Chapter 5

No matter how filthy the silver was, it was still silver. Yang Wan wanted to ask a few more questions, but she failed to notice that Wu Fen's expression had already turned unpleasant. She cautiously asked: "How did Butcher Wu find out?" This immediately made Liu Cuihua even more excited. She pretended to glance toward the doorway before lowering her voice, barely able to contain her enthusiasm. "Only I know the whole story! I heard Yinxiang admit it with my own ears. The moment Butcher Wu heard her confession, he grabbed her like a little chicken and dragged her straight to the village chief's house!" Just then, her second sister-in-law, who had gone out to pick vegetables, returned and overheard everything. Frowning, she said to Liu Cuihua: "Fourth Aunt, how can you discuss such things in front of an unmarried young woman? It wouldn't look good if Mother happened to hear you." Liu Cuihua had become a little too carried away with her gossip. She wasn't afraid of this newly married young woman, but remembering that she had never managed to get the better of Zhou Chunxiu, she felt somewhat embarrassed. "I'm only saying this for Wanya's own good! I want her to keep her eyes open when choosing a man in the future!" WHOOSH! Wu Fen dumped half a basin of empty river snail shells all over Liu Cuihua. Yang Wan was stunned. Looking at her eldest sister-in-law, whose eyes had turned red with anger, she finally realized that in this era, discussing such matters in front of an unmarried young woman was considered an insult to her dignity. "Get out! You're not welcome in my home!" Liu Cuihua cursed as she backed out of the doorway. Before leaving, she even spat on the ground. "If you can do such shameless things, why be afraid of people talking about them? Everyone knows she was abandoned by a man and jumped into a well!" Wu Fen was about to chase after her, but Liu Xiuxiu quickly stopped her. "Eldest Sister-in-law, she's an elder. Let's wait until Mother comes back and let her deal with this!" As for Yang Wan, she wasn't particularly bothered by Liu Cuihua's words. However, she was deeply touched by how fiercely her two sisters-in-law had defended her. Still, she couldn't help thinking that perhaps her mother might not be able to handle Liu Cuihua. After all, Fourth Aunt was a big, sturdy woman. Her mother might not necessarily win in a physical confrontation. Nevertheless, Yang Wan couldn't act as though she didn't care at all. That would seem rather out of character. So she rubbed her eyes and lowered her head without saying anything, putting on an expression that made her look somewhat upset. Just as her two sisters-in-law were about to comfort her, Zhou Chunxiu and Yang Li returned, bringing along a thin, elderly man with graying hair. Yang Wan immediately became alert. Before Zhou Chunxiu could even speak, the old man took several steps toward Yang Wan. Yang Wan tried her best to remain calm and looked up at him. The old man had a dark, weathered, and gaunt face. However, his eyes were unusually dark and bright. When his gaze fell upon Yang Wan, it seemed as though he could see right through her physical body and look directly into her soul. Everyone around them fell silent, holding their breath. Yang Wan felt goosebumps rising all over her body. She forced a smile at the old man. He abruptly withdrew his gaze and turned toward Zhou Chunxiu. "Sister-in-law Yang, your daughter has fully recovered. May the Heavenly Venerable bless us with boundless fortune." Only then did Zhou Chunxiu finally relax. She turned toward Yang Wan and said: "Why aren't you thanking Daoist Xu? He's the one who saved your life!" Yang Wan was just about to follow her mother's instructions when Daoist Xu stopped her. "I'm only half a Taoist priest. Just call me Uncle Xu!" Yang Wan readily agreed. In fact, judging from his appearance, she wouldn't have guessed that he was a Taoist priest at all. He wasn't wearing a Taoist robe, nor did he have the ethereal appearance of an immortal cultivator. He looked more like an ordinary elderly farmer. Since they were entertaining a guest, the family had prepared several extra dishes. As usual, Wu Fen was in charge of cooking. Yang Wan had been here for two days, but today was the first time she had truly experienced her eldest sister-in-law's cooking skills. The river snail meat had been cleaned thoroughly and stir-fried with fresh, tender Chinese chives. A couple of Chinese cornelian cherries were sliced and added to the dish. The aroma was so enticing that Yang Wan's mouth began watering. The broth left over from boiling the river snails was simmered with a piece of sour pickled radish. Finally, several pieces of pan-fried aged tofu were added and left to bubble gently. Just looking at it was enough to make one's mouth water. They hadn't gone to town to buy meat. Instead, they slaughtered a rooster and placed it directly into a clay pot to simmer beside the stove. When the lid was finally opened, a layer of golden chicken fat floated on top. Even with nothing but salt added, the chicken was incredibly delicious. The eggplants from their own vegetable garden were steamed, shredded, and mixed with sesame oil and chopped scallions. Another perfect dish to accompany rice. The pumpkin vines hadn't fully matured yet, so they picked the tender tips along with several late-blooming male flowers and stir-fried them together. The dish was a beautiful mix of yellow and green, with a naturally sweet and refreshing taste. The rice was a mixture of the little white rice they had left and brown rice, steamed until fluffy and firm. For an ordinary farming household, this was already a rather generous and luxurious meal. The delicious aroma had Hutou circling the kitchen stove again and again. This was Yang Wan's first proper meal since arriving in this world. Over the previous few days, the family had only eaten bowls of vegetable dishes and pickled vegetables alongside coarse-grain porridge. Yang Wan hadn't even been able to appreciate the taste of the food. Only today did she discover just how talented her eldest sister-in-law was in the kitchen. Her cooking was even better than the restaurant food Yang Wan used to eat in her previous life. Yang Wan's own cooking skills had never gone beyond making sure the food was fully cooked. She genuinely admired how her eldest sister-in-law could prepare such a delicious and visually appealing feast with such limited ingredients. Daoist Xu was clearly enjoying the meal as well. He ate more than half the chicken himself. It seemed he really wasn't a proper Taoist priest. Yang Wan mixed the sour pickled radish and tofu broth with her rice and finished a large bowl. For the first time since arriving here, she ate until she was completely full. The rest of the Yang family seemed perfectly accustomed to such delicious food. Clearly, everyone already knew how good Wu Fen was at cooking. The reason their meals had been so poor over the past few days was probably that nobody had been in the mood to think about food. After everyone had eaten their fill and the main hall had been cleaned up, only Yang Daye, his wife, Daoist Xu, and Yang Wan remained. Yang Wan had originally planned to leave first, but her mother pulled her back and made her sit down. "Daoist Xu, our Wanya hasn't been sleeping peacefully these past two days. I'm afraid someone has been... giving her instructions in her dreams!" As she spoke, Zhou Chunxiu subtly pointed upward. Daoist Xu turned his gaze toward Yang Wan. Yang Wan could only widen her eyes and pretend to look confused. She hadn't thought this half-baked Taoist priest would be able to figure out anything. But his next words made her tremble with fear. "Back then, I told you that if your daughter woke up, she wouldn't need any medicine. She would recover completely and be lively and healthy. Otherwise, she would never wake up again. Looking at her now, it seems she really has received an extraordinary blessing. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she has undergone a complete transformation." Zhou Chunxiu quickly nodded. "Wanya really has become much more obedient and sensible since waking up." Yang Wan's nerves tightened. She had grown up as a left-behind child, constantly watching other people's expressions and trying to avoid upsetting them. Playing the role of a pampered village beauty who had always been loved by her family was proving rather difficult. Daoist Xu took a sip of his coarse tea, skimmed away the tea leaves floating on top, and pointed toward the left. "Do you remember which well she was pulled out of?" "That abandoned well near the ruined temple at the end of the village," Yang Daye answered confidently. Daoist Xu shook his head in disagreement. "That wasn't originally a ruined temple. It used to be a temple dedicated to Lady White!" Zhou Chunxiu looked at him in disbelief. "Are you saying that Wanya received enlightenment from Lady White?" Daoist Xu neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he continued: "Didn't that physician from the neighboring village tell you to prepare for your daughter's funeral? The talisman water I gave her only contributed one part of the effort. The remaining nine parts depended entirely on fate. Without an extraordinary blessing, would this girl really be sitting here before us, perfectly healthy?" Yang Wan's parents nodded repeatedly as they listened. Yang Wan, however, was beginning to think that this Taoist priest wasn't particularly capable after all. But then Daoist Xu suddenly changed the subject. "However, it may not necessarily be entirely a good thing." His dark eyes stared directly at Yang Wan. He spoke slowly, emphasizing every word. "Ordinary mortals who reveal the secrets of Heaven may suffer a terrible fate—even death..." His chilling tone sent a shiver down Yang Wan's spine. For a moment, she wondered whether this old Taoist had somehow seen through her secret. Zhou Chunxiu was also startled. She suddenly remembered that her daughter had already told the entire family how she had obtained the silver that morning. Afraid that something terrible might happen as a consequence, she hurriedly asked: "Daoist Xu, then... then how can we resolve this?"