Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Zhao Xiaobao stared at the little girl, and coincidentally, the girl was looking back at her.

She was truly conspicuous—among the vast crowd of over a hundred people, there was only that one donkey cart. Although the little girl’s face had been smeared with soot from the bottom of a pot, Zhao Xiaobao had seen her without it last night when they arrived at the riverbank. She looked like a freshly washed lotus root from a pond, fair-skinned and plump.

She had been fascinated by the sight. Her family ran a pork shop, and in the streets and alleys, children from families that could afford meat were well cared for, but one as adorable as this girl was a first for her.

The girls in her family all took after their father in appearance and stature—short and stout. Since their family never lacked meat, they had grown up eating heartily and putting on weight, which made them less likable and often earned them muttered remarks about being “fat girls.”

She had a soft spot for good-looking people—men, women, young, old—it didn’t matter. If they were good-looking, she’d happily knock a few coins off the price of pork they bought. She already had some goodwill toward this little girl, and this morning when they set out, her father quietly told them that last night they owed thanks to the girl’s grandfather—or perhaps it was her grandfather? He had seen the old man carrying her in the morning. Thanks to his timely shout, their family had avoided a big loss last night.

Father also said they seemed decent, so they should follow for a while and see. If the group was heading to Fengchuan Prefecture, they could observe their behavior. If there were no issues, they could try to latch onto them and ask to travel together.

Since fleeing their hometown, many refugee groups had invited them to join, but Father had refused, saying those groups had ill intentions.

Butchers stabbed pigs’ necks daily, and even after washing, a trace of blood lingered on them, making ordinary folk uneasy. The four siblings had grown up slaughtering pigs alongside their father; their hands had seen blood. Though many people coveted their belongings, their butcher knives tucked into their belts and their fierce appearance had scared off potential attackers.

But it had been nearly a month since they left home for Hopo County. Even with the father and children taking turns keeping watch, their bodies were reaching their limits.

By the time they made it to Hopo County, they were at their breaking point. They still had to protect their grandmother and mother. Father was right—if they didn’t find a reliable large group to attach themselves to for protection, they would never make it to Fengchuan Prefecture.

The sun was scorching. After walking most of the day, it was almost noon, yet the large group ahead still showed no sign of stopping to rest.

Zhu Sihua was exhausted, wiping sweat constantly. Being fat was a burden—her sweat flowed without pause. She gazed enviously at the group ahead and said to her third sister, who walked before her, “Those straw coats they’re wearing look so cool. I wonder if they have any extras. I’d love to buy one.”

“Me too,” Zhu Sanhua said as she pushed their grandmother’s cart. Pushing a person was harder than pushing grain—she was careful not to jolt her grandmother, constantly watching the road for potholes and stones. Zhu Erhua, walking ahead, would call out warnings whenever she spotted them. “I’m so itchy, it’s unbearable.”

Zhu Erhua nodded eagerly when she heard this. She wanted one too.

Fat people dreaded summer and loved winter. Even in normal years, the heat was unbearable, but now it was even worse. Their underclothes never stayed dry, drying and rewetting repeatedly, sticking to their skin and causing red rashes. There was no time to change clothes on the road, no water to wash or wipe down, and they couldn’t apply medicine because it would just be washed off by sweat, wasting the effort. They had to endure the itching every day.

The three sisters muttered complaints as they walked, and their mother, Ma Shi, heard them. She worried—they were her daughters after all.

The Zhu family had been butchers for three generations, hardworking and industrious. They weren’t immensely wealthy, but they had modest savings. During this escape, they had brought mostly gold, silver, jewelry, banknotes, land deeds, house deeds, and grain. The land and house deeds were probably useless now. The banknotes were from a major bank, which had a branch in Fengchuan Prefecture, so they should still be usable. Gold and silver were hard currency, usable anywhere.

“Husband,” she shifted the basket on her back—her delicate face pale with exhaustion and pain. “It’s been half a day. Have you figured out whether these people can be trusted?”

Zhu Laicai, walking in front, nodded. “I think they’re decent. They don’t seem like a random bunch thrown together on the road. The women can chat with anyone nearby, and the children know each other, playing and laughing without a care. That’s rare these days.” Looking at other groups, not only adults looked grim, but children also wore numb, expressionless faces.

“This group must be from the same village or clan.”

He had a good eye for such things. He could tell their formation was loose on the outside but tight within—like a wolf pack. The leader walked at the front, women and children in the middle, and young men and elders on the periphery. Although they had been following all the way, they hadn’t managed to get close or squeeze in. From a distance, it looked like they were part of the group, but up close, you could see they couldn’t even catch up to the tail end of the line.

A well-organized refugee convoy.

His internal scales had tipped entirely in their favor, but he hadn’t figured out how to latch onto them. He rubbed his head and said to his wife, “Earlier, I tried talking to a man walking at the back, but he ignored me. Wife, should I bribe him with a couple of copper coins?”

When he went to villages to buy pigs, the farmers begged him to buy because he offered fair prices and never cheated them. At his family’s butcher shop, prices had been set since his grandfather’s and father’s time, and the shop was their own, no rent to pay. Unless there was war or the villagers collectively demanded higher prices for live pigs, he was always generous with his weights and never had trouble selling out. He had never had to bow his head and beg anyone.

Spending money only happened when he bought land and had to bribe clerks at the yamen.

He wasn’t practiced at this. When he first tried to strike up a conversation, he didn’t think of it, and when the man ignored him, he felt discouraged and hesitated to try again.

Ma Shi rolled her eyes at him. Her mother-in-law was right—he was a fearsome-looking fool on the inside. “We’re following them without a word. Do you think they’re stupid? Of course they’ve guessed our intention. They’re probably muttering about how shameless we are for latching on like this.”

“Ah?” Zhu Laicai was dumbfounded. He didn’t think he was following too closely. The road was wide; anyone could walk on it. No one could say for sure he was following them.

“If you’ve made up your mind about them, don’t drag your feet. Otherwise, you’ll leave a bad impression, making them think we’re just freeloading shamelessly behind them. It’s hot, and we’ve been walking half the day. It’s time to rest. In a bit, go find the person in charge, give them something—grain or silver, whatever you decide. Show your sincerity first. Whether they agree or not, at least don’t let them think we’re tactless.”

Even if they didn’t agree, offering a gift would serve as thanks for last night’s help.

They were butchers, illiterate, but they understood good manners and propriety.

Zhu Laicai nodded quickly. Now that his wife had explained, he knew what to do. “Alright.”

“If they’re willing, we can spare some money. If they hesitate...” Ma Shi wiped the sweat from her brow, her face growing even paler. “Ask if they have relatives or someone to stay with in Fengchuan Prefecture. If not, tell them we do.” She gritted her teeth as she said the last sentence.

Zhu Laicai was taken aback. They were heading to Fengchuan Prefecture to seek refuge with his wife’s younger sister, who had married far away.

His wife and her sister were beautiful, skilled in embroidery, and had no trouble finding suitors. But misfortune struck when their parents died in succession during their prime. The older sister, his wife, chose him—a butcher who wasn’t poor and could help her protect the family assets. He didn’t have much trouble marrying her.

Her younger sister had originally planned to find a husband who would live with her family, but fate intervened. She was spotted by the distant nephew of the embroidery shop owner during a visit. That family wasn’t a merchant household—just ordinary farming folk. The brothers had already divided the property, and this nephew was the youngest, living with the old parents until he married, after which he would move out.

Though they were farmers, their ancestors had been wealthy, owning plenty of land. The shop owner’s nephew was handsome, well-mannered, and ambitious. When the match was proposed, the younger sister agreed. Although his wife and he thought it was too far, they couldn’t refuse her pleading and finally consented.

After the marriage, the young couple set up on their own. Over the years, they had saved some assets. The younger sister had sent word a few years back that her son showed some academic promise, and the family had moved to the prefectural capital.

In fact, a few months ago, the brother-in-law had written to warn them that times were turning bad and they should prepare. But they hadn’t taken it seriously. They thought, how bad could it be? If things got tough in the county, they could return to the village, with their brick house and comfortable life. Now, they regretted not listening—the land deeds and house deeds were worthless, and they hadn’t exchanged the banknotes for silver early.

Fengchuan Prefecture was completely foreign to them, but having relatives there made finding housing and other things easier.

His wife’s idea was that if this group had fled from far away and had no relatives in Fengchuan Prefecture, and if they were willing to escort them partway, then they could help them find a temporary place to stay once they arrived.

That was no small promise. In the prefectural capital, living was expensive. Her sister and brother-in-law probably couldn’t accommodate so many people. By making this offer, she was essentially offering to pay for their lodging themselves.

That meant silver pouring out!

“I...”

“Do as I say!” Ma Shi glared at him, and Zhu Laicai, who had been reluctant, immediately backed down.

He wanted to say it didn’t have to go that far. They could just give an extra bag of grain, or more silver. In this world, grain and silver were precious. They could be used to ask for favors or for their own needs. Helping them find lodging—they weren’t even sure about that themselves.

“Zhu Dazhuang, as long as you’re alive, grain and silver are yours,” Ma Shi called him by his nickname, sweat pouring down. She really couldn’t hold on much longer. “On this journey, this is the first group of strangers we’ve met that seems decent. Second, third, and fourth can handle things, but they’re girls. Don’t treat them like sons! Look how tired they are. If you don’t care, I do! I just want them to get a good night’s sleep, sleep peacefully, and have time to change into dry clothes!”

Zhu Laicai gave an awkward smile. He wanted to say that he cared about his daughters too, but there was no choice. He couldn’t push two carts at once. He was already loaded down with carrying poles and baskets.

“I also want you to have a good rest,” Ma Shi said, glancing at his dark under-eye circles. She lowered her head, sweat dripping from her hair ends. Gritting her teeth, she pressed on. “You’ve worked the hardest on this road.”

“Dazhuang, we can’t die. Even if we lose all our wealth, as long as we’re together, we can earn it back,” she said. “You have your butcher skills. Mother can’t be left alone. We have four children. Our daughters haven’t found husbands yet. We can’t die.” What she feared most was that the people who tried to steal their grain last night were waiting ahead. The grain was visible wealth, but hidden away was all their family’s savings. She knew what was more important.

Better to willingly offer money and gain goodwill than to let thieves take everything and leave them with nothing.

Zhu Laicai was deeply moved. He didn’t hear much else except his wife saying he had worked the hardest. He had thought his wife didn’t care about him anymore, but it turned out she did. Just as he was about to offer to take her basket and tie it onto the cart, the donkey cart ahead stopped. The call “Rest here” passed from front to back.

“Wife!” He dropped the cart and turned abruptly, rubbing his hands together.

Ma Shi felt exhausted. With her son’s help, she unloaded the basket, reached into her bosom, felt around, then leaned close to him. Discreetly, she slipped her hand into his chest, patting his bulging chest. “Go. Do as I said.”

“Alright!” Zhu Laicai felt the silver in