The barrage of comments kept appearing, fiercely discussing the man who had just shown up.
Qin Suining widened her eyes and read through them one by one, quickly figuring out his identity.
Yu Fugui, a man from Yuanzhou Prefecture, twenty-seven years old this year.
He had been a shopkeeper at an inn in Tangzhou. The reason he appeared here was because he had received news that his mother at home was seriously ill, so he asked his employer for leave to rush back.
Unfortunately, the coachman he hired was unreliable. When the locust plague broke out, the man panicked and abandoned him, fleeing on his own.
Yu Fugui had no choice but to continue on foot while trying to ask others for help along the way.
According to the barrage, his misfortune did not end there.
In just a few days of travel, he had repeatedly come close to death.
What he didn’t know was that during his delay on the road, his critically ill mother passed away in regret.
At the same time, with a large number of refugees pouring into Yuezhou Prefecture, the already disaster-stricken region became even more overwhelmed.
For example, in the Yu family, the eldest couple and their two nephews were killed by starving refugees before they could recover from their grief.
By the time Yu Fugui returned, injured and exhausted, the entire Yu Village had become a living hell.
From that day on, he became completely alone. He no longer had the heart to return to his original employer and could only wander and struggle for survival with a few survivors from the village.
Later, he followed a merchant caravan to the capital. When he was nearly beaten to death over some incident, he was rescued by Princess He’an, who happened to pass by.
After reading this for a long time, Qin Suining couldn’t help but sigh.
As expected, Princess He’an—whom those comments called the “female lead”—truly lived up to her reputation.
She really was like the heavens’ favored daughter; all good fortune seemed to fall into her lap.
But this time, she would have to wait a while.
Qin Suining quickly made a decision and whispered a few words to Zhou Shi.
Knowing that her daughter could see guidance from the “immortals,” Zhou Shi naturally followed Qin Suining’s lead.
She drove the carriage forward, and about half an hour later, they saw Yu Fugui sitting dejectedly by the roadside.
“Can you drive a carriage?” Zhou Shi asked from the carriage.
“I can! I can!” Yu Fugui stood up excitedly.
“Get on then.” Zhou Shi handed him the whip and climbed into the carriage.
Yu Fugui had experience driving carts when accompanying his employer on business trips, so he was quite skilled.
Once he took over, Qin Suining immediately noticed the carriage became much steadier and less bumpy.
Zhou Shi also noticed and began carefully observing his driving techniques, even asking him questions when she didn’t understand.
Yu Fugui, grateful by nature, explained everything without hiding anything.
During a rest stop, he even took out a few dry, hard flatbreads from his bundle.
“If you don’t mind, please have some.”
Qin Suining smiled. “We have our own food, so there’s no need. Thank you, Shopkeeper Yu.”
At the same time, she noticed his water pouch was almost empty.
“I still have some water in my bucket. I’ll share some with you.”
Yu Fugui quickly tried to refuse, saying he would pay silver for it.
Zhou Shi laughed. “It’s just well water from home. No need for money.”
She filled his water pouch to the brim.
Yu Fugui thanked them repeatedly before drinking carefully.
The moment the water entered his throat, it felt cool and slightly sweet, almost like sugar water.
Even the burning pain in his mouth seemed to ease.
Zhou Shi explained casually, “It’s just mountain spring water. It naturally tastes a bit sweet.”
Yu Fugui accepted this explanation without doubt.
At noon, under the scorching sun, many refugees rested in shaded areas.
Yu Fugui, eager to return home, suggested taking a shortcut.
He pulled out a worn map and pointed at a route.
“This road passes through my village. From there, it’s only half an hour to Yuezhou Prefecture city gates.”
“If you don’t mind, you can rest at my house, replenish food and water, and then we’ll escort you to the city outskirts.”
This route would save them half a day.
Zhou Shi looked at Qin Suining.
“Then let’s follow Shopkeeper Yu’s route,” Qin Suining said calmly.
“If his mother is seriously ill, we shouldn’t delay any longer. Let’s set off.”
Winning people over—this wasn’t something only that so-called “female lead” could do.
She could do it too.