Actually, this inn was quite nice. It was probably because the guests were mostly homeless people with a little money, so the prices were reasonable, and the staff didn't treat them any differently because of their tattered clothes.
However, for Qin San Niang, a young woman who had always had a smooth and successful life, being dressed like a beggar amidst this bustling scene was quite a shock. Although this prosperity might be a facade of peace or a fleeting moment, in chaotic times, who can remain unscathed?
"Ma'am, do you have a travel permit or household registration certificate? We need these to stay here."
The man knew that these refugees had a difficult journey. Ordinary families might not have had time to obtain travel permits, but they still had household registration certificates.
Upon arriving in the south, only those migrants carrying household registration certificates could be granted new status by the government and allowed to settle down in an unfamiliar place. Those without household registration were considered unregistered and became true migrants. Migrants were not only denied housing and farmland, but also struggled to find decent work, making their lives incredibly miserable.
This household registration certificate is the same as the current ID card.
If asked suddenly, Qin San Niang might not know, but when she entered the city, she had already received the household registration certificate from Liu Shi and carefully placed it in the pocket of her clothes. When she heard that she needed to register her household registration to check in, she quickly took it out and gave it to the innkeeper.
The mother and daughter, Fatty, also had children. Speaking of which, we must commend Wu Chunhua's shrewdness. Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, Wu Chunhua was a meticulous woman. Even in the chaotic circumstances of the other day, she hadn't forgotten to retrieve the mother and daughter's household registrations. According to her, since there were no conditions for divorce on the road, separating their household registrations would settle the matter. She would register them with the government in the south, so as not to delay her husband from remarrying.
Qin San Niang was suspicious. Shouldn't it be common to have three wives and four concubines in this era?
Liu said that was the way of wealthy families. How many farmers like them had the spare money to take concubines? Besides, what woman would want to be a concubine in a farmer's house? After the divorce, it wouldn't stop Fatty's father from getting married. How could her wicked grandmother disagree?
Qin San Niang sighed again, thinking that she was actually doing quite well now. She had no man, no mother-in-law or father-in-law, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune! Could it be that God saw that she had suffered enough from a scoundrel of a man in her previous life?
After checking in, Qin San Niang gave the waiter two copper coins and asked him to boil some water so they could take a bath later.
The waiter naturally agreed. The woman was particular, and he planned to boil several pots of water and send them over. It was just a matter of using up some firewood, nothing serious...
Fatty and her mother were surprised to be able to take a bath. When they learned that the hot water was actually bought by Qin San Niang with copper coins, they were somewhat bewildered. Wu Shi thought to herself, "I'm owing more and more favors." However, seeing Fatty's longing eyes and considering her own body odor, she, being a clean person, couldn't refuse.
"Fatty, your third aunt has been incredibly kind to us. We should be grateful and repay them properly in the future," said Madam Wu as she rubbed her daughter's back. The loofah used for rubbing was a gift from the young shop assistant, and the chubby girl was covered in a lot of black dirt from the scrubbing.
Although Fatty wasn't very clever, she still knew who was good and who was bad. For example, her second aunt was a bad person, and Fatty didn't like her.
“I understand, Mother. Third Aunt and Auntie are really good people. I’m strong and can do a lot of work for them.”
Following Aunt San and Granny Liu, Fatty ate several full meals and felt quite comfortable with the Wang family's children, who never threw mud at her!
The situation was not so pleasant for Qin San Niang. Since Liu Shi was unable to move, the task of bathing the children fell to her. For the first time, Qin San Niang found bathing the children to be a difficult task.
Remembering that she had only given the wild monkeys a quick rinse when she bathed in the wild last time, and now that there was hot water and a large wooden tub, Qin San Niang decided to give them a proper wash. The children, who hadn't had a bath in a long time, sat in the tub and started playing in the water.
Qin San Niang kept trying to reassure herself, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. No little kid dislikes playing in the water!"
Furthermore, the floors of this building are all rammed earth, which is extremely difficult to sweep when wet. If you step on it a few times, muddy footprints will be everywhere...
The eldest child was quite sensible; after playing in the water for a while, he quickly came out to help his mother tidy up his younger brother and sister.
With the help of the eldest child, Qin San Niang was finally able to tidy up all the children, albeit with some difficulty.
She quickly found clothes for the child to wear, then turned around and touched the water, only to find it was cold. She hurried to the kitchen and asked the servants to bring two basins of water. Only then could she and Liu take a bath.
Liu felt somewhat embarrassed that her eldest daughter insisted on bathing her, and besides, she wasn't completely immobile.
Seeing her mother in this state, Qin Sanniang couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. "Mother, I am your eldest daughter, it is my duty to serve you, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, how am I supposed to wash your back? And if you accidentally hurt your leg again, when will you be able to help me take care of the baby?"
Liu was a kind mother, just like her own mother in her previous life. Qin San Niang felt the same way. Since she had taken the place of someone else's daughter, these things were only right and proper. Perhaps a soul had also taken over her body. Putting herself in that person's shoes, she hoped that person would treat her parents well.
Hearing her eldest daughter say this, Liu was worried that if her leg injury kept recurring, it would delay her family's journey, so she didn't struggle and obediently sat on the stool to let her eldest daughter wash her. She wondered where her third daughter had gotten the soap tongs; the scent was so refreshing! It must have been a gift from the gods.
Liu dared not ask any more questions, for fear of offending the gods.
Just like last time she secretly instructed Qin San Niang not to be so wasteful with food. San Niang, however, kept saying, "How can I have the strength to walk if I don't eat enough? How can I reach the South without strength? Or what if I collapse from exhaustion once I get there? How will I survive?"...
These kinds of words made a lot of sense to Liu. Moreover, Third Sister also said that if they wasted the food given by the gods, the gods might get angry and stop giving them food. This really frightened her. She quickly waved her hand and said that everything would be arranged by her eldest daughter. If they offended the gods, not giving them food would be secondary. If something else went wrong, it would be no laughing matter.
That night, Liu knelt down with her hands clasped together, muttering incantations, hoping the gods would not blame her for her arrogant words.
Qin San Niang hadn't expected that her casual remark would make Liu Shi so nervous. But then she thought it was a good thing; at least her mother wouldn't object to her bringing out anything good.
Everyone says that it is a gift from an elder that cannot be refused, let alone a gift from a deity!
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