Time flies like an arrow. A day and night pass in the blink of an eye, and a midday nap feels like a mere flutter of eyelids.
Outside the courier station, people came and went—some arriving to rest, others setting off again.
The group led by the young man A Jiu had grown by two people and four horses, making the gathering outside the station even noisier.
The two girls now wore hats and scarves, bundled in thick cotton coats with small packs on their backs, round and plump like balls.
They bowed to the Station Chief once more to bid farewell.
The Station Chief waved his hand. "Alright, alright, hurry along. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your mother."
The two girls shed tears, glancing toward the station. Due to her poor health, their mother couldn’t see them off, and they lingered, reluctant to leave.
This parting might well be the last time they would ever see their mother.
Though the Couriers had already mounted their horses, none had the heart to rush them.
"Hey." The only one impatient enough to urge them on was A Jiu. With his face hidden beneath a hat and scarf, only his sharp phoenix eyes were visible, cold and stern. "Are you leaving or not? If not, you might as well stay here with your mother."
The young man had a notoriously unpredictable temper, capable of turning hostile in an instant. The Station Chief quickly nudged the girls toward the horses. "Go on, hurry! The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll find your father and bring him back to see your mother."
Without further hesitation, the girls mounted their horses, their movements steady and assured—proof that they truly knew how to ride.
A Jiu withdrew his gaze, spurred his horse, and shouted, "Hyah!" leading the way forward.
The other Couriers urged their horses as well, and the two girls, swept along in the group, galloped away at a brisk pace, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
The Station Chief stood outside the gate, watching them go with a sigh of emotion.
"Sir, you’ve done another good deed," a station attendant flattered him.
A good deed? The Station Chief patted his plump belly, so round that his belt could barely hold it in place. Hanging from the belt were two bulging money pouches—the reward for his "good deed."
"Kind sir," the woman had gasped weakly from her bed, expressing her gratitude. "By accepting this money, you are doing a good deed. If I die and my children are left with no one, what use would this money be? It’s better to part with it and use it to buy my daughters a chance at life. As long as they reach their father, they can survive even without money."
He took the money and delivered the service, fair and square to young and old alike. He had secured a path to survival for the two girls. Once the woman passed away, he would even arrange her burial, ensuring she wouldn’t be left exposed in the wilderness. Well, now that he thought about it, he truly was a good man.
"Get back to work, all of you," the Station Chief said cheerfully, patting his belly as he turned and ambled back inside.
But early the next morning, his door was knocked on again.
"What is it? Has that Lady Yang passed away?" the Station Chief asked, slightly surprised.
The physician he had summoned had said that Lady Yang didn’t have long to live. She had been clinging to life by a thread these past few days. Had she let go of her burden and breathed her last now that her daughters were sent away?
"No," the station attendant replied. "Lady Yang has hired a cart and says she wants to leave."
...
...
A donkey cart stood in the backyard, with Lady Yang, wrapped in a tattered cotton coat, half-lying inside.
"What are you doing?" the Station Chief asked, puzzled. "It’s freezing cold, and you’re this ill. How can you possibly travel?"
Lady Yang smiled weakly. "Master Xu, as long as I still have a breath left, I want to return to my hometown. Leaves return to their roots. I don’t want to die in a foreign land, abandoned in the wilderness.""I see," the Station Chief sighed. "Madam Yang, if you rest here, you might still have a chance to see your husband and child."
But if she traveled now, she might die on the road.
Madam Yang shook her head, her expression sorrowful yet relieved. "As long as they can reunite, I am at peace. If they visit my grave in the future, it will be the same."
Seeing her resolve, the Station Chief stopped persuading her. However, he couldn’t just play the benevolent man for nothing—he wouldn’t let her take back the money she had given.
He touched his belt. "Madam Yang, for the journey home, you’ll need travel expenses—"
Before he could finish, Madam Yang waved her hand hastily. "I’ve already troubled Master Xu too much. I can’t let you spend more. I’ve saved some travel money—enough to get home. Someone like me doesn’t need much money anymore. Carrying too much would only be a burden."
After saying this, she weakly collapsed onto the bedding, looking somewhat anxious.
Of course—how could she have given away all her savings? She must have left some for her two daughters and kept a portion for herself. But he wasn’t the type to take everything from her; half would suffice. He wasn’t one to strip every last scrap from someone.
The Station Chief said kindly, "Very well, as you wish. Then, may you have a safe journey."
Madam Yang nodded her head against the bedding in lieu of a bow to express her gratitude.
"Take good care of her on the way home. Consider it a good deed," the Station Chief said sternly to the cart driver. "Do not mistreat this unfortunate soul, or I will not spare you."
The cart driver repeatedly agreed, and the donkey cart creaked out of the station, heading down the road into the distance.
The Station Chief stood outside the station once more, watching them go. He patted his stomach, reflecting on how he had sent off the mother and her two daughters one after another in the blink of an eye. He could hardly remember how they had arrived—it all felt like a dream.
He quickly felt for the money pouch at his waist. Good, good—the money was still there.
Then all was well. It wasn’t a futile dream after all.
Carts and horses came and went; the sun rose and set. The North Cao Town station repeated its daily bustle. The station didn’t always shelter unfortunate souls in distress, and the Station Chief didn’t always play the benevolent man. Most days, he sat indoors, noisily flipping through account books, checking income and expenses.
Occasionally, high-ranking officials passed through, but he didn’t need to attend to them personally. The station was constant, but officials came and went like flowing water—this time, they might stay in the best rooms; next time, they might have to sleep in a common dormitory.
However, when local prefectural officials visited, the Station Chief still had to welcome them warmly.
Today was overcast, and the wind stung their faces. Charcoal fires burned in the main hall, where a group of bailiffs either sat or stood, cursing the cold and complaining about the poor quality of the wine.
When the Station Chief entered, a man in his forties wearing an official robe, who had just thrown his saber onto the table, said, "It’s not that the wine is bad—it’s that Old Xu is hiding the good stuff."
The bailiffs all pointed at the Station Chief and clamored.
Familiar with them, the Station Chief wasn’t surprised. He pointed at one of the men. "Cao Laosi, you know exactly where I keep the wine. Go fetch it yourself."
The man called Cao Laosi didn’t stand on ceremony and called a few bailiffs to go out noisily.
The Station Chief sat down beside the man with the saber. "Qi Duyou, what important matter brings you out of the prefecture on such a cold day?"This Qi Duyou was not only the superior official in charge of the courier stations, but more importantly, the brother-in-law of the commandery governor. Wielding great power within the commandery, he only needed to lift a finger to get things done, never having to brave the bitter cold to travel around.
Unless there was some matter or person he couldn’t afford to offend.
Lately, there had been no news of any major events in the commandery, had there?
Qi Duyou picked up a bowl of hot water and drank it all in one go. “Speaking of this matter, it’s both big and small,” he said, setting the bowl down on the table with a thud. “A young lady from the capital has gone missing.”
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