It wasn’t intentional indulgence but more of a subconscious desire to give their only daughter the best of everything.
He Tiantian: ...Ah, with such wonderful parents, how could she bear to let them beco re sacrificial lambs in a plotline, tragically flickering by in the script?!
The family of three had a pleasant al together. He Qingfeng went to the kitchen to scrub pots and wash dishes, while Su Min coaxed He Tiantian to sleep.
After bustling about, He Qingfeng continued to sell talismans back at the Taoist temple.
That said, although his stall almost got cleared out at noon, thanks to his daughter’s stunning performance, he had prepared plenty of talismans.
And with the upcoming trip to the Capital City, though he had "regular custors" to fall back on, He Qingfeng believed in "a poor family needs to plan their road to wealth."
Before departing, he wanted to take advantage of the remaining temple fair ti to earn so more money to take with him.
After seeing off He Qingfeng, Su Min continued to pack and settle the house.
Having slept for more than an hour, the midday heat was not as oppressive as before. Tiantian turned over, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and shouted to the still busy Su Min, "Mom, I’m going to the mountains!"
"...Ah, Tiantian, be careful, okay?"
Su Min, carrying clothes, ran out but only saw a slender retreating figure.
"Got it!" Tiantian shouted back to her real mother, then vanished into the woods.
Although Su Min was sowhat uneasy, she didn’t try to stop her too much.
Before their daughter turned six, their family of three had lived in the mountains.
The area around the Taoist Temple was almost fully explored by their daughter.
In the past two years, they moved down the mountain, but Tiantian still often ran to the Taoist Temple after school or during holidays.
She was quite familiar with the area for dozens of miles around.
Moreover, with the rise of the temple fair, this mountainous area was no longer as sparsely populated and desolate as before.
Even on non-festive days, there would be tourists or hikers about.
With more people around, the wild animals had all retreated deeper into the mountains.
As long as one didn’t wander too far, the area was perfectly safe.
What mainly worried Su Min was her daughter’s poor health.
But... Su Min thought about how Tiantian seed healthier today, having eaten quite a lot in the morning and at lunch, looking considerably stronger.
Sigh, let her enjoy herself; she’s rarely this energetic.
Besides, they were heading to the Capital City the day after tomorrow, and with the dical visit included, they would be gone for at least half a month.
By then, the holidays would nearly be over, and it would be ti for school to start again.
Well, it might be better to let her play a little longer now.
Thinking this, Su Min didn’t chase after her but turned back to continue her work.
Aside from packing, she had "business" to attend to.
Granny Chen’s grandson had peed on an unmarked grave, and Su Min bamboozled Old Lady Chen completely.
The old lady, scared that so century-old ghost might co looking for her grandson, entrusted all the subsequent rituals to Su Min.
For this, the usually stingy old lady generously gave over five hundred yuan.
Like He Qingfeng, Su Min, though involved in dubious practices, was quite conscientious about her agreents.
Once they took money, they would see the job through.
Regardless of the outco, they followed the procedures.
So when they took the money, they didn’t feel guilty at all—after all, it took effort, you think putting on a performance, or rather, channeling spirits doesn’t tire you out?
In the evening, the sky was getting dark, but it wasn’t quite dinner ti yet.
Clusters of old n and won, either playing mahjong or chatting idly, were gathered under the big trees at the beginning and end of the village.
Su Min, dressed in her Taoist robe, with a Peach Wood Sword slung on her back, carried fruits and sweets that looked plentiful but were indeed quite cheap.
"Immortal Nun Su, where are you off to?"
"Going to perform a ritual again?"
"Oh my, whose family is it this ti?"
Though nad after the Su Family, Su Family Bay was actually a mixed-surna village.
There were quite a few with the surna Su, but there were also many villagers with other surnas like Chen or Zhao.
Su Min, having had a feud with her cousin Su Yong and fallen out with her father Su Kui, was sowhat distanced by the Su clan mbers.
So disdained her, others were fearful.
But no matter their emotions, they weren’t close with Su Min.
They all lived in the sa village with little interaction on a daily basis.
Only when strange incidents occurred at ho or when they wanted to set up stalls at the temple fair to do business, they would reluctantly seek Su Min’s help.
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