The carriage was quite spacious, with an oil lamp hanging inside that swayed with the jolting of the carriage.
Neither of the two passengers spoke a word.
Jiang Xiaoxiao was resting with her eyes closed.
Xie Xun noticed that her hair had become a bit disheveled.
Earlier at the clothing store, the shopkeeper had arranged her hair with ornaments to better show off the outfit.
After trying on the clothes, the ornaments were removed, leaving only a simple wooden hairpin holding her hair in a bun.
Now, due to the swaying of the carriage, the wooden hairpin was tilted, with a few stray strands draping down her cheek, adding a touch of allure.
Xie Xun unconsciously raised his hand.
But before he could touch her hair, Jiang Xiaoxiao suddenly opened her eyes, "What's the matter?"
Xie Xun paused for a moment, then naturally reached over to steady the swaying oil lamp, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"We're almost home."
Jiang Xiaoxiao let out a soft "oh," and when the carriage stopped, she nimbly hopped off.
The carriage driver, who had been beaten quite badly earlier, was now too afraid to move rashly. He trembled as he asked Jiang Xiaoxiao, "Young Miss, c-can I leave now?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao, borrowing the light from the carriage's oil lamp, looked at the driver's injuries and frowned slightly, seeming unsatisfied.
The driver was terrified, his face pleading as he looked to Xie Xun for help.
They heard Jiang Xiaoxiao mutter, "Didn't do a good job on the left cheek, will have to make up for it next time."
The driver thought: "..."
There better not be a next time!
From now on, he would run as far as possible if he ever saw this young miss again!
Xie Xun symbolically asked, "How much do I owe you?"
The driver hastily replied with flattery, "No need for payment, Sir Xie, this was my honor to serve you."
Xie Xun didn't bother with further pleasantries, simply saying, "Then be on your way."
Hearing this, the driver felt immensely relieved and quickly urged his horses away from Shi Mo Village as if being chased by ghosts.
After arriving home, Xie Xun's first task was to start a fire in the kitchen to cook.
Jiang Xiaoxiao squatted by the vegetable garden, watching as a small grass snake lazily slithered over.
Jiang Xiaoxiao reached out and pinched it between her fingers, carefully examining it, as if considering whether it would be edible.
The tiny grass snake, terrified, struggled desperately.
Finally breaking free from Jiang Xiaoxiao's grasp, it fled for its life, not daring to slow down for fear of being swallowed whole.
Xie Xun, who had just started cooking the rice, came out and witnessed this scene.
He felt his eyelid twitch slightly, "That's a snake, you can't eat it."
Jiang Xiaoxiao let out an "oh," then added, "You'll be having a visitor soon."
"A visitor?"
Was she able to tell from the little snake?
Xie Xun pondered for a moment.
Given his limited social circle, he couldn't imagine who would specifically visit him.
But seeing that Jiang Xiaoxiao had no intention of explaining further, Xie Xun didn't pursue it.
At dinner, Jiang Xiaoxiao happily picked up her small bowl.
After spending a few days together, Xie Xun had developed a basic understanding of her.
This girl was always indifferent towards anyone and anything else, but her expression would change during mealtimes.
For her, eating was truly more important than anything.
Yet seeing her hearty appetite, a pleased smile graced Xie Xun's lips.
Having the food he cooked eaten up was probably the most satisfying feeling for any cook.
Xie Xun had lived alone for many years, forcing him to learn many skills.
He considered himself a decent cook, but he never had anyone to share his cooking with.
Jiang Xiaoxiao's presence allowed him to experience an unprecedented feeling—that of providing sustenance.
Whether it was the miniaturized Jiang Xiaoxiao or her normal self,
whenever he saw her eating so happily, he felt an urge to cook every delicious dish in the world for her to taste.
Jiang Xiaoxiao was completely oblivious to Xie Xun's thoughts, only looking at him longingly after finishing her plate.
"Those steamed spare ribs were so delicious, can we have them again tomorrow?"
Instead of answering, Xie Xun asked, "What did you eat at the Heavenly Master's Mansion?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao replied, "Porridge and steamed buns."
The Heavenly Master's Mansion did not restrict its disciples from marrying, so naturally there were no restrictions on their diet—they were allowed to eat meat.
But her master said that eating meat was not conducive to her cultivation, so the kitchen was instructed to prepare only vegetarian meals for her.
Jiang Xiaoxiao's appetite was already much larger than others, and being restricted from eating meat only made her crave it more.
Usually when she felt a craving, she would sneak into the Ancestor Master's yard to roast and eat fish with him.
Hearing that she could only eat vegetarian food on the mountain, Xie Xun understood.
No wonder everything tasted so delicious to her after leaving the mountain.
"Here, take this. I'll buy some spare ribs tomorrow."
Jiang Xiaoxiao handed Xie Xun the pouch of money that Old Man Chen had given her.
The pouch still contained the original six taels and six qian of silver, untouched.
Xie Xun didn't accept it, "What, you think I can't afford to keep you?"
He simply didn't have many sources of income, but that didn't mean he was broke.
Before her death, his wet nurse had given him two keys.
The keys were tokens for a money house.
The wet nurse said that Xie Xun's late mother had left him something.
The first key held money, which could be retrieved from the money house in the county town.
The second key held something in the capital city, which he could only retrieve by going there himself.
Xie Xun didn't know exactly what it was.
Due to the seal placed on him, Xie Xun had been unable to succeed at anything he tried over the years.
He couldn't easily leave Shi Mo Village, so he wasn't foolish enough to reveal his wealth.
On idle days, he would go to the mountains to gather things, dry them, and sell them.
Firstly, it gave him something to do.
Secondly, he wanted to test if he could completely leave Shi Mo Village.
However, he had failed many times.
...
Jiang Xiaoxiao didn't understand the nuances of Xie Xun's words, only looking at him curiously and asking, "Don't you need silver to buy spare ribs?"
Xie Xun rubbed his brow, "I have my own money, no need for yours."
Jiang Xiaoxiao let out an "oh," "The spare ribs are bought by you, the food is cooked by you, the clothes are also bought by you. I don't seem to need this, so I might as well throw it away? It's troublesome to carry it around."
This attitude of treating money like dirt...
Xie Xun said, "...Why don't you just give it to me then."
The next day, Xie Xun rose early. As soon as he opened the door, he saw that Jiang Xiaoxiao was already standing in the courtyard.
Xie Xun asked, "Up so early for cultivation?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao shook her head, "I'm coming with you to buy spare ribs."
Xie Xun asked, "...Don't you need to cultivate?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, "No need."
The Ancestor Master always said that she was an exception.
She didn't need to wake up early and cultivate diligently like her fellow disciples.
Whenever she ate more, she would feel her spiritual energy replenishing.
Especially after being miniaturized, her appetite was even larger than normal, because at that time she was particularly weak. She needed to consume food to supplement her spiritual energy and ensure that the curse would not backfire, leaving her unable to return to her normal size.
But she didn't know how to explain all this to Xie Xun.
Xie Xun was already accustomed to Jiang Xiaoxiao's peculiarities. He felt that no matter what else he discovered about her, nothing would surprise him anymore.
Taking the key, he locked the courtyard gate and said, "Let's go to the town."
The town wasn't far from Shi Mo Village, and the hour was still early, so they went on foot.
As soon as they reached the entrance of the town, they encountered an old Taoist priest selling his wares.
Seeing Xie Xun, the old priest's eyes lit up, "Good sir, please wait a moment."
