Chapter 980

The horse I bought on the spot wasn't good enough—it was a nag, and after Pan Yun beat its rump for a long time, it barely moved; it was meant for pulling carts, sturdy but slow.

Fortunately, the people ahead were in a carriage, and they weren't going fast either.

Pan Yun patted its neck for a long while, then gave it a piece of candy, and only then did the nag lift its noble hoof and trudge forward, amid Pan Xiaohei's snorting laughter.

Clip-clop,

Clip-clop.

Inside the carriage, the young nobleman lifted the curtain to glance back; seeing the horse move without rhythm and the girl on its back nearly falling off several times, he let the curtain fall and paid it no mind.

The other curtain was also pulled aside, and a middle-aged man leaned out to look back; after lowering the curtain, he said, "No matter—it must be along the same route. Don't know whose child this is; if they couldn't afford a proper horse, at least swap it for a donkey. Riding a nag out alone—what if they fall?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a thud came from behind, loud even over the rumbling of the carriage.

The carriage continued forward; to spare the girl's dignity, no one turned to look.

Pan Yun climbed to her feet, brushed the dust off her backside, and stood silently staring at the horse.

Compared to the horse, her eyes were small.

Pan Yun exhaled, resigned, pulled out one last piece of candy, held it to its mouth, then pulled it back, glaring at it: "This is the last one. If you don't behave, I won't mind eating horse meat."

The horse snorted through its nostrils, turned its head away haughtily, ignoring her.

"Call me stupid?" Pan Yun narrowed her eyes: "Your legs may be weak, but your brain's not? You don't believe I'd kill you?"

A pressure descended; the horse's legs trembled, its hooves shifted uneasily, its large eyes flickering with fear toward Pan Yun.

Pan Yun smiled at it: "Good. The Daoist hears what you're saying."

The girl and the horse stared at each other for a moment; Pan Xiaohei leapt from the horse's back, crouched on Pan Yun's shoulder, and urged: "Are you done? The carriage ahead's almost out of sight."

Hearing the cat speak human words, the nag startled—suddenly freed from the pressure—and reared up, kicking twice in place.

Pan Yun yanked the reins, glared at it again, and the nag immediately bowed its head, knees bending slightly—in submission.

Pan Yun was satisfied.

A stick and a sweet—she placed the candy in its mouth, then climbed onto the horse, hugging Pan Xiaohei.

The rest of the journey went smoothly.

They followed the carriage at a distance, heading west, then turning north; by sunset, the carriage entered a large village.

Pan Yun reined in her horse outside the village, flew up to a nearby hillock, and looked down from above.

There, not far off, stood white walls and gray tiles, a cluster of undulating connected houses—a large village, roughly three to four hundred households.

Such a large village was rare; it would need three or four village heads alone, and if surrounded by walls, it would resemble a small town.

Beyond the village, within visible range of five li, several scattered clusters could be seen—each with just a few households, some thatched huts, others with gray tiles and white walls.

Right beneath the hillock where Pan Yun stood were three households, each no more than a dozen steps apart.

It was dusk, mealtime; smoke curled upward, the fragrant scent of rice drifting with it, and Pan Yun's stomach growled loudly.

She instinctively pressed her hand to her belly.

Pan Xiaohei also felt hungry, urging her: "This village is huge—just pick any opening and slip in. Can they even spot us?"

Pan Yun agreed: "Which household should we go to?"

"Whichever smells the most delicious."

Pan Yun: "I think these three at the foot of the hill are fine."

Pan Xiaohei: "... They look poor."

"So what if they're poor? As long as they have rice—I've got meat!" Saying this, Pan Yun pulled from her spiritual realm a slab of pork, two pork ribs, and a packet of pastries.

Pan Xiaohei: "... Aren't these the things you bought for Cao Jixiang this morning?"

Pan Yun: "I got so caught up talking, I forgot to give them to him."

Pan Yun was very polite, very mindful of proper etiquette when visiting; how could she show up empty-handed when inquiring about tax revenues?

Unfortunately, she got so absorbed in conversation, she forgot to deliver the gift.

Pan Yun picked up the bundle in one hand and led the horse down the other side of the hill: "But it wasn't wasted—it's still a proper gift now."

At the foot of the hill, standing beneath a tree, Pan Yun studied the three households scattered across the corners.

All three had yellow mud walls and thatched roofs, each with three large rooms, side rooms built on either side—also thatched, but with much smaller doors.

The courtyards were enclosed by bamboo fences, each about one-third of an acre—large and open.

Pan Yun thought it was fine.

All three emitted the fragrant scent of white rice; she thought a moment, then picked up three stones, closed her eyes, and murmured twice: "Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun, may this bring me great fortune!"

She tossed the stones; glanced at them, then decisively pulled the nag toward the courtyard in the center.

Darkness had fallen; the entire house was unlit, only the kitchen emitted sounds.

Pan Yun knocked on the gate for a while before a boy of eight or nine ran out from the kitchen.

He glanced at Pan Yun, then turned and shouted toward the kitchen: "Sis, someone's here?"

"Who is it?"

"I don't know! Sis, come quick—she's so beautiful!"

A girl of about twelve ran out, wiping sweat from her face; she froze upon seeing Pan Yun, then politely asked: "Miss, who are you looking for?"

Pan Yun said: "I've come to visit relatives, but took a wrong turn. With night falling, I'd like to borrow shelter for the night—would your household permit it?"

The girl wiped her hands as she came forward to open the gate, sizing up Pan Yun; seeing her kind face and gentle aura, she lowered her guard slightly. She peered down the road—empty, no one in sight—and asked: "Are you alone?"

Pan Yun nodded: "Yes, just me."

The girl hesitated, then stepped aside to let her in: "You've got guts. Even if there are no bandits here, a young girl traveling alone is far too dangerous."

The boy rushed over to help tie up the horse; once the nag was secured, he spotted the meat and pastries in Pan Yun's hands, his eyes widening.

Pan Yun smiled and handed him the meat and pastries: "It's too hot to keep—consider this payment for lodging."

The boy reached out to take them, but his sister slapped his hand away.

The girl declined: "No need, no need—it's already cool at night; leaving it outside overnight won't hurt."

"I'll buy some fresh tomorrow—meat tastes best when made fresh. If I keep it till tomorrow, it won't just spoil, it might get snatched by rats or stray cats."

Unable to refuse further, she accepted the meat, but flatly refused to keep the pastry.

Pan Yun didn't press her; instead, she waited until the girl took the meat into the kitchen, then opened the paper and gave a piece of pastry to the boy.

The boy happily took it and bit off half in one gulp.

Pan Yun smiled: "I'm Pan Yun. What's your name?"

The boy had no idea how to write "Pan Yun," barely understood the words, and simply replied: "I'm Chunwang." Pan Yun nodded with a smile: "Where's your sister?"

"I'm Chunlian." The girl stood at the kitchen door, glared at her brother, and said: "Go get a bundle of rice straw to feed Pan Jie's horse."

Chunwang immediately shoved the remaining half of the pastry into his mouth, mumbled two affirmative sounds, and ran to a room across the way to fetch straw.

Chunlian brought out a stool and invited Pan Yun to sit. "Forgive me, Pan Jie—the sky isn't dark yet, so we haven't lit the lamps."

Pan Yun said it was fine; she could still see.

She watched Chunlian fetch water to wash and chop the meat; after Chunwang brought straw for the horse, she sent him to the vegetable garden to pick another basket of greens.

Pan Yun rolled up her sleeves: "Let me help."

Chunlian didn't refuse.

Together they chopped meat, pounded ribs, picked and washed vegetables.

Seeing Pan Yun's nimble, practiced hands, Chunlian quietly sighed in relief.

Pan Yun heard it, looked up, and smiled at her: "What? You thought I couldn't do this?"

Chunlian: "I thought you were a rich young lady."

After all, she rode a horse.

Like owning a personal flying vessel in the 26th century.

Pan Yun laughed: "It's rented. This is a nag, so it's cheap."

Chunlian asked: "Which village do your relatives live in?"

Pan Yun thought of the villages near Quanzhou and said: "Bali Pu."

"Ah, you went the wrong way—that's far from here. Walking would take a full day; on horseback, it'd be much faster."

Pan Yun smiled: "Have you been there?"

Chunlian shook her head: "I haven't. My aunt married there—my grandmother took my brother to attend the wedding feast."

Pan Yun: "Where are your family members?"

Chunlian tilted her chin toward the outside: "Still out in the fields."

Pan Yun turned to look outside. Visibility was now under five meters; night was about to swallow everything.

She looked up at the sky—the moon had risen, but tonight's clouds were thick; moonlight filtered through them, casting almost no glow on the ground.

She felt the wind—perhaps the second half of the night would improve, when the clouds cleared and the twentieth moon's light turned the earth pure white.

Pan Yun turned her gaze back: "It's so late—are you harvesting rice?"

Chunlian hummed in agreement: "After the big wind in June, we replanted a few fields. Now they're ready to harvest."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "You replanted in June?"

"We thought it wouldn't work, but my grandfather said, 'How can you know unless you try?' Turns out it did—this late rice harvest is even better than last month's."

Pan Yun was delighted: "Your grandfather dares to think and act—excellent!"

Hearing the praise, Chunlian brightened: "My grandfather says we owe this most to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the State Immortal."

"Oh?"

"The Imperial Astronomical Bureau predicted a big wind in May. The State Immortal sent word far and wide. My grandfather remembered last year's wind and kept a small plot for seedlings—left it untouched."

"When the wind came, most rice fell over, but that seedling patch was thick enough to survive. We uprooted the fallen rice, pulled out the dead stalks, and transplanted the seedlings. To our surprise, they took root—and grew faster than ever."

Chunlian gestured: "When we planted them, they were this long. In half a month, they headed, then filled with grain. My grandmother says it's heaven's blessing."

Pan Yun murmured: "It's the rich soil and abundant sunlight—growth accelerates."

"My grandfather said the same. He added that we grew the seedlings longer than ever before—this was the first time we waited so long before transplanting."

Pan Yun asked: "How many in the village do this?"

"Not many. When my grandfather started, only five families followed. But now that our crop succeeded, I think next year many more will try it."

Chunlian said: "As long as the Imperial Astronomical Bureau keeps giving us weather forecasts, we'll prepare ahead."

Pan Yun smiled: "What if the Bureau gets it wrong?"

She replied: "Heavenly patterns shift too fast—even immortals can't predict them perfectly, let alone the Imperial Astronomical Bureau."

"If they're wrong, they're wrong. A seedling plot costs only a pound or two of grain. We just save a little extra seed each year—it's no burden."

Pan Yun nodded slightly and asked casually: "If you don't count the late rice, how's this year's harvest overall?"

"Not bad," Chunlian said. "The imperial court halved our land tax and half our head tax. Our family's doing fine—since the new grain came in, we've eaten white rice every day. That's six days straight."

Chunwang edged closer, staring at the meat: "Like New Year's!"

Chunlian lifted the chopped meat, then poked his forehead with her finger: "Go away. Always thinking about New Year's."

"What's wrong with New Year's? You get meat then."

The siblings entered the kitchen—one tended the fire, the other stir-fried.

They'd already been cooking; the stove held two dishes: stir-fried cabbage and winter melon with tofu.

Pan Yun brought the meat; Chunlian chopped another large piece of winter melon and ribs to stew, then stir-fried greens with meat—two dishes became four.

Chunlian thought a moment, emptied the small pot of rice into a large basin, then rinsed two more bowls of rice to steam.

Tonight's meal was so good—they'd eat more rice. Better steam extra. And there was a guest…

Chunlian turned and saw Pan Yun standing by the door; she blushed: "I can't cook many dishes—just boil and stir-fry."

Besides, all she knows how to add is oil and salt.

Pan Yun laughed and said, "This is already plenty good."

She looks stronger than her.

Chunwang added proudly, "My elder sister can weave cloth! Once winter comes, she'll go work as a weaver at the Gu family weaving workshop and earn even more than a cook!"

"Sister, it doesn't matter that you can't cook — I can. From now on, you earn money to buy meat, and I'll cook it for you."

"Go on, go on. Grandfather said that next spring he'll send you off to the schoolhouse, so stop fussing over kitchen matters."

The siblings were chatting merrily when a sound came from outside the door, and a deep, hearty voice rang out: "Chunlian, we've got guests — steam a few extra bowls of rice. Chunwang, hurry and take down the cured meat hanging from the roof beam... Oh? Whose horse is that in the yard?"

Pan Yun poked her head out from the kitchen to look, and at once spotted Xue Shao and his servant following the old man in.

Pan Yun immediately straightened up and walked out of the kitchen.

Her gaze swept once over Xue Shao, then she raised her hand and bowed to the old man: "Old sir, I am Pan Yun, passing through on my way to visit relatives. May I lodge here for one night?"