She still had no intention of abandoning her younger siblings. The Yang family and the third branch of the family were too vicious, and the two children were too young. If it weren't for her protection as their older sister, they would definitely be abused to the point of being nothing but ashes.
I had just finished packing the wood ear mushrooms and was about to go out when I looked up and saw a figure walking in front of her house.
Qiu Yan's first thought was that it might be that Old Qiu's family had come to cause trouble again.
She quickly left the courtyard; it wasn't Old Qiu's family, but the man in black from last night and his child.
The man in black looked at Qiu Yan carefully, then smiled gently, "Good morning, young lady."
Qiu Yan then got a clear look at the man's face. He was slightly older than her, and his handsome features were rare. He had a smile on his face.
Her peach blossom eyes sparkled with life, and her thin lips held a natural smile.
The little baby in the man in black's arms was soft and cute, looking to be about three years old. His chubby baby face was adorable and very endearing.
Good-looking people are pleasing to the eye, but Qiu Yan has no time to appreciate handsome men right now.
"Who are you?" No matter how hard she searched her memory, she couldn't recall there being such a man in Lingnan Village.
While Qiu Yan was observing the man in black, the man in black was also sizing her up. Looking at the girl's clothes and the originally desolate courtyard, could it be that this girl had fled from famine?
Upon closer inspection, the girl before me appeared aloof and slender, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, a hint of worry sweeping across her refined face, adding to her already beautiful appearance a touch of pitiful charm.
Because she was a farmer's daughter, her complexion was somewhat sallow.
Upon hearing Qiu Yan's question, the man in black introduced himself, "My name is Gu Qian, what's yours?"
Qiu Yan pondered the name Gu Qian carefully. Before she could reply, Ye Shi appeared in front of the two of them.
When Gu Qian saw Madam Ye, he quickly cupped his hands in greeting, "Master's wife." His humble and polite manner and respectful attitude left Qiu Yan stunned.
The boy beside him glanced timidly at Madam Ye, then spotted Qiu Ling'er in the courtyard. He broke free from Gu Qian's embrace and ran into the Qiu family's courtyard with his short legs.
He had never had any playmates, and he adored children, so Gu Qian just let him be.
Ye greeted Qiu Yan first, then put on a stern face, seemingly a different person. "Didn't I tell you to leave yesterday? Why are you still here!"
Gu Qian paused slightly. "Master's wife, please let me see Master. He shouldn't be trapped in this poor mountain village. He deserves a better life."
Madam Ye shook her head. "Gu Qian, didn't I tell you? He doesn't want to see you. We've finally managed to get some peace and quiet and want to live a comfortable life. You should leave now."
Gu Qian thought for a moment, then said nothing more. He reached into his pocket, took out a bag of loose silver, and handed it to Madam Ye. “Madam, please take this money and use it for household expenses.”
Ye waved her hand and refused, "No need, you can keep it for yourself. We are content with being able to support ourselves now."
After finishing her speech, Ye said goodbye to Qiu Yan and turned to leave.
Gu Qian's hand holding the money pouch froze in mid-air for a moment, feeling somewhat dejected. His master and mistress had rejected him more than once or twice, and although he tried his best to make amends to his master, it seemed that his master didn't need him.
Qiu Yan was completely confused by their conversation. She was curious but didn't ask any questions.
In the courtyard, Qiu Ling'er and the strange little child quickly became friends. Children get to know each other much more easily than adults. They ran around playing, chasing each other, laughing all the while.
"Little brother, my name is Ling'er. What's your name?"
"My name is Xiaoran."
"..."
Qiu Yan looked at the three-year-old boy in the yard. Although she didn't want to break the laughter in the yard, they were going to Baiyang County, and it was too late.
"Ling'er, that's enough playing. Don't forget, we still have things to do." After Qiu Yan finished speaking, she packed the wood ear mushrooms into her bundle.
Upon hearing this, Gu Qian said goodbye to Qiu Yan and left with Gu Xiaoran. They should find a place to have breakfast.
Qiu Ling'er looked like she hadn't had enough; she wanted to play some more.
Today, Qiu Yan decided to walk to the county town.
All three of them were too weak, and this morning's jogging trip to the county town to sell goods gave them a good opportunity to exercise.
Think back to when she was in the real world, she used to run more than ten kilometers of weighted distance every morning and evening, which is about the same distance as this.
I believe that in the near future, her two children will also become stronger through exercise.
Little Ling'er was delighted to be going to the county town again today, having just visited yesterday.
What kids love most is going out for a stroll.
However, she was too happy too soon.
They weren't as lucky as yesterday; there were no donkey carts going their way, so they had to walk the rest of the way.
Along the way, she kept asking, "Sister, how much longer until we get there... Sister, wait for me... Sister, brother can't run anymore..."
Qiu Yan always says the same thing: "We'll be there soon."
Although Qiu Xu was a bit stronger than his sister, he was still quite exhausted.
Qiu Ling'er was too tired to walk any further, so Qiu Yan carried her on her back and they walked quickly together.
She wanted to jog, but her physical condition wasn't good enough; she couldn't run.
Qiu Xu was panting heavily, keeping up with his sister's pace and gritting his teeth to persevere.
An hour and a half later, the county town finally came into view.
Qiu Yan put Xiao Ling'er down, rubbed her aching lungs, and praised Qiu Xu, who was drenched in sweat behind her, "Xu is amazing!"
Qiu Xu is really... his lungs are about to explode, his sister left too quickly.
He gasped for breath, plopped down on the ground, and couldn't get up for a long time. "My sister is amazing!"
The three rested for about fifteen minutes, then got up and continued their journey, entering Baiyang County.
Baiyang County remains bustling with traffic and pedestrians.
This time, Qiu Yan, who was familiar with the layout, led her younger siblings straight to the main street restaurant.
There are two restaurants on the main street, one to the south and one to the north.
Qiu Yan first went to the nearest restaurant, Shuangxi Restaurant.
Shuangxi Restaurant is located on the south side of the main street. The restaurant is grand and imposing, and the interior is full of guests, noisy and bustling.
After observing carefully, Qiu Yan said to her younger siblings, "Let's go in and take a look."
Qiu Xu looked conflicted, while Qiu Ling'er twisted her fingers with her head down, too afraid to go in.
Unfortunately, just as Qiu Yan was about to enter, the servant at the door blocked her way and refused to let her in.
The three men were covered in patches and their clothes were ill-fitting, so the servant mistook them for beggars.
"Young lady, our restaurant caters to high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Look at your shabby appearance, can you afford the food here?"
Qiu Xu tugged at his sister's sleeve, "Sister, let it go." Qiu Ling'er lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. Both children felt somewhat inferior in front of the Shuangxi Restaurant servant.
Qiu Yan stopped in her tracks and met the waiter's gaze. "Young man, we've come to ask if your restaurant accepts wood ear mushrooms?"
Upon hearing this, the servant scoffed disdainfully and pushed the person away again.
"Young lady, why don't you take your younger siblings to look at other places? Our restaurant has partnered vendors and we don't lack wood ear mushrooms."
Qiu Yan insisted, "Our wood ear mushrooms are all genuine mountain products..."
"Go away, don't interfere with our business."
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