Chapter 54: Chilli Dumpling Noodles
To avoid arousing suspicion and unwanted attention from the villagers, Yan Ping lowered her altitude and landed about half a mile from the village entrance. They had to walk a little before they reached, but Anji was secretly thankful for the chance to stretch her legs. Sitting on the flying wooden stick for half an hour had made her thighs numb. Having the wind on her face the whole trip also made her eyes dry.
As they made their way to the village, Anji’s heart quickened with anticipation. And there, in the distance, stood two figures that she knew all too well, waiting by the village entrance.
"Lizi? Gu Ying? What are you doing here?" Anji toddled over quickly, pulling her shifu along the dirt path.
Wisely, Yan Ping feigned ignorance about the arrangement and let the maid do the explaining.
"I’m here to run an errand on behalf of Doctor He. Gu Ying is accompanying me. What are you doing here, young miss?"
Unsuspecting of anything, Anji grinned widely. "I’m accompanying shifu to check on the village repairs and eat chili dumpling noodles! Have you eaten lunch yet?"
Gu Ying shook her head. She was technically still on guard duty when she was dragged away by Lizi, who received an urgent order from the Madam to head down the mountain. Neither of them had lunch before they left the sect. However, they were given a pouch full of silver to pay for lunch and buy the things Anji liked from the village.
The village was quite big. When Anji heard there was a village settled near the foot of the Celestial Dragon Mountain, she assumed it would have no more than twenty houses. However, this village had over two hundred houses, many shops near the village centre and several paved roads that horses and carts could travel on inside the town.
"It’s a very big village," Anji commented. "There are so many people!"