Days passed quietly, a few cold rains fell, and with the autumn wind blowing, winter was approaching. The world was a barren yellow, and even the crops in the fields began to be harvested.
During this period, Jin Shanyao has completely let loose.
Meng Anci now an official in the court and no longer needs her constant care; Dahuang and Xiaoli have returned to Qingzhou Prefecture with Meng Anzhi to collect medicinal herbs and are not by her side.
She's like a lonely old woman without children, rushing into the mountains every day as soon as the city gates open... not for any other reason than to find someone like her to talk to.
That day, she was standing barefoot in the tree pit, enjoying the fragrance of the soil, when she heard sparse sounds. She slowly opened her eyes.
Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a black head bobbing up and down... As the footsteps grew closer, Jin Shanyao wondered who was running on the mountain so early in the morning.
So he put on his shoes, brandished his sword, and stood guard in the path this person was bound to take.
A moment later, a boy came running down, chattering, "Make way, make way, make way!" With the boy's shout, he bumped into Jin Shanyao with a thud.
"Ouch...!" The boy clutched his head and fell to the ground. "Who are you? How dare you trespass on the royal hunting grounds?!"
Jin Shanyao looked down at him, "Who are you? How dare you trespass on the royal hunting grounds?!"
The boy choked on his words, "You're not allowed to mimic my speech!"
Jin Shanyao smiled, her eyes crinkling, "I didn't mimic your speech; I was asking you, who are you?"
The boy, his neck stiff, said, "... I asked you first, answer me quickly!"
Jin Shanyao out and helped him up. "I came in."
"You came in, so you must know the way down the mountain. Take me down quickly..." the boy commanded.
Jin Shanyao her and stood back in the tree pit, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving... I haven't had enough yet."
"What's so great about staying here? It's all trees..." The young master was about to say something when he heard hurried footsteps coming from afar.
His expression hardened, and he was about to run when he saw Jin Shanyao standing there motionless. He cried out, "Run!"
Jin Shanyao pointed at herself, confused, and asked, "Should I run away too?"
The boy grabbed the Jin Shanyao and started running down the mountain without saying a word. "Those are ruthless guards who kill without blinking an eye! If you don't run... they'll kill you..."
Jin Shanyao followed his footsteps, letting out a gasp, even more bewildered... "Am I supposed to kill too?"
"Hmm... everyone gets a share," the boy said anxiously as he rushed down the mountain, Jin Shanyao. Standing at the crossroads, he asked urgently, "Where did you come from? Take me there quickly."
Jin Shanyao pointed in a direction, and the boy ran in that direction until he ran out of the mountains. Only then did he let go of Jin Shanyao and collapse to the ground.
He looked up at Jin Shanyao, "Auntie... impressive, you've run for so long and you're not even out of breath."
Jin Shanyao and said, "Whose child are you? Why would they want to kill you?"
The boy clutched his stomach and laughed heartily, "Auntie... this is the royal hunting grounds, why would anyone be chasing us? I was just kidding... I just didn't want to be kept in their enclosure, so I secretly ran away."
Jin Shanyao's gentle face instantly turned cold. She had actually been fooled by a child. Indeed, humans were the most cunning... She turned around angrily and was about to leave.
The young man stood up and followed behind her. "What's wrong... are you angry? If I didn't say that, would you take me down the mountain?" Seeing that Jin Shanyao not speaking, he thought for a moment, then took off the jade pendant from his waist and held it in front of her.
"Don't be angry... This jade pendant was given to you by my grandfather..."
Jin Shanyao stopped, looked at him, and said, "What use would I have for a broken stone?"
"Then what do you want? I'll give you everything I have as an apology..." The boy looked up at her with bright eyes.
Jin Shanyao thought for a moment, "I want to eat wontons and fried dough sticks from the city..."
Upon hearing this, the boy suddenly felt a bit hungry, and touched his waist in frustration, saying, "Auntie... I forgot to bring any money."
"It's alright, I'll treat you... let's go."
The boy stood there, looking at her suspiciously.
To be able to freely enter and leave the royal hunting grounds undetected, and then to run into her here—could it be a trap? He wanted to see what this woman's purpose was.
Jin Shanyao her head and walked forward without looking back. Only when she heard footsteps behind her did she secretly curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
You dared to deceive me? Today I'll teach you a lesson in the wickedness of the human heart.
The two entered the city and arrived at a breakfast stall. Just as they sat down, the stall owner approached them. " Shopkeeper Jin... why did you come alone today?"
Jin Shanyao and said, "Both children are busy, so bring me two bowls of wontons... with plenty of chopped green onions."
"Alright..." The stall owner skillfully picked up the wontons and tossed them into the pot. The boy turned around, his gaze falling on the pot, and swallowed hard. "It smells delicious."
Jin Shanyao. "His wontons are the best on Vermilion Bird Street. Have some soup first, then eat the wontons." She gave the boy a thumbs-up. "Amazing..."
The boy was amused by her, finding the woman different from others and her speech truly interesting.
When the wontons were served, he imitated the way Jin Shanyao, picked up the bowl, and took a sip of the hot soup.
A warm current spread from his mouth to his stomach, making him feel all warm and cozy... He picked up a spoon, scooped up a wonton, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly.
It wasn't actually that delicious, but he enjoyed the meal. When he got to his third wonton, the woman sitting next to him stood up and called to the vendor, "I've left the money on the table, I'm leaving now..."
The stall owner looked up and said, "Oh... Shopkeeper Jin, come again when you have time."
The boy hastily swallowed the food in his mouth and shouted, "Where are you going? Aren't you going to eat your fried pastry?"
Jin Shanyao walked ahead, waving her hand, "No... the fried pastries on the street aren't as good as the ones my cook makes."
Upon hearing this, the boy dropped his spoon and chased after him. "Then... then I'll go home with you and take a look." He rarely got to go out, so he wanted to see how ordinary people lived.
Jin Shanyao and wiped the corner of her lips, not speaking to him. The two arrived at the Anzhi Hall in less than half a cup of tea's time.
The boy stared at the signboard in shock and exclaimed, "You're the owner of the Anzhi Hall?"
Jin Shanyao an eyebrow, "Come in..."
The boy heard that Anzhi Hall was the home of the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination. The young scholar's parents had both died, and he relied entirely on his aunt to treat the sick and support his studies. He figured the family must be poor.
Thinking of this, he handed the jade pendant to Jin Shanyao again, "Auntie, this jade pendant can fetch a lot of money, you can take it to improve your life..."
Jin Shanyao in surprise, "Do I look that poor?"
The boy looked at her attire and nodded emphatically. His grandmother and mother were adorned with jewels, while his aunt, the top scholar, only had a ginkgo leaf-shaped wooden hairpin, and that was it.
So pitiful...
After confirming Jin Shanyao's identity, the boy became even Dadan, looking around as if he were in his own home, muttering, "It's quite clean..."
Zhou Xiaosi walked into the shop from the backyard, saw the boy, paused, and his eyes changed.
The boy saw him too, but didn't pay any attention and continued looking around.
Zhou Xiaosi approached and whispered a question in Jin Shanyao's ear. Jin Shanyao, smiled meaningfully, and casually tossed the jade pendant to him.
As Zhou Xiaosi left, the boy shouted after him, "Find a bigger pawnshop, don't pawn anything for less than a thousand taels, understand???"
After a long silence, his face darkened, and Jin Shanyao, "Your servant is really useless. Perhaps you should sell him off someday."