Chapter 4.3

Yuan Guo smiled and said, “I’m positive it will not. I will hug the miss’s foot to sleep, so don’t be afraid—”

The neighbor suddenly began to curse aloud, the voice piercing and clear even with a wall separating them. Then came the sounds of stomping, chasing, and of something thumping down.

Xiao Youning stared at that side of the wall, blinking her eyes that had already lost their sleep. “That rat ran to the neighbor’s room?”

Yuan Guo held the oil lamp and carried it to the bedside, smiling happily. “Don’t worry about it. Anyway, the rat not coming back to us is already good.” Revenge against an enemy made one feel entirely relaxed from head to toe!

Jian Yin, after being pushed by Ye Shen toward the clothes hanger, finally impaled the rat that dropped from the sky and fell on his face and tried to run everywhere. He immediately held it high in his hand it and went to the window to throw it outside. After that, at Ye Shen’s knife-like stare, he closed the window.

“Fifth Master, this rat was thrown over by the neighbor!” Jian Yin clenched his sword, very tempted to go over to argue.

The air inside the room was stuffy so, afraid of suffocating Fifth Master, he had just opened the window, intending to sleep beside it to keep guard. First, he heard their neighbor open their window, and then there was movement. Immediately following that, the damned rat appeared.

If it wasn’t the neighbor who threw it, then could it be that it actually dropped from the sky?

Ye Shen had fallen asleep with great difficulty only to be woken up by a noise. Reaching out his hand, he repeatedly pressed on his temples, thin lips spitting out two words: “Shut up!”

Jian Yin was extremely sullen, thinking to himself that the neighbor could really be ruthless, scheming them one by one. This was old hatred compounded by new hatred!

Early the next morning, Xiao Youning had breakfast and left the relay station in high spirits, mounting the carriage in preparation to depart.

Ye Shen and Jian Yin came out at the same time, both master and servant looking cold. Ye Shen still had obvious black circles under his eyes, clearly he hadn’t rested well. In contrast, Xiao Youning was like a spring flower blossoming on a branch in March, full, bright, and beautiful.

Xiao Youning heard movement behind her and turned around but only caught Ye Shen’s rear getting into a carriage, then got some dust on her face by the carriage rushing one step ahead to leave.

“Cough~ cough~ cough~—” Xiao Youning coughed from the dust.

“Impertinent man! Does he not see where he’s going?!” Yuan Guo helped her, enraged at the distant carriage, hating them to the point her teeth itched.

“Young Master, quickly get on, ok? Otherwise, if we are delayed, we won’t reach the next relay station.” The coachman urged them.

XIao Youning busily got on. She had yet to sit steadily when the sound of the driver flinging the horsewhip came from the outside jolted her, almost making her fall headfirst.

Yuan Guo exclaimed in pain, wanting to go shout toward the outside to have them pay more attention, but Xiao Youning stopped her by grabbing her arm, shaking her head to indicate that she shouldn’t say anything.

They originally didn’t have any contact with the second branch of the Xiao Family. Having already come to her help today made her surprised, plus sending these people to protect her on this long and difficult journey, there was no need to be rude to them.

Moreover, the household master also wasn’t her.

Xiao Youning had never suffered this kind of grievance before, including last night when they had someone deliver food. But she knew very clearly that people were not born with propitious wind throughout their journey. Only having to ask around for news about her father and elder brother mattered, anything else wasn’t worth mentioning.

Yuan Guo saw her putting up with the grievance with great difficulty. She thought of their home before, and how whenever she fell and harmed a hair on her head, the people at home would all feel distressed. Yuan Guo’s heart felt more and more distressed.

During the next few days, Xiao Youning didn’t run into Ye Shen again, who had left her behind with dust on her face. Every day passed by with the carriage jolting her apart, then they would stop over and she would fall into bed and immediately sleep until the next day.

The more they headed towards Da Tong, as expected, they met more and more refugees on the road. In twos and threes, or as a large crowd, they begged along the roadside.

Something unexpected happened on that day. Because the pavement was full of holes and depressions, the carriage was moving slowly, and a refugee rushed forth and approached them. In the middle of the chaos, a shriveled, thin, and injured hand even extended toward the window, scaring Xiao Youning so much that the palms of her hands became sweaty.

Fortunately, the guards on horseback outside surrounded them quickly and drew their swords to frighten the crowd into dispersing, allowing the carriage to move forward smoothly.

Xiao Youning, after gaining some distance, lifted up the curtain to look at the rear and heard the voice of the guard coming from above her head. “I even thought the young master just now would give a bit of charity to these people.”

She raised her head, bumping into the guard’s meaningful gaze, and her hand on her knee clenched tightly. Immediately after, she said, annoyed, “The party was frightened and didn’t come back, it’s time to give some charity, they probably haven’t had enough to eat in a long time.”

The guard heard what she said but didn’t speak again. She let the curtain down, heart jumping anxiously while her mind was filled with countless thoughts.