The woman looked at Wei Luo, her eyes filled with a hint of curiosity. When she saw him raise his head, he was overjoyed and hastily took big strides towards her, saying from afar with his hands clasped together: "Greetings, madam, I am just a passing traveler." She had to force herself to say these half-refined, half-rustic words, and it felt a bit unnatural, the tone of her speech also sounding somewhat stiff.

  The woman eyed Wei Luo cautiously, seeing that Wei Luo was slender and refined in appearance, and not wearing any sharp objects, she didn't seem to be a savage or untamed person, so she only felt cautious without much fear.

  Wei Luo swallowed her saliva and saw the woman staring at her with a pair of dull, round eyes. Her feet were already prepared to turn into the house. In a hurry, she didn't care about being polite anymore, so she directly said: "Excuse me, madam, do you have any straw sandals? I'd like to buy them." After speaking, she turned her palm forward and revealed three knife coins that she had prepared early on.

  The woman's eyes lit up as she looked at the knife coin in her hand, nodded and said in a thick Chu accent: "Yes." As she spoke, she glanced at Wei Luo's feet covered by his long robe, catching a glimpse of the exquisite embroidery on his shoes. She couldn't help but raise her head again to size him up. At this moment, a hint of surprise and intimidation crept into her eyes as she looked at Wei Luo.

  Wei Luo saw her expression, and in his heart he searched for the right words. He walked up to the woman with big strides, and once again clasped his hands together, saying loudly: "Madam, I've been traveling for a long time, my stomach is growling with hunger, may I ask if you have any food left?"

  Although Weiruo's appearance is not outstanding, his demeanor is dignified and extraordinary. The clothes on his body are not made of hemp, could he be a noble? The woman thought to herself, becoming even more timid and cautious. She nodded slightly and said: "There is food, there is food."

  The woman spoke as she carefully looked at Wei Luo's collar, her feet retreating into the house. Seeing that she was uneasy, Wei Luo secretly thought to herself: Such a poor and honest person shouldn't have any intention of harming me. Thinking this way, Wei Luo's demeanor became even more composed.

  She followed the woman into the house, and as soon as she entered, a cool and comfortable air that was completely different from the outside hit her in the face. This breath made Wei Luo pause for a moment. She didn't know that although the thatched hut looked unassuming, it was extremely warm in winter and cool in summer, much more comfortable than the brick house she used to live in. Compared to the newly built reinforced concrete box houses in the city, it was even more incomparable.

  The house was extremely simple and crude, with only four bare walls. At the far end of the room stood a wooden bed, in front of which were three or four stools made from tree roots.

  To the right of the thatched hut was a small room, with the two rooms separated by a piece of burlap.

  The woman hesitantly walked towards the small room that should be the kitchen, while carefully sizing up Wei Luo. Her movements were extremely cautious, and every time she met Wei Luo's gaze, she would immediately shrink her head and hastily avert her eyes.

  She saw Wei Luo following her all the way to the kitchen door, still trailing behind. She stretched out her right hand, subconsciously tugging on the hemp curtain, and stuttered: "You are a noble person, you can't enter the kitchen... no, no, I mean, it's not good for you to enter the kitchen..."

  The woman became more and more anxious, expressing herself unclearly back and forth. Wei Luo had already understood her meaning, so he stopped in his tracks, bowed with both hands, interrupting the woman's words, "I'll wait for you at the Ping, madam."

  Wei Luo finished speaking and turned around to walk to the stone bed. She reached out her hand to pick up a stool made of tree roots and walked out of the room.

  The ground was covered with wild grass that reached the knees, and there was only a small empty space of about three or four square meters under the eaves. From this empty space, three narrow paths, each about a foot wide, branched out to the left, right, and center.

  Wei Luo sat quietly on the stool, listening to the sound of pots and pans coming from the thatched hut, feeling the cool breeze blowing against her skin, when suddenly an overwhelming sense of loss welled up in her heart.

  Just as she was lost in thought, the sound of footsteps came from the woman. Wei Luo hastily rubbed her face and perked up to look at the woman who had walked out of the room.

  The woman held a ceramic bowl in her hand, and the bowl was half full of green beans. The green beans were soaked in water and swollen, without any oil on their surface.

  The woman presented the bowl and chopsticks in front of Wei Luo and said quietly: "Country people, we only have green beans and wild vegetables to eat."

  Wei Luo took over the bowl and chopsticks, forced a smile, and said: "It doesn't matter."

  There wasn't a single drop of oil or a grain of rice in the bowl. Wei Luo was already starving to the point of stomach pain, but looking at this bowl of boiled beans, he still didn't have any appetite.

  But I have no appetite and still have to finish it all! Anyway, survive first.

  She thought of this and lowered her head to nibble on the green beans quietly.

  The woman saw that she had started eating, and carefully stepped back, soon retreating to the small path on the right side of the thatched hut. It seemed that she was going to call her husband back from the fields behind the house.

  Wei Luo's eyes caught the scene at the corner, and he couldn't help but smile wryly. He let out a soft sigh, put down his bowl, and spoke up, "Auntie, do you have any straw sandals at home? I'll buy them all from you."

  She said as she stood up, stretching out her hand to put three knife coins on the stool. "Auntie, is this enough?"

  "It is enough."

  The woman responded in a string of voices. She looked at the knife on the stool, then looked at Wei Luo who was still slender and delicate, and suddenly she wasn't afraid anymore.

  Wei Luo nodded and lowered her head to eat the green beans in big mouthfuls.

  Mung beans are a very filling food. Although there was no oil or rice, after eating this big bowl of mung beans, Wei Luo finally felt invigorated.

  She put the empty bowl on the stool, when the woman had already walked out of the house, her hand holding a string of grass shoes, with each pair of grass shoes tied together with straw, totaling five pairs.

  Wei Luo took the grass shoes and saw the woman staring at the knife coins on the stool, couldn't help but smile: "Auntie, take these three knife coins, is it enough?"

  "That's enough, that's enough."

  The woman happily picked up the knife coin on the stool and responded repeatedly. Judging from the woman's expression, she was still very satisfied with this transaction.

  Wei Luo didn't know that at this time, the rural people were still used to bartering, and currency like knife coins was hard cash. Women like her were rarely seen.

  Weiluo smiled, her hands on her hips, and said loudly: "In that case, I thank you, madam." Weiluo hesitated for a moment, then asked: "Madam, how long will it take to see the city if we head north?"

  The woman was taken aback, thought for a moment and said: "I heard it's about 200-300 miles away."

  "Two or three hundred li? Doesn't that mean we'll have to spend a few more nights camping in the wilderness? At this thought, Wei Luo shivered and furrowed her brow, asking: 'How long until we can see the village?'"

  The woman said: "There is one every twenty or thirty li."

  Wei Luo let out a sigh of relief, bowed her hands in gratitude once more, and then turned around to walk quickly towards the official path.

  The woman watched as Wei Luo left, then quickly picked up the knife and chopsticks, grabbed the bowl and stool, and rushed back into the house.

  Wei Luo returned to the official road and reorganized her luggage, not only taking out five more knife coins and putting them outside, but also putting the remaining four pairs of grass shoes in her luggage.

  The straw sandals were just put on her feet, and they pinched her small white feet so much that they hurt. Wei Luo hesitated for a moment, but still gritted her teeth and put them on. Of course, when she wore the straw sandals, she also dyed her feet black. As for those embroidered shoes, Wei Luo had prepared to put them away several times because they were still in good condition and could be worn alternately. After hesitating again and again, Wei Luo finally threw them away: this thing would expose her identity, it's better to get rid of it. Accidents always come suddenly, now it may still have a use, but when the situation becomes urgent and things are at a critical juncture, there will be no time to throw it away, wouldn't that be a big mistake?

  Actually, if you want to talk about comfort, the straw sandals are more comfortable than those exquisite embroidered shoes made of silk. It's just that Wei Luo isn't used to them for now. These straw sandals were made by women for themselves and are a bit larger in size. But straw sandals are like this, being one or two sizes bigger doesn't make much of a difference. After tightening the laces, Wei Luo felt they fit quite well.