The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 10 [Parts 1 to 13] by Natsu Hyuuga

Author:Natsu Hyuuga
Language: eng
Format: epub

There was a big hole dug behind Nianzhen’s house. It was covered in scorch marks—maybe it was normally for burning trash or something.

“This is where you burn the grasshopper eggs?” Maomao asked him.

“’S right. They don’t burn easy, so you have to add fuel.”

Presumably meaning oil or animal dung. The firewood and charcoal that Maomao and the others took for granted would almost pass for luxury products around here.

“Since we’ve got all these eggs to burn, I wouldn’t mind trying something different,” Maomao suggested.

Nianzhen gave her a look. “Whatever works. What did you have in mind?”

“Maybe I could borrow this.” She touched a big pot sitting outside. It was old, but sturdy; if they got the rust off, it looked like it would be quite usable. The dry grass and dead insects inside attested to how long it had been sitting there.

“Sure. Have fun.”

Maomao promptly turned the pot over and began scrubbing it with a reed scrub-brush.

“Here you go, Miss Maomao!” Chue said. She had hauled water from the river, which Maomao gladly used. “That’s quite a pot you’ve got there! Big enough to make qingjiao rousi for thirty people!”

“I wonder if they used it for cooking,” Maomao said as she and Chue faced each other over the pot, scrubbing away.

“That was for making the serfs’ rice. They’d cook up an entire day’s worth at once,” said Nianzhen.

“Huh! So there were plenty of serfs,” said Chue. Maomao had told her Nianzhen’s story, but the unusual lady-in-waiting didn’t seem much bothered. It was as if it hardly mattered to her whether she was dealing with a former bandit or even a killer. “So was this a serving dish?” Chue picked up a round, metal plate.

“That’s a mirror. Used to be in the shrine.”

Mirrors were sometimes used for ritual purposes. This one might have been polished to a shine once upon a time, but now it was streaked with rust and reflected almost nothing.

“As long as we’re polishing things, you want we should polish this?” Chue said, rubbing it with her arm.

“Sure, if you would. Haven’t had time myself.”

Perhaps the serfs had shared the duty of polishing it, once again in some long-ago time, but it was simply too much for Nianzhen to get to by himself.

How much do the villagers really know? Maomao wondered. They seemed to treat Nianzhen as an eccentric, but they weren’t openly hostile toward him. Nor did they seem particularly worried about an insect plague. Was it possible the villagers were pretty laid-back?

Maomao couldn’t stop herself from musing, “Wonder if this village would survive if it was ever hit by bandits.”

She was speaking almost to herself, but Chue chirped, “Oh, they would be fine! They might be settled now, but they used to be nomads. They have bows and swords in their huts, all strung and sharpened and ready to go. Plus they know the terrain—you’d have to be a very brave bandit to attack this place!”

“That explains why they go after travelers instead,” Maomao said.

What did

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