Chapter 7: Scramble for the Goat at the Dock

The guard saw that Granny Su had gray hair and tattered clothes, but she still looked fairly energetic. Especially the baby in her arms—plump, fair-skinned, with eyes as clear and pure as black grapes. As soon as the child saw him, she immediately smiled, revealing two shallow dimples. Absolutely adorable.

The guard’s heart softened, and he said, “Old lady, if you want to catch the boat to the capital, you’d best get to the city gate before dawn. The last boat departs at dawn. But the fare is steep—five taels of silver per person.”

Five taels of silver!

That was what their family of fourteen would have to save for half a year without eating or drinking.

Granny Su tightened her grip on Su Huan and asked, “May I ask, sir—is that an official vessel?”

The guard replied, “No, the official boats stopped running half a month ago. That one belongs to the wealthy Wang family in Wukou County. It’s a private boat.”

No wonder it was so expensive—it was privately owned.

Granny Su’s face showed hesitation. Seeing this, the guard added, “Old lady, if you can’t afford the boat, you can go talk to the broker surnamed Li over there. He’s partnered with our local government and is in charge of resettling refugees who can’t register households. Although Wukou County isn’t your hometown, it’s a decent place. The customs and people are good. You wouldn’t lose out by settling here.”

That might be true, but settling down would definitely cost money. And once they settled, leaving again would be difficult.

Granny Su buried the dilemma in her heart and gratefully said, “Thank you for telling me, sir. You have a kind heart—you’re sure to live a long and blessed life.”

The guard waved her off and looked at Su Huan with a smile. “I can’t accept such a blessing from you, old lady. I’m only speaking more because your granddaughter is so cute.”

Normally, they wouldn’t even bother with refugee inquiries.

Seeing his expression, Granny Su knew he was telling the truth and couldn’t help but feel lucky she had brought Su Huan along. But this had been part of her plan. After all, when facing an old woman and a baby, even the coldest people tend to let their guard down. Besides, the guard wasn’t wrong—her granddaughter was indeed adorable!

“Ee-yah~”

Su Huan stared at Granny Su with bright eyes and blew a bubble.

The grandmother and granddaughter returned to the cart. After Su Lao’er and the others sold their chickens and rabbits and scraped together enough to pay taxes, Granny Su led the family into the city. They abandoned the cart, keeping only the dairy goat, and hurried toward the dock the guard had mentioned.

Su Lao’er asked worriedly, “Mother, weren’t we going to the city to buy food? Why are we heading straight to the dock?”

Granny Su relayed the information she had gotten from the guard. After hearing it, Su Laosan and Zhang Xiaolan felt uneasy.

“Mom, we don’t have money for the boat fare. Do you think the Wang family’s boat will take us?”

Granny Su said firmly, “Of course not! But since we can’t afford the fare, once we get near the boat, we’ll find a way to sneak into the hold. Once we’re on board, we’ll figure out the food situation.”

Though stowing away wasn’t exactly honorable, once they boarded the boat, their chances of surviving the journey to the capital would rise dramatically.

Not to mention the bandits they encountered today—there were plenty more dangers on the road.

So, boat fare or not, they had to get on that boat!

The problem was, people could sneak on board, but how were they going to smuggle the dairy goat?

Setting aside whether the goat would bleat and expose their stowaway plan, which could get them thrown overboard by the Wang family, the bigger issue was what to feed it so it could keep producing milk.

Su Lao’er spoke seriously, “Mother, maybe we should sell the goat. We could buy some rice, walnut powder, and cook porridge for Wuya to eat. We could even trade for some dry rations…”

Though Granny Su couldn’t think of a perfect solution either, she didn’t hesitate to scold him, “Absolutely not! Rice porridge is no match for goat milk! If my granddaughter gets sick, can you afford to take responsibility?”

“Uh…” Su Lao’er was speechless. He was only thinking of the family’s best interest.

Yan Xing wiped his nose sheepishly and agreed, “Little sister’s still young. She should drink milk!”

Granny Su immediately beamed and patted his head. “Now that’s right. If our family stays united, what hardship can’t we overcome? That goat is Wuya’s only source of food—we must take it with us!”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Su Lao’er still wanted to say more, but Su Lao’er patted him on the shoulder and reassured him, “Mother’s right. Wuya’s still young—what else can she drink if not milk? If she chokes on porridge, and something happens to her, you and Sumei would regret it for the rest of your lives. Besides, she’s the only girl in our Su family! Even if mother didn’t agree, I wouldn’t agree!”

Su Laosan and Su Laosi nodded in strong agreement.

Seeing this, Su Lao’er could only give up reluctantly.

Little Su Huan secretly peeked at her defeated father and giggled while clenching her tiny fists.

Actually, the goat issue was easy to solve. When they boarded, she could store the goat in her space. Once safely on the boat, she’d release it again.

Granny Su looked at the dock ahead, packed with people, and said seriously, “Alright, let’s lead the goat over! When the moment comes, we’ll take advantage of the chaos and get the goat onboard!”

“Got it, Mother!”

The family moved toward the crowd.

At the dock.

Most of the people who made it here had some money. Though their clothes weren’t fancy, they weren’t patched all over and covered in dirt like the Su family.

As soon as the Su family entered the crowd, they felt eyes on them.

“Old lady, that goat’s nice. Where’d you get it?”

A scrawny, sleazy-looking man approached and blocked their path. His eyes were glued greedily to their dairy goat.

Su Huan raised an eyebrow.

The goat had grown up in her storage space, never lacking food or grass. Naturally, it was fat and healthy—looked quite tasty too.

But everyone in the family was guarding it fiercely, and this fool actually had the nerve to target her food supply?

Sure enough, Su Lao’er pushed aside the man’s hand that reached for the goat and said coldly, “That belongs to my niece. You’d best not touch it!”

The scrawny man sneered and slowly pulled his hand back. “Your niece’s, huh? I think you stole it! Just so happens, my brothers and I lost a goat this morning—looks exactly like this one. Be smart and hand it over, or don’t blame us for using force!”

As he spoke, several men drew sharp machetes and surrounded the Su family. Clearly, this robbery had been premeditated.

The surrounding people quickly backed away, leaving the Su family isolated.

Su Lao’er’s face darkened and he pulled out a kitchen knife. “Cut the crap! This goat’s ours! Move aside!”

But they were outnumbered—if it came to a fight, the children might get hurt.

“Lao’er, come back!”

Granny Su frowned and barked. Holding Su Huan, she stepped forward and addressed the scrawny man with calm dignity, “Good sir, you’ve misunderstood. This dairy goat does belong to us. It’s also my granddaughter’s only source of food, so we can’t give it up. Since we’re all here at the dock, I assume we all want to board the boat. We’ll be seeing each other again and again. Please, be generous and let us pass.”

The Su family all looked dirty and pitiful, but Su Huan’s fair and adorable face stood out from Granny Su’s arms.

In this tense atmosphere, not only was she unafraid, but her bright eyes darted curiously at the man—her gaze full of intelligence.

Such a child—even as a girl—would fetch more than a goat if sold.

The scrawny man’s heart stirred. He exchanged a glance with his brothers, then suddenly raised his knife and swung it at Granny Su, while his other hand lunged for Su Huan!

Everyone’s expressions changed. “Mother!”

Su Huan instantly shut her eyes and activated the Soul-Protection Artifact!