Liu Ming'an sat at the table, looking at the simple meal of rice porridge and side dishes before him, his appetite awakening.
The vegetable porridge was cooked over high heat, its aroma tantalizing. The rice grains had broken down, mixing with finely chopped vegetable leaves. The unique fresh scent of oil vegetables intertwined with the rich fragrance of rice. As he ate, the flavors lingered on his palate, warming his stomach. He felt his entire being relax.
The sour and spicy radish dish lived up to its name, both tangy and fiery. It was perfect for whetting the appetite and cutting through richness, an ideal complement to the vegetable porridge.
As for the sausage sent by the mute woman, Jiang Ning tasted a piece. It was made from pork seasoned with chili and Sichuan peppercorns, stuffed into pig's small intestines, then smoked. The taste was numbing, spicy, and aromatic, almost identical to modern Sichuan-style sausage. To prevent spoilage, it contained a fair amount of salt, making it too salty to eat on its own but perfect when paired with porridge.
"You mentioned earlier that the mute woman was also bought. What's her story? Tell me about it," Jiang Ning suddenly asked as Liu Ming'an was about to lift his bowl.
"She was bought last year. Apparently, she was a servant in a wealthy household who made a mistake and was sold by her masters," Liu Ming'an replied.
Jiang Ning also picked up her bowl, continuing the conversation as they ate: "Was she bought by the He Zhao you mentioned to be his wife?"
Liu Ming'an nodded, "He Zhao was injured during a hunting trip in his youth. He walks with a limp and has a scar on his face that's quite frightening. No girl was willing to marry him. It just so happened that Zhao Instructor brought the mute woman to sell. He asked for eight taels of silver, but no one would buy her. He Zhao had just caught a litter of wild rabbits and some snakes, selling them for a good sum, so he bought her."
Jiang Ning listened, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.
Liu Ming'an took another mouthful of food before continuing, "Actually, He Zhao is a good person. After buying the mute woman, he didn't force himself on her. He slept in the woodshed. Later, when they got together, it was of the mute woman's own free will."
Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised. A single man desperate for a wife, spending a large sum to buy a woman, yet able to restrain himself from touching her - what a gentleman.
However, Jiang Ning's attention was more focused on the "hunting," "wild rabbits," and "snakes" Liu Ming'an had mentioned.
"Does He Zhao hunt on that mountain?" Jiang Ning's gaze drifted through the window to the tall, imposing mountain not far away.
It was early autumn. The mountain was lush with trees, its peak shrouded in mist. One could imagine how quiet and secluded it would be inside the mountain.
Liu Ming'an followed Jiang Ning's gaze and answered, "Yes."
"Are there many hunters in this village?" Jiang Ning asked again.
Liu Ming'an looked back and replied, "Besides He Zhao, no one goes hunting in that mountain. But since he got together with the mute woman, he hasn't been to the mountain for nearly half a year."
"There's a saying, 'Live off the mountain if you're near one, live off the water if you're near it.' Such a big mountain should have plenty of good things. Why doesn't anyone go up there?" Jiang Ning seemed enthusiastic about the mountain, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
As Liu Ming'an listened, a hint of hidden pain flashed in his eyes, but Jiang Ning, lost in her own thoughts, didn't notice.
"Well, no one just goes up there," Liu Ming'an answered curtly, lowering his eyes to focus on eating.
Although Jiang Ning found it strange, she didn't think much of it. She finished her meal quietly. When Liu Ming'an went to wash the dishes, she got up and walked outside, entering the room filled with miscellaneous items.
Earlier, when Jiang Ning had surveyed the house, she remembered that this storage room, besides being stacked with firewood for cooking, also contained many farming tools.
The small, dim room was dusty, with cobwebs everywhere. Jiang Ning covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve as she made her way past the neatly stacked firewood to the far end. Sure enough, she saw a pile of farming tools.
Hoes, sickles, shovels, plows, baskets, bamboo cages, winnowing fans, and tools Jiang Ning had only seen in books like hand-cranked bellows, stone mortars for husking rice, and stone mills for grinding flour... There were also some tools she had never seen before, couldn't name, and didn't know the purpose of.
It was evident that Liu Ming'an's family had once been genuine, simple farmers. For some reason, they had now put away all these tools, and she hadn't seen him farming, only growing some vegetables in the courtyard.
Could it be to focus on studying for the imperial examinations? Jiang Ning speculated.
This reason seemed plausible.
"Jiang Ning?" Liu Ming'an's voice sounded from next door. He must have finished washing the dishes and, not seeing her, called out.
Jiang Ning didn't linger. She picked up a rusty sickle, frowning as she tapped it on the ground to shake off the thick layer of dust, then stored it in her space.
She turned to leave but after a couple of steps, remembered something. She went back, picked up the bamboo cage about the size of a lantern, and also put it into her space.
"Jiang Ning?" Liu Ming'an called again, his voice now coming from the courtyard, sounding a bit urgent.
Jiang Ning dusted off her hands and quickly left the storage room. As soon as she came out, she saw Liu Ming'an looking around the courtyard anxiously, his steps hurried as he was about to leave the yard.
Jiang Ning quickly called out, "Liu Ming'an!"
The anxious man turned at the sound, seeing Jiang Ning standing at the door of the storage room. He let out a slow breath.
"What were you doing in the storage room? It's dusty everywhere in there."
Liu Ming'an walked up to Jiang Ning, smiling as he asked.
Jiang Ning looked at the dirty, dusty marks on her hands, answering "It's nothing, I was just curious and went in to look around" as she walked to the water vat by the kitchen door.
Liu Ming'an saw that Jiang Ning wanted to wash her hands but was hesitant to dirty the water dipper with her dusty hands. He took the initiative to scoop up a ladle of water and slowly poured it for her.
As Jiang Ning washed the dust off her hands in the water stream, Liu Ming'an said, "There's nothing worth seeing in there, it's just dirty."
Jiang Ning didn't say anything, then heard Liu Ming'an's voice lower a bit: "I thought you had left, without even saying goodbye."
His tone sounded like a mix of reproach and relief. Jiang Ning's hands paused for a moment, then she only said, "I won't leave."
Liu Ming'an felt joy welling up from deep within his heart. His face broke into a brilliant smile, his clear eyes filled with sparkling light.
Jiang Ning looked at him, her expression softening a bit, as if the invisible layer of frost around her was melting bit by bit.
"There's no more water. Go fetch some," Jiang Ning said to Liu Ming'an as she shook the water off her clean hands.
From what she knew of Liu Ming'an, if she directly said she wanted to go into the mountain, he would likely try to stop her. Although he couldn't really prevent her, the thought of having to argue back and forth made Jiang Ning's head ache.
It was better to send him away and sneak off herself.
Hearing Jiang Ning ask him to fetch water, Liu Ming'an had no suspicions. He replied "Alright" and left with a carrying pole and two wooden buckets.
Watching Liu Ming'an's figure disappear down the path outside the courtyard, Jiang Ning turned and entered the house. She took out his brush and ink, writing on a piece of paper, "I've gone hunting in the mountain."
Just as she put down the brush, Jiang Ning's mind flashed back to Liu Ming'an's panicked and anxious face when he was looking for her earlier. After a moment's thought, she added a few more words to the paper:
"Don't worry, wait for me at home. - Jiang Ning"
Using the inkstone to weigh down the paper, Jiang Ning closed the door as she left. Once out of the courtyard, she entered her space and moved towards the great mountain.