A noisy, bustling crowd made its way toward the Qiao household.
Inside, Old Man Qiao was filling the village chief in on the burglary. The despicable thief hadn’t just made off with their silver and grain; they had stolen the family’s household registration papers as well. Old Man Qiao couldn’t fathom who could have pulled off such a feat; there wasn’t a single person in the surrounding villages capable of such a thing.
The village chief, Qiao Fuyao, frowned deeply. A theft of this scale in his village brought shame upon him. Moreover, since it was his own brother’s home that had been targeted, he felt as though he’d been slapped in the face. He had searched for clues to no avail, and he was terrified of reporting it to the authorities—the higher-ups would undoubtedly hold him accountable, and he might lose his position as chief.
After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke. “I’ll lend you some silver. Take it to town to buy grain so you can tide things over. As for the registration, that’s easy enough—I’ll write an official statement for you to take to the county office to get a new one issued. Keep a sharp eye out at night, and if you notice anything suspicious, call me immediately.”
Old Man Qiao listened, feeling an odd, indefinable sensation in his chest. But surely he was just overthinking it—his older brother was looking out for him. He nodded. “Alright, brother. I won’t stand on ceremony. Once I’m back on my feet, I will return the silver.”
The village chief waved his hand. “We’re brothers. You think I’d just watch you suffer? I’ll go home to get the silver and write that statement. Take my ox cart to the county town. Have the sister-in-law come to my place at noon to get some food; the family can’t go hungry.”
Old Man Qiao felt a surge of genuine gratitude. His brother truly thought of everything. “Brother, don’t worry. I’ll listen to you from now on, and the younger ones won’t forget your kindness.”
“Enough, we’re family.”
The two were just about to head to the village chief’s house when a commotion erupted outside. They exchanged a puzzled glance. Had word gotten out? Were these people coming to gawk?
“Old man! Is the elder brother still at our house?” Madame Wang’s booming voice rang out before she had even stepped through the threshold.
She marched into the courtyard, followed by Qiao the Third, Qiao Xin, Lin Qing, and a gaggle of villagers looking to witness the spectacle.
It took the elder and the chief some time to piece together the situation. Old Man Qiao let out a quiet sigh of relief; at least they weren’t here to mock his misfortune. Selling the girl was a good idea, too—the things she had been shouting earlier were utterly intolerable.
To the village chief, it was a simple transaction of mutual consent. She was just a girl, and keeping her was a waste of grain anyway. Once he confirmed they had reached an agreement, he led everyone to his home to draw up the documents.
“This is the contract and the document of severance,” the village chief said in a formal, business-like tone. “If everything is in order, both parties can press their fingerprints here.”
Lin Qing took the two documents. Seeing that the terms were correct, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. “I also need her household registration. I have to register it with the county magistrate.”
Old Man Qiao gave a dry, feigned cough. “The family registration was stolen. I’m planning to head to the county office to re-apply for it later. We can go together and have her name removed from our records and added to yours.”
Lin Qing already knew the registration was gone, of course. He and Qiao Xin had worried they might not be able to sever ties cleanly without holding the documents themselves, so they had made sure to raise the issue to ensure Qiao Xin’s registration would be transferred properly.
“Fine, let’s go now,” Lin Qing replied. He, Old Man Qiao, and Madame Wang all pressed their fingerprints onto the documents. The contract was sealed.
Lin Qing handed over the silver. Madame Wang clutched the five-tael ingot with delight, shot a disdainful snort at Qiao Xin standing by the doorway, and sashayed away with a triumphant twist of her hips.
Given the sensitive nature of Qiao Xin’s situation, the village chief feared the family might struggle to explain things clearly to the county officials. He decided to accompany them. Qiao the Second took the reins of their ox cart, with the chief and Old Man Qiao sitting in the back. Lin Qing hired a second cart from the village’s Second Uncle to follow behind. As they set off, he took Qiao Xin’s hand in his, a gesture that did not escape Old Man Qiao.
Dirty little brat, the old man thought, his nose wrinkling in disgust. Young ruffian, acting like he’s never seen a woman before, holding hands in broad daylight! No wonder that little slut hooked him so quickly. She really wasn’t fit for our Qiao family—she would have ruined our house’s reputation. Cutting ties was the right move. For once, the old woman did something useful.
After an hour of rhythmic jolting, they reached the county gates. Lin Qing called out to Second Uncle, the driver in front, “Uncle, we might be back late today. There’s no need for you to wait for us.”
The second Uncle chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll linger a while. If there’s no one else from the village heading back, I’ll head out then.” Lin Qing handed him an extra five coins; it was worth it to ensure he wasn’t making an empty trip.
With five coins paid for the ox cart’s entry fee, the carts were left outside the gate. Qiao the Second stayed behind to guard them while the rest walked into the city.
Qiao Xin looked around with wide-eyed curiosity. In the original girl’s memories, she had never once been to the county town. Qiao Xin herself was fascinated by the glimpse into an ancient town. Lin Qing watched her lively expressions and smiled with doting fondness. They were together again, both back in their youth, growing up side-by-side once more. It was a strange, exciting feeling, and he looked forward to every moment of it.
The city was bustling. Shops were busy, the streets were packed with people, and the air was filled with the rhythmic calls of vendors hawking wontons, noodles, steamed buns, and meat pies. On the surface, there wasn’t a single sign of the natural disaster that was ravaging the countryside—a stark contrast to the grim reality in the village.
Qiao Xin leaned in close and whispered, “It’s so busy here, you can’t tell there’s a famine at all. It’s hard to believe that everyone here will be fleeing for their lives so soon.”
“It’s all just on the surface,” Lin Qing replied quietly. “Food and grain prices in the city have skyrocketed. Those who live here are mostly the wealthy; the common folk are already struggling to survive. The Qiao family is actually quite well-off—aside from you, they’ve always had enough to eat. In the village, many families are already running on empty. And the water… as far as I know, one of the village wells has already run dry. I’m worried they’ll soon have their eyes on our well.”
“Then we must be even more cautious,” Qiao Xin said firmly. “I have no interest in being a savior. If anyone tries to cross us, I won’t hold back.”
Lin Qing nodded heavily. “We can’t save everyone. We only need to ensure our own survival.”
Their minds had been perfectly synced in their past life, and they fell into a comfortable silence, following at a distance behind the village chief’s party. Two quarters of an hour later, they arrived at the magistrate’s office.
The guard at the door only permitted three people inside. Qiao Xin waited outside while the village chief, Old Man Qiao, and Lin Qing went in to conduct their business.
Half an hour later, Lin Qing emerged from the magistrate’s office with a radiant smile. In his hand, he held the stamped, official document of severance and Qiao Xin’s new household registration. Her name had been formally changed from Qiao Sanya to Qiao Xin, and she was now officially registered as Lin Qing’s wife on his household ledger.
Qiao Xin looked down at her new identity. She beamed at Lin Qing, her smile brighter than it had been since she arrived. She was free. In this time and space, they were finally ready to begin their new life together.