"I didn't expect Ran, who came here fleeing disaster, to have enough silver to build a new house so soon. Where do you think she got all that silver? "
"She goes hunting in the mountains every day, and she also gathers herbs. I suppose she's been able to save up some money that way. "
"That's true. Not long ago, I saw her carrying a wild boar down the mountain with my own eyes. That boar must have weighed at least one or two hundred jin. "
"If she sold it to a restaurant, it could fetch at least ten taels of silver. Do you think maybe she found some wild ginseng in the mountains? I've heard that stuff is really valuable! "
"Probably not. We've all lived here for years and combed through those mountains so many times. When have we ever seen wild ginseng? "
"We've only stayed on the outer edges of the mountain, but we've never gone deep inside. Maybe there really is wild ginseng deeper in. There are tigers and wolves in the mountains. "
"I wouldn't dare go in there!" The moment they mentioned tigers and wolves, everyone present looked uneasy and fell silent. They remembered how two years ago, heavy snow sealed off the mountains.
The starving wolf pack came down. Many men in their village died or were injured trying to protect their homes. Since then, none of the nearby villages' men, not even the hunters, have dared to venture into the deep mountains.
Now that they saw Ran building a new house in just over a month, they couldn't help but feel jealous and envious. But if they had to go into the mountains and hunt like she did, they wouldn't dare. Simeon put Ran's belongings in his room while she stood awkwardly at the door.
"Come in already!" Simeon noticed her standing there without moving and smiled. "What? You're a grown man and you're shy about living with me? "
"Simeon, thank you." Since things had come this far, she decided not to hesitate. Her bright eyes looked at him seriously, and she said with a firm tone, "Simeon, after your exam next year, I have something I want to tell you."
"What is it? Why so mysterious? Can't you tell me now? "
Simeon was amused by her serious expression, but when he saw her determined face, he also put away his smile, nodded solemnly, and said, "Alright, I'll wait for you!" It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him who she really was, but she didn't want to distract him. His exam was only a few months away, and he couldn't afford to lose focus.
She didn't have many things, and her new house would be finished soon, so anything not immediately needed was stored in the storage room. By the time she had everything arranged, it was already late.
Gurgle~ A sound came from inside the room. Simeon looked up at her with amusement in his eyes.
When he saw her embarrassed face, his smile deepened and a soft laugh echoed through the room. "What's so funny?" Ran had relaxed by now and gave him a glare, then turned to leave the room.
"Alright, alright, my fault. I shouldn't have teased you!" Seeing her walk away, Simeon thought she was upset and quickly apologized. But the smile on his face didn't fade.
"I'll go cook." Ran picked up the grain she had brought over from her straw hut and headed into the kitchen. Even though Simeon let her stay at his home, she couldn't eat their meals or use their grain. After all, in farming families like theirs, no one had enough food, and no one had extra.
"I'll do it. You light the fire." Simeon followed her into the kitchen. Just as she was about to start, he stepped forward, took the things from her hands, and when she looked at him, he smiled and said, "It's cold now and the water's freezing. You shouldn't be touching it."
Ran knew he was gentle, but she didn't expect Simeon to be so thoughtful that he wouldn't even let her touch cold water. Still, Ran looked up at his busy back. She couldn't help but wonder if he was this considerate to everyone.
Maybe her gaze was too intense. Simeon turned around and looked at her, asking with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong?" "N-nothing!"
Ran hadn't expected him to suddenly turn around. Caught off guard, she felt embarrassed and her cheeks turned red. Simeon looked at her awkward expression and didn't say anything more. The slight smile on his lips showed he was in a good mood.
The farmhouse meals were simple. Except for the special rice prepared for Aunt Hehua, there was no difference from the others. Ran glanced at the fine white rice, the steamed egg, and the portion of braised meat.
It was clearly much better than what the others were eating. Simeon followed her gaze but didn't explain. In his mind, preparing separate meals for women was something everyone understood without needing to say it.
After they finished eating, Ran followed Simeon back to the room. It was still early. Simeon sat down at his desk and placed a piece of paper in front of her.
"We didn't study this afternoon. Since there's still time, come and write the characters we learned today again." "Alright!"
Ran took a pencil from her bundle and carefully wrote each of the characters they'd learned today on the paper. Simeon hadn't expected her to be so smart. She had remembered everything he taught her.
Looking at the neat and elegant handwriting on the paper, Simeon was pleasantly surprised. His expression lit up like someone discovering a child prodigy. Then he taught Ran a few more characters and noticed she learned quickly.
His admiration and desire to nurture her talent only grew. What a pity. If he weren't disabled, with his abilities, he could definitely pass the imperial exam.
Thinking of that, the way Simeon looked at Ran was tinged with regret. What? What did she do? Why was Simeon looking at her like that?
What was he imagining all by himself? Under the dim oil lamp, Simeon sat at the desk reading. Ran kept reviewing the characters they learned today over and over again.
She had to admit, the writing system in Daqian was hard. Maybe it was because she was used to modern simplified characters. After writing for a while, she would accidentally write in simplified form again.
She didn't know how long had passed. Ran just felt overwhelmingly sleepy. Her eyelids felt like they weren't hers anymore.
She was about to get up and go to sleep. When she looked up, she saw Simeon still reading with full concentration. Seeing how energetic he still was, she couldn't help but admire him inwardly.
No wonder he passed the scholar exam. His willpower was something most people couldn't compare to. Ran suddenly felt she was better suited to being lazy.
Afraid to disturb him, Ran quietly took off her outerwear, climbed into bed, and tightly wrapped herself in the blanket. She pressed herself close to the wall, making sure she only occupied a little space and wouldn't crowd Simeon. Only then did she close her eyes in peace.
She was so tired that within moments, her steady breathing could be heard from the bed. Only then did Simeon put down his book and turn to look at Ran, who had wrapped herself up like a dumpling. He couldn't help but twitch his lips.
She didn't need to guard against him like that. He wasn't into men.
When the rooster crowed, Ran slowly opened her eyes. She groggily looked at the unfamiliar ceiling. After a while, she remembered that she was staying at Simeon's house.
Thinking of this, she gently sat up, carefully got out of bed, quickly washed up, and walked out of the room. Even though she was being very quiet, she didn't know that as soon as she stepped out the door, Simeon, who she thought was still asleep, also slowly opened his eyes. He sat up on the bed and stared at the door in silence, his expression unreadable.
The early morning wind was cold. Ran shivered and instinctively rubbed her arms. Then she looked up at the sky that was just starting to turn pale.
She couldn't help taking a deep breath of the fresh air. Feeling refreshed, she finished her simple morning routine, then went to the kitchen and started cooking porridge with coarse grains. After lighting the firewood, she closed her eyes and tried to activate her power.
When she realized she could still cultivate here in peace, her mood brightened. By the time she heard a sound and opened her eyes, the sky was already bright. She looked at the fire, which was nearly out, and quickly got up to lift the pot lid.
Seeing the porridge was done, she let out a sigh of relief. "Huh? Sang family kid, why are you up so early?" The village chief had just gotten up and saw light in the kitchen.
Curious, he walked over to see who it was. He hadn't expected that as soon as he entered, he'd find Ran lifting the pot lid. He sighed quietly to himself.
Such a good child, what a pity. "I'm used to getting up early." Ran smiled and said, "Why don't you rest a bit more, Chief?"
Lately, the weather had gotten colder, and there was no more fieldwork. Everyone had been sleeping in during this period. Ran didn't expect the village chief to be up this early.
"It's not that early, it's already around 7 to 9 a.m.!" The village chief smiled, scooped some water into a basin to wash his face, and said, "You don't have to get up this early anymore.
Everyone's sleeping later now!" "Okay, Uncle Chief, I understand!" Ran nodded and smiled. After breakfast, Ran went home.
She thought it was still early, but didn't expect that Master Chen and the others had already started working. When they saw her arrive, Master Chen stopped what he was doing and walked over. "Master, the foundation can be finished by tomorrow!"
"Thanks for your hard work, Master Chen!" As she spoke, Ran took out fifteen taels of silver from her pocket and handed it to him. "Here's fifteen taels.
I'll give you the rest when the house is completely built!" "Alright!" Master Chen carefully took the silver and smiled. "Don't worry, Master.
Our craftsmanship is well known around here. Your house will definitely be spacious and beautiful!" Master Chen was very happy.
He hadn't expected Ran to pay half the money upfront. It showed trust in them. "Good! Thank you, Master Chen!"
After exchanging a few words with him, Ran waved to Caleb, who was working nearby. "Caleb!" Caleb looked up, saw it was Ran calling him, and immediately put down his tools and walked over.
"Ran brother, did you need me?" Caleb wiped the sweat off his forehead and smiled as he asked. "Yeah," Ran handed him a cup of hot water, "Have some water and take a short break."