Su Manman took the three little ones to the Weimeng Escort Agency and found Tang Song’s senior brother, Yan Gang.
Luck seemed to be on their side: Yan Gang had just returned from a run of the escort.
When he learned that Su Manman and the kids wanted to go to Luzhou, he didn’t make things difficult just because they looked so poor.
He told them plainly: three days later, there would be a caravan heading to Luzhou, and they could join.
However, they didn’t have an extra carriage for Su Manman and the kids.
To arrange a dedicated carriage would cost at least fifty taels of silver.
If Su Manman had her own carriage and traveled with them, they could waive the fee.
Yan Gang’s frankness was due to seeing how poor they looked and because Tang Song recommended them.
Su Manman grimaced. She only had eighty taels in total.
If she spent fifty on transport, that would leave barely anything for food, lodging along the way, or traveling from Luzhou to Da’an County afterward.
Whether the remaining thirty-some taels would be enough until she found the male lead was uncertain.
Buying her own carriage was expensive and exhausting; she didn’t want the hassle of driving and feeding horses either.
After a brief internal debate, she gritted her teeth and decided: they would go.
Yan Gang was a little surprised—he hadn’t expected someone who looked so poor to pay fifty taels.
Su Manman knew enough to hide her wealth when necessary.
“I arranged this in advance,” she said. “My husband knew I’d need silver to reach Luzhou, so he sent it ahead.
I thought fifty taels would be more than enough, but it wasn’t.
If my father hadn’t given me a little extra silver when I left, I really wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Yan Gang, seeing that she really had no more silver, offered another kindness: he could waive meals for her.
The catch? Su Manman would have to help cook for the escort agents.
They were all men on runs—having a woman to cook would be convenient.
Su Manman’s smile froze awkwardly.
In her head: Am I supposed to be the housemaid? I didn’t come here to slave over meals—I came to enjoy life!
Outwardly, though, she put on a look of gratitude.
“You’re such a kind person, Brother Yan. Don’t worry—I’ll cook properly when the time comes.”
Damn it, even heroes can be brought down by money. Every tael saved counts.
She would delegate the cooking to the three little ones. Problem solved.
…
With three days until departure, they couldn’t stay in a stable like at the Sifang Escort Agency.
Not because Su Manman was shy—it was because she wanted the kids to wash up.
Judging by their motherly appearance… Su Manman was sure that if they sat anywhere on the ground, passersby would throw coins at them.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind.
Why not?
She pulled the three little ones close, four heads huddled together.
A quick confab ensued.
The expressions on Su Xiaoman, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao’s faces were priceless—equal parts shock and doubt.
“Big sister… really?”
Su Manman crossed her arms.
“If you have another way to earn silver, fine. Otherwise…”
Su Xiaoman’s little black hands twisted nervously.
He had no way to earn silver.
But… begging? Something felt off.
“Why, do you look down on being a beggar?” Su Manman asked.
“Look at how you’re dressed. Do you think passersby see you as normal?”
As soon as she said this, a few people nearby spotted them and hurried away, clearly trying to avoid any entanglement.
Su Xiaoman’s eyes flickered with shame.
“Reaching out to beg isn’t shameful.
Not everyone can do it.
First, you give up your dignity while remaining deeply grateful to those who help you.
Second, you don’t morally coerce anyone.
People help you voluntarily—if they don’t, they aren’t wronged.
Those who help you gain merit for themselves, while you benefit.
Two birds, one stone—it’s a win-win.”
Su Xiaoman, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao had initially felt embarrassed about begging.
After hearing this, they straightened their backs proudly.
“I’ll do it, big sister.”
Su Manman nodded, satisfied. Promising pupils.
Glancing at the kids, she thought: no makeup required—they’re ready to work.
Of course, the horses would still need feeding.
Before starting, Su Manman took the kids to eat a bowl of noodles.
Full and fed, they headed straight for the busiest part of Qingzhou.
Finally, they reached the crossroads.
Beggars were everywhere, each more pitiful than the last—old, weak, or disabled.
The kids initially seemed underwhelming, but Su Manman whispered instructions: a little trick to make their “sales props” more effective.
Su Xiaoman, eyes wide, whispered: “But big sister… this is tricking people. Isn’t that wrong?”
Su Manman smacked him on the back of the head.
“A benevolent lie, got it?
Besides, you’re just sitting there. You don’t need to speak.
What others think is their problem, not yours.”
Seeing Su Xiaoman about to protest again, Su Manman cut him off decisively.
“Stop talking and do as I say.”
The kids had no room to argue. Su Manman’s frown was terrifying.
…
At the Qingzhou crossroads, the area was the busiest of the ancient city.
People flowed endlessly.
Su Xiaoman and the others knelt as instructed, with a bowl in front, chipped at the rim.
Su Xiaoman knelt, covering his legs with his clothing to look as if they were broken.
Da Bao sat beside him, eyes vacant.
Xiao Bao, confused, sat by Da Bao.
The three looked like pitiable little wretches.
A short distance away, Su Manman pulled out a wooden stake from her space—a trinket she’d pilfered back in Gu’s Village.
She perched on it, keeping watch over the three kids remotely.
Sure enough, kind-hearted city folk were plenty.
Coins started dropping into the chipped bowl almost immediately.
Even if just a single copper, it was still money.