Today’s disaster was a grave matter for the officials escorting the prisoners.
They gathered together to discuss how they should report the incident to their superiors.
As they were about to reach the Fangling escort station, they stopped to rest for the night on a riverbank.
Chunks of yellow mud clung unpleasantly to their bodies, and Chen Shiyi wanted to go down to the river to wash herself.
She approached Wen Zhirou with her eyes lowered and an obedient expression.
“Miss, let’s go down to the river and wash up. Since it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll help you.”
At Chen Shiyi’s words, Wen Zhirou’s eyes immediately lit up.
“But we don’t have any clothes to change into. Besides, there are so many people here. What if someone sees us?”
Chen Shiyi quickly said, “We can hide beneath that tree to wash. Second Young Madam can keep watch for us while we wash our clothes, then we can come back up and dry them by the fire.”
Once the night had grown considerably darker, Chen Shiyi led Wen Zhirou into the water.
The water was bitterly cold, but they had no time to care about that. The mud on their bodies was simply too thick. They did not expect to get particularly clean here; as long as they could make themselves a little more comfortable, that would be enough.
Their hair had been clumped together by the yellow mud until it was as stiff as a board.
In the darkness, Wen Zhirou murmured, “What is your name?”
As Chen Shiyi helped her comb through her hair, she replied, “My father’s surname is Chen. When I was born, he disliked the fact that I was a girl, so he didn’t give me a name. I was born on the eleventh day of the New Year, and everyone got used to calling me Shiyi. Gradually, it became my name.”
“Shiyi?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for today. If it weren’t for you, I might have died long ago.”
“You don’t have to thank me. The Eldest Young Master promised to reward me with silver once we reach our destination.”
Wen Zhirou let out a soft laugh.
“Why are you laughing, Miss?”
“We’re exiled prisoners. Have you never heard the saying that a phoenix in distress is worse off than a chicken? We have nothing at all. How could we possibly give you a reward of silver?”
Chen Shiyi’s hand paused.
“A phoenix in distress is still a phoenix. Who knows? Perhaps one day it will be able to fly back to the treetops.”
Wen Zhirou found the maid rather amusing.
“Then I’ll borrow your auspicious words. If I ever regain my former glory, I will certainly reward you handsomely.”
After that incident, Wen Zhirou became like Rui'er, an inseparable appendage at Chen Shiyi’s side.
She kept clutching Chen Shiyi’s sleeve and clothing, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, terrified that another landslide might strike. Even if she could not outrun it, Chen Shiyi could still save her life. She had long since forgotten how much she had disliked Chen Shiyi before.
Perhaps because they were nearing their destination, everyone felt that the journey had become much easier.
They were taken to a town called Ping'an in Fangling County.
After the handover formalities were completed, several more officials took them away.
They walked for more than ten li along a mountain road before finally stopping in front of a blue-brick, tiled house resembling a relay station.
The person who received them was an old man with a beard gone white. He was short and stooped, but his murky eyes gleamed with sharp vitality.
One of the officials leaned close to his ear and spoke in a low voice. The old man’s expression grew solemn, and then he scrutinized the group sharply with those same eyes.
Once the handover was complete, the old man slowly walked over to them and ordered his men to remove their cangues and shackles.
“Starting tomorrow, the men will report to Fengming Mine for work.”
Wen Zhiheng bowed to the old man.
“My lord, may I ask how the women of our family will be arranged?”
The old man curled his lip and sneered disdainfully.
“The women do not need to work, but neither will they be provided with food or lodging. They can find some work and support themselves.”
At first hearing, this seemed reasonable enough.
But upon closer consideration, it became clear how terrifying it was to have neither food nor lodging.
While they had been confined in prison, every member of the Wen family had been searched. Even their hair had been loosened and examined strand by strand, for fear that gold thread might be hidden within it. Moreover, no one from the Wen family had come to see them off. As a result, they probably did not even have a single copper coin among them now.
They were unfamiliar with the place and penniless besides. They were facing the greatest problem of all: how to survive.
The Wen family members’ faces went pale, but they could not say anything. Only Wen Zhiheng asked calmly and without servility, “My lord, could you offer us some guidance? We will certainly repay you in the future.”
The old man pressed his tongue against his left cheek and said meaningfully, “I’m afraid you can’t afford the sort of thanks I would want. Old Yu, come here. They have women with them. Find them a house so they can stay there for now.”
A chubby official hurried over, looked the Wen family over, and said in a booming voice, “Come on. Follow me.”
After walking for roughly a li, they saw small wooden houses scattered here and there along the road. They were eerily quiet inside, as though no one lived in them.
The chubby official called Old Yu brought them to a stop beside a short wooden house.
The house was rotten and dilapidated, as though no one had lived there for a long time. When the door opened, a musty smell rushed out. There was nothing inside—not even a basic bed. Large, tangled webs covered the ceiling, and in several places, daylight shone through.
“You can stay here. Six hundred copper coins a month.”
“What?”
Wen Zhirou let out an incredulous shriek.
“You’re charging us for this broken-down place?”
Old Yu bared his teeth in a grin.
“Then don’t stay here.”
With that, he moved to close the door, taking out his key to lock it.
Wen Zhiheng hurriedly caught hold of his arm.
“Please wait. My younger sister is inexperienced and meant no offense, Brother Yu. It’s just that we’re penniless at the moment. Could you let us move in first and allow us to pay you later?”
Old Yu’s fat body shook with laughter.
“No money? Fine, then. I, Old Yu, am a kindhearted man. I’ll come collect the money in a month. But by then, it won’t be six hundred—it’ll be eight hundred. Understood?”
Wen Zhiheng suppressed his anger and smiled faintly.
“Brother Yu is truly kindhearted. Wen is deeply grateful.”
Old Yu was pleased by Wen Zhiheng’s ability to recognize the situation. He nodded with a smile and left.
Once he had gone far enough, Wen Zhirou hurriedly asked, “Brother, how could you agree to that? This place is completely deserted. Where are we supposed to find eight hundred copper coins?”
Wen Zhiheng sighed helplessly.
“What else could we do if we refused? We can’t possibly sleep in the wilderness, can we? At least we have a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Once we become familiar with the situation here, we can make other arrangements.”
While they were gathered together talking, Chen Shiyi had already gone into the nearby woods, gathered some fresh green leaves, and selected thin, flexible branches from the bushes. She tied them together into a small broom and began sweeping down the cobwebs from the ceiling.
Seeing how industrious Chen Shiyi was, Wen Zhiheng’s lips curved slightly. He turned to Wen Zhiyuan and said, “You stay here and look after them. The woods ahead are extensive. I’ll go see whether I can find some game to exchange for money.”
Wen Zhiyuan nodded.
“Rest assured, Eldest Brother. I’ll take care of things here.”
The strip of cloth torn from a sleeve to lower Rui'er’s fever last time was still there. Chen Shiyi simply used it as a rag. She wet it in the pond not far away, returned to the house, and wiped down all the beams and walls.
The floor of the old house was packed earth. Mold had spread through the corners, and clusters of tiny white mushrooms had grown across the dim wooden wall panels.
The house was far too damp. If they stayed there for long, they would likely fall ill.
They had come from the capital, whose climate was vastly different from the hilly region here.
The members of this family were also exceptionally delicate. They might well suffer from an acclimatization sickness.
They had already endured every kind of hardship on the journey.
Chen Shiyi felt that their real suffering had only just begun.