Chapter 25: Hesitation
Ninth Master Zhao's thin lips pressed tightly together, his face revealing a trace of icy resolve.
Damn it...
He cursed inwardly.
It was just a momentary soft-heartedness that led him to escort this woman to her relatives. Who would have thought it would turn into such a mess!
Leave her at Li Family Hollow just like that?
His gaze shifted to Master Qi, catching a flicker of regret in the man's eyes.
Li Family Hollow had managed to organize its clansmen to resist the migrant bandits, clearly indicating it was a large and prosperous clan with many able-bodied men. Though Master Qi held a high seniority and commanded respect, judging by his age and the way he rushed over at the first sign of commotion... he clearly wasn’t the clan leader. Nowadays, food was as precious as life itself. An extra mouth to feed meant an extra burden, an added risk of starvation due to shortages. Even if he were the clan leader, he couldn’t recklessly take in a stranger and share the clan’s provisions.
Most likely, Master Qi’s offer to keep Fu Tingyun in Li Family Hollow was just a fleeting act of pity—a spur-of-the-moment whim!
What would become of Fu Tingyun then?
Married off to some Li clansman as a quick solution!
Not to mention the unresolved matter back in Huayin.
No one knew what the Fu family’s plans would be.
If the truth came out, no one could predict how the Li clan would treat Fu Tingyun.
He was utterly exasperated.
Fu Tingyun’s expression grew increasingly despondent.
He—he simply didn’t want to respond!
Realizing this, tears once again surged uncontrollably from her eyes.
What was she to him?
Nothing more than a chance encounter, a favor to her mother to escort her to relatives in Weinan!
Now that seeking refuge with relatives had failed, she couldn’t just cling to him indefinitely just because he was an honorable man who had treated her well along the way, could she?
Besides, he had to reach Xi’an by the Mid-Autumn Festival!
At this moment, she ought to generously offer him silver in gratitude, bid him farewell with a bright smile.
But the thought of being left utterly alone, the memory of that rogue in parrot-green silk Taoist robes staring at her with greedy admiration, the savage faces of the migrant bandits who had robbed them, the image of that woman lying dead under the tree wearing nothing but a bellyband—it all terrified her... Words of thanks or farewell simply wouldn’t come.
Fu Tingyun felt the wetness on her cheeks and was overcome with shame.
How useless she was!
What must he think of her, weeping like this in front of him? He probably assumed she was putting on a show to win his pity...
She turned her face away, scrubbing fiercely at her tears, but they seemed to have a will of their own, endlessly falling.
A man standing beside Master Qi, with a mole between his brows, glanced at Fu Tingyun’s tear-streaked face, then at Master Qi’s sighing expression. His demeanor cooled as he said, "Uncle Qi, the village’s rations are tight. This matter should first be discussed with the clan elders." His tone was measured, just loud enough for everyone present to hear.
No one from Li Family Hollow spoke up, but their expressions made it clear they agreed.Master Qi knew that if he couldn't provide a reasonable explanation to his clansmen now, he would likely be labeled as someone who coveted beauty. After some thought, he whispered to the man beside him, "Recently, refugees from Anhua County surrounded our village, and several of our nephews were seriously injured. The village is currently short-handed. Since those refugees burned down Master Xie's house in Fengyuan, they might come to Li Family Hollow next. These two managed to escort their young lady safely from Pingliang here without incident, so they must have some real skills. If they stay in Li Family Hollow, it's not like they'll be freeloaders!"
His voice was just loud enough for everyone present to hear.
The man frowned, clearly finding Master Qi's reasoning somewhat forced but not entirely without merit—in these troubled times, anyone who could fight off the Migrant Bandits was valuable.
Seeing that the man with the mole between his brows remained silent, the others followed suit.
Fu Tingyun felt even more distressed.
Would she have to keep Ninth Master Zhao here, making him risk his life for Li Family Hollow just to secure her a meal?
"Ninth Master," she forced a faint smile, "please take me to Weinan instead! Find me an inn to stay at, then help me send a letter to my family... You must have your own matters to attend to. My situation won't be resolved in a day or two."
The thought of being alone from now on filled her with fear and helplessness, sorrow and uncertainty.
Speaking softly and quickly to maintain privacy, her words were lost on Master Qi and the others at a distance, who only saw her approach Ninth Master Zhao and murmur something. But Ninth Master Zhao, standing beside her, heard every word clearly.
His stern face darkened.
Had she petulantly demanded he take her back to Huayin or tearfully begged for his help, he might have hardened his heart—escorting her to Lintong, then handing her over to a friend to return her to her mother in Huayin would have been the end of it. Whatever happened to her afterward would no longer concern him.
Yet here she stood before him, eyes swollen, fear evident in her gaze, mouthing polite, selfless words... fragile yet stubborn, stubborn yet heartbreaking... making it impossible for him to remain indifferent.
Enough! Enough!
Since he was the one who brought her here, he couldn't simply abandon her now.
That was no way for a true man to act.
Whether entrusting her to a friend or keeping her with him, the process was the same—first send word to her mother, then wait for her family to retrieve her... Rather than troubling someone else, he might as well keep her by his side and avoid owing a favor.
Ninth Master Zhao's expression was icy.
"Master Qi, thank you for your kindness!" He bowed respectfully. "Since Master Xie's family has already fallen victim, we'll proceed to Xi'an Prefecture instead—our mistress has a cousin married there, though we've had little contact over the years... But given the circumstances, we'll have to swallow our pride and impose upon her."
Fu Tingyun stared at Ninth Master Zhao in shock.
He spoke of seeking relatives in Xi'an... but she had no family there... Clearly, he planned to rendezvous with his companions there... He intended to take her along...
An inexplicable joy welled up inside her, something bubbling forth that brought fresh tears to her eyes.Master Qi was somewhat surprised. Recalling how Fu Tingyun had whispered to Ninth Master Zhao earlier, he initially thought it was her suggestion but didn’t harbor any suspicion. However, the fact that she preferred seeking refuge with Master Xie rather than her long-unseen maternal aunt suggested the two families weren’t close. Since the young lady from the Fu family had made up her mind, he couldn’t very well insist on keeping her.
Just as he was about to offer some polite words, Ninth Master Zhao spoke up: “Master Qi’s generosity is deeply appreciated by our young lady. However, there’s one more matter. Considering your proximity to Master Xie and your past business dealings, we humbly request your assistance!”
Master Qi regarded Ninth Master Zhao as a man of loyalty and courage. His composed demeanor earned Master Qi’s respect.
Straightening his expression, Master Qi said, “Go on!”
Ninth Master Zhao continued, “Initially, we thought reaching Weinan would mean finding support, so we only prepared supplies for about ten days. Now that we’re heading to Xi’an Prefecture…” He paused. “We ask for your help in alleviating our young lady’s urgent needs.” With that, he produced three small gold coins from his sleeve: “We need fifty steamed buns and ten waterskins of water. Could you inquire who might have extra provisions?”
Gold bars were colloquially called “big yellow fish” or “small yellow fish.” A big one was typically ten taels, while a small one was one tael. Three small gold coins amounted to three taels of gold. One tael of gold could usually be exchanged for ten taels of silver, and one tael of silver for a thousand copper coins. In peaceful times, two coins could buy a steamed bun… Even now in Weinan, five hundred coins could purchase one.
Fu Tingyun’s eyes widened.
These weren’t hers… How did he have such things?
The people around Master Qi visibly brightened at the sight.
Master Qi silently commended Ninth Master Zhao’s tact.
This way, he could justify it to his clan.
Generously, he said, “Let me first check if our clan has extra provisions!” He declined the gold coins.
Ninth Master Zhao merely wanted to show they weren’t penniless refugees, lest the villagers of Lijia’ao treat them as such. Without provisions, they’d starve on the way to Xi’an.
He thanked Master Qi earnestly again and requested a two-day rest in Lijia’ao before continuing their journey.
Master Qi had them escorted to a secluded side room near the village ancestral hall, then accompanied the arriving Eleventh Aunt of the Li family to a nearby three-courtyard compound.
Fu Tingyun and A Sen gazed at the clean, well-furnished room—though slightly worn—feeling as if they’d stepped into paradise. Their faces lit up with joy.
Ninth Master Zhao smiled, instructing A Sen to tidy the cart and Fu Tingyun to rest, then left without further explanation.
In the quiet room, only the sounds of A Sen organizing the cart could be heard.
Fu Tingyun thought of her deceased uncle and aunt… Her smile faded as she covered her mouth, weeping softly.
A woman’s voice called outside, “Are these Master Xie’s relatives?”
Fu Tingyun hastily wiped her tears, forcing a smile as she stepped out. “Yes!” She saw two sturdy women carrying water at the doorstep.
Ninth Master Zhao had bought water!
Fu Tingyun quickly opened the door, welcoming them in. “Thank you for your hard work, sisters!”"Not at all, not at all!" The two women said with smiles, carrying the water buckets all the way into the side room. "Her husband is the fourth in his family, and mine is the sixth. If you need more water, miss, just send someone to call us again." As they spoke, they secretly glanced at Fu Tingyun, appearing rather curious about her.
A Sen had already come running at the sound of movement. Seeing four full buckets of water, he happily rushed over and hugged one of them: "So much water! How will we ever drink it all?" His expression was one of pure joy.
The two women first looked surprised, then burst into laughter: "Young man, this isn't for drinking. Your steward bought it for your young lady to bathe with."
Both Fu Tingyun and A Sen froze for a moment. A Sen urgently asked, "H-how much does this cost?"
The women blushed slightly and replied, "One small gold coin per bucket!"
Fu Tingyun's legs gave way, and she sat down on the kang.
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Thank you all for your patience and support. I'm finally able to add a chapter to express my gratitude for everyone's continuous encouragement. The only regret is that when I wrote this chapter, I didn't even know if I could complete it, so I didn't mention it to everyone beforehand...
O(∩_∩)O~
(End of Chapter)
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