CHAPTER 174: CHAPTER 172 EXPECTATION

Chen Family Village.

Inside Xu Tingzhen’s house, Xie Liangchen watched as Hei Dan fed medicine to the child on the kang.

The child, who had been lying in bed for nine days, opened his mouth to speak again, "Thank you."

"He can speak now." Hei Dan looked at Xu Tingzhen and Xie Liangchen with joy.

This child had woken up long ago, but was too weak to speak, and finally today, there was a faint sound from his throat.

Xu Tingzhen nodded, showing a look of relief, feeling very happy to have saved this child, who was about the same age as her younger brother, from meeting the same tragic fate as her brother.

With permission from Xie Liangchen and Xu Tingzhen, Hei Dan asked, "What’s your name?"

The child on the kang replied, "Gouzi."

The name was far from unfamiliar; many children in nearby villages were called Gouzi.

Hei Dan asked, "Gouzi, where is your family?" This was what they all wanted to know.

Gouzi’s pale and somewhat yellow face showed a sad expression, "My mother has long passed. My father, sister, and brother-in-law took me while fleeing famine. My father fell ill on the road and passed away in a few days. My sister and brother-in-law said they went to look for food in the mountains and... we got separated. I went into the mountains to look but never found them. Then I encountered wolves..."

Hei Dan looked at Xie Liangchen. Even as a child, Hei Dan could discern that being ’separated’ was an excuse, that Gouzi’s sister and brother-in-law had found him a burden and left him behind. He was dragged off by wolves as prey, only to be discovered by them in time.

Hei Dan nearly blurted out, "Your sister and brother-in-law deliberately fed you to the wolves."

Gouzi clutched his clothes tightly, an expression of sadness and helplessness on his face whenever he was awake these days.

Hei Dan couldn’t help but say, "Your sister isn’t as good as mine. My sister supports the whole village, and you’re... just one person."

Gouzi remained silent, suppressing his sobs, "Don’t blame them, it’s all because of me... if I weren’t blind, I wouldn’t have..."

Hei Dan wiped away Gouzi’s tears, "Don’t cry."

Xie Liangchen waited until Gouzi felt a little better before asking, "Where are you from?"

"Lingqiu," replied Gouzi, "Our village is always conscripted to fight wars. Last autumn, when the harvest came, the Liao people came and took all the food, so the villagers had to flee famine."

Lingqiu was a territory controlled by remnants of the previous dynasty, bordered by the Liao to the north and Daqi to the south. No wonder it was plagued by war; Xie Liangchen knew that refugees fled Lingqiu to Daqi every year.

Gouzi began thanking everyone again, "Thank you for saving me... I thought I was dreaming. It’s been so long... I haven’t had a full meal in so long, if only my father were still here, then..."

Hei Dan comforted Gouzi, "Don’t cry anymore. You’re lucky; I didn’t even have rice during last year’s New Year."

Xu Tingzhen, standing nearby, couldn’t help but ask, "How old are you?"

Gouzi replied, "Thirteen."

Hei Dan’s eyes widened. Thirteen-year-old Gouzi didn’t look much taller than them; Hei Dan was only nine.

With a sigh, Xu Tingzhen said, "Your days are truly hard."

Gouzi nodded, "My father always said that when he was young, life at home was good; we could eat until full every day. Ever since Prince Guangyang passed, everything changed. Not just our village, but the whole Dai State is suffering."

The things Gouzi spoke of, Chen Family Village had also experienced, although for longer. After all, the Song Family father and son quickly reclaimed Dingzhou and Zhenzhou, driving the Liao people back across the Juma River.

Hei Dan couldn’t imagine what nineteen years of war would be like.

Gouzi said, "There are people like us everywhere, especially these past two years. They conscript people to fight everywhere, coming to the village every day. My father barely managed to hide my brother-in-law, and they wouldn’t let us out, fearing we’d escape. So many starved to death.

We were lucky to... escape Lingqiu."

Here Gouzi paused noticeably, not continuing on this topic, but instead saying, "Some say Daqi will reclaim Dai State, that a General Song from Daqi is formidable. My father once saw General Song’s banner and truly hopes..."

At this, Gouzi’s face showed a hopeful expression, "Truly hopes Daqi will reclaim Dai State."

Hei Dan said nothing. This wasn’t something he knew about, nor was he willing to speak carelessly.

Xu Tingzhen said, "Let Gouzi have a good rest!"

Xu Tingzhen and Xie Liangchen walked out of the house. Xie Liangchen looked at the teacher, "Teacher, do you plan to take Gouzi in?"

Not only about Gouzi, Xu Tingzhen also wanted to see the land once ruled by Prince Guangyang. If she hadn’t met Xie Liangchen, hearing Gouzi speak like that might have led her straight northwest.

Xu Tingzhen nodded, "He’s so young, and blind."

Then Xu Tingzhen sighed, "I hope the war can end soon. If Prince Guangyang’s lands can be reclaimed, and everyone can live like the Chen Family Village villagers, then it would ease a burden on my heart."

She wished for this, but could do nothing but wait in hope.

Xu Tingzhen suppressed her thoughts and turned to Xie Liangchen, "Let’s go to the Familiar Medicine Institute."

Xie Liangchen had something else on her mind. With such strict oversight, how did Gouzi’s family escape from Lingqiu? The journey from Lingqiu to Zhenzhou is not short, and Gouzi also knows of General Song; it seems necessary now to find Gouzi’s sister and brother-in-law to verify the truth of the situation.

Previously, they might have been searching in the wrong direction, assuming refugees would head to the government office’s reception areas. What if they didn’t want to surface?

Xie Liangchen found Chang Yue and explained everything, "I’m afraid there’s something amiss here, and I need to inform the Master as soon as possible."

Chang Yue said, "The Master has gone to Zhaozhou. I’ll assign more people to protect Chen Family Village to prevent any mishaps."

Xie Liangchen nodded, "We also need to spread the word that a blind child was saved by Chen Family Village." Any method that’s possible should be used, and perhaps one will take effect.

Gouzi’s situation wasn’t urgent; after settling everything, Xie Liangchen had other matters to attend to.

In February, the Tian Family’s caravan set off from Zhenzhou.

They were the first trading caravan to travel this year, and as the mule carts rolled along the official road, Tian Chengyou and his workers wore expressions of joy.

This time, they prepared everything in advance, more thoroughly than ever, and felt secure. Moreover, General Song had taken over Zhaozhou and cleared out a group of bandits from the mountains.

Before leaving Zhaozhou, they could travel with peace of mind, and no bandits would dare to ambush them at this time.

After traveling for a while, everyone stopped to rest.

Tian Chengyou went to check on the people from Chen Family Village.

It was Chen Yongyi and others’ first journey to Zhaozhou. Along the way, Tian Chengyou shared everything he knew with Chen Yongyi, "Although it’s not far from Chen Family Village to Zhaozhou, it’s not close either. Be cautious when you first set off, and don’t rush to travel by night. Once in town, I’ll introduce you to some mule cart drivers I know well; they won’t overcharge."

Chen Yongyi nodded.

Tian Chengyou added, "Once we reach Xingzhou, I’ll introduce you to some people and ask about ore prices so you won’t be taken advantage of."

With a laugh, Tian Chengyou continued, "Miss Xie truly thinks differently. While I’m still trading, she’s already thought of setting up a blacksmith’s shop."

The two rested for a while before continuing on their way.

Finally, dusty and weary, they reached Zhaozhou, where they had to submit documents to enter the city. Chen Yongyi glimpsed a familiar figure standing at the city gate—it was Chang An.