Qiao Jingjing filled a basin with water and carefully examined her face in the water.
A scab formed on my face, then fell off, revealing tender, pink skin.
Xiao Qiao handed Qiao Jingjing a piece of coarse linen that had been boiled in hot water and then dried.
"Sister, the city has been in such chaos these days. Forget about doctors, you can't even find a rat on the street! Qiao Er is completely disregarding everything. He hasn't come back for days and nights because he's been looking for his sister-in-law. Do you think we'll ever find her again?"
He Miaomiao has truly disappeared.
Compared to her, Qiao Manman seemed to be blessed by the gods. On the way to Shouchun, she miraculously reunited with Qiao Jingjing. Then, the two sisters miraculously escaped Liu Ajiao's persecution and returned to Lujiang City to reunite with their father and brothers.
But He Miaomiao doesn't seem to be so lucky.
Qiao Er and He Miaomiao were husband and wife after all, even though He Miaomiao had not been able to give birth to any children for him in the past two years.
True feelings are revealed in times of trouble; Qiao Er truly cared about his wife.
Old Man Qiao had something to say but couldn't say about his son's obsession with finding a daughter-in-law. Qiao Jingjing and the others' mother had been lost on the way to escape the war.
Since they went missing, their mother seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, leaving no trace.
No matter how hard Old Man Qiao searched, whether during their escape or after settling down in Lujiang City, asking people in the north and acquaintances in the south for help, he couldn't find her. In the end, he had no choice but to announce that his mother had died.
Hopefully, the second daughter-in-law will be blessed by God and be found by Qiao Er.
After a major battle in Lujiang City, the Lu Kang family disappeared without a trace, suffering heavy casualties and their morale severely damaged.
The Qiao family, however, was not much better off.
With Da Qiao injured and at home, Qiao Manman spent all her time with her sister. Old Man Qiao also had to take care of the old servant with the broken leg. Qiao Er and Qiao San were even more preoccupied, busy searching for the missing He Miaomiao. No one had any interest in farming or household chores.
After such a catastrophe, not only were all the family members gone, but the grain, chickens, ducks and livestock that had been stored in the house had also been looted.
Actually, we've been out of food for quite some time now.
Knowing that Qiao Jingjing was very strong-willed in farming, her father and Xiao Qiao dared not reveal that the food they had been eating these past few days had been begged from the neighbors next door.
But having already gone to beg for food for several days in a row, Qiao Manman herself felt embarrassed.
Not to mention Old Man Joe's reputation.
Another day of hunger loomed ahead, and there wasn't a soul in sight of Qiao Er and Qiao San. As the only one in the family who wasn't ashamed to be out and about, Qiao Manman could only think of one place.
The former residence of Prefect Lu is now the camp where General Sun is stationed.
Qiao Manman didn't know much about General Sun, but now that he was the head of the city, he couldn't just watch the people in the city starve to death!
Qiao Manman and Qiao Jingjing made up an excuse. She said she was going to the mulberry garden to take a look and, on the way, deliver a pot of hot water to her father who was fishing in the pond.
My father has fallen so low that he has to rely on fishing to supplement the family's food supply.
Before leaving, Qiao Manman reminded Qiao Jingjing not to go out in the wind.
"Sister, you have to be careful. I'm not trying to scare you, but your face... it would be really bad if it got scarred. Be careful in this cold weather."
Qiao Jingjing was indeed very obedient.
It seems that whether they are contemporary beauties or time-traveling beauties, they still care a lot about their faces.
Qiao Manman walked from Peach Blossom Lane in the south of the city to the city center, where General Sun is now stationed.
It took at least half an hour to walk there.
Qiao Manman walked quickly or slowly, thinking about many things along the way.
If she could meet General Sun Ce, who defeated Lu Kang, the powerful figure who once held her sister hostage, she, though a weak woman, would not be afraid to face him.
She also had the courage to ask General Sun for some food.
If she couldn't meet General Sun, she could at least talk to other people she met that night, even the others.
Qiao Manman was also a refugee from the north. She was born into a prominent family in Luoyang and knew about these social connections.
However, Qiao Manman was short of money and couldn't afford to give the guard a small gift.
All she got was a sweet smile.
"Greetings, sirs. I am the daughter of the Qiao family from Peach Blossom Lane in the south of the city. I have come to pay my respects to General Sun and General Zhou. Please convey my greetings to them."
The gatekeepers are all shrewd and clever.
In the past two days, General Sun and General Zhou have captured the city and become its rulers. This is definitely the first time that a beauty has dared to offer herself up to them.
Other families' children arrived in carriages, brought by their family members.
However, General Sun was a rather peculiar person. He would ruthlessly kill those who resisted to the death with a single blow; but he would refuse the girls who came to him seeking reconciliation and even offered them to him.
They even made them send the girl back.
The two soldiers gazed at Qiao Manman, who looked like a beautiful young woman.
I looked at her again and again, and although I really didn't want to make this trip for her, I still wanted to see this girl a few more times.
So, with a half-smile, he stood there and suddenly said:
"Want to see General Sun and General Zhou? Young lady, please wait here for a moment!"
Then.
Then, there was no further news for a long time.
An old soldier who was cleaning at the entrance saw Qiao Manman standing there in the cold snow and wind, shivering and stamping her feet and blowing on her hands. Her eyelashes were covered with snowflakes, and she looked so pitiful that he felt sorry for her.
“Girl, come with me, and I will inform General Sun.”
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