After all the commotion, Qiao Xin and her companions were already starving.

The aroma of freshly steamed buns from a roadside stall kept drifting into their noses, making their mouths water.

They kept glancing back at the stall, their steps slowing until they finally stopped in place, unable to move any further.

Qiao Xin patted her stomach, unwilling to let herself go hungry.

Without hesitation, she took the lead, sitting at a table in front of the noodle stall and waving to the stall owner, “Boss, four bowls of plain noodles, and make it quick!”

“Got it!”

After placing the order, she considered that one bowl per person might not be enough for Qiao Yunxin and the others.

She asked, “Do you guys want another bowl each?”

The three of them shook their heads in unison.

Their family was poor, and every coin had to be spent carefully.

This was the first time Qiao Xin had ever taken them out to eat at a stall.

Just getting a taste was already a luxury!

Qiao Xin didn’t insist. Some habits weren’t easy to change overnight.

Before long, the stall owner brought over a tray with four steaming hot bowls of noodle soup.

As he set them on the table, he hesitantly suggested, “Would you like to add some meat? Freshly slaughtered lamb, thirty wen per jin, guaranteed fresh.”

Qiao Xin chuckled. “Most vendors are rivals, yet here you are promoting someone else’s business?”

The stall owner, who was about forty years old, smiled sheepishly and rubbed his hands on a cloth. “That’s my wife’s stall.”

Qiao Xin glanced at the cooked food stall next door and immediately understood.

This couple ran their business seamlessly together—it was no wonder they made good money!

She had been craving meat, and the people with her, who rarely ate any, probably felt the same. Not to mention the hungry adults and children waiting at home—they all needed something nutritious.

She took out half a tael of silver and thirty copper coins, handing them to the stall owner. “Then please buy thirty buns for us, and use the rest to get as much of your wife’s cooked meat as possible. Bring us two jin of meat first, and pack the rest up with the buns for us to take away.”

The stall owner weighed the silver in his hand, his face lighting up with joy.

He quickly agreed, hurrying off to get everything before she could change her mind.

He hadn’t expected these people to be so generous!

Half a tael of silver was nearly two days’ worth of income for him and his wife.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yunqing calmly ate his noodles and asked about their plans.

His refined manners were deeply ingrained, and even eating noodles, he followed strict etiquette.

“Mother, what’s next?”

“We need to leave here first. The dispute between the Marquis of Xiaoyao and the Yang family will take some time to resolve, and we can’t get caught up in it. We must leave Jing’an Town before nightfall.”

“We’ll buy two carriages for the journey and hire a few men to take the ox cart back to the village. The eldest and third son will return to bring the rest of the family and our valuables. I already told the eldest’s wife to pack in advance, so they won’t need much time in the village.

“The second son will stay with me to buy supplies for the trip. We’ll get the essentials first and replenish them at the next stop. Right now, the priority is to get out of here.”

“Are you worried the Yang family will take revenge on us?”

“It’s possible. To the wealthy, human lives are worthless. I’m not afraid for myself, but I have all of you to protect—I can’t afford to gamble with your lives.”

“But we saved the Marquis’s son, didn’t we? Isn’t that a great favor?” Qiao Yunting was puzzled.

Qiao Xin glanced at her youngest son and became even more determined to move away.

Staying in this small place too long had stunted their perspective—her sons lacked the awareness of how the world truly worked.

“We should be grateful that the Marquis is honorable. But if it were some other people, whether it counts as a favor depends entirely on them. If they acknowledge it, it’s a favor. If they don’t, they could even accuse you of being part of a conspiracy to harm the young lord. What could you do about it?”

That’s why Qiao Xin had insisted on treating their efforts as a business deal, paying money to cut ties instead of accepting the Marquis’s gratitude.

Qiao Yunting fell silent, deep in thought.

Qiao Yunqing, however, glanced at Qiao Xin with growing curiosity.

He wondered more and more about her past—how did she know so much about the ways of the rich and powerful?

Qiao Xin didn’t want to be so cynical, but after reading history books and watching political dramas in her past life, she had learned how dangerous the powerful could be.

Both the Marquis and the Yang family were forces they couldn’t afford to provoke.

If the Yang family offered a tempting deal to the Marquis in exchange for his forgiveness, their family might become scapegoats.

As for Xu Can’s gratitude toward them—it was worthless when things got serious!

Even if the Marquis was a man of integrity and didn’t betray them, today’s events had played out in front of a large crowd in the Yang family’s own restaurant.

Once the Yang family had time to react, they would retaliate all the same.

Qiao Yunqing shared his concerns with his brothers, and the two immediately grew anxious.

They quickly finished their meal and rushed off to the carriage shop.

Since Qiao Xin had money, she chose the sturdiest and most comfortable carriages within acceptable limits.

With Qiao Yunqing’s guidance, they negotiated a price of 120 taels for two carriages.

Fortunately, Qiao Yunxin had experience driving carriages from past work.

After a little practice, he got the hang of it.

Owning their own carriage for the first time, Qiao Yunxin was excited. “So this carriage is ours now, officially?”

“Unless something unexpected happens, yes. And stop acting like this is a big deal. Whatever others have, we’ll have too, sooner or later.”

Qiao Yunxin was too busy bonding with the horses to pay full attention, only responding with an “Oh!”

Qiao Xin, fearing any mistakes, reminded him again, “Pick everyone up and meet us outside Liu Pavilion. Don’t enter the city. Leave everything else in the village to the chief and Doctor Zhao.” She handed him a tael of silver. “Pay Doctor Zhao what we owe and consider the extra as interest.”

The brothers nodded firmly before setting off for the village.

Watching them ride away, Qiao Xin turned and handed a banknote worth 100 taels to Qiao Yunqing. “We’ll split up. You drive the carriage to buy rice, flour, dried goods, and cooked food. I’ll go buy shoes, clothes, and bedding nearby.” After thinking for a moment, she added, “Oh, and get plenty of snacks and fruit. Don’t try to save money for me.”

Qiao Yunqing chuckled at her exasperated tone.

Instead of buying brand-new clothes from a silk shop, Qiao Xin went to a pawnshop.

She spent 20 taels on two sets of second-hand linen outfits, jackets, and cloth shoes for each family member.

She also bought two bolts of linen and a sewing kit so her daughters-in-law could make clothes on the road.

Outfitting a family of thirteen wasn’t cheap, so even she had to budget carefully.

However, she refused to compromise on bedding.

Unfortunately, silk quilts were too expensive, and reed quilts weren’t warm enough.

Cotton quilts were available—but they cost twice as much as silk ones! In the end, she had to settle for more reed quilts and fur blankets.

After this shopping spree, she had spent nearly half her money.

The shopkeeper, delighted by her generosity, even gifted her a rabbit pelt.

It was only a small piece, but she could cut it into gloves for the children.

At least it was something—Qiao Xin consoled herself as she reflected on how much she had just spent.