Chapter 29: Little Yin Qing

Ji Yuan was physically and mentally exhausted. Without further thought, he decided to go back to his room and sleep.

Having been unable to sleep for most of the night, and still recovering from a tremendous fright, he lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep within moments.

He slept soundly until broad daylight, until the sun was high in the sky.

"Hah..."

Ji Yuan yawned and stretched, getting out of bed. He looked towards the door and windows; even through the paper screens, he could see that it was already bright outside.

He dressed, stretched his body, and opened the door. The slanting sunlight warmed him.

Feeling refreshed and with no aches or pains, it seemed he hadn't suffered any ill effects from last night. Ji Yuan planned to test his crucial special ability soon to see if it had been affected.

In the courtyard, the branches of the large jujube tree swayed gently, and sunlight dappled through the leaves onto the ground. The eerie feeling of Ju'an Pavilion had completely vanished.

As a person with the soul of a 21st-century youth, what's the first thing to do after waking up? Of course, it's brushing teeth and washing!

Previously, at the Yunlai Inn, the stable boy would bring fresh willow twigs and water every day. Now, Ji Yuan had to do it himself.

He looked at the well in the courtyard, then remembered the ghostly figure emerging from it last night. In 0.1 seconds, Ji Yuan dismissed the idea of drawing water from that well.

'I'll stick to using water from outside from now on...'

Ji Yuan thought that even if he weren't a germaphobe, none of his friends from his previous life would use this well.

Stepping into the courtyard, Ji Yuan immediately picked up a wooden board to cover the well, then weighed it down with a few stones.

He glanced at the large vat and two water buckets outside the kitchen door. Well, he'd have to fetch water.

He might not have seen a pig eat, but he'd seen a pig run. Though he had never carried water himself, could this truly stump someone like Ji, who could talk down a fierce tiger spirit and send away an evil ghost?

...

Fifteen minutes later, Ji Yuan arrived at Tianniu Lane's Twin Wells, where two large wells with windlass frames stood. The area was paved with numerous bluestones and drainage channels, serving as a communal spot for the local residents of Tianniu Lane to draw water and wash clothes, and also a good place for gossip.

From a distance, Ji Yuan heard many people discussing a terrifying scream they had heard last night. Some also mentioned significant commotion coming from the direction of Ju'an Pavilion the previous day, suspecting that someone new was moving in.

'Based on this information, the big commotions during the latter half of last night must have been shielded by that formation. Otherwise, how could the common folk be so calm? But I was outside the formation last night and could still hear it. It seems my hearing isn't limited to the normal range. And my nose too!'

As a distinguished stranger in a wide-sleeved long robe, Ji Yuan naturally attracted the attention of the Tianniu Lane residents, especially the young women and wives who were washing clothes.

Hearing the whispers and feeling their gazes, Ji Yuan wasn't embarrassed at all; in fact, he was quite pleased. He never had such a high rate of people turning their heads to look in his previous life.

People with thick skin are more easily pleased!

"Oh, who is that...?"

"Never seen him before, he looks so good!"

"Coming here for water, he must live in Tianniu Lane or nearby, right?"

"I don't know!"

The sounds of chatter mixed with the rubbing and slapping of clothes, while others discussed daily life, and passersby flowed past.

Ji Yuan rolled up his sleeves and tied them at the elbows, then, with a sense of novelty, used the windlass to draw water. The well's bucket was small, requiring two trips to fill one of Ji Yuan's buckets. After four round trips, both of his brought buckets were full.

During this process, Ji Yuan patiently observed the residents of Tianniu Lane, listening to their everyday conversations. This ancient way of life felt much more vibrant than in the residential communities of his previous life.

And people were much shyer. When Ji Yuan merely turned his head towards a sound, the younger girls would avert their gaze, not daring to make eye contact.

With his buckets full, Ji Yuan placed the carrying pole on his shoulder and, mimicking the local style, began to walk forward.

"Splash...!"

The water from the rear bucket immediately splashed onto his clothes and robe. Ji Yuan instinctively tried to avoid it, but this only made the two buckets sway more violently. His heel hit a bucket, and well water flew everywhere.

At this moment, his already extremely poor eyesight significantly hampered him, making him sway back and forth like someone performing a folk dance.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

Steady, steady!

"Clang..." "Thud..."

Both water buckets fell, and half of Ji Yuan's clothes were soaked.

"Ah hahahahaha..." "Hehehehehe..."

"Uh hahahahahahaha..."

The women and passersby who witnessed this scene burst into laughter.

"He really is a refined scholar!"

"Hahahaha, Mama, he can't even carry water!"

"Oh my goodness, I'm dying of laughter! Carrying water like that, he'll never stop wobbling, hahahaha..."

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! This is so embarrassing!

It turns out, carrying water is also a skill!

Even with the thick skin he had cultivated over two lifetimes, Ji Yuan's face burned with heat. Making such a clumsy spectacle in front of everyone was truly embarrassing!

Good thing there were no acquaintances around!

However, getting rid of this embarrassment was actually quite simple: as long as he wasn't embarrassed, it didn't matter. After all, his eyesight was poor; what pride did he have to maintain?

So Ji Yuan also shook his head and laughed casually.

"Hahahaha... Carrying water isn't easy!"

After laughing and saying this, Ji Yuan bent down and fumbled for the fallen water buckets and the carrying pole on the ground. His movements were vastly different from a normal person's, finally drawing the attention of bystanders to his eyes.

"Hey, that person seems to have poor eyesight!"

"Yeah, I was just wondering why he looked like he couldn't open his eyes properly..."

"What...? And he's carrying water himself?"

The laughter ceased. It seemed most people in Ning'an were still simple and kind, not truly mocking a blind person—except for that damned broker, of course.

"Sir, let me help you carry the water!"

A clear voice rang out nearby. Ji Yuan had already heard footsteps approaching. Just as he found the carrying pole, he looked towards the sound. It was a boy who appeared to be around eleven or twelve, dark-skinned but with delicate features.

Hmm? Delicate features? I can actually see him clearly!

Ji Yuan couldn't help but look closely at the boy who had offered to help. Based on his experience over the past two days, anyone he could see clearly seemed to be out of the ordinary.

"What's your name, child? How old are you?"

The boy was momentarily stunned by Ji Yuan's pale eyes before he finally responded.

"My name is Yin Qing, and I'm already twelve. I often help my family carry water; I'm very strong!"

Ji Yuan smiled and nodded, then listened to the surrounding sounds. He didn't find the boy's family nearby, but he did hear a group of children playing noisily not far away, indicating Yin Qing was out playing by himself.

"Thank you, then!"

Although it felt awkward to let a child carry the water, Ji Yuan also wanted to use this opportunity to observe Yin Qing.

"It's nothing, really!"

As soon as Ji Yuan finished speaking, Yin Qing had already picked up both buckets, grabbed the carrying pole, and jogged back to the well. He seemed to be a lively, cheerful, and helpful ordinary child.

...

"Sir, where is your home? Haven't we arrived yet? Do we need to go further?"

As they walked deeper with Ji Yuan towards the eastern corner of Tianniu Lane, the number of houses around them began to decrease.

"Almost there, just up ahead!"

Ji Yuan occasionally looked at the child, feeling that there was something particularly intelligent about him.

A moment later, Yin Qing stopped abruptly outside the courtyard of Ju'an Pavilion, looking at Ji Yuan, who had also stopped, with a mournful expression.

"Sir... you live here...?"

This expression struck Ji Yuan as both endearing and amusing.

"Yes, I live here. I just moved in yesterday. What, little Yin, won't you help me carry the water inside?"