What was that man’s voice earlier?
After entering the house, she looked around, her wide-eyed expression very much like a squirrel. Huo Yi did not know why such a thought had crossed his mind; he suddenly curled his lips and smiled at the mirror.
When he saw her in danger earlier, Huo Yi had spoken out in a moment of panic. He had discovered that his voice could be transmitted through the Silver Mirror, but since the woman could not see him, he had acted on a sudden inspiration to frighten the two thugs. It was a desperate move—if it hadn't scared them off, he would have been in trouble—but fortunately, a group of kind-hearted neighbors had eventually arrived.
She was a pampered young lady from the Marquis's Estate, after all; her safety awareness was truly poor.
Seeing her looking for him, Huo Yi decided to tease her. "Are you looking for me?"
Lin Shanyue was startled. "Who?! Who's talking?"
"Me... your guardian spirit."
Lin Shanyue widened her eyes, finally realizing the voice was coming from the Silver Mirror. She immediately walked over, picked up the mirror, and turned it over and over.
"Stop looking; you can't see me. Hey, could you stop shaking it? I'm getting dizzy."
Lin Shanyue covered her mouth in surprise. There truly were immortals in this world! She immediately set the Silver Mirror down properly, her expression turning incredibly pious. "Gr-Great Spirit, are you really my guardian spirit?"
Huo Yi narrowed his eyes, his smile deepening. "I’m no Great Spirit. I’m a demon, though I can indeed protect you."
Being an immortal was boring—all that asceticism and restraint. It was better to be a demon; at least he could tease this young lady.
A demon... Lin Shanyue thought about what had happened in the courtyard and understood. "You... are you sealed inside this mirror? Why protect me?"
"That’s right. Naturally, it’s because I committed wrongs in the past and must now make amends. I was slumbering in the mirror and have just awakened. It’s fate that brought us together."
Lin Shanyue understood. "Then... by helping me, are you accumulating merit to free yourself sooner?"
Huo Yi grinned from ear to ear. "Exactly. You can think of it that way."
Well, helping someone had turned into paying off his own debts; this was a losing transaction. Still, looking at the woman in the mirror, Huo Yi casually tossed over the japonica rice that Old Bai had bought. The mirror was truly remarkable; it looked small, yet anything seemed capable of passing through it.
"You look pathetic enough, so I’ll give you a bag of rice for today."
Lin Shanyue’s eyes widened suddenly as a bag of rice appeared before her. "Wuchang rice..."
When she opened it, she saw it was truly white, pristine rice! Lin Shanyue was immediately excited. "Thank you, Great Immortal!"
Hearing her call him "Great Spirit" one moment and "Great Immortal" the next, Huo Yi corrected her. "My name is Huo Yi. You can just call me by my name from now on."
Though he said this, Lin Shanyue dared not be presumptuous. After a moment of thought, she said, "Then I shall address you as Young Master Huo."
"That works."
"Young Master Huo, I will accept this bag of rice. Do you require any offerings? Thank you so, so much."
"No need. Go on with your business; I’ll call you if I need anything."
Lin Shanyue nodded respectfully and hugged the bag of rice, feeling infinitely grateful as she headed to the kitchen.
There was probably about ten pounds of rice here. She had spent a full ten cents at the market today just to buy two pounds; this ten-pound haul was a massive help! After all, the first rule of survival was to eat. If she kept spending like she had been, her ten taels of silver would disappear in no time.
With the rice, Lin Shanyue could finally cook. Even though those two men were disgusting, she still needed the firewood. She knew how to build a fire and fetch water; after all, she was a girl born and raised in Yueya Town.
Although she had had an unexpected windfall today, she still planned to be frugal. A proper meal was out of the question for now, so she would have to settle for porridge. Xiaobao was young, so he could probably manage some rice paste. That was the plan.
She had also bought two heads of green vegetables and a tiny bit of salt and oil today—precious little—but at least she could stir-fry some greens. When Lin Shanyue had chosen this house, she had only one requirement: it must have kitchen utensils. Now, that seemed like true foresight. If she didn't even have pots and pans, she would have been truly miserable.
The scent of rich rice wafted from the kitchen, and Lin Shanyue couldn't help but swallow her saliva. Smoke drifted from the chimney, and her thoughts wandered. No matter what happened later, her life had truly begun in earnest now. Besides, she was quite lucky—she even had an immortal watching over her.
"Xiaobao, time to eat!"
Lin Shanyue brought two bowls of porridge and a plate of stir-fried greens into the room. After setting them down, she went to the bed to pick up Xiaobao. Then, she politely asked the Silver Mirror, "Young Master Huo... are you still there?"
Huo Yi did not respond. Lin Shanyue understood; the Young Master couldn't be there all the time.
She carried her son to the table to eat, blowing on the porridge to cool it before bringing it to Xiaobao's lips. "Good boy, Xiaobao, time to eat."
After a long day, Xiaobao was indeed hungry, and he took a big mouthful, swallowing obediently. Lin Shanyue was delighted. "Such a good boy, have another bite."
The small bowl was soon empty. Lin Shanyue set Xiaobao aside and began to eat in silence. She calculated that feeding him only this wouldn't be enough; a child his age needed nutrients. She had to earn money as soon as possible to buy meat and fish to make meat porridge. There was also fresh milk in the capital, though the price was outrageously expensive.
As Lin Shanyue ate and planned her future livelihood, Huo Yi, on the other side of the mirror, had not responded because he was undergoing treatment.
"Mr. Huo, still no sense of taste recently?" the doctor asked after the session.
Huo Yi opened his eyes and shook his head. "None at all."
The doctor thought for a moment. "According to our tests, there is no functional damage to your taste buds. It must be a psychological issue. Why don't you see a psychiatrist?"
Huo Yi rubbed his temples. "I have. They just call it post-traumatic stress disorder. They speak very eloquently, but they haven't provided a single solution."
Half a year ago, Huo Yi had been in an accident. Ever since then, the dignified third young master of the Huo Family had lost his sense of taste. Everything he ate was bland and tasteless. He had seen doctors for half a year with no improvement.
Some ordinary people might think that losing one's sense of taste would be a blessing, a natural way to lose weight. But in reality, those without a sense of taste often suffered from severe psychological issues and could even develop serious somatization of depression. After all, living without tasting anything was truly painful.
The doctor looked at him with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Mr. Huo. Let us continue to look for a way."
...
After returning from the hospital, Huo Yi sat silently at the dining table. The butler of the Huo Family knew the young master's condition and changed his menu every day, but even though the food looked appetizing, it was tasteless and difficult to swallow once it reached his mouth.
But today...
Huo Yi inadvertently pulled out the Silver Mirror and happened to see Lin Shanyue eating. He suddenly froze. For some reason, even though it was just a simple plate of stir-fried greens and rice porridge, Huo Yi suddenly felt a craving.
An intense, overwhelming craving.
"Hey, what are you eating?"
Lin Shanyue had been slowly sipping her porridge at the table when the Silver Mirror suddenly spoke again. She was startled and turned her head to look.