Zheng Boyuan ate a few bites of food, put down his chopsticks, sighed, and said, "Brother Xu, from now on, my sister and I will depend on each other for survival. Actually, I'm still a little scared."

Xu Di advised, "It's good to be afraid. You're only a few years old. If you're not afraid, I will be."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Boyuan smiled and said, "Then I will have to rely on Brother Xu a lot in the future. If I need any help from Brother Xu, I hope Brother Xu won't find it troublesome."

Xu Di listened and said, "Since you've said that, what else can I say? You have to believe in yourself. Whatever happens in the future, it's all your own doing, don't you agree?"

Zheng Boyuan nodded and said, "I'm ready. I can take my sister with me to Hexi anytime. I want my sister to see the world and not just wake up to that small courtyard. Once we get to Hexi, I'll ask Lord Xu to buy a small house for her and settle her down. Then I'll go with Prince Wei."

Xu Di said, "Have you thought about it? You're a boy, so things will be easier for you in the future, but what about your sister? She'll have to get married eventually. If she stays with you in Hexi forever, what will happen to her? She's about ten years old now, almost at the age to be engaged."

Zheng Boyuan sighed and said, "I've thought about all of this. For now, we can only take it one step at a time. Although it's just my sister and me living there, I still have my maternal grandmother and my eldest uncle. They can always help my sister find a good family. My mother's dowry was all given to Xiao Chenshi. My eldest uncle said that those worldly possessions could save my sister and me, so it was well spent. The Marquis of Pingxi gave us some shops, and I've seen the deeds. They're all in good locations, as well as an estate in the suburbs of the capital. I've entrusted them all to my eldest uncle to manage. I'll leave all these things to my sister as her dowry. As for me, if I work hard with the Crown Prince Wei, why should I worry about not having fame, fortune, or gold and silver?"

Xu Di nodded and said, "I'm relieved that you've considered this."

Xu Di stayed in the capital for a few more days until Zheng Boyuan had settled his affairs. Then, together with him, they set off for Hexi in a grand procession, accompanied by more than a dozen carriages and servants arranged by the Chen family to take care of Zheng Boyuan and his sister.

Zheng Yuanyuan sat in a carriage, her heart pounding like the swaying carriage. She didn't know what awaited her or what the future held for herself and her brother. To be honest, it was impossible not to feel resentful after being separated from her family by her own father.

Zheng Yuanyuan was raised by her older brother and grandmother from a young age, and she also had servants sent by the Chen family. In particular, her personal nanny was carefully searched by the Chen family from outside. That nanny had served noble ladies in the palace before. Because she knew the old lady of the Pingxi Marquis's mansion, she had some influence in front of the Pingxi Marquis after she came here, which is why she was not made difficult by Xiao Chenshi.

The Chen family went to great lengths to find such a nanny for Zheng Yuanyuan, hoping to prevent her from going astray in the environment of the Pingxi Marquis's mansion. From a young age, the nanny taught her to distinguish right from wrong, and she also gradually told Zheng Yuanyuan about some private matters in the Pingxi Marquis's mansion, so that Zheng Yuanyuan would understand what kind of environment she was in.

Over the years, the Chen family's efforts have not been in vain. The two children have finally not recognized their enemy as their father, and they know why their mother died. They also understand that they are still very weak, and the only thing they can do is to protect themselves so that they can have a future and hope for revenge.

Zheng Yuanyuan was thinking about these things inside the carriage, while Zheng Boyuan and Xu Di rode their horses side by side ahead.

Zheng Boyuan said, "When we were leaving, the Marquis of Pingxi actually came to see us off. I don't know why he came. We're no longer family. Why is he being so polite?"

Xu Di said, "Can't you at least let him reflect on his actions and alleviate his guilt a little?"

Zheng Boyuan chuckled and said, "It's not that I look down on him. I told him, thank you for coming to see me off, Uncle. I appreciate the sentiment, but we can skip the formalities. After all, we're from the same family, and it's not good to always be so polite."

Xu Di smiled and said, "We still need to observe proper etiquette and accept what we should accept. After all, we shouldn't make things difficult for people, but we shouldn't make things difficult for things."

Zheng Boyuan laughed and said, "Brother Xu, you are right, so I accepted the things. I also told Marquis Pingxi that if he feels uncomfortable in the future, he can send things to me and my sister in Hexi. We don't care about the price of the things."

Xu Di said, "You can't always be so hurtful. You should learn from me from now on."

Zheng Boyuan said, "I really should learn this from you. I feel there is so much I need to learn from you."

They endured wind and rain along the way, and arrived at Hexi in less than twenty days.

The Xu family has moved into the newly built house behind the county government office, which is next to the general's mansion. The new house is a large courtyard with five sections, built just like the sky and earth in the northwest, tall and spacious.

Looking at the frail Zheng Yuanyuan, Zhang Zhaoci sighed inwardly. The two children had such a hard life, losing their mother at a young age, but thankfully they managed to survive.

The houses next to the county government office, besides a few courtyards reserved for the county government's yamen runners and servants as single dormitories, also included some small courtyards with two or three courtyards. Because of their high prices, not many were sold. When Zheng Boyuan arrived, he happened to choose a small courtyard with three courtyards next to the back of the county government office.

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