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墨書 Inktalez
Although the exterior was simple, the courtyard inside was quite spacious and well-organized. Rows of vegetables were planted in the ground, and there were chicken coops along the walls, with some chickens, ducks, and geese being raised freely.
When they saw a stranger enter, the poultry made a "quack-quack" sound. A little boy ran over, soaked a piece of bread in water, and threw it in, watching as the birds scrambled for food. He laughed joyfully, saying, "Eat up quickly, lay more eggs for me to eat..."
He then ran inside to check if there were any eggs in the nest.
Mei Shuang was amused and chuckled softly. The woman smiled slightly and gestured for Mei Shuang to sit at a wooden table under a tree in the courtyard while she went inside. A moment later, she returned with a pot of water and several cups.
As Mei Shuang picked up a cup, she noticed a pattern resembling text on its surface. She calmly finished her water and suddenly asked in Eastern Language, "Sister, are you from the Eastern Kingdom?"
The woman's hand paused while pouring tea, nearly causing her to spill it in surprise. After a moment of astonishment at Mei Shuang's question, she quickly regained her composure and replied in Chinese, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Mei Shuang smiled and said, "If you didn't understand what I meant, why would you be so surprised? It's fine; I just understand Eastern Language, nothing more."
When the woman looked at Mei Shuang again, there was a fleeting glimmer of light in her eyes. She smiled slightly and asked, "You actually understand Eastern Language? Are you from the Eastern Kingdom?"
Mei Shuang shook her head. "No."
The woman nodded thoughtfully and said, "You understand Eastern Language but are not from the Eastern Kingdom. Why did you ask me if I am from the Eastern Kingdom?"
"I was just guessing because your son's name is somewhat similar to names of people from the Eastern Kingdom," Mei Shuang replied, pointing at the teacup. "This cup also seems to be not from Central Plains..."
The woman lowered her head in silence and then picked up the pot to refill Mei Shuang's cup while saying lightly, "My husband has had some business dealings with foreign countries; it's not surprising that we have foreign items at home."
Mei Shuang chose not to speak further. Since the woman was unwilling to share more and seemed quite guarded, saying too much would only lead to discomfort.
The obvious lie always gives off a sense of deliberate concealment. Engaging in business with foreign countries must involve a middle-class family, not to mention that the living conditions here show no signs of wealth, and how could one conduct international business while residing deep in the mountains?
After drinking the water, Mei Shuang prepared to stand up and take her leave, but suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
As everything around her blurred and spun, she suddenly realized that it was definitely not heatstroke, as she had caught a glimpse of a glimmer in the woman's eyes...
Oh no! I've been tricked!
...
When the little boy returned, he was holding a goose egg and noticed that the yard was empty.
He ran to the kitchen and handed the goose egg to the woman, asking curiously, "Mother, where did that sister go?"
While tending to the fire, the woman replied, "She left. You are not allowed to go anywhere today. After lunch, stay in your room and study your books well. Mother needs to step out for a bit. Do you understand?"
Her words were calm yet stern, and the little boy dared not defy her; he could only lower his head and agree before walking away gloomily.
After lunch, the woman instructed the little boy to stay in his room. Feeling uneasy, she locked the door and placed the key in its usual spot. After giving him a few more reminders, she went out.
In the woodshed, Mei Shuang lay quietly on the ground as if in a deep sleep. The woman approached and unfastened her bundle, which contained only some hard bread, a change of clothes, and a broken porcelain bottle.
She felt somewhat disappointed; it looked like someone who was just passing through.
However, that broken porcelain bottle caught her attention. She examined it closely, her brows gradually furrowing.
Such a precious Porcelain Bottle, and it came from the palace as an imperial gift. How could it be with her?
She carefully tucked the Porcelain Bottle away and bent down to check Mei Shuang's breathing before decisively stepping out of the house.
...
After studying for a while, the little boy became sleepy. Having run around outside all morning, he soon rested his head on the table and fell into a deep sleep.
Just as he was sleeping soundly, he suddenly heard a "thud thud" sound coming from outside.
He opened his drowsy eyes and took a moment to determine that the noise was coming from the woodshed behind his room.
He quickly climbed onto a stool to look out the window at the woodshed, only to see that the wooden door seemed to be shaking back and forth as if something inside was bumping against it.
Furrowing his brows, he shouted outside, "Mom, Mom, there's a cat in the woodshed..."
After calling out for a while without any response, he remembered that his mother might not have returned. So he decided to ignore the cat trapped in the woodshed and got down from the stool, yawning as he opened a book.
However, the continuous "thud thud" noise was annoying him, so he picked up a piece of wood about the size of his palm from his room and threw it at the restless woodshed.
The wood hit precisely on the wooden latch of the door, causing it to lift up, and surprisingly, the woodshed door swung open.
The little boy's eyes widened in excitement as he looked into the woodshed to see what cat had hidden inside. But he was startled by the sight within; it was his sister who had already left.
At that moment, she was tied up with ropes and had a piece of rag stuffed in her mouth. Only her feet were moving, and the earlier "thud thud" sounds were made by her kicking against the door.
The little boy blurted out, "Sister, how are you inside?"
Mei Shuang had already woken up, but she lacked the strength to sit up; she could only move her feet.
As the door to the woodshed suddenly opened, she quickly nodded at the little boy.
After thinking for a long time, the boy couldn't figure out why his mother said that his sister had already left, yet she was in their home. He waved his hand at Mei Shuang, telling her that his mother had gone out and he was locked inside the room. He felt helpless and could only wait for his mother to return.
Upon hearing this, Mei Shuang became anxious. If I wait for your mother to come back, will I still be able to leave?
She tried to move her arms, using the method Abbot taught her to keep her mind clear, and focused on gradually activating the meridians throughout her body. Fortunately, she slowly felt the numbness in her body lessen significantly. After a while, she regained some sensation, though it was sore; at least she could move now.
She slowly sat up, leaning against a pile of wood in the woodshed. After several attempts, she managed to hook a protruding nail with a rag in her mouth and then pulled hard backward until the rag was finally dislodged.
Her jaw felt numb as if she couldn't find her bearings. She said to the little boy, "Zheng Yi, I just encountered robbers. They took my things and, fearing someone would see them, threw me in your family's woodshed. Please help me."
The little boy blinked his big eyes and thought for a moment before suddenly brightening up. "Got it! Sister, don't worry; I'll come out to save you right away."
...
When the woman hurriedly returned home, it was already dusk.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead. As she entered the door, the yard was very quiet; only the crisp sound of reading came from inside the house.
She felt relieved in her heart and then walked around to the back of the house to look at the woodshed. The door was securely fastened. Just as she was about to approach it, she heard a child's voice from inside saying, "Mom, you’re finally back! Hurry and open the door; I'm about to suffocate!"
The woman smiled and turned back to the house, taking out her keys to unlock the door. The little boy dashed out like a rabbit, not even stopping to go to the bathroom, and ran straight to the south wall to relieve himself.
“Zheng Yi, did anyone come by while I was away?”
After finishing, Zheng Yi shook himself, pulled up his pants, and turned around with a mysterious look. “Mother, guess what good deed I just did!”
The woman smiled indulgently. “What good deed could you possibly do in the room? As long as you didn’t wet the house, that’s already a good deed. Have you finished your reading for today?”
“Hehe, Mother, you’ll definitely praise me when you find out. You know what? A robber tied up our sister and threw her into the woodshed. Hey, Mother, where are you going?”
The woman hurried to the back woodshed. After unfastening the door latch, her face turned pale; indeed, it was empty inside.
Angry, she turned around to scold her son but suddenly remembered something. She suppressed her rising anger and approached her proud son, asking calmly, “Zheng Yi, how did you manage that?”
Zheng Yi held his head high and said, “Mother, didn’t you always tell me to think more when faced with problems?”
After hearing her son’s account of events, the woman walked into the house and realized that her son had dragged a table to the wall and climbed out through the back window.
It was impressive for someone so young to move such a heavy table and climb down from such a height without falling. She could only sigh; human plans are no match for heaven's arrangements.
“So you climbed back in through the window after saving her?” she asked.
Zheng Yi scratched his head sheepishly. “Not really; I had my sister open the door and then locked myself inside…”
The woman felt helpless, knowing her son was afraid of being scolded. She patiently asked about when the other person had left, thinking they must have run far away since they hadn’t encountered anyone along the way.
There was only one way down the mountain. She felt a stir in her heart and asked her son, "Zheng Yi, did that sister say anything before she left?"
Zheng Yi tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Yes, she even came in to look at my homework and said that if she weren't afraid of causing us trouble, she would have stayed."
The woman returned to the house and indeed found a note on the table. It was written in Eastern Language, with a line that read, "I had no intention of disturbing you, so why make such a fuss?"
However, the signature was quite strange; it was simply a plum blossom.
She stared at it for a long time but couldn't understand its meaning. Nevertheless, she could be sure that this woman should pose no harm. After putting the note away, she educated her son, "Zheng Yi, in the future, if something happens, you must not act on your own. Always ask your mother before taking action; otherwise, you might get into trouble. Do you understand?"
Zheng Yi looked at his mother's serious expression and nodded, somewhat understanding.
"Alright, go play for a while, but don’t wander too far. Mother will prepare dinner for you."
"Okay!" Hearing that he could go out to play, Zheng Yi cheered and ran out of the yard; he had a secret meeting waiting for him.
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