The mother and daughter tidied up one room and prepared to leave, since they didn't plan to stay long and therefore didn't intend to cook for themselves.
Qu Weiwei looked at her mother's pretty face, which was quite eye-catching. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to go out like this. After all, the whole city already knew about the fire that burned down the Qu family's courtyard. If the Qu family's concubine were to appear so openly on the street, it would definitely attract criticism.
"Mom, you should do your face a little something before you go out. You're too conspicuous like this." Qu Weiwei had no choice but to remind her when she saw how excited she was.
He Youyou was reminded by her daughter that she hadn't thought of this. She quickly ran into the house and rummaged through her suitcase, but finding nothing made it difficult to tidy herself up.
When Qu Weiwei reminded her, she had already made preparations in advance. The cosmetics she took out were all from her mother's dressing table, and she deliberately arranged them in a messy way so that they would not be conspicuous.
"Oh my, my little darling, you've prepared everything so well! Wait a moment, Mommy, I'll be done soon." He Youyou excitedly kissed the little girl, then picked up a washcloth and began to wipe her face clean.
She was so busy that she forgot to look in the mirror and see what she looked like. After cleaning her face, she found a box of dark-colored powder and quickly covered her hands, face, and neck with it, instantly making her look more than two shades darker.
She then drew her eyebrows thicker and added freckles to her face, instantly losing all her charm and turning into an ordinary country girl.
Qu Weiwei stood to the side, completely stunned. So this kind of evil magic already existed so long ago? Her mother's technique was simply superb; if this were in modern times, she would definitely be a makeup master.
In just two minutes, he instantly transformed, as if he had become a completely different person.
"How is it? Can't you see your original self anymore? When you grow up a little more, Mommy will teach you. These are easy to learn. When you're out and about, girls need to learn to protect themselves. It doesn't matter if you're a little ugly. The most important thing is not to be coveted by others." He Youyou looked at her dazed little face and reached out to touch her fair and tender face again. She secretly decided that when the little girl was a little older, she would definitely teach her these skills. That way, she would be safer when she was out and about. After all, judging from the little girl's current appearance, she would definitely grow up to be a great beauty.
In this day and age, the prettier a girl is, the more tragic her ending will be.
People from humble backgrounds fear being robbed by those with power and influence, while daughters of wealthy and powerful families are often sent away for arranged marriages, thus ruining their lives.
The first type is the family that has no power or influence. No matter how much she resisted at the time, she still had to behave herself when she got to the mansion. After all, the life of her only relative was in the hands of this family. What else could she do if she didn't compromise?
"Yes, yes, Weiwei will definitely study hard. But the most important thing for us right now is to go out and fill our stomachs, otherwise my stomach will keep growling." Qu Weiwei nodded seriously, but after nodding, her stomach started growling again.
There was nothing she could do; she had forgotten to get herself something to eat when she came out, and after all the commotion this morning, she was starving.
"Okay, okay, it's Mom's fault, it's Mom's fault. Let's go out to eat right now. Aunt Wang's wontons on the street are pretty good, let's have wontons." He Youyou was reminded by her daughter that her daughter hadn't eaten for several meals. She quickly put down what she was holding, grabbed her purse, and took her daughter out.
He Youyou didn't intend to smudge her daughter's face with paint. After all, she was still young, and it didn't matter if she looked cute.
The two locked the door and quickly arrived at Aunt Wang's wonton stall, which He Youyou had just mentioned. It was the perfect time of day, not too early or too late, and there weren't many people around, making it convenient for the mother and daughter.
"Boss lady, give me two bowls of wontons, one large and one small. Add some chili to the large bowl, and just make the small bowl with clear broth." He Youyou didn't care about her image anymore and loudly called out to Aunt Wang.
"Okay, young lady, please wait a moment with your child, it'll be quick." The old lady replied as she deftly began wrapping wontons; her wontons were all made fresh to order.
The mother and daughter didn't have to wait long before the wontons were served. The rich aroma of bone broth wafted in the air, and Qu Weiwei couldn't help but swallow her saliva; the smell was truly delicious.
It's made entirely from the savory aroma of pork bones, without any additives. The smell is so comforting and makes you feel very hungry.
She didn't know how many wontons were in the big bowl, but she counted them as she ate the small bowl; there were twenty wontons in the small bowl.
When He Youyou paid, Qu Weiwei was shocked by the price: eight coins for a large bowl and five coins for a small bowl.
After He Youyou's explanation, she learned that the currency currently in use was very chaotic, including Yuan Shikai silver dollars, gold, silver, and copper coins (also known as large coins). Although the government had introduced paper money, in people's minds, those things were worthless, and their value had even plummeted, so many people didn't want to exchange them for paper money.
Shops rarely accept this kind of banknote, after all, the price has dropped so drastically that business is impossible. The money that could buy a pound of rice yesterday might only buy half a pound today.
Qu Weiwei carefully recalled whether there were any of these banknotes among the things she had packed up yesterday. If there were, she would definitely have to take them out and use them to buy things.
However, it seems that apart from the household registration and the indenture, which are made of paper, all the others are not.
Before leaving, the mother and daughter packed two more meals to reheat for dinner. The journey south by horse-drawn carriage would take over a month, crossing mountains and valleys. If they could buy train tickets, they could reach their destination in just three days and two nights.
Tomorrow I need to go see my dad's friend and see if he can help the mother and daughter get train tickets. That would be quick and safe, and the two of them wouldn't have to suffer too much.
It's just that train tickets are hard to get these days. In this area, you need to be rich and powerful to get a train ticket. He Youyou had a headache just thinking about it.
You have to understand that there are not only bandits on the road, but also refugees. How could the two of them, mother and daughter, be so weak and helpless, possibly reach the south safely?
"What's wrong, Mother? Why are you sighing? Is it going to be difficult for us to go south?" Qu Weiwei didn't know which province they were in, where they were going to go south, how many kilometers it was, or whether they would need a train or a horse-drawn carriage. So she didn't know how to comfort her mother or how to help her come up with a plan. She could only sit quietly beside her, not disturbing her mother's thoughts.
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