On the thirtieth of March, Daohua knew that Xiao Yeyang had to leave. She rose early and personally cooked a bowl of longevity noodles for him: "Eat quickly, I’m afraid you will have to spend your birthday on the Northern Frontier this year."
Xiao Yeyang smiled and began eating with chopsticks.
After breakfast, Xiao Yeyang went to bid farewell to Gu Jian, who gave him some potent poisons he had concocted. Gu Jian offered some advice, and then he waved for Daohua to escort Xiao Yeyang away.
"I won’t take the people from the new residence with me. If anything happens, go find Deshou. He can contact the Jinling Guard in Zhongzhou."
Xiao Yeyang led Daohua down the mountain, carefully instructing her and giving her the token that signified his authority as an Investigator.
He didn’t know how long he would be on the Northern Frontier and he was truly afraid that, in his absence, someone might bully Daohua.
Daohua examined the token and asked, "If you give the token to me, how will you manage? Don’t you need to prove your identity to others?"
Xiao Yeyang chuckled, "Does my identity still need to be proven with a token?"
Seeing that he didn’t mind, Daohua no longer refused and put the token in her purse.
Soon, they arrived at the ferry crossing.
Xiao Yeyang held onto Daohua: "It’s a hardship to ask you to take care of Uncle over there."
Daohua gave him a sidelong glance: "He is my master."
Thinking that they would be separated for several months or even longer, Xiao Yeyang felt an overwhelming sense of reluctance. He reached out to hug Daohua tightly, burying his head in the nape of her neck and staying silent for a while before murmuring, "Wait for my return!"
Daohua’s heart was also laden with emotion as she let him embrace her: "When you get to the Northern Frontier, you must be careful."
Xiao Yeyang took a deep breath, let go of Daohua, and boarded the boat without looking back. Only when the boat started moving did he turn to look towards the figure on the shore.
Daohua silently watched the boat drift away. Only when it vanished and was no longer visible did she turn away wearily and return to Taohua Temple.
Youthful lovers dread partings the most. Gu Jian had been ready to console his disciple, but to his surprise, when his disciple returned, she asked Wang Manman to bring over a stack of account books.
Daohua began reviewing the spring plowing conditions of the various estates and, seeing her master standing at the doorway staring straight at her, she looked up in confusion and asked, "Master, is something the matter?"
Gu Jian glanced at his disciple’s expression and realized he had worried needlessly. He huffed, "Nothing." Then, turning on his heel, he went back to tending the medicine field in the backyard.
Worried that Gu Jian might sink back into his grief, Daohua quickly said, "Master, once I’ve finished dealing with the spring plowing, you should give me some guidance on my whip technique."
Gu Jian glanced at her and uttered a noncommittal ’hmm’.
Having work to do kept Daohua from dwelling on her thoughts. After reviewing the spring plowing situation of some estates, she asked Wang Manman to call over Yan Shouhou.
"Is the land cleared out from the two barren mountains we bought before the year’s end?"
Yan Shouhou nodded, "It’s been cleared, but the cultivated land is poor and barren. The yield of anything planted there might not be very high."
Daohua was not overly concerned: "That depends on what is planted."
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouhou seemed to have an epiphany, his eyes lighting up: "Miss, are you thinking of planting potatoes on the mountain land?"
Daohua smiled and nodded, "The potato seeds are already ready on my side. Hurry and gather the short-term workers. Make sure that potatoes are planted on both mountain tops before mid-April."
Yan Shouhou quickly nodded, "I will get right on it."
Once everyone had left, Daohua put down the account books and became lost in thought as she looked at the peach blossoms in the courtyard.
Although her grandmother-in-law had decided on her engagement to Xiao Yeyang, this did not mean that everything would go smoothly.
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