The big one and the three little ones slept soundly in the carriage bureau’s wood storage.
Little did they know that outside, Lin Da Hu and his men were about to turn the entire town upside down.
They had checked every inn in town,
but none had seen a woman with three children come to stay.
Finally, they asked the noodle shop owner and learned that Su Manman had taken the kids to the escort agency.
Escort agencies always had backing, and their escorts knew martial arts.
A lowlife like Lin Da Hu didn’t dare barge in directly.
So he and two of his brothers waited outside.
As long as Su Manman came out, she wouldn’t get away.
…
Su Manman had no idea she was being followed.
She woke at dawn.
Today, she had to leave. She still needed to buy some dry food for the road.
Otherwise, out there with no village or store nearby, how would they eat?
She planned to store the food in the space,
so she didn’t intend to bring the three little ones along.
The three kids panicked at the thought of being left behind,
afraid Su Manman might just leave without them.
But Su Manman didn’t care what they thought.
If they wanted to follow her, they had to obey.
Disobedience? She would really leave.
In short, the three little ones were scared enough not to protest.
Seeing the three little puddings with their faces drooping,
Su Manman felt a wicked satisfaction.
Heh… after being a laborer and servant for so long,
she liked this feeling of others obeying her completely.
Heh. As for those unspoken psychological states…
…
Stepping out of the escort agency, Su Manman finally saw the whole town.
It looked much like the old towns on Blue Star,
except this one was authentic.
Not as bustling as the “fake” towns.
Across the street, someone was selling big flatbreads.
They looked dry and unappetizing, but they would keep.
There were also steamed buns. Su Manman decided to buy these as “hard currency” food for the road.
She had barely walked a few steps when she realized someone was behind her.
Not because Su Manman was particularly perceptive—
but the person behind her didn’t bother to hide.
She turned to see Lin Da Hu with his two lackeys.
Damn, the bump on his forehead from yesterday’s stick hadn’t even gone down.
And now he was rushing to find trouble again.
If he wanted to die, she’d help him.
Su Manman darted into a narrow alley.
Lin Da Hu had thought fighting on the main street would be too conspicuous,
but she was considerate enough to go straight into an alley.
He followed.
But once inside, there was… nobody.
“Where’s everyone?”
The three brothers looked around.
Bam!
Suddenly, a stick slammed Lin Da Hu from behind.
He turned, but before he could react, the stick hit him again.
He fell to the ground, stars spinning before his eyes.
His two brothers looked back to see their boss on the ground,
but the alley was empty.
“Boss…!”
As they approached, bam! bam!
The sticks seemed to fall from the sky itself.
Their heads went numb; stars appeared in their eyes.
And yet there was no one around.
“Ah, ghosts…!”
The two of them grabbed their heads and ran, forgetting Lin Da Hu entirely.
Hidden inside the space, Su Manman watched the two flee, then stepped out.
Seeing Lin Da Hu on the ground, she didn’t hesitate—another blow to the head.
That’s enough. Even if he woke up, he’d probably be a little slow-witted now.
She had, in a sense, “protected the people” with this act.
Done with the beating, she returned the stick to the space.
She also took Lin Da Hu’s money pouch.
Wow. That’s not a small amount.
It added up to more than thirty taels.
What Su Manman didn’t know was that thirty of those taels came from Zhao.
After Lin Da Hu got beaten yesterday and realized Zhao had paid Su Manman fifty taels,
he naturally wasn’t going to just let it slide.
Even family matters had to be accounted for.
In the end, Zhao had no choice but to give him thirty taels and a twenty-tael IOU.
Lin Da Hu took the money and left.
His real motive for coming after Su Manman wasn’t revenge—it was her fifty taels.
But now she’d never have that opportunity again.
An unexpected windfall!
Su Manman was very pleased.
She not only bought plenty of food,
but also bought two complete outfits for each of the three kids and herself,
plus thick winter clothes.
She had read that Luzhou was colder than Gujia Village.
Better to prepare warm clothing in advance.
Finally, Su Manman returned with two large packages, greeted by the longing eyes of Su Xiaoman and the twins.
“Big sister… mom…”
Seeing their small eyes filled with relief,
she knew exactly what they had been fearing.
But she had no intention of comforting them.
She had endured enough as a laborer and servant.
Her own mental state was already unhealthy; why care about theirs?
She gave each of them a big meat bun.
The escort caravan was about to depart.
The caravan seemed large;
there were people in the front, and naturally, Su Manman and the three kids were riding in the last wagon among the cargo.
A few sacks barely gave them a place to sit.
Su Manman was not pleased, but couldn’t do anything about it.
For the three little kids, it was thrilling—
their first time on a carriage, all wide-eyed and excited.
They chattered nonstop along the way.
Su Manman couldn’t help but feel superior, watching such inexperienced kids.
After two hours, they stopped by the roadside to rest.
The break lasted an hour.
The caravan would cook a meal—
evidently, this trip wasn’t urgent.
Everyone seemed relaxed; otherwise, who would have time to cook?
Su Manman didn’t cook either; she just prepared some hot water in a clay pot, stored it in water bags,
and ate the dry food she had bought in the morning.
She also wisely kept the kids at the back,
far from the VIPs in front,
to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The big one and the three little ones ate the spring water with large buns.
For Su Manman, it was normal food,
but for Su Xiaoman and the twins, it was a feast.
They ate heartily, looking like they were tasting dragon meat and bird’s nest.
“Hey, what are they eating? I want some too!”
A small voice called.
Su Manman looked up and saw a plump little boy, six or seven, dressed in silk, clearly wealthy.
It was the first time she’d seen such a fat child, even after reviewing the original body’s memories.
A servant followed behind him.
The boy looked at the buns in the three kids’ hands with disdain.
“Master, that’s just what servants eat. Your nanny already made you meat porridge. Let’s go eat that.”
But the little fat boy was stubborn.
“I want what they have in their hands!”
The three little ones, hearing he wanted their buns, hurriedly gobbled theirs down.
The boy was taken aback that they dared disobey him.
He stepped forward to grab them.
Quick as lightning, Su Manman caught his hand.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The boy, used to being a little tyrant at home, had never been stopped.
Being blocked by Su Manman left him stunned.
The servant protested, “What are you doing? Let go of the young master!”
Su Manman released the boy’s hand but gave him a cold glare.
“Watch your master.
If your household finds out you let him do whatever he wants,
trying to be a little robber at his age? I won’t spare you.”
Before the servant could respond, the boy realized and shouted:
“Taogu! Catch these little brats for me!”
Su Manman frowned.
What kind of brat calls people “brats” every other word?
What kind of upbringing is this?