Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 426: The Mission Arrives

"Excuse me, is Miss Qin at home?"

Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the door.

The cowherd from Lower River Village was nervously peering from outside the yard, clutching something in his hand, looking urgent.

Qin Yao walked out suspiciously, "That’s me. Are you looking for me?"

The cowherd said, "I recognize you."

Miss Qin often went to Lower River Village, where his parents worked in the stationery factory. The cowherd had seen Qin Yao before.

If he didn’t recognize someone, they wouldn’t have asked him to deliver a note.

The cowherd handed a rolled-up piece of paper to Qin Yao, saying, "Someone asked me to give this to you personally."

"Who?" Qin Yao asked while curiously accepting the crumpled paper ball, not in a rush to open it.

The cowherd shook his head, "I don’t know. The person just said that you would understand after seeing it."

With the task completed, the child turned to leave.

Qin Yao called him back, "Wait a minute."

With that, she quickly returned to the house and brought out five copper coins and a small packet of untouched mung bean cakes, handing them to him. "Thank you. Take this snack for the road."

The cowherd was overjoyed, quickly thanked her, and said, "Miss Qin, you are truly a kind person!"

With the copper coins and pastries in hand, he left happily.

Qin Yao lifted the corner of her mouth, mocking herself with a smile, not considering herself a benevolent person.

She unfolded the paper in her hand, revealing two lines of small script, unmistakably in Song Zhang’s handwriting.

Last time, when handling the village homestead transfer deed for Song Zhang, Qin Yao had seen his handwriting, and it was identical to that on the note.

It bore an unclear address: Xinghua Village, Qingshui Town.

Also, a name that was clearly not real: Yue Niang.

At the end, there was a reminder: This person is extremely important and may face unforeseen danger. Please ensure their safety.

The task had arrived. Qin Yao exhaled a sigh, taking the note to the main room to ask Liu Ji and his brother, "Where is Xinghua Village, Qingshui Town?"

She and Liu the carpenter had traveled through many villages in Kaiyang County, but had never visited a place called Xinghua Village.

Liu Fei shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

Liu Ji thought for a moment, "Qingshui Town is to the west of Kaiyang County."

As for Xinghua Village, he apologetically admitted he hadn’t heard of it, "Is there such a village in our county?"

Qin Yao rolled her eyes at him, "If I knew, I wouldn’t have to ask you!"

But then Ah Wang spoke up, saying, "It’s west of Yuhua Mountain, going along the river, and you have to pass through a village called Fake Ya. You should ask the locals there about the exact path to Xinghua Village."

Fake Ya was a place with a local dialect name, so obscure that no one had heard of it.

However, Qin Yao was familiar with Yuhua Mountain; the bandits’ old lair had once been on this mountain.

"I need to go out for a while," Qin Yao told the people at home.

Liu Ji stood up nervously and asked, "Where to?"

Remembering the address she had just asked about, he tentatively said, "That Xinghua Village?"

Qin Yao nodded, raising a hand to gesture him not to ask further, knowing too much wouldn’t be good. She told Liu Fei to go home and quickly went to pack.

"Ah Wang, help me get the horse out and saddle it," Qin Yao instructed outside.

Ah Wang was more perceptive, never questioning why. He agreed promptly and went to the livestock shed to get the horse, saddle it, and wait at the gate.

Liu Ji followed Qin Yao outside and saw her not only change into a light pair of trousers but also take a knife, making his heart skip a beat.

She’s off to accomplish something big!

But since she didn’t allow questions, he could only advise, "Madam, be careful."

Qin Yao nodded, instructing him, "Take care of the house."

She wasn’t certain when she’d be back.

Maybe in a day or two, or five or six days.

With Yun Niang, Liu Bai, Liu Zhong, and others at the factory, a few days wouldn’t pose a problem.

Liu Ji complied and walked her to the gate, watching as she mounted the horse and was about to leave, hastily calling out: "Why not take Ah Wang along!"

As soon as he spoke, even Liu Ji was surprised by his own underlying worry.

He was actually concerned that this fierce woman who could punch through a mountain would encounter danger.

Qin Yao raised her eyebrow, waved her hand, "No need, it’s a trivial matter."

Then, without looking back, she gave the horse a squeeze and galloped away.

Liu Ji stood in the courtyard, watching her figure vanish into the mountain pass, exhaling deeply with a hand over his chest.

She said it was a trivial matter, so there was nothing to worry about.

Ah Wang, appearing behind Liu Ji unnoticed, said in a neutral tone, "Master, the madam is much stronger than you think."

Liu Ji, startled by his sudden appearance, pointed angrily at Ah Wang’s nose after recovering, "Of course I know that, no need for you to say!"

Ah Wang furrowed his brow slightly, fine, let’s pretend I didn’t say anything.

He turned, picked up the broom by the door, and began sweeping swiftly.

The dust flew up, nearly choking Liu Ji as he entered the yard.

While these two were quietly at odds, Qin Yao was galloping away from Jinshi Town, onto the path toward Qingshui Town.

The weather was good today. By the time she reached Qingshui Town, it was mid-afternoon, the sun shining its brightest.

Qin Yao found a bun shop in town, bought enough for two meals to carry with her, filled her stomach in town, and headed towards Yuhua Mountain.

On the road, she occasionally encountered villagers heading out. Qin Yao inquired as she went, learning the exact location of Fake Ya Village, then followed the river behind Yuhua Mountain. By dusk, she arrived at a small village of barely a dozen households.

This was indeed Fake Ya Village.

As evening approached, the farmers busy in the fields were preparing to head home, and they eyed the unfamiliar face of Qin Yao with both curiosity and wariness.

Qin Yao found a young man who seemed brave and asked how to get to Xinghua Village.

The young man didn’t seem to understand her well, speaking with a thick local accent, gesturing as he asked why she had come to Fake Ya Village.

Qin Yao repeated Xinghua Village several times before the young man showed a look of realization, pointing to a small mountain pass to the north of the village.

Qin Yao thanked him, rode her horse to the increasingly narrow path, and dismounted to lead her horse.

Past the mountain pass lay a series of low hills, with no path suitable for riding. The trail was winding and difficult to traverse.

If it weren’t for the affirmation from the villagers of Fake Ya that Xinghua Village lay behind the hills, she wouldn’t believe a village was hidden there.

Who was this Yue Niang, after all? 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Was she originally from Xinghua Village or was she hiding in this remote place on purpose?

Qin Yao stood at the mountain pass, pondering for less than a minute before decisively returning to Fake Ya, seeking out the young guide, and hired him to look after her horse for a fee.

Despite the communication barrier, the appearance of copper coins made everything go smoothly.

The villagers of Fake Ya took Qin Yao’s horse, as she, carrying her luggage and long knife wrapped in cloth, hiked into the mountain pass.

It’s hard to appreciate what you have until it’s gone. Now, comparing it to Liu Family Village, Qin Yao felt fortunate with her initial luck.

If she’d first crossed into Xinghua Village, who knows how stifled she’d feel.

This place didn’t even have proper roads, surrounded by desolation. The nearest Qingshui Town was more than half a day’s ride away. If traveling by foot, it might take seven to eight hours.