Liu Family Village was located in a small border town of Dongyuan Country.
In the past two years, severe drought and frequent locust plagues in the south had made life extremely difficult for the people.
This year, war broke out again with Xiyuan, and it was about to reach the area near Liu Family Village.
All the surrounding villages had to flee north to escape the war.
The destination was set to be Yong City in the north.
Originally, the Liu family was most worried about Liu Ji’an, fearing his body wouldn’t be able to endure the hardships of the journey.
But after receiving acupuncture from Shen Qingge for two consecutive days, Liu Ji’an was already able to walk normally. Although his body was still a bit weak, it didn’t affect much.
“Boss, take the money and go into the city again. See if there’s still any grain left to buy. No matter how expensive it is, buy as much as you can.”
Mother Liu handed more than half of the family’s money to the eldest son.
They would be leaving early tomorrow morning, and on the road, food was far more valuable than money.
“Second, go to Chen Village and ask Meng Qiu’s in-laws if they want to travel with us. It’s safer to have more people on the road.”
“Third, hurry and fix the cart. With a cart, the journey will be much easier.”
After making arrangements, Mother Liu called the four daughters-in-law over.
She divided the remaining money into three parts. Besides keeping one portion for herself, she gave the other two to Wang Shi and Wen Shi for safekeeping.
“The money and food must be kept separately. If anything unexpected happens along the way, we won’t lose everything at once. Make sure to hide them well.”
At this, Feng Shi became unhappy.
“Mother, why do Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law both get money, but I don’t? That’s not fair.”
“My Third Brother is also your son. You can’t treat us differently just because I didn’t give you a grandson. Fourth Girl is also your granddaughter.”
Mother Liu had already expected her complaints. That was exactly why she refused to give her any.
“Feng Shi, fleeing from famine is no joke. You know very well what kind of person you are.”
“If something really happens, you’ll probably run faster than anyone else.”
“Our family hasn’t split yet. This money is only being kept by the wives of the eldest and second sons for now. Once we reach Yong City, it will all be handed over.”
Feng Shi didn’t dare argue further and could only mutter a few complaints under her breath.
After everyone dispersed, Mother Liu specifically kept Shen Qingge behind, worried that she might feel uneasy about the money.
Shen Qingge didn’t care much about these matters. Although she didn’t have money, she had countless supplies and didn’t need to worry about anything.
On the other hand, the Liu family didn’t have much grain to begin with, and they had already given away fifty jin when arranging the marriage.
From what Father Liu and Mother Liu had said, the remaining grain probably wouldn’t last long.
When the time came, she could sell some to them.
She could sell it at a lower price as compensation for the food she was eating, but she would never give it away for free.
Shen Qingge never made a losing deal.
She returned to her room to pack her things. Looking at the worn-out bundle in her hands… she had nothing to pack.
Although the Xu family claimed they had married her off, it was no different from selling her. They hadn’t prepared any dowry at all.
The original owner’s bundle only contained two sets of tattered coarse clothes.
Even Shen Qingge, who never cared about clothing, couldn’t help but sigh.
Liu Ji’an lay half-reclined on the bed, staring at her without blinking.
Seeing her troubled expression, he actually found her a little cute.
If she had a bit more flesh on her, she would be even cuter—and nicer to hug.
Liu Ji’an said, “There’s a bolt of cloth in the chest. I don’t need it right now. Why not let Mother make you a new set of clothes?”
“No need.” At a time like this, it was better not to dress too well.
After being rejected, Liu Ji’an felt a bit frustrated. His wife seemed so cold.
“Hiss—”
“Is your wound bleeding again?”
“I don’t know. It suddenly started hurting.”
“Let me take a look.” Shen Qingge sat beside the bed and began treating his wound.
Out of her sight, Liu Ji’an secretly showed a sly smile.
His wife seemed a bit naive.
…
In the afternoon, the second brother returned first from Chen Village.
Mother Liu asked, “What did the Chen family say?”
He gulped down a large bowl of water. “When I got there, no one was home. I asked around and found out they had already left a few days ago.”
“Left? Where did they go? What about your fourth sister?” Mother Liu grabbed him anxiously.
“They said they went to Qingzhou to stay with a classmate of Scholar Chen. They took Fourth Sister with them.”
“She originally wanted to come back before leaving, but her mother-in-law stopped her.”
Mother Liu stomped her foot in anger. “That old hag! I knew she was behind this. Who knows how much suffering my daughter will go through on the road.”
Second Sister-in-law Wen quickly comforted her. “Mother, don’t worry. I know Qingzhou—it’s not far from Yong City. Once we settle down there, we’ll go find Meng Qiu.”
“There’s no other way. We can only do this for now.”
Mother Liu felt extremely uneasy, constantly worrying that her daughter might be mistreated.
By the time the eldest brother returned, it was already dark. He was only carrying a small bag of rice bran.
Even that, he had begged hard to buy.
“Father, Mother, most people in the county have already left. I heard that the soldiers of Xiyuan will soon reach our area.”
Hearing this, everyone in the family became tense.
Only Feng Shi continued eating without a care.
Father Liu frowned and shook his head. “Things are about to become chaotic… I’ll go speak with the village chief. Don’t wait for me tonight.”
At night, after hearing steady breathing from the bed, Shen Qingge quietly got up and left the Liu house.
Following her memory, she arrived outside the Xu family home.
She was there to take back her dowry.
She wasn’t going to let them keep it.
Shen Qingge directly pushed open Old Madam Xu’s door.
All of the Xu family’s belongings were under her control. Although the original owner didn’t know where things were hidden, it wasn’t difficult for Shen Qingge.
Before long, she found several hundred jin of grain under the bed, silver hidden in the roof beams, and the gold and jewelry the original owner had brought from her adoptive parents, hidden in a chest.
These items had been prepared by her adoptive parents out of concern that she would suffer after returning home.
But soon after she returned, Old Madam Xu had taken everything.
Whether the original owner was truly dead or had, like her, gone to another world—
No matter what, she wouldn’t have wanted her belongings to remain with the Xu family.
Shen Qingge took everything that belonged to the original owner.
She also took more than seventy jin of rice and five taels of silver.
Fifty jin of rice would be returned to the Liu family. The rest would serve as a lesson for the Xu family.
Just as Shen Qingge reached the courtyard gate, she suddenly froze.
“You… who are you?!”