, what's wrong?"
A familiar voice suddenly sounded beside her, startling the young girl. She turned to see Liu Ru-Yi standing behind her.
"Ah, Second Miss..." Xiaohuan hurriedly wiped away her tears and replied, "It's nothing, I just accidentally got something in my eye."
"What is this?"
Liu Ru-Yi’s gaze fell on the painting in Xiaohuan’s hands, her eyes narrowing as recognition dawned.
...
A good night’s sleep cured all woes. By the time Li Yi woke up the next day, it was almost lunchtime.
Teaching the little troublemakers at the school was clearly out of the question. Since no one was paying him a salary, his motivation to work was already low. Fortunately, he was free to decide whether or not to attend, and there were no constraints on his time.
The courtyard was empty; Liu Ru-Yi was likely out practicing martial arts, and as for Liu Ruyi, she had been absent since yesterday. Her occasional disappearances no longer surprised Li Yi.
Xiaohuan was busy in the kitchen. It felt awkward for a grown man to linger there, and spending too much time cooking was beginning to tire him out. About half a month ago, he had started teaching Xiaohuan the basics of cooking. After all, meals should be enjoyable, not just something thrown together to fill one's stomach.
After a quick wash, Li Yi walked to the doorway and stretched lazily.
Breathing in the fresh mountain air, he felt instantly rejuvenated.
Air untouched by industrial pollution carried the pure essence of nature with every breath. It was so fresh... and distinctly smelled of meat?
Li Yi sniffed again, confirming that he hadn’t imagined it—there was indeed a rich aroma of meat in the air.
The scent wasn’t coming from his own kitchen. He had specifically instructed Xiaohuan the night before to leave the meat for him to handle. Wrinkling his nose, he followed the tantalizing aroma and soon spotted one of Fang’s kids walking over with a massive bowl.
The child approached cautiously, holding the bowl as if it contained a treasure. “Master, my dad asked me to bring this to you.”
Li Yi smiled, patted the child’s head, and accepted the bowl. Though he wasn’t lacking in such things, the gesture was heartfelt and difficult to refuse.
Task complete, the boy darted off like a rabbit, skipping the customary farewell as he rushed back home.
With the prospect of both fragrant rice and meat for lunch, the child’s face was lit with joy, his heart already soaring at the thought of his meal.
The rich aroma of meat wasn’t lost on others, either. That morning, countless people in Liuyue Stronghold stood at their doorways, inhaling deeply and swallowing their saliva.
Rice was a luxury in the stronghold, and many hadn’t smelled the scent of meat in years.
When they saw children wandering around with bowls of snowy white rice, topped with generous portions of meat, their envy knew no bounds.
Even the wealthiest families in the stronghold couldn’t afford such extravagance. For tenant farmers with no land of their own to eat better than the Liu Clan themselves was unthinkable.
It wasn’t long before word began to spread. The realization dawned: the supplies Fang and his companions had brought back yesterday really were food!
Ten whole stones of rice—an astronomical amount by their standards.
Rumors began to swirl. Soon, everyone in the stronghold had heard about how the "new master" had exchanged a single painting for ten taels of silver, using the money to purchase food and meat.
The news left the stronghold in shock.
Few had ever seen ten taels of silver, let alone spent it on food. The transformation of Fang’s household from poverty-stricken to feasting on rice and meat was almost unbelievable.
The most regretful among them were undoubtedly the young women who had paid Li Yi to paint on Qixi. Realizing that their sky lanterns had been worth ten taels of silver made their hearts bleed.
Spending ten taels of silver on a lantern was likely the most extravagant act of their lives.
Meanwhile, others who had once shared Fang’s destitution were left to regret not siding with Liu Ruyi and Liu Ru-Yi when the clansmen had conspired against them...
Of course, some began wondering whether they should also abduct a scholar from the mountains, lock him in a room, and have him paint day and night.
But it was merely wishful thinking. If every scholar could earn such a fortune, why would “poor scholars” even exist?
No matter how envious or jealous the direct line of the Liu Clan became, one fact was undeniable:
Liu Ruyi and Liu Ru-Yi had truly found themselves a treasure this time!