Anji located the storage shed behind the main house, on the opposite side of the lavatory. From the outside, it looked like any ordinary storage shed. However, she realised several things the moment she opened the door, as several items fell out.
"Is shifu the kind of person who keeps messiness behind closed doors?" she couldn’t help but wonder.
Contrasting sharply with the pristine order of everything else she had seen, the storage shed was a chaotic jumble. It was as if someone had hurriedly crammed everything they considered unimportant into the small space, hiding it from view and mind.
Of the four things that fell to the ground, Anji’s heart skipped a beat when she realised how useful one of the items would be. The storage shed was full of treasures to help her survive this training week!
Sadly, those rakes and shovels weren’t what Anji needed right now. Picking up the four fallen tools, Anji peered into the storage shed. There was hardly enough wriggle room inside it for an adult, although a child like her might be able to squeeze through the narrow gaps. The other items could wait. Anji peeled her eyes to find two specific items, and now she knew the storage shed was full of farming, foraging, foresting, and gardening tools. There were even some small equipment crammed into it at the back that might be useful.
There were many pots of various sizes stacked to a side. Anji ignored them. However, there was hope in her heart now that she knew the previous owner of this secluded hut was a gardening enthusiast. She wasn’t looking for a pot but a large pot base used to contain excess water to keep the plant hydrated all day.
While crawling under the fallen brooms, Anji spotted something that looked similar to a lid until she touched it. It was cold and had handles.
"Is that a wok?" she could hardly believe what she saw. Then again, the kitchen had minimal cutlery and utensils. Did her shifu know this was here?
Seeing the wok gave Anji an idea. Pot bases were still made from ceramic and heavy. However, wok lids were usually made from wood because they could float on top of cooking liquids. The lid was also big enough to cover the large bucket.
Speaking of buckets, the bucket from earlier had a big handle that might be obstructive. Anji wondered if there were other things she could use from the unexpected treasure room to collect water in instead.
Rummaging through different sections of the small storage shed, Anji frowned at the lack of organisation. Whoever did this had no sense of categorisation. However, she soon found the one thing she hoped there would be.
"How do I get this out?" she wondered.
The small cart stored right at the back of the storage shed looked functional. Anji did not know if it was too heavy for her to carry it out. However, Anji knew it would help her carry the water bucket back easier than carrying it and dragging it on the ground. Such was the miraculous invention known as the wheel.
There was no better time than the present to start the tedious project of clearing out the storage room. Anji could think of many other uses for the things in the room. It would be a shame for them to collect dust, despite the lack of dust on them, which was surprising.
One by one, Anji moved everything from the storage shed into the back garden. There were more items than she thought there were. It took her a rather long time to clear out the main obstruction so that she could get to the cart. When she finally did, Anji realised just how heavy the cart was. Thankfully, it was a cart that she could pull along with two wheels and not a wheelbarrow that had to be carried. The only problem was getting it out of the storage area.
"Anji?" Yan Ping called out from the front garden when her student had not appeared after a long time. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
Jolting in surprise at the sudden voice, Anji knocked her head on a shelf that she was crawling under and let out a yelp. Follow current novels on NoveI~Fire.net
Worried that her disciple had met some mishap, Yan Ping put on her sandals and left for the backyard.
Inside the storage shed, Anji nursed a large bump on her head, holding back tears at the pain. When she heard her teacher’s repeated calling, she quickly responded with an affirmative reply. However, Yan Ping was already on her way to check on Anji.
Frowning at the weird sound in her path, Yan Ping stood still and called out to Anji again. The girl sounded muffled, as if she was buried under things.
"Anji! Where are you?"
Scrambling to get out of the narrow space, Anji wriggled her body and yelped in surprise when a stray rake caught her hair. Her mini scream only made Yan Ping more worried. With a frown, the blind lady activated her second vision. Many items were on the ground, blurring her senses. Yan Ping located her student’s faint energy thanks to the multitude of seal spells in her body.
Struggling to free her hair from the rake, Anji grunted.
"My hair got caught in something," she replied, tugging at the tangled strands in an attempt to free it.
Carefully navigating through the sea of items strewn on the ground, Yan Ping eventually found the door to the storage shed. When Anji saw her teacher’s shadow obstructing the daylight coming from the entrance, she feared that she might be scolded for causing too many problems in a short time.
Using her hands to feel her surroundings carefully, Yan Ping eventually reached the child. Feeling around the sharp edges of the rake, she demanded to know if Anji was hurt while she untangled the hair.
"Anji is unhurt," replied the child. "Sorry for troubling shifu."
After freeing Anji’s hair from the rake, Yan Ping grabbed the child’s hand to check her condition. After running a few courses of qi through Anji’s body, Yan Ping finally relaxed.
"What were you looking for? You’ve made a mess out of the storage shed."
Looking at the cart at the back of the storage shed, Anji wondered if her teacher would be mad that she was causing more problems than assisting her.
"I was trying to get the cart so that it’s easier to fetch the water," Anji admitted.
Without blaming Anji, Yan Ping told her to get out of the storage shed first.
"Good thinking," she praised. "I was going to see how you would attempt to solve these problems. You did well so far. Leave the rest to me. For now, clean up the storage shed. There’s no need to get the cart. I’ll take care of food and water today. You can do that much, right?"
It took Anji a few moments to understand what her shifu was referring to. When it finally clicked in her mind that they were both tests, a huge smile broke out on her face.
"En! I’ll clean it all up before lunch is ready!"