The food shop’s business was getting better and better, and its reputation was gradually spreading throughout Yunxi Cheng. With more customers coming in daily, it was inevitable that some “distinguished guests” who were hard to handle would appear.
The more refined ones would sway their fans and put on airs, standing at the counter and chatting amiably with Qing Luan with a smile;
The less refined ones, on the other hand, had lecherous expressions, practically squeezing themselves behind the counter, their shameless eyes glued to her chest as if trying to burn two holes through her blouse.
At first, to build up the shop’s popularity, Qing Luan was willing to banter and smile with them. Gradually, however, she realized that most of these “distinguished guests” were there mainly for the food, with admiration as a secondary motive. But some with ill intentions were no longer satisfied with mere verbal flirtations and had started getting handsy.
After slapping away yet another lecherous hand reaching for her waist, Qing Luan hired a new accountant. The two of them worked in half-day shifts, alternating their schedules.
Those unscrupulous men couldn’t figure out when she would be at the shop. After several failed attempts, their interest gradually waned.
One day, a wealthy merchant ordered dishes from the shop.
All the other assistants were busy, leaving only Xiao Wu, who couldn’t carry two fully loaded food boxes by himself. Qing Luan happened to be free, so she took one of the boxes and went with him to deliver the order.
On their way back, they saw a crowd gathered at a street corner, making a commotion, though it was unclear what was happening.
“Boss, it looks like those hooligans from the southern part of the city are bullying someone. They’re even hitting a child—how despicable.”
Xiao Wu was only fifteen this year, with many siblings at home. At this age, he was eager to stand out and fight for justice. After just a glance at the situation, he was already seething with anger.
Qing Luan had never liked getting involved in trouble. She was about to tell Xiao Wu not to meddle when, the next second, she heard a young man’s angry shouts from the crowd.
She couldn’t understand what he was saying.
But she clearly heard those three words—Qi Yuchen.
Her calm heart rippled at the familiar surname, but she lacked the courage to verify it herself. She had finally let go of the past and started a new life—why would she want to get involved with anyone from Qi Jia again?
After walking a few steps away from the crowd, she suddenly felt a heavy weight in her chest. Even though she hadn’t done anything, it felt as if she had committed some grave wrongdoing, betraying Qi Zheng.
With a sigh, she took the food box from Xiao Wu’s hands.
“I’ll head back to the shop first. Go help them—they sound pitiful.”
Xiao Wu immediately puffed up with courage, as if receiving an imperial decree, and straightened his back. “Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll go right away!”
Qing Luan walked away alone, listening to Xiao Wu’s loud and blustering threats as he stirred up chaos inside and outside the crowd, turning the scene into a lively spectacle.
She simply kept walking forward without looking back.
It was probably just a name that sounded similar. Jingcheng and Yangzhou were so far apart—how could anyone from Qi Jia possibly come here? Surely it couldn’t be those shameless relatives of Qi Jia, coveting the house Qi Zheng had given her, traveling thousands of miles with a child to demand repayment.
When she left the capital, she had still held onto a sliver of hope—what if he had left a will granting her status? Keeping that house would at least be proof that he had valued her.
In truth, she was also afraid. If she couldn’t find help from relatives or friends upon returning home, she could at least lie low for a while and eventually return to the capital. With that house, she could still live a stable life.
Now, that hope had vanished, and her fears had dissipated. She stopped letting her imagination run wild, returned to the shop, set down the food box, and went to the back hall.
Not long after, Xiao Wu returned as well.
The shop was bustling as usual, with customers coming and going, greetings and calls echoing back and forth.
No one noticed the small head peeking timidly from outside the shop door, eyes still swollen and red from crying, blinking cautiously as they peered inside.
“Living here is convenient for both meals and lodging, so why bother going back to Huazhi Xiang? Don’t tell me you’re worried about the rent I paid?”
Su Zhen brought a steaming stir-fry to the table, while Yan Yan kept her head down, hugging her bowl and eating, completely uninterested in their conversation.
Qing Luan handed a bowl of rice to Su Zhen and said with a smile, “How could I not worry? You paid a year’s rent, and there are still four months left on the lease. It’s a waste to leave a perfectly good house empty.”
Ever since the food shop opened, the three of them had moved from Huazhi Xiang to the courtyard behind the shop, still squeezing together on one bed to sleep.
In the past, when times were tough, they’d be exhausted after a long day and fall asleep as soon as they hit the bed, so they never minded the cramped sleeping arrangement. But now, with more energy and free time… Qing Luan often found herself awakened at night by Su Zhen’s snoring.
Too embarrassed to mention this, she instead claimed she was worried about the money and wanted to move back to Huazhi Xiang alone.
“Besides, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. All our belongings and silver are kept in one place, which makes it easy for others to take notice. If I move back, it’ll also keep those wretched men from constantly eyeing the shop.”
Su Zhen thought this made sense and agreed, but then asked with concern, “Won’t it be inconvenient for you to live alone? Why not take Yan Yan with you and have her help with some chores?”
Hearing her name, Yan Yan looked up blankly. Qing Luan, charmed by her innocent expression, gently patted her head.
“What chores are there at home? Just boiling water and sweeping the floor—I can manage those myself. Yan Yan has finally gotten used to life at the shop, and she’s still just a child. How could you, as her older sister, bear to send her off to be my little helper?”
Su Zhen laughed heartily. “She’s not that precious! Children from poor families like us learn to work as soon as we’re born. The more we do, the stronger we become, and the better we can support ourselves.”
Qing Luan had no experience raising children, so she didn’t argue further. Instead, she placed a large piece of braised pork in Yan Yan’s bowl and, seeing how happily she ate it, said, “Yan Yan is still young. Let her stay by your side.”
Being young without family nearby meant hardship and toil, but the most unbearable part was the constant fear of having no one to rely on.
She had been that age once, enduring day by day until she finally earned a bit of silver and no longer had to worry about food or clothing. How could she bear to separate Yan Yan from Su Zhen, even if only briefly, for her own sake?
In the end, they decided that starting the next day, Qing Luan would move back to Huazhi Xiang.
The courtyard at Huazhi Xiang was fully furnished with tables, chairs, and benches, but as late autumn approached, the weather grew colder. Early the next morning, Qing Luan went out to buy new bedding.
The distance from the food shop to Huazhi Xiang was just one street away, making the trip back and forth effortless. She returned alone to give the courtyard a simple cleaning and, taking advantage of the sunny weather, brought out the damp old bedding to air in the sun.
By mid-morning, the fabric shop had delivered the three sets of cotton quilts and two bolts of thick cotton cloth she had ordered, costing a little over two taels of silver.
The shop assistant took the silver and, before leaving, glanced toward the entrance of the alley and quietly reminded her, “Make sure to lock your door when coming and going, ma’am. Be careful not to catch the eye of petty thieves.”
Following his gaze, Qing Luan indeed spotted a gray corner of clothing peeking out from behind the wall at the alley’s bend. She nodded solemnly.
Nowhere was truly peaceful these days—either local ruffians were causing trouble, or petty thieves were tailing people.
After the fabric shop assistant left, she shut the door tightly.
In the afternoon, she went out to check on the shop’s business. Passing by that corner, she saw no one there. By evening, when she returned, the lengthening sunset rays shone into the alley. Walking ahead, she moved farther away from the bustling street entrance. Once the clamor of voices faded, unfamiliar, faint footsteps gradually grew clearer behind her.
Qing Luan immediately grew alert. Slowing her pace, she listened carefully to the movements of the person behind her. It didn’t sound like an adult man—more like someone’s pet cat, the steps were just too light.
She suddenly turned around. The “little stray cat” following her seemed startled and hastily hid behind a corner.
The fleeing figure was small and thin, just a tiny thing, too dark to make out clearly, barely taller than her knees—clearly a child.
Qing Luan felt puzzled.
She looked down at her own plain blue cotton dress, her hair tied up with a wooden hairpin and cloth scarf, her waist empty, not a single valuable item on her person. Why would that child target her?
She turned and continued walking. Soon, the cautious footsteps followed again.
Even after being discovered, still following?
Qing Luan stopped in front of her home and looked back at the child who was desperately trying to hide. She called out, “Why have you been following me all this way? Who sent you?”
She had intended to scare him off, but instead, the boy, clutching the hem of his clothes with grimy little hands, emerged from behind the wall. Timidly lowering his head, his frightened eyes peered at her through messy bangs, his voice weak and childlike.
“Aunt… Auntie…”
At a glance, Qing Luan thought he looked like a little dirty kitten that had crawled out of a coal pile, not a single clean spot on him. She couldn’t recall ever having seen this child before.
She put on a stern face and demanded, “Who are you? Calling someone ‘auntie’ so casually—aren’t you afraid I’ll hit you?”
The boy was indeed frightened by her. Whimpering, he took two steps back, then, feeling wronged, brushed aside the hair covering his face. “Auntie, I’m Yuchen. You… you held me before…”
He pressed his lips together. Looking up at the “auntie” who was as beautiful as a fairy, he no longer dared to act mischievously and dirty her skirt as he had before. Awkwardly standing in place, he repeated the words his brother had taught him, but afraid she might actually pick up a stone to hit him, he didn’t dare take another half-step forward.
After a moment of silence, Qing Luan finally recognized the boy’s features and frowned—the shout she had heard on the street yesterday really was Qi Yuchen’s name!
Only a few months had passed. How had that plump, soft, white kitten become so thin and frail?
“How did you end up in Yangzhou? How did you become like this? What about Liu Xirou? Your relatives? And your brother—aren’t any of them looking after you?”
Only after speaking did she realize her tone was a bit sharp. Seeing a good child reduced to wandering the streets would make anyone angry.
She softened her tone, crouched down, and motioned for Qi Yuchen to come closer, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the dust from his face.
“Tell me, what exactly happened?”
Qi Yuchen opened his innocent eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had spoken to him so gently. Unconsciously, his voice choked with tears, as if he wanted to pour out all the grievances of the past few months to her.
The sun sank behind the mountains, and the sky gradually darkened.
In the cold, shadowy corner, the young man slowly sat down with his back against the wall, letting out a long sigh as if resigned to his fate. He likely wouldn’t live much longer—his head ached, his chest throbbed, and the bruises from yesterday had turned his face a sickly green, now swollen and painfully hot to the touch. He dared not even press on them. With every occasional cough, a surge of bloody air rose from his lungs.
Truth be told, he had lost the will to live the day everyone turned against him. It was only the fear that Qi Yuchen, still so young, wouldn’t survive without him that had kept him clinging to life until now.
But now, Qi Yuchen had found a good place to go. The strength that had driven him to struggle and survive all this time finally drained away.
Under the pitch-black sky, he closed his eyes.
His body grew heavier and heavier, sinking downward until he drifted, swaying, into a warm embrace. Unfamiliar yet gentle arms cradled his pain-wracked body and his drifting, anchorless soul.
Was it his mother?
No, when his mother held him, it always felt like a burden, a constraint. But this embrace was so light.
His breathing grew faint; he was about to drown.
The next moment, two sharp slaps landed on his cheeks. The clear, stinging pain jolted him awake from the beautiful illusion. Opening his eyes, his vision still tinged with blood, he saw a woman’s beautiful yet angry face.
Qi Zhaoye touched his cheek in disbelief, his eyes reddening and welling with tears as if he might burst into sobs at any moment. “You… you hit me?”
Author’s Note: