Chapter 25: The Man Whose Features Remained Obscured

"Damn it."

Liang Yunqing had originally wanted to avoid trouble, as finding a midwife was her top priority, but this idiot had actually whipped her. Who could put up with that?

She lunged, gripping the incoming whip and pulling it back with all her might. The man on horseback had never expected a farm woman to fight back; he was yanked forward, stumbling in his saddle, while his horse grew uneasy.

"How bold!"

A cold glint flashed. Liang Yunqing felt a chill at her throat. A long blade was pressed against her shoulder.

Uncle Ma, who was driving the cart, quickly knelt on the ground to plead for mercy. "My lord! My sister is a fool, please do not hold it against her, I beg you!"

The man on horseback frowned, looking down at Liang Yunqing, who had stood her ground, attempting to see fear and terror in her eyes. But in the dim moonlight, the woman beneath the horse showed only indifference and a hidden, frantic edge. The long sword at her throat did nothing to break her cold, fierce expression.

She was bold, certainly, but it was a pity she was just a woman.

The man’s lips curled into a cold sneer, and he moved the blade, preparing to finish her off. But in the next instant, an arrow struck the blade from his hand, knocking it to the ground.

"A-Tu, you've gone too far."

Under the moonlight, a white horse approached, riding with the wind. The man upon it wore silk robes and a jade belt; though his face was obscured, his posture was tall and capable, impossible to ignore. Behind him were many others on horseback. The man’s silver-threaded jade belt fluttered, and his voice was clear and steady.

"It is only a woman; let us go."

With that, he pulled the reins and rode away. The man called A-Tu had no choice but to dismount, retrieve his sword, and cast a cold glare at Liang Yunqing before mounting his horse and leaving.

Liang Yunqing did not know who these people were, but she remembered A-Tu’s face. The infant in her arms had hindered her, but next time, she would settle the score. This A-Tu had better not show his face again.

She slowly turned her head to watch the departing group. The man on the white horse at the front looked back, as if by some strange impulse. In the moonlight, neither could clearly see the other’s face, yet they locked eyes—one gaze filled with scrutiny and confusion, the other with violence and icy intent.

Uncle Ma climbed back onto the cart, his legs trembling. "Quick... let’s go."

Liang Yunqing withdrew her gaze, sat back on the cart with the child, and they reached the neighboring village without further incident. Liang Yunqing knocked on the midwife’s door. There was no response at first, but just as she turned to leave, the door creaked open.

An old woman wrapped in a shawl stepped out, looking at them with dissatisfaction. She was a seasoned midwife for miles around and knew exactly why someone would come for her in the dead of night.

Without wasting words, she let Uncle Ma hoist her onto the cart, and they rushed back to the village.

"Midwife, the woman at home has clogged milk ducts and is delirious with fever," Liang Yunqing explained on the way. The midwife nodded, then pulled back the swaddling clothes to look at the infant, shaking her head. "She needs goat milk. The child is as thin as a monkey."

"I understand," Liang Yunqing replied.

Back in the village, the waiting villagers were relieved to see the midwife and went home. The midwife hurried into Auntie Ma’s house. Auntie San had just finished taking her herbal medicine, and the midwife immediately cleared the room to begin the process of unblocking.

Liang Yunqing listened to the sharp, painful screams of Auntie San from inside, her heart turning cold. Women in this era truly suffered; with such poor medical care, giving birth was no different from walking through the gates of hell.

When the midwife finally opened the door, the crowd gathered to ask how things went. The midwife wiped her hands and answered, "It is fine now; the blockage is cleared. She just needs to wait until tomorrow to breastfeed."

"Good, good, thank you, thank you!" Auntie Ma, enduring the pain in her foot, handed over the payment.

The midwife left with the money. Auntie San inside was soaked in sweat, and Lady Chu helped her change into dry linen clothes before letting the others enter.

Liang Yunqing, having returned the sleeping infant to Da Niu, finally found a moment of peace. She pulled Auntie Ma into the main room and laid out the reason for her visit. Auntie Ma sat to the side, listening with increasing astonishment.

"Our land… all used to plant Sichuan peppercorn trees? One hundred wen per jin? This, this, this—" She stood up, overcome with agitation, then sat back down, patting her chest to catch her breath. "Yunqing, are you telling the truth? Is it really one hundred wen per jin?"

"It is true. I have already found a buyer; we are just waiting to deliver the goods."

Auntie Ma alternated between smiling and frowning. She was worried about those few mu of land; they barely produced wild vegetables, let alone peppercorn trees she had never even heard of.

Liang Yunqing comforted her. "Don’t worry about the land. The buyer gave me a type of fertilizer that will make the soil fertile."

"Oh? There is such a thing as that kind of fertilizer?" Auntie Ma’s surprise deepened. It sounded like a tall tale, but after how Yunqing had helped her just now, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. She finally nodded, promising to have Da Niu begin tilling the land at dawn.

"I will have Youyong and the others bring the trees to you. Auntie Ma, you just focus on planting; don't worry about anything else."

"Alright."

With that, Liang Yunqing took Lady Chu and headed home. The sky was already turning white; dawn was breaking.

Helping Auntie Ma had cost one hundred wen, but Liang Yunqing wasn't worried; given Auntie Ma’s character, she would find a way to pay it back.

Not long after arriving home, Li Pinghua got up, took Liang Zhiyan, and packed the steamed buns to take to town. Now that they didn't have the stall, delivering the buns was much easier. Liang Yunqing, meanwhile, caught up on some sleep.

At noon, Li Pinghua returned after finishing the delivery, having bought some raw materials along the way. She was anxious seeing that Liang Yunqing hadn't emerged yet, but she didn't dare go in to call her.

Fortunately, Liang Yunqing woke up on her own. Looking at Li Pinghua, who worked every day yet remained as full of energy as a dragon, Liang Yunqing couldn't help but feel envious. She was truly a "born laborer."

Urged on by Li Pinghua, they all went to the fields to see how the peppercorn trees planted yesterday were faring. They arrived at the field with trepidation—the others were worried the trees wouldn't survive, while Liang Yunqing was worried they would grow too fast and arouse suspicion.

"Ah?" Liang Mingxue was the first to exclaim. Liang Youyong, carrying a bucket, also stood with his mouth agape.

The peppercorn trees planted yesterday were now lush and verdant, each branch laden with small, green and red peppercorns. When they were planted yesterday, each tree had looked fragile, many without even a single seed. How had they become like this in just one day?

"Ahem, it seems our ancestors are truly watching over us," Liang Yunqing said, feigning a prayer. Lady Wang, standing to the side, was deeply convinced.

"Ancestors protect us," Liang Zhiyan added, cupping his hands and bowing to the sky.

[The excuse the host found is truly...]

Truly seamless, right?

[Clumsy.]

Get lost!

Liang Yunqing muttered crossly to the system in her mind, then plucked some peppercorn seeds and tucked them into her pocket. The land converter could speed up crop maturity, but these peppercorns still needed a few days. She would give the seeds to Auntie Ma and sneakily use the converter to turn her three mu of land into black soil tonight.

Liang Yunqing gave instructions to loosen the soil and water the plants, then headed straight for Auntie Ma’s house with the seeds.

"Auntie Ma, are you home?"