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墨書 Inktalez
As they ascended the mountain, Qing Luan brought Xiao Bai along. Over the past few months, with their careful nurturing, Xiao Bai had grown significantly and was gradually taking on the appearance of a wolf, which made people feel uneasy. During this time, Qin'er and Plain Grandmother had become less fearful of Xiao Bai; in fact, they often prepared delicious food for him, to the point where the little creature almost didn't recognize them anymore.
"Xiao Bai, slow down," Qing Luan called out loudly as she watched his playful figure darting ahead.
"He belongs here and will be fine. Don't worry, Miss," A-Song said with a smile, noticing her anxious gaze following Xiao Bai's retreating form.
"I know," she replied curtly, casting him an annoyed glance. Ever since she had embarrassed herself in front of him last time, his expression had often been strange, which frustrated her even more. That boy who made her lose her composure—ugh! If he shows up in front of me again, I will definitely teach him a lesson.
Come on, Qing Luan, although you are more mature, he is a martial artist. Can you really take him on?
Hmph! I have Xiao Bai; I'll let him deal with him!
But he has Little Wolf...
...I raised Xiao Bai myself. Once he becomes a real wolf, Little Wolf won't stand a chance against him. Hmph!
As they reached the area where cotton was planted, Qing Luan appeared somewhat excited. After discovering the cotton last time, she had asked A-Song to come check on it frequently and transformed the previously untraveled mountain path into a small trail, making it much easier to ascend.
A sea of white cotton swayed before her eyes, and the air carried a faint fragrance that made Qing Luan comfortably close her eyes. After taking a deep breath and opening her sparkling eyes, she issued an order to A-Song. "Gather all the white stuff into the basket; not a single piece can be wasted, understand?"
Resources were already scarce; they couldn't afford to waste any.
"Yes!" At this moment, A-Song didn't hesitate. He knew how much these things meant to her and dared not slack off as he diligently picked them.
Qing Luan carried another basket and joined in picking as well; relying solely on A-Song would be difficult. Looking at the cotton field before her—neither too big nor too small—she felt a persistent itch in her mind like a cat scratching at her thoughts. There should be more cotton on this mountain; she just didn't know where else it might be found. However, she was too busy to venture deeper into the mountain and feared that if there was indeed more cotton, it would be ruined after the rain. This left her feeling quite conflicted.
When it was afternoon, Qing Luan and A-Song had finished picking all the cotton and were carrying their load down the mountain. Meanwhile, the distant Xiao Bai returned with a dead rabbit in its mouth, leaving Qing Luan stunned and A-Song praising it vigorously.
The villagers sent over some sweet potatoes, and after Qing Luan paid them all in silver, she asked Uncle Ma, who had just finished the autumn harvest, to help her extract sweet potato flour. This was something that absolutely could not be known by others, so she only hired those recommended by Uncle Ma, who were honest and reliable, avoiding any deceitful types.
For Uncle Ma and his team, this work had become second nature. Qing Luan didn’t need to supervise them closely; as long as they completed their tasks, that was enough.
Qing Luan wanted to be a hands-off shopkeeper, but to deal with the Zheng Family, she had to start from the basics. Right now, she was focused on the noise from the tavern owned by the Zheng Family, which sparked many thoughts in her mind about how to bring down their establishment.
In the midst of Qing Luan inventing new dishes, a significant event occurred. Due to a village massacre, the court took it seriously and dispatched military generals to investigate and deal with pirates. However, they found no pirates; instead, one of the generals was assassinated, causing widespread panic among the people.
After hearing the news, Qing Luan’s mind inexplicably flashed with thoughts of that rogue-like young man. But later, upon learning that the deceased was a high-ranking general of the court, she secretly despised her own pettiness—thinking about someone’s death after just a few conflicts was truly ungracious.
The cotton that Qing Luan had harvested was already dried, and the seeds were collected as well. The weather gradually turned cold and gloomy; fishing boats were sparse at sea now, unlike before when it had been bustling with activity.
One morning, the weather was clear and sunny. By afternoon, fog began to roll in slowly; gradually, the haze thickened, weighing heavily on people’s hearts.
During dinner preparations, Qing Luan was setting the table with Qin'er when Sister Ma's startled voice came from outside. Qing Luan signaled Zhao Yun to open the door. With a creak, as soon as the door opened, Sister Ma rushed in along with the village chief and several others, instantly filling the room.
Qing Luan instructed Qin'er to take Zhao Yun and Tide to the kitchen for dinner while she looked at Sister Ma’s anxious expression and asked curiously, “What happened?” In this entertainment-less fishing village, people usually returned home once it got dark; it was rare for anyone to visit at this hour—especially since it had just turned dark and they probably hadn’t even eaten yet.
“Miss,” Sister Ma’s eyes turned red in an instant; tears welled up as her voice choked with emotion.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing Sister Ma on the verge of tears startled Qing Luan.
“Qing Luan,” the village chief spoke steadily, suppressing his worries as he voiced the concerns of Sister Ma and the others. “This morning the weather was fine, and Uncle Ma and the others went out to sea. Since the fog rolled in this afternoon, they haven’t returned…”
Upon hearing the chief's words, Qing Luan felt a jolt of alarm in her heart. This was bad! The days were shorter now; unlike summer when they could be out at sea for several days, in winter they always left in the morning and returned by evening. With such thick fog, it was likely that Uncle Ma and the others couldn’t find their way back. If they couldn’t locate their return route, it would truly be a serious matter.
“Miss, what should we do?” Sister Ma was at a loss, recalling how everyone had resigned themselves to fate during similar situations in the past. But ever since the miss had arrived in the village this year, she had resolved every issue that arose. Thus, Sister Ma came with strong hope; after all, the miss had abilities that might just provide a solution to save them.
Seeing Sister Ma’s fear escalating uncontrollably, Qing Luan decisively said, “Chief, gather people to prepare hay and wood—more is better…”
“Uh, what do we need that for?” the chief asked in confusion.
“Don’t worry about that for now. Quickly have them moved—one pile at the dock, one at the eastern shore of the village, and another in the open space within the village. We need to set them on fire and stack them high as quickly as possible,” Qing Luan instructed urgently, not even pausing for a meal as she rushed out with everyone.
“Alright, everyone heard that! Hurry and go call for help from the villagers,” seeing her seriousness, the chief could only take a leap of faith this time.
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The fourth update is done; there will be one more. The morning updates have concluded.
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