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墨書 Inktalez
"Don't, don't," Liu Grandma said anxiously.
"Liu Grandma, this is a silver note; it can buy things," Qing Luan explained, thinking she didn't understand.
"I know this is a silver note, but my dear girl, in this rural area, even with silver notes, you can't buy much. It might even bring disaster!" Liu Grandma said seriously.
"Bring disaster?" Qing Luan was puzzled.
"My dear, at your young age, carrying a stack of silver notes—if the greedy people in the village find out..." Her words trailed off. She knew that the girl before her was kind-hearted and strong-willed, so she gazed at her with wise, weathered black eyes.
After hearing her words, Qing Luan's heart trembled, and she quickly withdrew her hand that held the silver notes. It wasn't that she was reluctant; she had simply forgotten her current age and situation. Carrying such a large sum of money, if someone found out, both she and Qin'er might not be safe.
"Liu Grandma, thank you!" She was genuinely grateful. From now on, she needed to remind herself that she was just a ten-year-old child and not a thirty-something adult.
"Ah, I just wanted to say a little more. It's just that having silver notes but not being able to use them means life will probably be tough," Liu Grandma said. Being too conspicuous would inevitably attract trouble.
"Coming here, I never planned to live a good life," she had already prepared for this. "Qin'er, we still have some dry rations; go boil some water and steam the buns for this meal!"
"Yes," Qin'er understood Liu Grandma's meaning and thought for a moment before saying, "Miss, you have all these silver notes on you, which are inconvenient to use. But previously you rewarded me with some loose change and my own monthly allowance; it should last us for a while."
"Qin'er, from now on, don’t call yourself a servant here, and don’t call me Miss either. Do you see any Miss who looks this disheveled?" Qing Luan joked. "From now on, I'll call you Qin'er; you call me Qing Luan. Liu Grandma can do the same. At least Little Tide should call me sister, okay?" As she spoke, she reached out to tease the quiet and somewhat timid little girl.
Little Tide didn't respond but turned her head closer to Liu Grandma, clearly wary of the two newcomers.
"Alas!" Seeing the child like this, Liu Grandma sighed with a heavy heart.
Qing Luan and Qin'er had settled down temporarily and paid a visit to the village chief, at least to inform him of their presence. To avoid drawing attention, Qing Luan asked Qin'er to exchange the good clothes they brought for silver in the village, making it seem as if they had truly been driven out of their home with no household money left.
Wearing coarse linen clothes, Qing Luan felt no discomfort; instead, she felt much more at ease, free from the pretensions and worries that had burdened her before.
The air in the countryside was fresh, carrying a salty scent. From Liu Grandma, she learned that just a short walk ahead and around a bend would reveal the sea. Most people here made their living from the ocean, so life was not particularly affluent.
"Miss," Qin'er came over with a basket of vegetables, smiling. "These are from Aunt Zhang in the village. She said that since you sold clothes to help her daughter, she wanted to send these little vegetables and some fish as a treat for you!" No matter how much Qing Luan tried to explain, Qin'er still couldn't bring herself to change her words, and Qing Luan had no choice but to let it be.
"Ha! She's quite shrewd!" Those clothes were merely to dispel others' suspicions and doubts, so she sold them cheaply. Aunt Zhang knew she had gotten a good deal and sent these over as a gesture of kindness.
"This fish smells strong; I'll handle it," Liu Grandma said as she walked over to take a look.
"Qin'er, let Liu Grandma take care of the fish. You go start the fire; I'll cook today's meal," stretching her back, Qing Luan felt it was time for her to get moving. If she continued being lazy like this, it would truly become a habit.
"Miss," Qing Luan's words startled Qin'er. "You can't do that!"
"Qin'er," Qing Luan said helplessly as she stood up and playfully pinched the flesh on Qin'er's cheek. "There’s no more Miss here, understand?"
With that playful gesture from her Miss, Qin'er completely forgot what she was supposed to do—this Miss had always been cold and aloof; how had she changed so much since coming here?
Standing in front of the stove, Qing Luan watched as the water in the pot gradually evaporated. Just as she was about to add oil, Liu Grandma stopped her. "Miss, let me do it!" She was worried that all the good ingredients would be ruined if Qing Luan handled them.
"Liu Grandma, it's alright, trust me!" Qing Luan said with a smile as she skillfully tidied up the items.
In her past life, the place where she was born was a small village by the sea. The situation back then was quite similar to now, except that there were a few more people accompanying her, so she wasn't alone anymore.
She liked it here and appreciated the simplicity, so she felt no anger towards Aunt Huang's arrangements; instead, there was a hint of gratitude in her heart.
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