After A-Sen left, Fu Tingyun discussed with Zhao Ling, “I want to see if that woman carrying a child is still there.”

Zhao Ling didn’t understand.

Fu Tingyun said, “Anyway, Mo Yi has been arranging our meals these days. Why don’t we give our steamed buns and water to others? It might just solve someone’s urgent problem.”

An irrepressible smile flowed from Zhao Ling’s eyes.

He had thought that after experiencing what happened with her uncle, she would never trust others again or sympathize with the lonely and weak. He hadn’t expected…

“Good!” He smiled at her, his gaze bright, like sparkling jewels, causing Fu Tingyun to stare in a daze. “Be careful, don’t let others discover you. If everyone rushes over to grab food, you might get hurt.”

“Mm!” Fu Tingyun gathered her wits and nodded repeatedly, “I’ll give it quietly without letting others notice.”

Zhao Ling gave her a few more instructions before letting her go out.

The woman was still in the same place, expressionlessly holding her child on a straw mat. The man who had scolded her was not by her side.

Fu Tingyun seized an opportunity to approach the woman, making eye contact and gesturing for the woman to follow her.

The woman hesitated for a moment, perhaps because she had nothing left to lose and wasn’t afraid of others taking advantage of her. Eventually, she followed Fu Tingyun to the back courtyard of their temporary lodging.

Fu Tingyun saw that no one was around and handed her a bag of water and two steamed buns: “This is all I have, take it to save yourselves!”

The woman stared at the food in her hand for a long while before she reacted. Tears fell rapidly, her lips quivering, seemingly not knowing what to say. She knelt before Fu Tingyun with her child in her arms, repeatedly kowtowing.

Fu Tingyun hurriedly helped the woman up: “Quick, get up. This is all I can help you with. Hurry and give some to your child!” Fu Tingyun touched the listless child lying in his mother’s arms, with sparse yellowish hair. “The child is so weak from hunger!”

The woman kept nodding, repeatedly saying “thank you,” and was about to kneel down again to kowtow.

Fu Tingyun firmly pulled her up, not allowing it, and the woman finally gave up. She asked for a bowl and spoon, broke off a small piece of steamed bun, soaked it in water, and eagerly sat on the doorstep to feed her child.

Fu Tingyun sat nearby, watching.

Since her uncle’s death, she had been thinking about what happened to his family.

They were doing good deeds, so why did it end up inviting wolves into their home, resulting in the family’s destruction?

Could it be that even doing good deeds could be done incorrectly?

From childhood, she had been taught to “benefit neighbors, care for widows and orphans, respect the elderly and cherish the young,” so why was there such a big gap between reality and what she had been taught?

Until she met the Sixteenth Master at the City God Temple. That shopkeeper-like man with money in one hand and a sword in the other touched something in her heart.

Helping others without the ability to protect oneself, with money exposed, would only invite covetousness from others, putting oneself in danger. Only by having the ability to protect oneself before helping others could one truly care for orphans and benefit neighbors.

Hence the profound saying: “In poverty, cultivate one’s virtue; in prosperity, help the world.”

Now they had Mo Yi protecting them and extra food, so she dared to help this woman.

Even so, she still didn’t dare give all the food to the woman at once. She feared that after the woman returned, it might attract the envy of other refugees who might rob her, or even cause her to lose her life due to not having the ability to protect herself, turning a good deed into a bad one. She also worried that the woman might harbor ill intentions and scheme against her…

Seeing Fu Tingyun watching her, the woman shyly said, “I need to feed my child, afraid they’ll steal the buns.”

Fu Tingyun smiled and nodded, showing understanding, which put the woman at ease.

The child seemed unaccustomed at first, keeping the food in his mouth for a long time without swallowing. After a few mouthfuls, having tasted it, he began to devour it ravenously.

The mother’s face began to radiate with joyful smiles, warming Fu Tingyun’s heart as she watched.

She asked the woman, “How old is your child?”

“Ten months and five days!” the woman said happily. “Born on the first day of the eleventh lunar month in the Xinmao year. The fortune teller said his eight characters are good.” At this point, she seemed to remember something and hurriedly said to Fu Tingyun, “Why don’t you become his godmother?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake and stood up flusteredly, “Miss, look at me, I got so happy I became confused… You’re not married yet… The child’s life was saved by you… I just wanted to repay your kindness for saving our lives…”

In rural areas, there’s a custom of taking godchildren to pray for one’s children.

Fu Tingyun knew she meant well and smiled without taking offense.

The woman apologized repeatedly until the child cried in dissatisfaction from not being fed, then she sat down with an apologetic face and continued feeding the child the porridge made from soaked steamed buns.

Fu Tingyun quietly reminded her, “Don’t feed too much. When people in our family fall ill, they must first fast for a few days, then only drink thin porridge, and at first, only half a bowl… After being hungry for a long time, eating too much at once will make one uncomfortable.”

The woman nodded and immediately put down the spoon as advised.

But the child wouldn’t have it and began to cry loudly.

The woman carried the child back and forth in the courtyard to soothe him.

“Miss is from a wealthy family, right?” the woman chatted with Fu Tingyun.

A wealthy family’s young lady?

She used to be, but now… she was just like them, a person in distress, only her luck was better because she met Zhao Ling.

She smiled and shook her head.

But the woman didn’t believe her and said, “Miss, if you have dirty clothes to wash, just call me!” Afraid of being misunderstood, she quickly added, “I don’t want food, I just want to repay your life-saving kindness.” After speaking, she laughed awkwardly.

Now it was difficult even to get drinking water, let alone washing clothes.

“My husband just thinks I’m clumsy with words,” she stammered in explanation, “Please don’t take it to heart, Miss.” Then she closed her mouth and spoke no more.

Fu Tingyun found this woman quite interesting and asked her, “What’s your name?”

“My husband’s surname is Zheng, and he’s the third in his family.” she hesitated for a moment and said, “My surname is Tian, and because I was born in May, I was named Wuyue (May).”

She had shared her name, treating Fu Tingyun as one of her own.

Only close family friends or those in master-servant relationships would share their names.

Respect given, respect returned.

Fu Tingyun said, “Then I’ll call you Zheng San Niang!”

“No, no!” the woman hurriedly said, “You should still call me Wuyue!”

Fu Tingyun saw she was an honest person and didn’t argue, smiling as she changed the subject: “I thought you had all gone to Xi’an Prefecture?”

“We just came from Xi’an Prefecture,” Zheng San Niang said. “Xi’an Prefecture now only allows people to leave but not enter. People are being driven to Jiuligou. My husband said that continuing like this would likely cause an epidemic, so he brought us to Linchun Town…”

Fu Tingyun was somewhat surprised, not expecting such a brutish-looking man to have such insight.

As if guessing that Fu Tingyun didn’t have a good impression of her husband, Zheng San Niang said, “My husband used to work as an escort in a security bureau. Later, seeing his colleagues either dead or crippled, he didn’t want to live that life anymore, so he saved some money and returned to his hometown to buy a few acres of land.” Her eyes were bright, shining with pride, showing that she was proud of her husband. “Whether as an escort or a farmer, he’s very skilled.” Her gaze gradually dimmed. “It’s just that the bad harvest has turned him into what he is now.” She took a deep breath and forced a bright smile. “Even so, he treats us, mother and child, very well, bringing us to Xi’an Prefecture. When we had nothing to eat, others wanted to trade for our child, but my husband never agreed…”

Fu Tingyun felt a sourness in her heart, tears almost falling.

Zheng San Niang hurriedly comforted her: “It’s alright, it’s alright. Now we’ve met you, Miss… Our little one indeed has good fortune…”

Fu Tingyun smiled and sniffed: “Where is your husband?”

“He went outside the town to see if he could find some tree bark and white soil…” At this point, Zheng San Niang exclaimed, “Oh!” and hastily stood up. “He told me to stay there and not move, saying he would return soon…” She looked up at the sky; it was almost noon. “Miss, I must go back first, I’ll come back later to kowtow to you.” Saying this, she stuffed the remaining food into a corner of the backyard and somewhat embarrassedly said to Fu Tingyun, “Saving it for tomorrow!”

“Then what about you…” Fu Tingyun looked at her in surprise.

“We adults can go hungry for a few days, but children cannot,” Zheng San Niang’s sallow face glowed with a faint radiance comparable to pearls and jade, leaving Fu Tingyun speechless for a moment before she could say: “Don’t worry, I’ll get you more tomorrow, you should eat something to fill your stomach first…”

Zheng San Niang shook her head: “Thank you, Miss!” She looked at Fu Tingyun with sincere eyes. “Everyone’s life is difficult. You’ve already saved some from your own rations for us, we’re infinitely grateful, how could we let you help us again…” With countless thanks, she took her child and left.

As she left, she carefully closed the courtyard door.

Fu Tingyun stood in the courtyard for a long time before turning and slowly going upstairs.

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Ling asked her softly. “Your nose is red. Did that woman make you sad?” A flash of sharpness crossed his eyes.

Lost in thought, Fu Tingyun didn’t notice and gently shook her head: “No…” She told him what had happened.

Zhao Ling smiled, his brow serene: “It shows there are still good people!”

Fu Tingyun nodded with a smile, thinking that she had been gone for half a day, and Zhao Ling had been lying in bed alone with no one to attend to him. She hurriedly poured some cool boiled water for Zhao Ling: “What was the Ninth Master doing this morning?”

“Nothing much,” Zhao Ling drank the water. “Slept all morning.”

How boring!

Fu Tingyun: “If only we could find a book to read!” As she spoke, her eyes brightened. In times of famine, food was precious, but perhaps no one would want books!

“Wait a moment, I’ll go look.” She remembered there was an accounting room downstairs and, ignoring Zhao Ling’s objections, quickly went down.

Downstairs, Mo Yi was lighting a fire at the kitchen door.

Black smoke billowed, filling the room, but the firewood remained firewood, and the cold pot remained cold.

He coughed while cursing under his breath.

He was not skilled at cooking.

Seeing Fu Tingyun, he looked relieved and exclaimed with delight: “Miss Fu, you must know how to cook?”

Miss Fu… who told him her surname was Fu… this Mo Yi was indeed not simple.

Fu Tingyun inwardly snorted a couple of times, then widened her eyes innocently and said with a guileless expression: “Me! When I was at home, it was always the kitchen maids who cooked!”

Mo Yi’s mouth hung open wide, unable to close for a long time.