Chapter 10: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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**Chapter 10: Encountering Obstacles**
Two days later, Daohua and her group entered the territory of Zhongzhou Prefecture.
Daohua initially thought that once they were in Zhongzhou, the journey would be smoother. However, to her surprise, the number of refugees on the road was increasing.
“Why are there more and more refugees?”
Xiao Yeyang scoffed. “What else could it be? It’s definitely because the officials here are incompetent and just sitting idly.”
Daohua glanced at him but didn’t respond; she somewhat agreed with his statement.
The common people were suffering precisely because of the officials’ negligence.
However, Yan Wentao, who was beside them, was not pleased. “You can’t generalize like that; many officials are quite good.”
Old Madam Yan nodded along. “That’s right, Yeyang. You haven’t investigated this firsthand, so it’s better not to make random claims.”
Daohua knew her grandmother and Third Brother were defending her father, who was a county magistrate. After thinking for a moment, she changed the subject. “Earlier, Brother Xiaoliu came to tell me that the escort agency would part ways with us once we reached the prefecture.”
Old Madam Yan frowned slightly. “It’s still quite a distance from Zhongzhou Prefecture to Lingyi County.” With their group being so old and so young, it wouldn’t be safe to travel alone.
Daohua was also concerned about the safety of the journey, so she suggested, “Grandmother, how about this: after we enter the prefecture, let’s not leave right away. We can write to my father and ask him to send someone to pick us up.”
They had seen and heard about numerous robberies and even killings involving refugees on their way. For safety’s sake, it was better to be cautious.
Old Madam Yan nodded. “That’s a good idea; let’s do that.”
Daohua then turned to Xiao Yeyang and Zhao Ergou. “We’ll be reaching the prefecture soon. Do you two have any plans?”
Upon hearing this, both of them fell silent, pursing their lips.
Xiao Yeyang had a plan; he could go directly to the government office, and if the officials knew his identity, they would respectfully send him back to the capital.
However, doing so would reveal that he had been sold by traffickers, and if people in the capital found out, it would be a huge embarrassment.
As for Zhao Ergou, he simply didn’t know what to do. He had been sold by his family, and even if he managed to return, he would still end up being sent away as a child husband.
Seeing their expressions, Old Madam Yan felt her heart soften and sighed. “Let’s enter the city first; once we’re in the city, we’ll think of a way.”
Since her grandmother had spoken, Daohua didn’t press further.
As they approached noon, Qin Xiaoliu from the escort agency suddenly hurried over to Daohua's cart.
“Brother Xiaoliu, why are you here? Are you going into the prefecture?” Daohua asked with a smile.
During this trip, Old Madam Yan had prepared plenty of food, and they had sent supplies to the escort agency multiple times, so they had become quite familiar with Qin Xiaoliu.
Qin Xiaoliu shook his head, looking serious. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to enter the prefecture today.”
Daohua was taken aback. “What happened this time?”
Qin Xiaoliu shared the news he had gathered from the escort agency. “Last year, several prefectures in the north faced severe droughts. Since Zhongzhou Prefecture is near the Grand Canal, the drought hasn’t been too severe here. This has led to a large influx of refugees coming this way.”
“With so many refugees, incidents are bound to happen. Right now, the main road leading to the prefecture has been occupied by a crowd of refugees for the past few days. The officials is trying to find a solution, but it’s uncertain when it will be resolved.”
Old Madam Yan felt a surge of anxiety and suddenly slapped her thigh. “What is happening here!”
Daohua took her grandmother's arm, soothing her while looking at Qin Xiaoliu. “Brother Xiaoliu, what does the escort agency plan to do?”
As soon as she said this, Old Madam Yan and the others turned their attention to Qin Xiaoliu.
With an apologetic look on his face, Qin Xiaoliu replied, “We have a time limit for the escort. Fifth Brother suggested taking a detour into the prefecture. Since that route involves a long mountain path, we might not be able to continue taking you with us.”
Qin Wu's exact words were: with the elderly and young in their group moving too slowly on the difficult mountain roads, they might not be able to deliver the goods within the stipulated time. If any accidents occurred along the way, they would have to spare manpower to protect them, which would significantly increase everyone's burden.
Hearing this, the expressions of Old Madam Yan and her son and daughter-in-law dimmed.
Daohua and Xiao Yeyang also lowered their heads.
Yan Wentao and Zhao Ergou exchanged glances.
The atmosphere became heavy; without the escort agency’s protection, they would likely be robbed before getting very far.
Losing their money was one thing, but if they encountered ruthless individuals, they might even lose their lives.
Seeing their expressions, Qin Xiaoliu’s look of regret deepened. “I’m sorry, Madam.”
Old Madam Yan forced a smile. “No need to apologize. I’m already very grateful that you’ve taken us this far. You have your own business to attend to, and it’s understandable that you can’t take us along any longer.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Aunt Sun.
Receiving the hint, Aunt Sun quickly retrieved a bag of jerky from the cart.
Old Madam Yan handed the jerky to Qin Xiaoliu. “This is just a small token of my gratitude for your care during this time.”
Qin Xiaoliu repeatedly shook his head, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. “No, no, you don’t need to. We have enough to eat usually.”
Old Madam Yan pretended to be displeased. “What’s wrong? Are you rejecting what I’m giving you?” Saying this, she directly stuffed the jerky into Qin Xiaoliu’s hands.
Holding the jerky, Qin Xiaoliu left, turning back several times.
As soon as he was gone, Old Madam Yan slammed her thigh in frustration. “It’s all my fault for being so stubborn, insisting on going our own way. Now we’re stuck here!”
“Grandmother, what are you doing!” Daohua and Yan Wentao rushed over, each grabbing one of Old Madam Yan ’s hands.
Old Madam Yan looked at her granddaughter and grandson with self-reproach. “If it weren’t for me wanting to separate from your Third Uncle, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
Daohua pulled her grandmother’s hand. “If anyone should be blamed, it should be me. If I hadn’t wanted us to experience more, you wouldn’t have to endure this hardship.”
Yan Wentao didn’t know how to respond and could only nod in agreement. “Exactly, exactly.”
Old Madam Yan sighed. “What should we do now?”
Daohua frowned and looked around. The people from the escort agency were still packing their things and hadn’t left yet. The nearby refugees didn’t dare to approach, but once the escort agency left, who knew what awaited them.
After thinking for a moment, Daohua quickly jumped off the cart. “Grandmother, wait for me a moment.” With that, she ran towards Qin Xiaoliu.
“Brother Xiaoliu!”
Seeing Daohua approach, Qin Xiaoliu immediately put down what he was holding. “Daohua, what’s the matter?”
Daohua grabbed Qin Xiaoliu and whispered, “Brother Xiaoliu, can you help us get a few sets of clothes that the refugees wear?”
Qin Xiaoliu glanced at Qin Wu, who was watching them.
Daohua knew that the person in charge of the escort agency was Qin Wu, so she quickly took out a bottle of hemostatic medicine. “I’ll pay you for it.”
Qin Wu looked at Daohua. “Take it back. It’s just a few pieces of clothing. Xiaoliu will bring them over to you later.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua’s expression brightened. “Thank you, Uncle Qin Wu.” Saying this, she shoved the hemostatic medicine into Qin Xiaoliu’s hands and then ran off.
Holding the hemostatic medicine, Qin Xiaoliu looked at Qin Wu. “Fifth Brother, what should we do?”
Qin Wu glared at him. “Hurry up and get those clothes. Make sure they’re dirty and tattered, the kind that people wouldn’t want to steal even if they saw them.”
“Okay!”
Qin Xiaoliu dashed off. Qin Wu frowned and rubbed his face, muttering, “Xiaoliu is the older brother; why does he become Uncle Qin Wu when he’s with me?” He had just raised a generation.
(End of Chapter)
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