Chapter Ten: Born Dark

Silver...

Everyone was slightly taken aback. It wasn’t that her desire for a reward was surprising—after all, it was normal for common folk to ask for silver as payment. What startled them was her unabashed craving for it, so much so that she seemed to have cast aside all reserve.

Yan Fang opened his mouth as if to say something, but Wu Qi, quick as lightning, tugged him back. Jiang Xiao, too, fell into a moment of peculiar silence before finally saying, “Alright.”

At that, the others’ expressions grew even more subtle, as though they had something on the tip of their tongues but dared not speak.

Yun Shuang was inwardly baffled. These men all held positions of power and influence, yet at the mere mention of money, they looked utterly undone. Could it be… they had no money? Impossible!

“In a moment, I’ll have someone deliver the reward to Lady Yun,” Jiang Xiao said in a calm voice, as if oblivious to the awkwardness around him.

Yun Shuang could sense that his words meant she was now free to go. She felt a pang of regret—had she known he would agree so readily, she should have named her price outright! Who knew how much he intended to give her? What if he was stingy and only handed her a few copper coins?

But now that things had come to this, she couldn’t very well press him for specifics. Feigning nonchalance, she thanked him and left with the two children.

As they watched her walk away, Wu Qi pressed a hand to his forehead, amused. “That lady is something else—she struck right at our weak spot. It’s autumn now, Jinmeng is stirring restlessly on the border, and the court’s military allowance is nowhere in sight. We’re tightening our belts just to get by—where are we supposed to find spare silver for her?”

The commander probably just wanted to test her further. Who would have thought she’d be so… ordinary—extraordinarily ordinary.

Yan Fang shot Wu Qi a disgruntled glare. “Why did you stop me just now? If we have no money, we should just say so! Lady Yun doesn’t seem unreasonable!”

Wu Qi was speechless.

True, funds were tight lately, but if they really had to, they could scrape together a little. To admit they were penniless outright—what would that do to the commander’s dignity? That was the commander of the Xiazhou Garrison, after all!

Suddenly, Jiang Xiao tightened his reins. “Wu Qi, the reward will come from my personal funds. See that she receives it shortly.”

Wu Qi was taken aback. The commander was going to use his own stash? But he dared not protest and simply assented.

Jiang Xiao spurred his horse ahead, and Yan Fang immediately sidled up, his face full of worry. “Weren’t you saving your private silver to marry that lady from six years ago?”

Wu Qi’s mouth twitched, unable to hold back anymore. “Idiot, shut your mouth! The commander may be determined to find that woman, but he wouldn’t have started saving for her so early!”

After all, their connection was only a matter of fate. The commander sought her out because he was thorough and responsible, not because he harbored deep feelings. He didn’t even know what she looked like, how old she was, or whether she was still alive. Wu Qi had to admire his persistence—searching for six years, refusing all talk of marriage in the meantime.

Of course, Wu Qi rather suspected that the commander used this as an excuse to fend off the matchmakers. He seemed cold and detached, focused solely on military matters, not at all like someone interested in marriage.

He added, “Don’t you dare say that in front of the commander. If he hears you gossiping about his private affairs, you’ll be in serious trouble.”

Yan Fang bristled. “Do I look that stupid to you?”

Wu Qi was at a loss for words.

Still, for all his clumsy thinking, Yan Fang had a knack for reading the room, or he wouldn’t have lasted so long by the commander’s side.

After Yun Shuang left, she turned her attention to the task at hand—finding ingredients for today’s meal. Though that difficult man had promised her silver, she disliked leaving all her hopes in others’ hands. Until the reward was actually delivered, she intended to rely on herself.

But she soon noticed the two children at her side kept glancing back every few steps. Curious, she asked, “What’s wrong? Are those uncles really that interesting to look at?”

Er Ya shook her head, glanced back once more, and lifted her little chin. “That really tall uncle was amazing! I think he’s even more impressive than Uncle Village Chief!”

Yun Shuang opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak, Gou Dan’s cool voice cut in, “What’s so impressive? One day, I’ll be even greater than him!”

Then he’d be able to protect his mother and Er Ya.

Yun Shuang paused, turning to look at Gou Dan with a gentle smile. “Alright, then I’ll be waiting for you to become strong.”

Gou Dan looked up at her and nodded with utmost seriousness, as though making a solemn promise.

Just then, a coquettish, sarcastic voice drifted over from nearby. “Well, well, Yun Shuang, I didn’t expect you to be so cunning. On one hand, you string along Brother Chang Yong, and on the other, you’re flattering those soldiers. Are you that desperate for a man?”

Yun Shuang’s brows knit together. She looked coldly at Liu Peier, who emerged from behind a large tree. “Watch your mouth. I don’t want my children picking up such filth.”

Liu Peier had always kept an eye on Yun Shuang for one reason: she used to be the prettiest girl in the village, with all the men circling around her. But since Yun Shuang arrived, everything changed. The men still praised her looks, but always with the caveat that, compared to Yun Shuang, she fell a little short. Even Brother Chang Yong was utterly bewitched—he hadn’t spared Peier a glance since Yun Shuang came.

The more Liu Peier brooded, the more jealousy twisted inside her. She wrung her handkerchief, her words growing sharper. “Who’s the one with a dirty reputation? Don’t play the saint with me, Yun Shuang! The real tragedy is these two children, with a shameless mother like you!”

Before she could finish, Gou Dan bared his teeth in anger and nearly rushed at her, but Yun Shuang held him back firmly. She was about to retort when Er Ya’s innocent voice piped up, “Peier Sister, what does it mean to play the saint? I heard the villagers say lots of people proposed to you, but you always refused, and then dressed up pretty every day to go to town. Is that what playing the saint means? Does it mean you’re pretty?”

Liu Peier’s face froze, her mouth opening for a curse, but Er Ya suddenly put her hands on her hips and declared righteously, “But even if you’re calling my mother pretty, you shouldn’t say bad things about her. That’s wrong! My mother is really clean—last time, you had a big booger in your nose, and all the village kids laughed at you. That’s what being unclean really means!”

Liu Peier barely had time to speak before she instinctively clapped a hand over her nose, shocked. When had she ever had a booger in her nose? Those awful kids had been laughing at her all along! Had the whole village heard by now?

Having dealt Liu Peier blow after blow, Er Ya suddenly remembered something, her little face serious. “But I never laughed at you, Peier Sister. Mother always says it’s wrong to speak ill of others behind their backs. We should be good children, just like Wu Yi.”

Yun Shuang was speechless. This little girl looked sweet and innocent, but who would have thought she could be so devastatingly earnest?