Chapter 318 Strange People
Xiaodouzi agreed and ran down the mountain quickly.
The villagers stretched out their heads to take a look at Ying Bao, and said hello with a smile: "Young master started working so early."
Ying Bao nodded to them and returned to the Taoist temple.
Nowadays, the village is getting richer and people are getting energetic.
Even brother and sister Cuilan and Xiaodouzi gained weight.
People from the military camp ten miles away also came several times, but they were not looking for trouble. Each time they were discussing things with Master in the room.
Originally, Ying Bao wanted to listen to what they were talking about, but was stopped by her senior brother and she was not allowed to go near the master's house.
So Ying Bao had some guesses, and whenever he saw them coming, he would avoid them and go elsewhere.
The second senior brother was not allowed to get close to her like her, so he would take his younger junior sister to explore the cave every time at this time.
In the evening, Xiaodouzi and his grandfather brought several large pottery basins to Yingbao, each of which could be used for bathing.
These pottery basins are not expensive, only twenty or thirty cents each.
Yingbao paid the money, ignored the second senior brother's questioning, cleaned them all, and only said that he would use them to hold things.
The next day, while the master and two senior brothers were away, Yingbao filled them all with water and placed them in a secluded place in the yard, and then waited for them to freeze.
Not to mention, in just half a day, all the water in these large basins froze.
But trouble came. She couldn't get the ice out of the basin.
After thinking for a long time, I came up with an idea.
Go to the stove and heat a pot of hot water. Place the ice basin on the steaming hot water to warm it for a while. The ice at the bottom of the basin will melt and the ice cubes can be poured out easily.
After the ice cubes were poured out, Yingbao did not rush to take them into the cave. Instead, he left them outside to freeze for a while before taking them into the cave.
For the next month, Yingbao kept using this method to collect ice cubes, working secretly every time when his senior brother and master were not around.
In the twelfth lunar month, more and more people came to the Taoist temple to burn incense and buy water. Zhou Wuchang's young apprentice was too busy, so he went to discuss with the village chief and asked them to select two neat young men to take care of the incense.
However, the three villages are still responsible for the income from Shiquan Cave, and the money earned is also divided among them.
Yingbao didn't care about that. She wrote a letter to her family and Sister Wen to report that they were safe. She also sent a large package with the letter, which contained crystal stalagmites.
I asked Master to mail these letters and packages, so I didn't worry about them.
As the New Year approaches, it snows here for the second time.
The falling snow soon covered the snow that had not yet melted.
Ying Bao sat alone on the hot Kang, looking through the window at the people who came to worship in the snow.
Most of them come from poor families nearby. Some come to ask for money, some seek medical treatment, and some seek children.
Most of the time, Master Zhou Wuchang went to see people seeking medical treatment. Occasionally, when he met a female patient, he would call Yingbao over.
Yingbao has seen a lot of female patients for consultation recently, but most of them are not sick. They actually ask how they can give birth to a son.
Once he met these women, Ying Bao called his second senior brother and asked him to perform a sacrificial dance for them.
Zhang Min was unhappy at first, but after receiving the death stare from his junior sister, he had no choice but to dance a few steps to fool him.
Time passed quickly in such trivial matters.
In a blink of an eye, it’s June next year.
At this time, Shiquan Mountain has become a famous incense holy place.
A market slowly gathered at the foot of the mountain. First, Wu Yi led the villagers to build several houses and thatched sheds on the wasteland at the foot of the mountain.
The house is a place for people to rest, which is equivalent to a temporary inn. There is a tea stall under the thatched shed selling spring water from the stone spring.
Other villages saw the situation and came over to build a few houses and several straw huts. They did not sell tea, but food such as flatbreads, steamed buns, pickles and other food.
Seeing this, foreigners also secretly came over with baskets to sell their own things. Some of the smart ones even sold sachets and handkerchiefs embroidered with the Nine Heavens Mysterious Girl.
The two peonies in the cave kept blooming after Ying Bao watered some Pupil Spring from time to time, completely convincing people that these flower trees were two sacred trees.
The sons and wives of aristocratic families who came from Fucheng spent a lot of money to buy one or two peonies and took them back home, where they could brag about them for a long time.
As a result, the villagers in Zaoshu Village and the other two villages quickly became wealthy. Some even quietly invited their relatives to come over and set up stalls at the foot of the mountain.
Just when Ying Bao thought he would continue to stay here, Master Zhou Wuchang told his disciples that he was taking them back to Qinchuan County.
Ying Bao was so happy that she immediately packed her things and prepared to go home.
Five days later, the three masters and apprentices rented two carriages and walked south along the official road.
Arriving at a water transport terminal, the master and apprentice boarded a large ship.
As soon as she got on the boat, Ying Bao felt that the atmosphere on the boat was not right.
More than a dozen neatly dressed young men were protecting a young man intentionally or unintentionally.
This man has a graceful demeanor and a fair and handsome face. At first glance, he is a son of a noble family.
Master Zhou Wuchang seemed to recognize this person and nodded towards him, but did not come forward to speak.
Ying Bao was wary. After entering the cabin, she quietly asked her second senior brother, "Do you recognize that person?"
Zhang Min shook his head: "I don't recognize it, what's wrong?"
"It's okay, I'm just curious about who this person is and why Master recognizes him." Ying Bao said perfunctorily.
Zhang Min smiled and said: "Master knows so many people, what's the fuss about."
Ying Bao said nothing and went to pack her luggage.
At night, Yingbao lay on the small bed, closed her eyes and fell asleep. She first went to the cave to clean up the crops, and then she thought about the identity of the person on the deck.
He obviously didn't want to reveal his identity, so he didn't talk to the master on the deck. But at night, he actually went to the master's cabin and asked several people to guard outside the cabin, which seemed abnormal at first glance.
The ship sailed for two days, and the man seldom walked on the deck during the day. At night, he went to the master's cabin again, seeming to discuss something.
Yingbao couldn't figure it out, and couldn't ask her master or senior brother, so she could only observe secretly.
On the third day, the group disembarked at a pier.
Ying Bao watched them leave and asked her senior brother: "Elder brother, what is the name of this place?"
Zhou Hao said: "This is the boundary of Chengzhou."
Ying Bao blinked, feeling that Chengzhou sounded a bit familiar.
Suddenly an idea flashed in her mind.
Isn't Chengzhou the fiefdom of the feudal lord who would rebel?
Could this man be a king? Or is he the son of King Cheng?
No wonder he was sneaky all the way.
The vassal king was not allowed to leave the fiefdom without an edict, otherwise it would be regarded as having evil intentions.
If this person is really a king or a king's son, then what are the master plotting with him?
Thinking of this, Ying Bao felt chills running down her back.
King Cheng is the younger brother of the late emperor, and Master is the brother-in-law of the late emperor, and can also be regarded as the uncle of the current emperor.
If the master also participated in the feudal king's rebellion, wouldn't his family be destroyed along with it?
No, no! There must be no involvement between Master and King Cheng.