Chapter 3.3

Master and servant both turned around and, seeing who it was, were both surprised and amazed. The person arriving was a man with a face that looked less than forty years old, heading towards them with a smile on his face.

“Second Uncle.” Xiao Youning called out to the man walking up to her after a moment.

This person was exactly the successor who didn’t have contact with her family, her uncle.

When Second Master Xiao saw her, he let out a long breath and even his smile seemed to become softer. “I’ve found you. Early in the morning I heard some talk about the Li Family and immediately came to look for you, and found you just now. First, follow me home. About your father and elder brother’s affair, I went to ask about yesterday. Originally, I thought today I would go to the Li Family to try to find you, but … ah, the Li Family was unexpectedly like this, dropping all pretenses.”

Xiao Youning listened to him speak somewhat blankly.

Second Master Xiao saw her still staring blankly and his smile instantly became somewhat helpless. “Youning, I know you think it’s strange. In fact, many things are not what you think. Big brother and I both have our hands tied, but no matter what, we’re all family. You should go home with your second uncle first.”

“Second Uncle, do you have any news about my father and elder brother?” The distracted young girl finally opened her mouth, but instead of agreeing to follow him back home, she asked about her father’s circumstances.

Second Master Xiao sighed, staring at her pale face. “It’s unlikely that there will be news soon. Da Tong is far away from here and urgent war reports that are sent all arrive quite a few days later. I already dispatched someone personally to make inquiries, and I’m certain they’ll also have to wait. Those inside the palace also have trusted people paying attention to the news.”

Going to Da Tong to make inquiries …

Xiao Youning suddenly raised her head, light suddenly bursting out from her previously dull eyes. “Second Uncle, my going back with you to your home perhaps will only cause you trouble. I won’t go.”

“Youning—” Second Master Xiao frowned, head hurting considerably as he called out to her.

“But Youning has some matters I need to trouble Second Uncle to help with.” Xiao Youning suddenly had an epiphany, she realized she had been heading the wrong way. With how heavy the accusations against her father and elder brother were, who’d want to help her?

Since in the capital she was unable to find out more information, then she would go to Da Tong! Her father and elder brother were there, living and dying. She, in the capital, had what use? Might as well go over!

“Second Uncle, I want to go to Da Tong. Can you find me someone dependable to lead the way?” Xiao Youning’s eyes were more resolute now than a moment ago.

Second Master Xiao, as expected, stared at her blankly.

“You … want to go to Da Tong?”

Two hours later, Xiao Youning, after putting her hair up in a bun and disguising herself as a man, cupped her hands together and offered her goodbye to Second Master Xiao. “Today Second Uncle has aided me, and Youning will store this moment inside her heart. For the time being, I must leave. About that unfinished business with the Li Family, Second Uncle, I’ll have to inconvenience you to resolve it for me.”

“You—” Second Master Xiao wavered on whether he should say something to persuade her otherwise but in the end could only speak one word. Soon after, he let out a long sigh. “Very well … You people take good care of the Eldest Miss. By all means, you must not allow those refugees to offend her in any way.”

There was a drought last year in the northwest and because of it, the commoner had begun migrating in the quest for life. They scattered in all directions and now there were refugees everywhere.

The six men that would accompany her all affirmed in unison.

Xiao Youning once more thanked her uncle, lowered the carriage curtain, and set off on her journey. Yuan Guo sat at her side, brows pinched tightly. After a long period of shaking inside the carriage, she softly said, “Miss, how can you be at ease with your dowry being handed over to the second branch—”

Even if Second Master Xiao had good intentions, the old lady and madam from the second branch were not amiable. During that time when the branches were divided, the master’s madam actually ate a loss.

Xiao Youning sat upright. The shaking curtain allowed some light to enter the vehicle, dividing the indefinite darkness within into light and shadow. She gazed at those fragments of light as she spoke in a mild voice: “It’s nothing to worry about. As long as they help at this time, it doesn’t matter if they keep the dowry.”

Yuan Guo closed her mouth and sat in silence.

The carriage galloped along, reaching the relay station where they would stop over at nightfall. The servants accompanying them took Second Master Xiao’s name card to get rooms to stay in for the night and Xiao Youning was very quickly led to a small side room on the first floor.

The relay station deputy had a smile on his face as he spoke. “There are so many adults coming and going these days, it’s hard enough to vacate a room.”

XIao Youning nodded and had Yuan Guo give him some silver. The relay station deputy instantly smiled in an even more flattering way, bending his waist and saying he would immediately go and prepare hot water and food.

“There’s no other room, just this one.”

XIao Youning was just about to set foot into the room when another relay station deputy impatiently led two young men past them. One of the young men wore a plain gown and, because the light was faint, she couldn’t see the entire face clearly. But his side profile and the straight silhouette of the bridge of his nose made Xiao Youning think this was a nice-looking man.

Moreover, this person was being treated worse than her.

The room he was being taken to was right next to where the kitchen storage was, the handyman had been talking nonsense to her when she’d just come over, saying it was convenient to get in from the kitchen. In his bid to assert his claims, he had gone so far as to point out that her room was actually in a good location as there was the worst one right next door.

Xiao Youning took a quick glance before entering the room and locking the door. Outside of the room she could hear two relay station deputies not at all concealing their conversation. “These noble people nowadays … Believing in these Daoist priests babbling nonsense, they go so far as to even give their name card to allow them to live in the relay station. These scammers, they have so much money and are still stingy!”

“In comparison, I am lucky.”

When Xiao Youning heard that, she didn’t need to think to know that the relay station deputy who led her over was in the middle of flaunting that he got a reward. The Daoist priest next door was probably going to be angered by them.

However, the Daoist priest next door, that she suspected would be angry, was actually calm, not showing his displeasure in the slightest. Actually, the young servant accompanying by his side was somewhat roused, pointing a finger at their neighbor and saying in a low voice, “Fifth Master, can this be regarded as ‘enemies on a narrow road’?”

Today, when leaving the city, there were many on the road commenting about how their family’s fifth master helped the Li Family bully a young girl. Now, unexpectedly, they ran into that very person and even had to live next door to them!

Even if she and her servant disguised had themselves as young men, these were the people who schemed against their fifth master. The first impression was so deep, he naturally could recognize that face with a glance.

The author has something to say:

Xiao Youning: I live next door to a priest who is worse off than me.

Fifth Master Ye: I live next door to a small wrongdoer.