Chapter 11: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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Chapter 11: Disguised as Refugees
"This clothing reeks!"
Xiao Yeyang pinched his nose with a look of disgust, glaring at the ragged refugee clothes Qin Xiaoliu had just brought over.
These clothes weren’t just worn and dirty; they were covered in an assortment of unidentifiable stains, emitting a nauseating stench. Even Uncle Sun and Aunt Sun, who had once escaped hardship themselves, were hesitant to touch them.
Daohua had mentally prepared herself for refugee clothing, but seeing it with her own eyes was another matter, nearly making her retch.
She reached out, hesitated, and repeated the process a few times without managing to muster the resolve.
Finally, Old Madam Yan stepped in with a decision: "Each person will wear a set. Before leaving the caravan escort, everyone must put them on."
Watching the old lady, her face pale, don the refugee attire, Daohua gritted her teeth, shut her eyes, grabbed a set, and pulled it on over her head.
Luckily, as it was late autumn and cooler, there was no need to remove their current clothing; they could simply layer the refugee clothes on top.
Seeing them wear it, the others braced themselves and put on the refugee attire as well.
Daohua reminded them, “Now that we’re dressed, don’t forget to dirty up your faces.” She then squatted down, rubbed her hands in the dirt, and smeared her face before reaching towards Old Madam Yan .
The others followed suit.
In no time, the seven of them were transformed into believable refugees.
"Madam, what about the carriage?" Uncle Sun asked.
Old Madam Yan looked at the carriage, hesitating.
This horse had been with the family since the year Daohua was born and had taken her son to the capital for his exams. Parting with it was difficult.
Daohua understood her reluctance, but they had no choice.
Though their carriage wasn’t luxurious, it was still tempting bait for desperate refugees. Without the protection of the escort, losing it was inevitable.
To ensure their safety, they had to abandon the carriage, take minimal belongings, and blend in with the refugees. Only then could they enter the prefectural city smoothly.
"Grandmother, when we reach Linyi County, I'll have Father get you a grander, more splendid carriage, alright?"
Knowing her granddaughter was comforting her, Old Madam Yan put on a brave face and gestured for them to proceed.
Daohua turned to Uncle Sun and Aunt Sun, instructing, "Gather our essentials; we’ll each carry a small bundle."
Uncle Sun and Aunt Sun quickly entered the carriage and soon emerged with several bundles, each person taking one.
After a nod to Qin Wu and Qin Xiaoliu from the escort, Daohua supported Old Madam Yan into the woods, where they would take a detour and join the refugee group.
Far in the distance, Qin Xiaoliu watched until Daohua’s group was out of sight. He then looked at the abandoned carriage, dumbfounded. "They just left a perfectly good carriage behind?"
A single horse alone cost at least twenty taels of silver. Even after a flawless escort, they barely earned that much per person.
Qin Wu remarked, "As I said, they aren’t ordinary people." He recalled how the young boy casually produced several bottles of top-grade hemostatic medicine.
"Come on, we should be going too. They’re resourceful and act decisively; they don’t need us to worry about them. In this world, the poor seldom survive long, but the clever always find a way."
"And the carriage?"
"The boy signaled for us to take it, didn’t he?"
---
For safety, Daohua and her group detoured through the woods before rejoining the main road, blending with the sparse groups of refugees along the way.
The journey was nerve-wracking for Daohua and her companions.
At one point, refugees clashing with soldiers escalated into violent conflict. Some looters took advantage of the chaos, attacking others indiscriminately.
In one harrowing encounter, Daohua’s group nearly became victims. Fortunately, Daohua instructed everyone to throw away their bundles. The robbers, seeing them dressed in rags, cursed and left once they had the loot.
When the authorities finally suppressed the violence, Daohua’s group felt they had narrowly escaped death.
"With all our belongings gone, how are we going to reach Linyi County?" Old Madam Yan said with a worried expression.
Daohua leaned in and whispered reassuringly, "Don’t worry, Grandmother, I still have silver with me."
Old Madam Yan looked at her granddaughter in surprise. "You still have silver?"
Daohua nodded. "Before we left, I sewed a few banknotes into my clothing just in case. Once we enter the city, we can exchange it for silver."
Old Madam Yan sighed in relief, poking her granddaughter’s forehead with affection. "You little rascal."
Daohua rubbed her forehead, retorting playfully, "It’s called being smart, Grandmother."
Old Madam Yan ’s face softened with a smile. "Yes, yes, you’re the cleverest."
Beside them, Xiao Yeyang noticed the worry lift from the old lady’s face. He glanced at Daohua, his gaze thoughtful.
This boy was sharp, with the makings of a reliable servant. Though given how the old lady doted on her, selling her off was unlikely.
"Let’s go, into the city."
---
Meanwhile, at the Linyi County yamen's back courtyard.
Yan Zhigao, dressed in his official attire, paced in the hall with a furrowed brow. "By my calculations, Mother and the others should have arrived days ago. Why haven’t we seen any sign of them? Could something have happened on the road?"
"Brother, don’t worry," said a shrewd-looking middle-aged man beside him, casting a glance at their equally worried younger brother Yan Zhiqiang.
"Zhiqiang, I hate to criticize, but this was poorly thought out. You shouldn’t have come ahead alone, leaving Mother to travel on her own. Look how worried you and Brother are now."
Yan Zhiqiang looked up at his second brother Yan Zhiyao, his lips moving as if to defend himself, but he held back.
He did regret his decision, wishing he had insisted on accompanying them despite Mother’s reassurances.
In recent days, reports of refugee riots were common. If something had truly happened to Mother, Daohua, or Wentao, he would never forgive himself.
"Brother, I’ll go search for them now."
Yan Zhiyao chuckled and shook his head. "You’re too impulsive, Zhiqiang. I mean, do you even know which route they took?"
Yan Zhiqiang frowned. "But it’s better than sitting here doing nothing."
Yan Zhiyao pursed his lips in disapproval.
To him, such impulsiveness was a waste of time.
"Alright," Yan Zhigao interrupted, "you two will go together. There aren’t many roads to Linyi County; you might run into them on the way."
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