The next morning, Ruizhen arrived at work early.
Li Qiang and Song Xiaoyu worked for half the night and were so tired that they could barely stand up straight. They had planned to sleep in a little longer in the morning, but who knew that Ruizhen would arrive earlier than anyone else.
"Am I too early today?" Ruizhen asked, looking at the listless people.
Zhang Xiue yawned and led her inside, saying, "It's not early. We're just too lazy. Look at you, taking care of the child all by yourself and getting up so early. We, who are nimble and agile, are not as good as you. It's really laughable."
“I had nothing to do when I got up, so I helped my mother-in-law get dressed and washed and then came over.”
Looking at her pale face, Zhang Xiue felt a little sorry for her. "Did you not eat? Didn't you eat last night either? You don't look well."
Ruizhen forced a smile and shook her head. "There were only a few sesame seed cakes left at home. I gave them to my mother-in-law last night, and I boiled them in water to soften them this morning and fed them to her. I didn't eat any, but it's okay. I can work, and I'll get my wages soon, right? I hope you can give me something else to eat then."
Zhang Xiu'e shifted her gaze to Qin Xiaoniang, and in an instant, Qin Xiaoniang understood her meaning and brought over a bowl of the breakfast she had prepared that morning.
"From now on, you'll be eating with us. But don't be shy, we'll deduct the cost of your meals from your wages."
Upon hearing this, Ruizhen's eyes reddened. "I...I don't know what good fortune I accumulated in my past life to meet such kind people like you..."
Song He'er stepped forward and advised, "Auntie, don't be sad. We only helped you because we know you are a good person. If it were any other domineering woman, she wouldn't have given us a single penny."
Song He'er was speaking from the heart. Her current situation was several times worse than Qin Xiaoniang's. If she could do something even a little, it would be a good deed.
"I understand. Don't worry, I will definitely talk less and do more, and I won't ask questions I shouldn't ask. I will definitely not cause you any trouble."
"Alright, now that we've eaten, let's get to work. The merchants will be coming to pick up their goods tonight."
"good!"
After everyone discussed and made a decision, they quickly ate a few bites of rice and began working on the project.
As noon approached, the temperature rose slightly, and people's hands and feet no longer felt so cold, so they worked a little faster.
As Song He'er strung bamboo strips, she glanced at the crowd approaching from a distance...
“Those people look a bit like government soldiers…” Li Qiang’s wife suddenly said.
Song He'er looked closely and saw that they were all tall and had ruddy complexions, which did not seem like prisoners suffering from hunger here. As for their appearance, she did not remember much.
However, since Li Qiang's wife brought it up, she must have some recollection of them. These people should be the soldiers who guarded the gates of Xinzhou that day.
“Mother, Third Aunt, quickly cover all the oil-paper umbrellas with blankets to prevent these busybodies from seeing them.”
"Yes, yes, I'll do it right away!" Zhang Xiue was quick and efficient. She rushed into the tent, took out three or four cotton quilts, and covered all the oil-paper umbrellas with them.
Seeing their furtive behavior, Song He'er was certain that they had done something shady again, which was why they were peeking around like that.
To verify whether they were secretly in contact with Song Xiaoqi, Song He'er decided to follow them to find out, but for her own safety, she had to call another person.
If Song Xiaoqi's crimes are proven, and those around him witnessed them firsthand, then these things wouldn't just be something she made up out of thin air...
"Third Uncle, come with me to take a look. It's possible my father sent another letter out through someone..."
Song Xiaoqi was puzzled by her behavior. "Your father has been sending letters out for a long time. It's just a matter of giving some benefits so that those people outside can send some personal things in. There's nothing to make a fuss about."
"If that's all there is to it, would I have asked my third uncle to come with me to see it?" Song He'er countered.
Zhang Xiue frowned and walked between the two of them. "What kind of riddles are you two playing? I can't understand them at all."
"It's alright, Third Aunt. You stay here with my mother and take good care of the house. We'll be right back."
Song Xiaoyu understood the implication in Song He'er's words, so she didn't refuse and agreed to go forward with her to take a look.
Before Qin Xiaoniang could even speak, the two had already left.
Left with no other choice, she could only shake her head.
Once the soldiers had gone far away, Zhang Xiue lifted the quilt, and the group continued working.
Along the way, Song He'er followed carefully behind, afraid of losing her and not being able to see any clues.
"Hey He'er, where did you hear this news? I don't think it's necessary to follow these people. They're just lackeys who do things for money. Whoever pays them, they'll fawn over them..."
"Third Uncle, just trust my intuition. I'm doing this for the good of us all. What if my father has ill intentions and only thinks about his own interests? In the end, he could harm us. We've come all the way from the capital to here, and it's already hard enough for us to survive. Are we all going to lose our heads because of him?"
Song Xiaoyu became more and more confused as she listened, but seeing Song He'er's confident and determined expression, she began to have bad thoughts.
"Could it be that my elder brother has been doing some shady things behind the backs of the imperial court?"
Song He'er didn't want to talk about her biological father like that, but this man was so despicable that it was impossible to feel any father-daughter affection for him.
"Third Uncle, now that Father is in prison, those officials who used to be close to him are avoiding him like the plague. Why would they deliberately befriend Father? Is it because Father didn't implicate them at the crucial moment, thus saving their positions?"
"If that's really the case, you should be in a hurry to silence them. In officialdom, self-preservation is a principle everyone understands. If there's no profit in it, who can guarantee they won't kick you when you're down? Third Uncle, you should understand this better than I do, right?"
Song Xiaoyu was completely bewildered and even somewhat incredulous. "How did you learn all this at such a young age? I'm starting to suspect that you're the one with the best potential for navigating the officialdom. To be honest, did your mother secretly teach you military strategy?"
Song He'er looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say.
"I... of course not. What would my mother, a mere woman, know? These are all skills I secretly learned in the general's mansion. The scholar taught me, and I also read several books thoroughly, so naturally I understand."
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