Due to Madam Zeng’s illness, Lu Chang’s group stayed in Pei County for three days.
Apart from her memories, Ming Shu recovered well, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. After changing into new clothes, her back condition indeed improved. She could get some peaceful sleep, gradually becoming more energetic. The anxiety after waking from her injury gradually calmed, and she slowly regained her former spirit, smiling more often.
Though the empty past made one anxious, it didn’t bring pain. Ming Shu didn’t feel particularly distressed, but while her face showed no signs of trouble, the doubts in her heart never truly subsided. From her physical condition to her mismatched living habits with them, everything reminded her of their differences.
For instance, Madam Zeng and Lu Chang came from poor backgrounds and were skilled in all household matters, but she couldn’t do even the simplest tasks like lighting a stove or boiling water. That day, when she wanted to wash clothes, she stood frozen at the well—these skills that should have been as natural as eating and dressing, her body had no memory of them as if she had never done them before. In the end, Lu Chang came out and skillfully drew water and washed clothes, doing what she should have done.
Another example was eating. Madam Zeng and Lu Chang were frugal, eating mostly dry food for their three daily meals, either flatbread or steamed buns, accompanied by pickled vegetables that Madam Zeng had prepared in Jiangning. Ming Shu couldn’t get used to these foods; cold flatbread and steamed buns were hard to swallow, and she would often give up after just two bites. Later, Madam Zeng noticed this and stopped the cart to cook some chestnut rice porridge for her while traveling. Lu Chang would hunt wild birds or pheasants for her meals, and at inns, they would order some local snacks to satisfy her cravings. Though the food remained humble, they at least accommodated her tastes.
For these differences, Lu Chang gave her just one explanation: you were pampered since childhood, you’ve never done these things before, and you don’t need to do them in the future.
From this perspective, she did seem like the precious youngest daughter cherished by Madam Zeng and Lu Chang. There were indeed families in town who doted on their daughters this way, and the background Lu Chang told her seemed to make sense.
But… she still had doubts. The missing memories made the past like a blank canvas for anyone to paint on. She couldn’t be certain that Lu Chang and Madam Zeng weren’t ill-intentioned people, like kidnappers perhaps? But would kidnappers be like Madam Zeng and Lu Chang, knowing her preferences and protecting her life? That didn’t make sense either. Moreover, through their interactions these days, she could see that Madam Zeng and Lu Chang were familiar with her. At the very least, they must have been acquaintances before.
Perhaps she was overthinking, and Madam Zeng was truly her mother, while Lu Chang was truly her brother.
Knock knock—
Two knocks on the door, and she sat up hugging her quilt, drowsily calling out, “Come in.”
The door pushed open, and Lu Chang walked in from the bright light outside, stopping two steps from the bed, frowning as he said, “Still not up?”
The person on the bed looked at him while rubbing her eyes, her body still hidden in the blanket, all bundled up, with cheeks flushed from sleep, sporting messy hair and a confused expression.
Ming Shu replied, “Right away.” She had been awake for some time, just lying there lost in thought.
“Did you sleep well last night?” Lu Chang placed the small earthen jar he was holding on her bedside.
Ming Shu nodded.
Lu Chang had requested two rooms in total. Because Madam Zeng was ill and needed care during the night, Ming Shu had initially volunteered, but Lu Chang sent her to rest in this room instead. At night, Madam Zeng was cared for by Lu Chang alone, and during the day, Ming Shu would take turns with him. With an entire room to herself and no one to disturb her, she naturally slept sweetly.
“Still need to drink?” She glanced at the earthen jar, making a bitter face.
The jar contained the medicinal drink that Lu Chang had bought early in the morning. Madam Zeng had a common cold, and since she was unwilling to see a doctor, she had Lu Chang buy suitable medicine from the town’s drink shop. Lu Chang worried that Ming Shu might catch the illness, would always bring an extra portion of the medicinal drink and make her drink it.
Though called a “fragrant” drink, this medicine was quite bitter for Ming Shu.
“Prevention is better than cure. Drink up quickly!” Lu Chang watched her.
With such a mountain guardian before her bed, Ming Shu knew there was no escape. She picked up the earthen jar and threw her head back to drink, finishing it in two or three gulps. Her entire face wrinkled up as she cried out about the bitterness, nearly sticking out her tongue.
“Keep it in your mouth.” Lu Chang’s fingertip flicked, and something accurately landed in Ming Shu’s mouth.
Ming Shu quickly closed her mouth, her tongue tasting sweetness—it was candy.
“So many quirks. Hurry and get up, we’re setting out today. If we’re any later, it might snow,” Lu Chang scolded her once, then turned and left the room.
Ming Shu hugged her quilt, slowly savoring the candy, thinking to herself—
A brother should be just like this, shouldn’t he?
Looking annoyed on the surface, but still caring for her in his heart.
On their third day in Pei County, Lu Chang again set out with Madam Zeng and Ming Shu.
The sky was somewhat gloomy, and the wind blew strongly, carrying dust from the road that blinded people’s eyes—a harbinger of snow. Lu Chang wore a wind hood and bamboo hat, covering his face and neck tightly as he drove the cart against the cold wind. Ming Shu and Madam Zeng took shelter in the carriage, and even through the thin carriage walls, they could hear the howling wind outside.
Because of Ming Shu’s injury and Madam Zeng’s illness, they had delayed many days on the road. If they arrived in the capital any later, they might run into the year-end, when renting houses would be much more difficult. Therefore, Lu Chang increased the cart’s speed, hoping to reach Bianjing earlier, but the weather was truly unfavorable. Just one day after leaving Pei County, snow indeed began to fall.
At normal speed, it would take three days to reach the next city, but according to Lu Chang’s plan, if they hurried, they could arrive in two days and find lodging before the snow became heavy.
He had planned well, but unfortunately, this snowfall was unusual.
The sky was so dark it seemed about to press down, yet the wind grew increasingly fierce. At first, it was just snow powder, swirling in the air with dust, creating a gray mist all around that made it difficult to see the road ahead, forcing the cart to slow down. Half a day later, the wind showed no signs of weakening but grew more violent. The snow powder turned into snowflakes, falling like they were covering heaven and earth, further reducing visibility, and the cart’s speed was almost at a crawl.
Even though the cart was moving at its slowest speed, Ming Shu, hidden in the carriage and unable to see the outside scene, realized something was wrong.
The temperature inside the carriage seemed to drop dramatically within half a day. Even though she was sheltered inside, her hands and feet were already ice-cold. The howling of the wind that came through the carriage walls sounded like the prolonged cry of a giant beast, whimpering past her ears, disturbing her heart.
If she was this cold inside, what about Lu Chang driving the cart outside?
After some thought, Ming Shu rushed to the carriage door and opened it a crack—the wind suddenly gushed in, and she couldn’t hold it steady at first, letting the door be blown open wider, finally managing to brace it with effort.
Outside was dark and gloomy, with the road ahead and both sides barely visible. Lu Chang would be at the front of the cart, with snow covering his head and body. Hearing the noise behind him, he turned his head and shouted, “What are you doing out here? Get back inside!”
His voice was half-swallowed by the wind, barely reaching Ming Shu’s ears. She couldn’t see his face clearly, and holding onto the door, she shouted back, “What’s wrong with this weather?”
“Blizzard!” He was still shouting, “Get back inside quickly!”
Ming Shu was startled and turned to dive back into the carriage, her heart pounding.
Recalling the scene she had just witnessed, Ming Shu felt increasingly uneasy. The road was winding through mountains, with a cliff on one side, but now the snow and wind made it impossible to see front, back, left, or right. If they weren’t careful, the cart might drive off the cliff. Moreover, in such cold weather, how could Lu Chang endure alone against the wind and snow?
She wanted to help but had no way to do so, and this feeling was extremely uncomfortable.
“What happened?” Madam Zeng, who had been drowsily sleeping, woke up and asked, “I thought I heard Chang’er’s voice.”
She heard the voice but couldn’t make out the content.
“Nothing, the road isn’t very good outside, he said he’ll drive more slowly,” Ming Shu forced herself to calm down and reassured Madam Zeng.
She knew Lu Chang was most filial and wouldn’t want his mother to worry. If she couldn’t help him outside, then at least keeping Madam Zeng calm here would ease his concerns.
“Why has it gotten so much colder?” Madam Zeng shivered and rubbed her arms.
“Maybe because we’re up in the mountains now.” As Ming Shu spoke, she shook out the thick blanket she was wrapped in to cover Madam Zeng.
Madam Zeng quickly grabbed her hands, smiling gently, “Good child, I’m not cold, wrap yourself up tightly, don’t catch a chill.”
Ming Shu then opened the blanket and hugged Madam Zeng, wrapping both of them in the blanket together. She also rested her head lightly on Madam Zeng’s shoulder, saying, “This is warmer.”
Madam Zeng felt even more tender towards her, stroking her head and saying, “Silly child.”
Ming Shu smiled without saying anything.
With mother by her side and brother outside, she seemed to have nothing to fear.
When the cart stopped, it ran over some rocks, waking Ming Shu, who realized she had dozily fallen asleep while hugging Madam Zeng. The sound of wind and snow outside showed no signs of stopping, and now that the cart had stopped, had something happened?
She laid the sleeping Madam Zeng down flat and had just risen when the door was pushed open from outside, revealing Lu Chang, wrapped up with only his eyes visible.
“Found an inn to stay at, we’ll wait out this snowstorm before making further plans. I’ll go check it out first,” Lu Chang said in a hoarse voice.
“Wait, I’ll go with you,” Ming Shu glanced at the sleeping Madam Zeng and said, crouching to reach the door.
Lu Chang thought for a moment and said, “All right, wrap yourself up tightly, it’s extremely cold outside.”
Ming Shu casually took a thin blanket, threw it over her head, and was about to jump down from the cart when Lu Chang stopped her.
He was already standing on the ground, and with her in the cart, they were at eye level. Lu Chang grabbed her thin blanket and wrapped it around her face, tucking it in without leaving any gaps before he was satisfied, saying only, “Didn’t I tell you to wrap up tightly before coming down?”
Ming Shu guessed she looked just like him now, with only their eyes visible on their faces. Their four eyes met, and she couldn’t help but laugh, pressing on his arm as she jumped down from the cart, also shivering, “It’s so cold!”
“Maybe you should go back to the cart and wait for me,” Lu Chang said.
Ming Shu turned and pushed a small charcoal stove into his hands, then held his hands and rubbed them continuously. Though he wore gloves, his hands were still stiff from the cold. Lu Chang was startled for a moment, hearing her say “Warm up quickly” while brushing the snow off his head and shoulders. Her hand wiped across his eyes, shaking off the snow on his eyelashes. He finally came to his senses and quickly grabbed her hand to let go, saying only, “Let’s go inside and look first.” As he spoke, he had already turned and strode toward the inn.
The wind was blowing fiercely, making the grass and trees sway east and west. Slightly weaker people would have been blown over. Lu Chang walked by himself at first, but after two steps, he turned back and tightly held Ming Shu’s hand as they walked forward. Everything around was hazy, and they couldn’t tell the time. If not for the lamplight shining through ahead, no one would have known there was a building there.
In the wilderness, it couldn’t be someone’s home, it must be a small inn for travelers to rest.
After walking a few steps, they saw a square courtyard with a wooden sign swaying in the wind at the entrance, indeed a small inn called Penglai.
The inn’s courtyard wasn’t empty, with several carts parked there. These were cargo carts, but now there were no horses or goods to be seen, only the cart shells remained. Lu Chang slowed his pace and looked around for a few moments, then heard Ming Shu’s voice, “Oh? Are there others like us seeking shelter from the snow? Looks like they arrived just a bit before us.”
“Oh?” Lu Chang seemed to want her to explain.
“The snow has been falling for a while, but there isn’t much on these carts, and the wheel tracks in the courtyard aren’t completely covered, so they must not have been here long,” Ming Shu explained, then added, “Looking at the arrangement of these carts and horses, those seeking shelter here might be a merchant caravan.”
“Not a merchant caravan,” Lu Chang wasn’t in a hurry to enter the inn now, but instead circled these cart shells and looked at the stable beside the inn for a couple of glances, indeed seeing several horses eating grass and drinking water.
“This is an escort agency’s convoy,” Lu Chang said.
“Ah?” Ming Shu was slightly surprised, but quickly asked him, “An escort convoy? How can you tell?”
Lu Chang said, “There are hidden emblems of the escort agency on the carts.”
“How does a scholar like you know these things?” Ming Shu asked curiously.
Lu Chang didn’t answer—in his poor childhood years, with a widowed mother unable to protect him, he had spent several years mixing with various people in Jiangning County, making acquaintances with all sorts of characters, and was familiar with these matters of the jianghu.
Ming Shu didn’t persist, but muttered to herself, “Escorts can be either open or secret, is this convoy carrying open or secret cargo?”
She asked herself, then analyzed, “Escort agencies have rules for protecting cargo, logically they should have people on guard duty outside, but since we entered here, we haven’t met anyone. With so many carts, this convoy must have quite a few people, yet there’s no sound coming from the inn, could it be that…” She had a bad feeling, but thought she might be overreacting, and carefully said, “If that’s the case, the goods they’re transporting must be quite valuable, it should be…”
“Secret cargo,” Lu Chang said in unison with her.
Ming Shu stared at him with wide eyes.
Lu Chang was also curious—her analysis was thorough and matched his thoughts exactly, but she was a sheltered young lady, how did she have such knowledge?
He didn’t ask this question because there would be no answer—she had lost her memories. What he didn’t know was that the Jian family dealt with gold items, and the transportation of their goods always involved valuable items, necessitating escort agency protection. Simple Ming Shu had long helped her family manage business, and although she hadn’t dealt with it directly, she was familiar with it. Those things, like mathematics and poetry, were still remembered in her heart and hadn’t been forgotten.
This curiosity was quickly suppressed as both of them felt a dense unease settle over their hearts.
If this inn was a trap, should they stay or not? If they didn’t stay, with a bigger blizzard approaching, they had nowhere else to take shelter.
Neither option was good, and as they looked at each other, neither spoke.
[Author’s Note: Ming Shu, Lu Chang, this stubborn habit of yours of not speaking your mind, you won’t be able to find a spouse like this!]