Chapter Fourteen: The Best of Friends

  Nai Yun Tian was still young, and his mind was indeed quick-witted. He hesitated for a moment before understanding Shen Bai Ling's intention, and stiffened his tone: "Right, right! I'm at...Shen...Big Brother Shen's house, where did I go to the village chief's house outside?"

  Shen Bailian's words were naturally just a casual fabrication, but they also worked as a trick, forcing the village woman to change her tune, otherwise she would have had to take on a debt of several hundred taels, which was already a month's worth of expenses for a farming household in Taiping Village.

  She saw Shen Baiying say something, and immediately became evasive: "This... this... I... today the sun is so big, it's dazzling, at noon I seemed to have seen Yunjia's little girl, but it's also possible that I misjudged my eyes..."

  "I heard the old folks in the village say that this meal can be eaten a lot, but words can't be spoken recklessly. Auntie, although the sun is about to set, the sunlight still has some poison, and since you're dizzy from being out in the sun, why not go home and eat a few more bowls of rice? It's better than standing here in the sun and saying unclear things. Am I right?" Shen Bailian said this to the village woman, but his black eyes swept across everyone's face. He was dissatisfied in his heart, and his gaze naturally carried a chill, causing those idle villagers to avoid him as soon as their eyes met.

  The village woman was left speechless by Shen Baiying's words, and could only awkwardly turn around and leave. The rest of the villagers also felt it was pointless to stay, and gradually dispersed.

  That young master Yun Jing saw this scene, glared at Shen Baiying with a glance, and as he held his identity as a scholar, he didn't go to argue with Baiying. He coldly said to Li: "Whether Yun Tianqing has desecrated my sacred books or not needs to be carefully investigated. Even if he didn't do these bad things today, just looking at his behavior of disrespecting his elders and disobeying the rules, he still needs to be severely punished! I'll go back and tell my father about it, and then come back to deal with him!" After finishing speaking, he turned around and left.

  Li saw that Yun Jing and the villagers were no longer bothering them, let out a sigh of relief, and hastily thanked Shen Baiying: "If it weren't for Young Master Shen today, my mother and I would probably have been driven out of Taiping Village. Alas, if his father were still alive, things wouldn't be like this..." Before she could finish speaking, her eyes had already turned red again.

  Shen Bailian had never seen a woman as delicate and tearful as this, not even among the women of his own family. His mother, Shen Danqing, was decisive and ruthless, with a sharp tongue that could cut down anyone who dared to cross her. The older women in their household were like River Aunt, rough and tumble, while the younger ones were like Hua Hongyan, spoiled and willful. Even Ruan Ci, the only girl from a human family he knew, was lively and mischievous. So when Li's tears began to flow, he quickly waved his hands: "No need, no need... I just can't stand that old aunt's nonsense, and those people are just here to watch the commotion and say a few words to scare them away. It doesn't cost much money - ah, the silver I mentioned earlier was also a lie, you don't have to give me any."

  Mrs. Li smiled silently, pursing her lips. The little monkey rolled his eyes and said bluntly, "We didn't plan to give you any money anyway, our family doesn't have a single cent." This was indeed true, and it sounded quite pitiful. Mrs. Li sighed, bent down, and stroked her son's head, saying, "It's all my fault... Oh no, how did this bump get here? Did you fight with Wang Xiaoge's brother again?"

  Yun Xiao Houzi then busily shook off Li's hand, shaking his head like a rattle drum: "No, no! It was Wang Zhangshou who said I was an orphaned wild child first, so I just pushed him a bit, I didn't fight!" As he spoke, he covered his head with his hands and ran back into the house.

  Mr. Li sighed again, and it was unclear whether he was sighing for Shen Baiyue or for himself. He muttered to himself: "The villagers always say that our family's Qing'er is mischievous and troublesome, but he also knows how to hide his injuries from me... I just hope that I can live a little longer and raise him safely, so that I can make up for his father who has passed away..."

  From that day on, the little monkey at Yun's house finally knew that Shen Baiying had no ill intentions. Although they still gave each other cold shoulders, the herbs under Shen's eaves were never harmed again, which saved Baiying a lot of trouble.

  Unconsciously, Shen Bailian and Shen Danqing stayed in Taiping Village for over a month. Those human Daoist priests who could tread on swords and fly back and forth never came to this place. Sometimes, Shen Bailian would recall the scene of lightning flashing and thunder roaring on the lake that night, and even feel that it was just an illusion. In the intervals of collecting medicine and drying medicine, she would remember her hometown, remember the forest by the lake, and inevitably give rise to many thoughts.

  Summer has arrived, the scorching sunlight spills through the leaves and tips of the branches, and the ground is covered with bright spots, like a scattering of copper coins by the heavens. The cicadas have drunk their fill of tree sap and are loudly calling out in front of and behind the houses, disturbing many people's peaceful daytime dreams.

  Shen Bailian pushed open the small gate of her own home, carefully took out a few stalks of fragrant purple flowers from her basket, and in recent days, the fragrance grass near the Ziyun frame had become harder to find. Every time she wanted to find some good medicine, she had to go deeper to search. Shen Qing was recuperating at home, even with Li's care, Shen Bailian often thought about it, not wanting to come back too late at night, so she came up with a way to cultivate her own fragrance grass.

  He carefully smoothed out the roots of those few flowers, put them in a small pit that had already been dug, and was about to cover them with soil when he bent down and heard a soft "thud" as something fell from his pocket.

  That thing looked dirty and tattered, even more disheveled than a rag, but Shen Bailian treated it as if it were a treasured possession. He hastily threw away the shovel and picked it up in his hand, carefully dusting off the dirt. As he gazed at the bundle of torn fabric that no longer resembled a lotus pouch, it seemed as though the vibrant silk surface was still visible, and the pattern of water birds playing among the lotuses danced before his eyes. As for the person who had given him the pouch...he didn't even dare to think about it now. A thin layer of misty memories veiled his phoenix-like eyes, revealing a hint of melancholy.

  Suddenly, a lukewarm voice came from behind the fence, like a stone thrown into a lake, and ripples spread out in an instant, startling Shen Baiying awake: "Is that your dirty handkerchief for blowing your nose?"

  Shen Bailian was taken aback, looked up, and found that it was Yun's little monkey standing on the other side of the fence with a basket. The flowers were planted next to the fence, so Yun's little monkey could see them clearly at a glance. Shen Bailian had been carrying the purse given by Ruan Ci with her all along, never letting anyone see it. During the day, she would only take it out to reminisce for a moment, and then put it away without showing it to anyone. Unexpectedly, someone saw it, and her face turned slightly red with embarrassment.

  Yun Xiao Huzi was nibbling on a steamed bun, humming to himself: "Your mother won't make you new clothes? They're so ugly and dirty..." He stopped mid-sentence, seemingly noticing Shen Bai Lian's fondness for the tattered cloth. Although he curled his lip in distaste, he changed his tune: "Give it to me then, I'll return it to you tonight. My mother's skills are quite good, by then it will be just like new."

  Shen Bailian suddenly felt a surge of joy and looked at the little monkey's eyes which also had some expectation: "Really?"

  Yun Xiao's eyes widened in surprise, and he stared blankly for a moment before regaining his composure. He rolled his eyes and said, "What else can I say... hand it over, or I'll take back my promise!"

  By the time it was late afternoon, Shen Bailian had served her mother medicine and went out to prepare to move the dried medicinal herbs in the flat basket back into the house. She saw that the clouds in the west were as beautiful as a brocade hanging in the sky, the sunset gave the mountains and peaks a layer of golden gauze, and a row of birds flew obliquely into the forest, she couldn't help but stop to admire the view.

  The summer heat on the ground has not yet dissipated, and the village children are already running wildly in all directions. Suddenly, a burst of laughter is heard, and more than ten children have turned out from the front corner of the house, including both boys and girls, all clapping their hands and laughing wildly. Suddenly, a child is seen chasing after them from behind, and they hastily shriek and run forward.

  "Hmph, watch me 'sweep away a thousand armies'!" The child, although small in stature, had slung a large broom over his shoulder and was wildly swatting at the group of children with its many-branched head, looking quite fierce. A few of the children who were lagging behind had already fallen victim to his attacks, and he stood triumphantly with his hands on his hips, laughing loudly, looking utterly pleased with himself.

  The sunset's afterglow spilled onto that small, thin face, and those bright, black-and-white eyes seemed to have melted into a pool of gold, making them even more spirited. Cloud Monkey happened to be standing outside the Shen family home, where he saw Shen Bailian with a hint of a smile still on his face. He reached into his chest pocket and tossed something over the fence: "Here, for you!"

  At this time, the children in front were not convinced and turned back. One of them stood still and shouted loudly. The little monkey swung a big broom and chased after him without stopping. When passing by several households, he didn't forget to kick the fence door of other people's homes with one foot, which provoked many scolding voices.

  Shen Bailian gazed at the figure jumping up and down like a little monkey with its tail cut off, and couldn't help but smile. She lowered her head to look at what was in her hand again, and immediately wiped away her smile. However, she felt a sense of gratitude in her heart.

  In her hand was a clean and tidy purse, the originally colored silk had been restored, and under the fading sunlight, it showed a reddish hue. Two water birds were embroidered on it, bending their necks and swimming side by side under a lotus flower. The rough stitches had been reworked by a skilled hand, making the embroidery much more intricate. Even the previously damaged areas had been sewn up seamlessly, showing off the skillful craftsmanship of the person who had mended it.

  At night, Shen Bailian lay on the wooden bed in the outer room, although he was exhausted all over, but his heart was very joyful. He pinched the lotus bag that Li Shi had mended and kept looking at it under the moonlight, as if Ruan Ci's piece of heart was now glued back together and placed in front of him again. Thinking of the day when Ah Ci threw the lotus bag into his hands and turned around with a blush, his heart became even softer like a puddle of water, and he felt itchy like a little mouse had crawled inside.

  Unknowingly, I fell into a deep sleep and had another dream where I returned to the lakeside forest. The large stone in the woods was reflecting the moonlight with its snowy whiteness. A young girl wearing a light pink dress sat on it, swinging her two feet back and forth. The fluffy flowers on her emerald green shoes were also fluttering up and down like butterflies...

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