Some things, once they've happened, are impossible to make right.
What's more, since the Master is no longer here, no matter what she does, she cannot replace the Master.
Miss Jun sighed softly.
"Miss, don't sigh anymore, sighing makes you old," Liu'er said, "You've sighed several times on our way here."
Miss Jun smiled and nodded. By this time, they had reached the village, where smoke rose from each household's hearth and children herding cattle sang nursery rhymes as they returned, playfully squabbling.
Under the trees, men who had labored all day sat chatting and laughing, waiting for their meals.
Seeing Miss Jun approach, the children quickly ducked behind the cattle and the men grew stiff yet pretended to be calm.
Miss Jun greeted them with a smile, and without waiting for a response, walked past. Even without looking back, she could feel the relief in the air behind her and the gazes that landed on her back brimming with curiosity.
They were curious about what kind of person she was, and she was just as curious about what sort of people they were.
She was bearing the Master's present, while they were part of the Master's past.
Take it slow, she thought, we'll get to know each other eventually.
"Miss is back, we can eat now," Liu'er ran into the courtyard and shouted happily.
Xia Yong's wife also smiled and wiped her hands on her apron.
"Miss Jun," she said, "the meal is ready."
As the first maid and one used to being waited on hand and foot, Liu'er couldn't cook.
On the road, Lei Zhonglian and the guards would do the cooking.
Of course, this was the case here as well, but Aunt Xia would have none of it.
"What kind of tasty dishes can men cook?" she said, and came over twice a day.
Miss Jun kept declining, but Aunt Xia was insistently deaf to it; Miss Jun wasn't the kind to haggle over every detail, so she let Aunt Xia do as she pleased.
After Aunt Xia left, Lei Zhonglian and the others set up tables and chairs in the courtyard, just as they did when they were traveling in the wild. Additionally, two guards brought out the food that had been prepared in the kitchen.
Steaming hot griddle cakes, shredded cabbage with clumps of salted vegetables, a large plate of sliced marinated wild rabbit meat, wild mushrooms stewing with wild chicken from the mountains, and rice porridge swirling with vegetable leaves.
The food and drink were all sourced from the mountains and fields, simple and delicious.
"Eating this stuff all the time gets boring," Liu'er muttered, handing a griddle cake stuffed with rabbit meat to Miss Jun, "The flour here isn't fragrant, I wonder what they mix in it."
Miss Jun took it and bit off a big piece. The meat was fragrant, but the bread did indeed taste coarse, likely mixed with bran.
Life here wasn't affluent.
"It's quite tasty," Miss Jun said.
"No matter how tasty, it's boring to have it every day," Liu'er mumbled, and seeing Miss Jun glance at her, she quickly stuck out her tongue and sat down to eat, but then she noticed a silver bracelet on the wooden stump beside her.
It was something that Aunt Xia had taken off while cooking.
"She forgot it, I'll bring it to her," Liu'er said, putting down her chopsticks, "I see she really treasures this bracelet."
Indeed, or else she wouldn't have taken it off while working.
Miss Jun nodded.
"Go quickly," she said.
Liu'er grabbed the bracelet and scurried off.
While it seemed beneath Liu'er's dignity to return Aunt Xia's bracelet, since Miss was willing to be nice to them, she felt she should be a bit kinder too.
Xia Yong and his wife lived next door, but there was no sign of anyone in their courtyard at the moment.
"Aunt Xia?" Liu'er called out.
No movement came from the house; it seemed to be empty.
"Where could they have gone at mealtime?" Liu'er wondered, puzzled. Could they have gone to a neighbor's house?
If that's the case, she'll see her kindness through to the end.
Liu'er walked towards other houses, but strangely, this house, too, was vacant.
One house after another, two to three consecutive houses, all empty.
Impossible. On their way back, every household was preparing meals; they should all be at home eating now.
Something was wrong!
Liu'er immediately thought of this and clenched her fist, cautiously checking each house in the village one by one, soon hearing laughter coming from a courtyard.
"Erniu, this is your family's meal."
"Great Liu, here's yours, for three people."
Xia Yong's voice came from inside.
"...Mine mine..."
"Don't fight, there's enough for everyone."
Mixed with the urgent cries of children.
Liu'er, squatting in the corner, suddenly realized.
So it turns out, they were hiding away, eating good food!
That's too much!
Filled with indignation, Liu'er stood up and with a loud cough barged in.
The people in the courtyard jumped at the sudden cough, turning their heads to see Liu'er, and with a burst of noise, retreated in fear, some even hiding their bowls of food behind them.
"Miss Liu'er." Xia Yong's wife approached anxiously and awkwardly, "Why have you come?"
Liu'er looked at the people in the courtyard.
"I'm here to see what delicious food you're eating," she said, and walked straight toward a woman nearby.
Xia Yong's wife did not expect her to be so direct and was too late to stop Liu'er who had already reached the woman.
The woman, frightened, tried to dodge but Liu'er grabbed her bowl and with a clatter, it fell to the ground.
There was no delicacy, just a black, stone-like cake.
Liu'er paused, then turned to look at the rest of the people nearby; all of them had the same thing, without exception.
What delicious food is this?
.........................
"This is a bran cake," Miss Jun picked one up and brought it to her lips.
"Miss Jun." Xia Yong's wife hurried to stop her, her expression tense, "You shouldn't eat this..."
Before she could finish speaking, Miss Jun had already taken a bite, chewing vigorously and swallowing it down with force.
"We don't always eat these," Xia Yong said nervously.
Miss Jun didn't look at him, but instead scanned all the men, women, children and the bowls in their hands.
There were no vegetables, no meat, not even rice porridge.
The food that Liu'er had scorned for not tasting good was the result of the whole village's efforts.
No wonder Xia Yong's wife had taken the initiative to cook for them, because it was her cooking that made them not pay attention to how much food there was or where it came from.
And the smoke from each household in the village was also for show, in reality, they all ended up here to pick up a piece of cake to stave off their hunger.
She knew that their days were not affluent, but she had not imagined it to be to this extent.
Miss Jun said nothing, grabbing another piece of cake and biting down hard.
"Miss Jun." Xia Yong's wife came forward, holding her hand with a mixture of apology and openness, "I know you feel bad, but really, this is nothing. Our fields are not good, and the mountain goods are just so-so, but when entertaining guests we still bring out the best we have, it's not pretending to be rich, it's just our way of showing our hearts."
Miss Jun nodded, chewed a mouthful of cake and swallowed it down with effort.
"Yes, I understand," she said, smiling and nodding forcefully, "I know, and I'm very happy."
Xia Yong's wife sighed.
"Please don't eat this anymore," she said with a laugh, "Alright, alright, from now on we won't do this, we'll all just eat bran and sip our tea."
How could she!
How could she allow them to have to eat bran and sip their tea.
Miss Jun turned around.
"Liu'er, Liu'er," she called out.
Liu'er came over.
"Take some people into town," Miss Jun instructed her, "buy whatever is lacking, take whatever you want."
Liu'er nodded and turned to leave with big strides.