On this day, a carriage accompanied by seven or eight escorts slowly traveled from north to south along a dilapidated courier road that had long fallen into disrepair.

This region, situated between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, had for many years become a battlefield caught in the tug-of-war due to the north-south confrontation. At one point, it presented a scene of bleached bones exposed in the wilderness and not a single rooster’s crow for a thousand li. Though the chaos of war had now settled, both sides of the road remained desolate. Traveling south along this route, one could often journey for days without seeing a single village. Only recently, as they gradually approached the northern bank of the Yangtze River where conditions had stabilized in recent years, did signs of human habitation reappear, and traces of merchants and travelers could be seen on the road.

At noon, this group of travelers stopped when they passed through a nameless village market at a three-way crossroad.

By the roadside stood a tea shelter for passing travelers to rest. The shelter was constructed with thatched grass and bamboo fencing. Under it were arranged several crude mats, where a few traveling guests already sat, along with seven or eight local villagers who had gathered from nearby farmland to rest their feet. An elderly white-haired couple busily served tea and food to the customers. Though the place was simple, it was pleasantly cool and clean. The middle-aged refined man beside the carriage, wearing a bamboo hat and dressed as an ordinary traveler, glanced at the sun’s position and spoke a few words in a low voice to someone inside the carriage. The carriage door opened, and out stepped a middle-aged woman leading a child.

The woman wore a plain cloth dress with her hair wrapped in a kerchief—an ordinary appearance, yet her features were extremely beautiful. After being helped down from the carriage by the man who appeared to be her husband, he then lifted down a refined-looking young boy. The three of them, along with their escorts, entered the shelter and chose an empty spot to sit.

The elderly couple was delighted to see so many people arrive at once and attended to them warmly. The villagers at the entrance of the shelter had been engaged in loud conversation, but upon seeing this group arrive, though their clothing was ordinary, the family of three who seemed to be the masters possessed extraordinary appearances, and even their escorts were all quite distinguished. They dared not continue speaking loudly and casually, so they lowered their heads to eat the rations they had brought that morning, stealing furtive glances now and then.

The woman’s manner was elegant. After sitting down, she took her kerchief and carefully wiped the sweat from the child’s forehead. Seeing him eat the coarse grain flatbread in large bites, clearly very hungry, she cooled the newly served cup of hot tea before her, tested the temperature herself, then handed it to the child. The gaze she directed at him was filled with maternal affection.

The man removed the bamboo hat from his head and held it in his hand, temporarily using it as a fan. While fanning the mother and child beside him, he took the initiative to chat with those nearby, asking about the village market’s name and its current number of households.

Seeing his smiling face and amiable manner, everyone gradually shed their initial wariness and fear, competing to answer. One person said, “This place is called Liu Family Market. Go a bit further and you’ll enter Jiujiang Commandery. Now this area has several hundred households, all people who have gradually returned to their homeland over these past two years, taking advantage of the peace in Jiangbei. The abandoned land is also slowly being cultivated again.”

The others chimed in agreement.

The man then asked about the harvest. Learning that aside from barely getting by the first two years, last year they already had some surplus grain, he nodded. At this moment, an old man sighed, “Though that’s true, compared to the several thousand households in the market in earlier years, now only one household in ten remains. I fled as a refugee when young, and now return to my hometown in old age. Of yesterday’s relatives and neighbors, how many still survive?”

Everyone was reminded of painful past events by his words. After a round of sighs, they spoke one after another, competing to bitterly curse the heinous crimes committed by the barbarian invaders who devastated the Central Plains.

Another person said, “In the past, the southern court had Lord Gao the Minister, also a good official who served the country and the people. It’s a pity he couldn’t accomplish the Northern Expedition that we all hoped for. After losing Lord Gao, fortunately the Grand Marshal Li appeared. Some years ago when I had no way out, I sought refuge in Yicheng, and my entire family barely survived. Though we had already settled there, hearing that this place had become peaceful, we returned. I only hope that from now on there will be no more warfare, allowing my family to live peacefully in our homeland, and when we die, be buried in our ancestral graves. Then I’ll be completely satisfied.”

“Liu San’er, don’t you know yet? The Grand Marshal is no longer the Grand Marshal! He is the Son of Heaven sent by the heavens above, protected by the White Tiger. I hear he’s about to become emperor! When Grand Marshal Li becomes the emperor of all our people under heaven, that’s when our good days will truly come!”

The young boy, initially distracted by his hunger and unable to understand much because these villagers spoke with accents, hadn’t paid attention. But when he heard everyone continuously mentioning Lord Gao the Minister and Grand Marshal Li, he glanced at his own father. His eyes suddenly brightened as he looked toward his mother and said joyfully, “Mother! I understand! The Lord Gao and Grand Marshal Li they’re talking about—are they my…?”

The woman quickly reached out and covered the boy’s mouth, shaking her head at him. Seeing his puzzled look, she lowered her head close to his ear and said, “Little Seven is thinking correctly. The Lord Gao they speak of is your father. Grand Marshal Li is your brother-in-law. But have you forgotten what Mother taught you before?”

The young boy quickly stole a glance around. Fortunately, those people were emotionally excited and no one had noticed what he’d just blurted out. With a hint of embarrassment, he also leaned close to his mother’s ear and whispered, “In front of outsiders, I shouldn’t casually mention my relationship with brother-in-law. I remember.”

The woman smiled and nodded.

“Mother, are we almost home? I’ve grown this big and still haven’t seen Sister or brother-in-law’s faces, nor have I seen the Yangtze River you told me about. I can’t wait to arrive.”

“I want to see Sister and them. Also, I want to see what the Yangtze River is like.”

He paused, then added with great seriousness.

This woman was none other than Xiao Yongjia. Bringing Little Seven, she was traveling south with Gao Qiao on their return journey. Having just passed through this area and thinking to stretch their legs after the long carriage ride, they had stopped for a brief rest. Unexpectedly hearing such wishes from Little Seven’s mouth, seeing his childish face and the pair of pure eyes gazing at her filled with longing and anticipation, she couldn’t help but recall the days when, confined in the past, to dispel loneliness, she had repeatedly described to him the magnificent scene of that Yangtze River that divided south and north and flowed through Jiankang. Her heart was filled with boundless emotion.