Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Zhu Laosan arrived at the entrance to the communal bunkroom in the rear courtyard and found that the lock on the door showed no signs of being forced.

He looked up and noticed a small window above the room, large enough for a grown man to pass through.

To confirm his guess, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Everyone in the room had already been startled awake. When they saw Zhu Laosan enter, they sat up one after another.

Zhu Laosan’s gaze swept around the room before finally landing on the Xiao Family Main Branch huddled in the corner.

He walked straight over and studied Xiao Jingxing and Xiao Jingmo in turn.

Supported by Pei Wanqing, Xiao Che sat up and leaned against the wall.

Without a word, Zhu Laosan stepped forward and yanked Xiao Jingxing toward him.

Xiao Jingxing frowned. “Sir, what is the meaning of this?”

Zhu Laosan did not answer. He lifted Xiao Jingxing’s clothes and stared intently at his back.

Because ointment had been applied, the wounds on Xiao Jingxing’s back had already begun to scab over, with no sign of reopening.

Zhu Laosan released Xiao Jingxing, then turned to Xiao Jingmo.

Without warning, he struck at Xiao Jingmo.

Xiao Jingmo had not been on guard. By the time he reacted, he could only barely dodge, and still took a palm strike to the shoulder.

“Mo’er! Are you all right?”

Pei Wanqing rushed over and caught Xiao Jingmo as he staggered backward.

Xiao Jingmo let out a muffled groan, then shook his head.

“Mother, I’m fine.”

After inspecting and testing them, Zhu Laosan had basically ruled out the Xiao Family Main Branch as suspects.

Xiao Jingmo’s skills were far inferior to that person’s; he was not even as good as Zhu Laosan himself.

As for Xiao Jingxing, the wounds on his back had not worsened, which meant that person could not have been him either. With such an intense fight, it would have been impossible not to aggravate the injuries on his back.

And Xiao Che, whose legs were disabled, might have a body full of martial skill, but now he could not even walk. He could be eliminated outright.

Once every possibility had been ruled out, the most unlikely answer became the answer.

The person last night had to be connected to Zou Yong.

Zhu Laosan turned and left the room.

Pei Wanqing let out a soft breath.

The Xiao Family all understood without speaking and lay back down again.

No one else in the room realized they had slept more heavily than ever before. Even if they did notice, they would only think it was because they had been exhausted from traveling. No one would suspect anything else.

Madam Chen had spent the entire night curled up in a corner, clutching her son’s corpse. Now she slowly came to and watched Zhu Laosan’s actions, doubts rising in her heart. She guessed something must have happened out front.

Her eyes shifted, and she decided this matter had to be connected to the Main Branch.

Even if her youngest son’s death had not been directly caused by the Main Branch, they had indirectly caused it.

If they had not insisted on eating something hot, those people would never have had the chance to harm them. Her son would not have died. Everything was because of the Main Branch.

Madam Chen fixed a venomous stare on the Main Branch. The moment she found the slightest clue, she would expose them and make them accompany her youngest son in death.

The sky in the east began to pale like a fish’s belly, and the shouts of the yamen runners rang out in the rear courtyard.

The Xiao Family emerged from the room bleary-eyed. When everyone saw the three men who had only joined them yesterday covered in blood, what little sleepiness remained vanished completely.

“Coarse black-flour wotou, fifty wen each. White-flour steamed buns, one hundred wen each. If you want any, hurry up and come over. Eat quickly so we can get on the road.”

Two bundles sat in front of Li Si, both clearly a bit fuller than yesterday.

It seemed he had already replenished their dry rations at the relay station.

Most people did not buy any food. They had only been walking for one day, and there was still plenty of food left in their own bundles.

Li Si called out a few times. Seeing that only a handful of people were buying, he stopped shouting.

Xiao Jingmo weighed the silver in his hand. There were less than ten taels left.

He directly took out five taels and spent it all on food.

Pei Wanqing felt a pang of distress.

“Mo’er, why buy so much food? We can’t finish it in one meal, and we’ll still have to carry it.”

Xiao Jingmo glanced at Xiao Che and saw that Xiao Che had no objection.

Old Madam Xiao closed her eyes slightly, looking as if she had no intention of asking about it.

Xiao Jingxing and Xiao Jinghao were also full of surprise. Nanny Chen even advised him directly.

“Second Young Master, money is only useful if we keep it. Once we buy food, it will spoil easily on the road.”

Xiao Jingmo led the family a little farther back. Only when he saw that no one was around did he lower his voice and say, “Mother, silver can’t be eaten.

Right now everyone still has food left, so they won’t buy any. That’s why the food is still cheap.

In another two days, when everyone’s food is gone, they’ll all have to buy some. By then, the price will definitely double again.

We’ll buy some first. If each of us carries a few, they won’t go bad.”

Besides, five taels of silver could not buy much food anyway. One tael of silver could only buy ten white-flour steamed buns. Their family had eight people; one meal would take eight buns.

Pei Wanqing was startled. How had she not thought of this?

“Mo’er, don’t buy all white-flour buns. We don’t have enough money. Mother can eat the coarse black-flour ones. Just buy white-flour buns for Jin Bao and your grandmother. We need to spend sparingly.”

Xiao Jingxing and Xiao Jinghao immediately echoed her words.
Xiao Jingmo nodded, and the three brothers walked up to the bailiff.

“Sir, I’d like three taels’ worth of black-flour wotou and two taels’ worth of white-flour steamed buns.”

When Li Si heard that, his eyes flicked, and his expression turned cold.

“No. Purchases are limited. You can only buy at most one tael’s worth each time.”

At those words, Xiao Jingxing understood at once. His second brother had been right: limiting purchases could prevent people from hoarding food.

Xiao Jingmo said nothing more and simply bought one tael’s worth of food.

Two white-flour steamed buns and sixteen black-flour wotou.

The three brothers turned and went back to where their family was gathered.

Pei Wanqing looked at the steamed buns her son had brought back and thought the officials were taking advantage of them again. Only after asking did she learn about the purchase limit.

“Then what do we do now? We only have so much silver. Are we going to starve from now on?”

Pei Wanqing grew anxious.

Xiao Jinghao pondered for a moment, then a light flashed in his obsidian-dark eyes.

“Mother, don’t worry. I have an idea.”

Everyone looked at Xiao Jinghao.

“We can ask other people to buy for us. Give them one black-flour wotou as payment. Someone will definitely be willing.”

Xiao Jingmo secretly admired him. His younger brother’s mind worked pretty quickly after all.

He immediately took two taels of silver from his robe and handed them to Xiao Jinghao.

“Buy this much for now. We’ll see what to do at noon.”

Xiao Jinghao happily took the silver and ran off.

Pei Wanqing was a little worried. Her youngest son had always been unreliable. Could they really hand him the money now?

“Mother, trust Third Brother.”

Xiao Jingmo’s calm expression soothed Pei Wanqing’s restlessness.

Jin Bao stretched out her little hand and gently touched Pei Wanqing’s brow.

“Mother, don’t be scared. Brother San is super great. Baby believes in Brother San.”

Seeing even Jin Bao say so, Pei Wanqing finally relaxed completely. She picked up a white-flour steamed bun and stuffed it into Jin Bao’s hand.

“Baby, hurry and eat.”

Jin Bao took the bun, only to see that her brothers and mother were all eating black-flour wotou.

“Mother eat the white ones, not the black ones. We have money.”

Hearing this, Pei Wanqing smiled in relief.

“Mother doesn’t like white flour. Baby, you eat it.”

Jin Bao had tasted the black-flour ones before. They weren’t good at all. They scraped the throat, dry and hard, without the softness and sweetness of the white-flour buns.

Jin Bao tilted her little head as if she understood something. She said no more and lowered her head to nibble on the white-flour bun.

Before long, Xiao Jinghao came back carrying a big bundle of steamed buns.

“Third Young Master, where did that bundle come from?”

Nanny Chen was the first to notice the bundle in Xiao Jinghao’s hands.

“Nanny, I traded one wotou for it.”

Jin Bao had a big mouthful of bun stuffed in her cheeks. Seeing Xiao Jinghao’s excited face, she praised him too.

“Bwother’s amazhing…”

Jin Bao’s words were muffled, but everyone understood and laughed along.

Old Madam Xiao’s face, which had not relaxed once since they left the estate, finally eased at this moment.

With food in hand, their hearts were steady.

Nanny Chen took the initiative to accept the bundle and carry it on her back.

Before the sun had even risen, the Xiao Family clan members were driven onward by the bailiffs.

“My son!”

Madam Chen’s wailing cry made everyone turn back again and again.

They saw Madam Chen holding her youngest son’s corpse, kneeling on the ground and refusing to leave. The officials beat her harshly, and in the end it was Xiao Yan who stepped forward and pulled her to her feet.

Madam Chen looked back with every few steps. As the corpse grew farther and farther away, her expression gradually became numb.

The weather was getting hotter. If they traveled early, they could rest longer at noon.

After Ye Xiaotu and his two brothers were dealt with by Zhu Laosan, they had quietly followed at the back of the group for most of the day and caused no more trouble.

The sun hung high overhead. The Xiao Family members wore shackles on their feet, each step as heavy as a thousand pounds. The sun baked them from above while iron chains chafed them below.

One by one, they looked like eggplants beaten by frost. They swayed three times with every step. The younger children in the group were already unable to endure it, showing signs of dizziness and weakness.

The bailiffs were also drenched in sweat, beads of it covering their foreheads.

“Rest in the woods ahead for half an hour.”

At last they could rest. Everyone dropped to the ground and didn’t want to move. Some lay flat on their backs in the shape of a star, utterly without the dignity and propriety they usually upheld.

Jin Bao urgently needed to pee. Covering her little bottom, she was about to run into the woods off to the side.

All along the way, she had been sitting on Xiao Che’s lap so no one had to carry her.

She moved extremely fast. Xiao Che had no time to grab her.

During the journey, Madam Chen had already transformed all the guilt she felt over her son into hatred toward the Main Branch.

Now, seeing Jin Bao rush into the small woods alone, strength came to her from who knew where. She climbed up from the ground and quickly followed after her.

She had figured it out. This little beggar brat from who knew where was Pei Wanqing’s precious darling.

If she killed this little wretch, Pei Wanqing would surely suffer just as she had.

She wanted Pei Wanqing to taste what it felt like to lose a beloved child too.