Chapter 9 – A Taste of Despair (Patreon)

Lynn Naya had a lot on her mind, so she wasn’t in the mood to make small talk with Qian Baolin. She simply said, “I set up some supports under the roots of the herbs in my field. You can take a look if you’re curious.”

This wasn’t some secret technique. It was a matter of whether or not you put in the effort.

Qian Baolin had been about to inspect the herbs herself when Lynn Naya arrived, so she stopped what she was doing. Now that Lynn Naya was being so proactive, she assumed Lynn Naya was trying to flatter her, just like everyone else. While she was pleased, she couldn’t help but look down on Lynn Naya even more.

Of course, what she thought and what she showed were two different things. She put on a smile and said, “I’ll take a look at how you did it.”

Then, she added, “It’s fine if I don’t do this work, anyway. My father-in-law wanted me to change to something easier, but I figured since I’m doing this, I might as well do it right. Even if I mess up, it’s not a big deal, but I don’t want to be laughed at.”

“I understand.” Lynn Naya didn’t expose her lie.

While the supervisors had more power and lived better than ordinary people, their lives still depended on the Dao Palace. They weren’t free to do whatever they wanted.

But even though Qian Baolin was a bit of a braggart, she wasn’t a bad person. At the very least, she had never tampered with Lynn Naya’s herbs, which was more than she could say for others. Her worst crime was a general disdain for commoners like her.

That was already good enough.

“If you’re not sure, you can take the frame apart to study it. If you have any questions, just call me. I’ll start clearing the snow.” The snow on the fields had to be cleared.

Otherwise, if it snowed again, all her hard work would be for nothing. Besides clearing the snow, any frozen or broken herbs had to be dug up while they were still in good condition, and the empty spots would have to be replanted next year.

“Alright, I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Seeing that she had agreed, Lynn Naya went back to her work.

Qian Baolin found it strange that Lynn Naya just went back to work.

Normally, people who tried to flatter her would make an effort to talk to her. This woman was different.

Even though it was strange, Qian Baolin didn’t want to lower herself by speaking first. So, even though they were close, the conversation never picked up.

Lynn Naya focused on her work, and in less than half a day, she had cleared all the snow from her field and dug up the frozen and broken herbs.

Of course, maybe it was because she had truly poured her heart into these herb fields, but just moments ago her status panel had shifted—her Medicinal Farming skill had finally broken past Level 2 (Beginner) and stepped into Level 3 (Initiated).

At this stage, whenever she looked at the herbs in her fields, better methods of cultivation would naturally surface in her mind—ways to reduce loss and improve yield. Still, she wasn’t going to try them out today. She just wasn’t in the mood.

“Madam Qian, I’m done here. I’m going to head back now.” Lynn Naya said as she was about to leave.

“Already?” Qian Baolin was still building a frame in her own field.

“There wasn’t much spoilage this time, so it didn’t take long.”

“That’s great. I wish I had learned from you sooner.” Qian Baolin had seen Lynn Naya working before but hadn’t paid her any mind. She only started to worry today because so many of her herbs had broken.

“I didn’t even know it would work. But everyone is in the same boat. It’s not too late to start now.”

Lynn Naya’s words made Qian Baolin feel a little better. It’s true. I can’t be the only one with a high spoilage rate. Everyone else is probably in the same situation. If I start now, my herbs might even grow better than others later on.

With that in mind, Qian Baolin felt a bit more friendly toward Lynn Naya. She wanted to ask her to stay and help but couldn’t bring herself to, especially when she saw Lynn Naya already had her basket ready to go. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Then, I’ll be going, Madam Qian. See you around.”

“Alright, take care.” As she watched Lynn Naya walk away, Qian Baolin couldn’t help but wonder: Was she really trying to flatter me?

Lynn Naya didn’t know what Qian Baolin was thinking. She took the herbs she had dug up to Supervisor Zhang.

All the herbs from the fields had to be examined by Supervisor Zhang. Not even a handful of dirt could be taken away privately. Those were the rules. You could choose not to follow them, but if you were caught, Supervisor Zhang would replace you immediately.

But generally, Supervisor Zhang would only keep the herbs that were in good condition and let the farmers divide the rest among themselves.

When Lynn Naya arrived, four or five other farmers were already in line. Those who had been seen were dropping off their herbs, and those who hadn’t were chatting.

They were talking about a woman who lived in the west and had been strangled to death last night.

“…They told her to find someone to live with her, but she wouldn’t listen. If she had someone looking out for her, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Her husband just died. She was probably still grieving. Sigh… They were such a nice couple. What a tragedy.”

“It really is.”

Listening to the chatter, Lynn Naya took her place in line.

The inspection didn’t take long, and soon, it was Lynn Naya’s turn.

Although Supervisor Zhang had a history with the original owner’s father, that relationship had faded with the death of her parents. So when it was Lynn Naya’s turn, Supervisor Zhang only gave her a slight nod. No further small talk.

Lynn Naya also didn’t bother to tell him that this was all the damaged herbs from her three acres of fields. He would see it when he inspected the fields later, and there was no need to draw attention to herself now.

After he kept the herbs in good condition and let her take the rest, the people who were now in line were still talking about the woman.

Just as Lynn Naya was about to leave the room, she heard someone lower their voice and say something. She froze, closed her eyes, and walked out.

When she returned to the courtyard, her neighbors were all huddled around the stove in Xue Yong’s house, doing their chores. Of course, they were chatting, but the moment she opened the door, they all went silent and changed the topic.

Lynn Naya knew what they were talking about. It was about the farm outside. It was a secret they all shared, and they didn’t want to let an outsider like her in on it, save for Xue Yong and his wife.

This is good.

She put away her hoe and basket, then took her mortar, herbs, a handful of dried fruit, and a cup of cold water, and went to Xue Yong’s house.

Even in winter, people had a lot to do. The men had to sharpen their arrows and fix their traps. The families had to pick seeds for the next year’s harvest. They had to fix broken stools and whittle bamboo strips. If they wanted, they could be busy all year long.

Since they were all working, huddling together around the stove made it a more pleasant experience.

Lynn Naya had mainly come to hear what was going on outside.

“You’re back, Lady Lynn.” Xue Yong’s wife said, making some room for her.

“Yeah.” Lynn Naya nodded and sat down in the space she was offered.

It was impossible for just one family to provide all the charcoal for the stove. It was already so late, so Lynn Naya was too lazy to get any firewood. She just grabbed a handful of dried fruit and offered it to everyone to munch on. For herself, she put three or four dried peaches and two dried jujubes into her bamboo cup to simmer in the water.

The charcoal flickered, and the steam from the stove quickly chased away the cold Lynn Naya had brought with her. The conversation that had stopped when she came in soon resumed.

Xue Yong and Zhao Laoer must have had a proper talk, as their relationship seemed better than before. At least, the tension was gone.

Listening to them chat, Lynn Naya remained quiet, only answering when asked a question. When she wasn’t asked, she was just a transparent listener.

What happened last night was a big deal, and soon, the conversation around the stove turned to how many people had died outside.

Then, Xue Yong’s wife suddenly looked at Lynn Naya. “Lady Lynn, it’s not safe out there. Do you want to come sleep with us?”

Neighbors sleeping in the same house wasn’t uncommon. Last winter was so cold that the four families in the courtyard all slept in one house.

“What happened outside?” Lynn Naya asked, pretending she didn’t know anything.

Her neighbors knew more than the whispers on the street.

“That woman in the west who sold fish died last night.” said Zhao Laoer’s wife, a hint of excitement hidden beneath her exaggerated sigh. “Her husband used to bring back so many fish. I even bought some from them once. A fish about a foot long was so expensive, so you can imagine how much money they had.”

“Her husband went out a month ago and never came back. People told her to remarry, but she wouldn’t. She insisted on holding onto all that money. I guess all that money made someone greedy and led to this.”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s always better to live with someone else,” Fan Shi said, pulling the corner of her lips into a bitter smile. “Otherwise, if you live alone, no one will know how you died in your own house.”

Her words were a subtle jab at Lynn Naya.

“Shut up!” Uncle Wang said, glaring at Fan Shi. Fan Shi just scoffed and mumbled under her breath, “It’s just dangerous to live alone. Who knows when a killer will come to our courtyard next?”

Lynn Naya ignored Fan Shi’s sarcasm. She lowered her head and continued to grind her herbs, her thoughts unknown to everyone.

The murdered woman from last night had opened a floodgate of conversation. Everyone began to talk about all the people who had been murdered over the past year.

In a world like this, a few deaths didn’t seem like a big deal as long as it didn’t happen to you.

And as for the killers, as long as you didn’t kill someone in the middle of the street and you couldn’t be easily caught, no one would waste their time trying to find you. Unless you threatened someone’s interests, no one would bother.

The world was this chaotic. Under a seemingly peaceful surface, everyone was on guard.

After everyone had finished talking, Lynn Naya finished grinding her herbs, and the fruit tea by the stove had come to a boil. She picked up her bamboo cup, grabbed her mortar, and said goodbye to everyone before returning to her own house.

As for Xue Yong’s wife’s offer to let her stay, she only said she would think about it.

When she returned to her hut, the cold wind quickly cooled down the bamboo cup. She stood by the window, holding the cup with both hands, and took a small sip.

The water, steeped with dried fruit, had a hint of sweetness from the jujubes. She remembered that the handful of jujubes in her cup was her “consultation fee” from the poor woman she had seen this morning.

At the time, the woman told her she wasn’t feeling well, but Lynn Naya couldn’t find anything wrong and told her to seek a more skilled healer.

The woman then went to another healer, but when she returned, she suddenly came to Lynn Naya’s house and gave her a handful of red jujubes.

The autumn sun was shining brightly that day. Lynn Naya asked the woman why she was giving her such a generous gift when she hadn’t done anything.

The woman, with a happy smile, stroked her stomach and said, “I’m pregnant, Doctor Lynn! Here, let some of my good luck rub off on you.”