Now that she had decided where she was going, the first problem to solve was transportation.
This wasn’t the modern world. She couldn’t simply open a GPS app and have every route laid out before her. She didn’t even have a map of this era. More importantly, once she left, she might not even be able to tell east from west.
Her most urgent priority was finding a map.
Or…
She could hire an experienced guide to escort her all the way to Jingshi.
To be honest, she really didn’t want to take that approach.
Setting aside how long the journey would take, just the thought of sitting in a rock-hard horse carriage for thousands of miles was torture enough. Besides, there was little Niuniu. The baby wasn’t even a month old yet. Making such a young infant endure a long carriage ride would be far too harsh.
If Chen Yuan traveled alone, she could simply place the baby inside her Storage Space whenever necessary.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Yuan felt that she had recovered almost completely. Although she wasn’t as strong as she had been in the apocalypse, she should be capable of enduring a long journey.
Just then, major news spread through Zhang Family Village.
The village chief’s eldest son, who worked as an accountant in the County Seat, had returned home.
According to the news he brought back, the Yuansheng Kingdom’s army outside Yanmen Pass had been suffering defeat after defeat. The nomadic tribes were on the verge of breaking through the pass, and many of the wealthy merchants in the County Seat had already fled south to escape the coming war.
If that news alone was enough to throw the villagers into panic, what came next plunged them into despair.
The men who had been conscripted only ten days earlier had all been sent to the front lines as cannon fodder.
Not a single one had survived.
Soon, the entire village echoed with the sounds of grieving families weeping.
For Chen Yuan, however, this was actually good news.
She had absolutely no desire to have anything to do with Zhang Laosan ever again.
That damned bastard.
Good riddance that he’d died so early. Otherwise, if they ever crossed paths again, she’d chop him down herself.
While the villagers were gathered to discuss what they should do next, Chen Yuan placed Niuniu inside her Storage Space and headed for the home of Zhang Mancang, the village’s ox-cart driver.
Ever since the original owner had arrived in Zhang Family Village, she had never once left the village. She didn’t even know the roads leading to the town or the County Seat.
Zhang Mancang was the village’s veteran driver. He had been traveling those routes for well over ten years.
“Uncle Mancang, are you home?” Chen Yuan called from outside the bamboo fence.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s Chen…” She caught herself. “I’m Xiao Yanyan.”
“Xiao Yanyan? Which Xiao Yanyan?” Auntie Mancang asked as she stepped out of the house. Then recognition dawned on her face. “Oh! So it’s Zhang Laosan’s wife. Pah, listen to me—I’ve gotten so used to saying that. Old habits die hard. I’ll just call you Yanyan.”
“That’s fine, Auntie. Is Uncle Mancang home?”
“He went to the ancestral hall. With those nomads about to break through the border, the village chief called everyone over to discuss what we should do.” She paused before asking curiously, “What do you need him for?”
Chen Yuan replied, “I’d like to make a trip to the County Seat, but I don’t know the way. I wanted to ask Uncle Mancang for directions.”
“The County Seat? At a time like this?” Auntie Mancang looked her up and down in disbelief. “Can your body even handle it? You haven’t even finished your confinement yet. I heard from Zhang Laosi’s wife and the village head’s family that you were on the brink of death. But looking at you now, you seem perfectly fine.”
Suddenly, she slapped her thigh.
“I’ve got it! That Zhao woman must not have wanted you and your daughter around anymore, so she spread those rumors. That rotten old hag! Still as vicious as ever. How did our village end up with a scourge like her? She’s always doing things that deserve to be struck by lightning.”
Listening to Auntie Mancang unleash a torrent of curses, Chen Yuan couldn’t help wondering if she was supposed to join in and vent about Old Madam Zhao as well.
After thinking it over, she decided against it.
If she got drawn into the conversation, she might not be able to leave today.
In the end, all she managed was a weak, “It’s… not quite that bad.”
“Yanyan, have they been bullying you?” Auntie Mancang asked sympathetically. “Don’t be afraid. Our village has laws. Just tell us what happened, and the village head will stand up for you.”
Chen Yuan lowered her head, pretending to be frightened, and remained silent.
“Oh, you silly child. What are you afraid of? You’re not even part of their family anymore. They can’t do anything to you.”
Chen Yuan still said nothing.
She was leaving soon. This was no time to stir up unnecessary trouble and delay her departure.
Besides, there was nothing worth talking about.
Seeing that Chen Yuan refused to answer, Auntie Mancang gradually lost interest in pressing the matter.
“When you left their house, you didn’t even take a single grain of food with you. What have you and the baby been eating these past few days…”
“Old woman! Hurry up and pack our things!”
At that moment, Zhang Mancang returned.
“Oh? We have a guest?”
“Uncle Mancang,” Chen Yuan greeted.
“Old man, this is Yanyan,” Auntie Mancang explained. “She used to be Zhang Laosan’s wife.”
Zhang Mancang nodded in realization.
“I thought you looked familiar.”