"Young master, did you catch a cold because you got caught in the rain that day? Would you like to take some medicine?" Xiao Dong asked anxiously.

"No, that's not it. I've been taking so many medicinal baths at the Gu family's house these past few months, and I'm in great health. I'm just worried about something happening at home. My grandmother is getting old, and although the letter mentioned that my mother had caught a cold, I'm more worried about my grandmother," said Fatty Wang.

"Young master, don't worry, the old lady has always been in good health. The letter only said that the lady caught a cold, not the old lady, so the old lady is definitely fine. Think about it, young master, the old lady rarely gets sick. The lady catches a cold every time the seasons change. These are all minor matters. Besides, don't we still have the medicine pills that the third young lady gave us for older people? When we go back, the old lady and the lady will definitely get healthier and healthier. Even the master will have fewer worries!" Xiao Dong advised.

“That’s true, but I’m still worried. So, tomorrow at dawn, regardless of whether the rain has stopped or not, we’ll buy the cattle and set off as planned,” said Fatty Wang.

“Alright, young master. You should continue to sleep! If it rains again tomorrow, it might be inconvenient for us to rest while we're driving the oxcart,” the servant Xiao Dong advised again.

"Okay. You should rest too!" Fatty Wang nodded.

That night, just like Zheng Qiu, Fatty Wang couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning until dawn.

After discussing with the elderly family who were staying there, they found that they had plenty of money and easily bought an oxcart. By then, the autumn harvest was over, and there were two families willing to sell their oxen. Following the old man's advice, Xiao Dong bought one from one of them and even gave them a harness. After the harness was put on, he went to the old man's house to pick up Fatty Wang.

Fatty Wang left another ten taels of silver for his injured attendant, Xiao Xi, telling him to take good care of his leg and, once the rain stopped, to ask one of the village's young men to make a trip to the capital to deliver a message to the Prince's mansion, so that the steward could send someone to fetch them, or to have someone fetch a doctor and wait for them to return.

Anyway, it's Xiaoxi's choice.

As for the old man's accommodation and the cost of taking care of Xiao Xi, Fatty Wang paid for it all.

As dawn broke, the rain hadn't stopped, but it had lessened.

Fatty Wang followed Xiao Dong as they drove the oxcart.

He had actually learned how to drive a horse-drawn carriage after following Gu Xin, but he had barely slept last night and was feeling rather listless.

Xiao Dong is in control of most of it.

Because the road was muddy and difficult to walk on, it took almost an hour to reach the official road.

They were lucky; they encountered a carriage as soon as they got on the official road. It was the carriage of the East-West Escort Agency, and the person in charge was someone Wang Pangzi had met before through Gu Xin. Moreover, the East-West Escort Agency's carriage departed from the west gate of the capital and would definitely pass through Tongzhou if it took the official road. So Wang Pangzi hitched a ride with them.

Xiao Dong, pulling his things, slowly made his way back; once on the official road, the journey would be much easier.

If it weren't for the fact that Fatty Wang was carrying so much stuff that the镖局's (escort agency's) cart couldn't fit it all, Fatty Wang would have wanted Xiao Dong to drive the oxcart back to the village.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room to carry everything. He had brought a lot of things back to his family, so he had to take them with him. Therefore, Xiao Dong had to drive the oxcart to Tongzhou, arriving a little later.

Even though Fatty Wang could only manage to get a seat on the outside of the carriage, it was packed with stuff, and even though he had lost weight, he couldn't get a seat inside.