Chapter 3: The Benevolent Mother

With several dozen pounds of goods packed into a sack, Ning Xin hoisted it onto her back with ease; it felt as light as a feather.

This was her first time in the city, and she found she couldn't take it all in fast enough. Everything she saw seemed marvelously novel.

"Duobao Pavilion."

Ning Xin stared at the three characters on the signboard, pausing for a moment before continuing on her way out of the city. Though the "space" she possessed was stingy, it was remarkably generous when it came to ensuring she practiced martial arts and learned to read and write.

Once outside the city walls, Ning Xin remained cautious, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone trailing her. She stopped and started several times, ducking and weaving, completely forgetting that with her speed, few people could keep up with her anyway.

As she reached the outskirts of the village, she broke into a run.

"Hey, neighbor, did you see something just flash by?"
"What? No, I didn't see a thing."
"Must have been my eyes playing tricks on me."

Madam Meng had risen early. By the time she had finished heating the water, Ning Dalang returned from outside, drenched in sweat.

"Dear, go ahead and get some hot water to wash up and change into some clean clothes," Madam Meng said. Seeing that Dalang didn't move, but instead looked at her with a suggestive, playful glint in his eyes, she shot him a sharp glare and ladled the hot water into a wooden tub, urging him to hurry and wash.

They had many children, and despite working themselves to the bone all year round, they barely managed to keep everyone fed and save a few meager taels of silver. If anyone were to fall truly ill, they would have no money for medicine.

Madam Meng didn't wake the children to do chores. They were at the age where they were growing rapidly, and since they spent their days busy in the mountains and rivers, they were exhausted. She wanted to let them sleep a little longer.

She felt a pang of guilt as a mother, knowing that since they were born into her family, they hadn't enjoyed the fine foods or beautiful clothes other children might have. Even Ning Xin, who was usually the first to rise, hadn't appeared yet, but she wasn't worried.

Her eldest daughter had been different from the others since she was young. She was sharp as a child, but after falling ill at ten, she had started acting peculiar, claiming day and night that an immortal had taken her on as an apprentice to teach her martial arts.

She and Dalang hadn't believed it, but they couldn't stop the younger children from believing their sister and happily tagging along in her antics. It wasn't without its benefits, though; the children looked healthier than their peers or anyone else in the village. They never neglected their chores, and they always brought back some wild game from the mountains, so she and Dalang let them be.

Thinking of the game, Madam Meng felt a twinge of sorrow. None of that meat ever made it into the children’s bellies; it was always sold to buy needles, thread, and other necessities, with the surplus tucked away in her own hands.

"Mother."

Ning Xin slipped into the kitchen with the sack on her back, startling Madam Meng.

"Axin, where have you been so early? What’s in that sack?"

Ning Xin quickly pressed a finger to her lips, signaling her mother to stay quiet. She dropped the sack to the floor and pulled the rope open. "Mother, look at what I’ve got."

"What is it?"

Madam Meng stretched her neck, curious, and peered into the sack. It looked like grain stored in cloth bags.

Ning Xin pulled out a bag and opened it, as if presenting a treasure.

"Salt, sugar, polished rice, flour—good heavens! So much grain, where did you get this?" Madam Meng was both shocked and delighted.

Ning Xin quickly shut the kitchen door and pulled out the silver, handing it to Madam Meng.

"..."

Madam Meng’s mouth hung open, her eyes wide and round. She pinched herself. It wasn't a dream.

"Axin..."

"Mother, I didn't do anything bad. I didn't steal it or rob anyone—I just found it," Ning Xin explained hastily. Although she was poor, she would never stoop to thievery.

"That's good, that's good then."

Madam Meng’s heart finally settled. She took the silver gingerly, lifted a piece, and bit down on it. It was real. She fell into a dilemma: should she put all this silver into the family coffers, or give a portion to Ning Xin?