Chapter 16: Seeking Refuge with Relatives

After presenting her farewell gift, the Old Madam Wang bid the Su family farewell. Accompanied by Steward Zhang and Zilan, she took a carriage heading toward the inner city.

There, towering mansions lined the streets, and at the far end stood the magnificent, resplendent imperial palace.

In the outer city streets of the capital.

After finishing the entry formalities at the courier station, Old Madam Su put away the travel permit and led her family towards their relatives’ residence.

On the road, Wu Chunhe felt uneasy. Worried, she looked at Old Madam Su and said, “Mother, Old Madam Wang gave our Little Fifth such a valuable farewell gift, but we only gave her a messy scribble that Little Fifth casually drew. Isn’t that too ungrateful?”

That day, after returning to the cabin, Old Madam Su hadn’t explained how Little Fifth had subdued the golden silkworm gu by sheer accident and inadvertently saved the young Miss of the Wang family.

Therefore, Wu Chunhe and the others still had no idea just how capable their Little Fifth really was.

As for that “messy scribble,” it was actually a protective talisman Su Huan had drawn with spiritual techniques on rough paper after returning from slaying an evil cultivator. It was meant to protect the Su family. However, her control over the technique wasn’t yet precise, so the symbols looked crooked and messy—like a child’s doodle.

There were fifteen of these protective talismans in total—one for each member of the Su family. The one they gave to Old Madam Wang was the very first one Su Huan had drawn for practice. Though uglier, its effect was the same.

Hearing this, little Su Huan felt a bit embarrassed. She curled her tiny fists and withdrew into the swaddling cloth.

Old Madam Su glanced at Wu Chunhe and said in a mysterious tone, “Don’t underestimate that talisman. It was drawn by our Little Fifth and carries her blessings. It will surely protect both grandmother and granddaughter in health and peace!”

Pfft—

Seeing how confident her mother was, Su Lao’er (the second son) twitched at the corners of his mouth. “Mother, that’s not the way to put it. Even if we gave Aunt Old Madam that luminous pearl we found in the river clam, it would be better than giving her one of Little Fifth’s scribbles! And to think we even call her ‘Aunt Old Madam’—isn’t that just perfunctory? Aren’t you afraid she’ll be offended?”

“Yiya yiya!”

Su Huan glared at her second uncle and babbled a few dissatisfied sounds.

Even if her talisman looked ugly, in the world of cultivation no one was more proficient in survival arts than she was! The talismans she personally crafted were extremely rare and sought after!

Su Yanhe smiled gently and said, “Alright, Father, Grandma is right. If that talisman were drawn by someone else, then sure, it might not be suitable as a gift to Old Madam Wang. But since it was drawn by our sister, it holds extraordinary value. Besides, that luminous pearl is already set in the Seven-Treasure Longevity Lock that Old Madam Wang gave to our sister. How could we give it to anyone else?”

Ever since he had seen his little sister mysteriously shield their grandmother from a robber’s blade back at the dock, he had started observing her closely. He found that she could not only produce things out of thin air at times but also secretly store the milk goat into some space and take it out only after it had been well-fed.

Moreover, something must have happened between Grandma, Little Fifth, and Old Madam Wang on the main ship during their first visit. Otherwise, why would Old Madam Wang place so much trust in them?

At present, besides Grandma, he was the only one who believed Little Fifth was special.

Reminded of this, Su Lao’er quickly changed his tune and said, “I was being short-sighted. Giving a protective talisman is actually a great idea—it’s full of meaning!”

Su Yanhe’s family looked dotingly at Su Huan. “That’s right. Our sister is still young now, but when she grows up, she’ll definitely draw much prettier talismans!”

Old Madam Su chuckled and scolded, “Nonsense! What talismans will she draw when she grows up? She’ll be like all the other noble young ladies—painting landscapes and scenery!”

Pfft—

Everyone laughed at the banter among the three of them.

Little Su Huan humbly waved her tiny hands. “Yiya yiya~”

When she grew up, she would still cultivate immortality.

Once a cultivator, always a cultivator.

—

Later, Old Madam Su led her family through a few turns and arrived at a somewhat dirty and messy alleyway. She knocked on the gate of a house.

However, the man who answered the door was not someone Old Madam Su recognized. Before they could speak, the man glanced at their family’s plain and dusty clothes, his expression immediately turning sour as he asked gruffly, “Who are you looking for?”

Old Madam Su smiled and asked, “May I ask, sir, is this the residence of Zhang Hongzhuang?”

Zhang Hongzhuang was Old Madam Su’s younger brother.

“Never heard of him! Our family name is Liu. If you’re looking for relatives, try somewhere else!”

With that, the man tried to shut the door. But Su Lao Wu, tall and broad, extended his arm to block it. “Friend, we’re a family from the Central Plains here to seek relatives. You’ve heard about the drought in the Central Plains, haven’t you? If it’s not too much trouble, could you please tell us where the previous owner of this house went?

The man said impatiently, “I told you, I don’t know them! Keep pestering me and I’ll report you to the authorities!”

Li Sumei took out a few copper coins and said, “We wouldn’t trouble you for nothing. Please accept this as a small token for a drink.”

Seeing the money, the man’s expression softened slightly. He let go of the door and pointed south—exactly the direction they had come from when entering the city. “The old man in that household was a gambler. After losing everything, the whole family moved out to Qingshui Village outside the city.”

“Thank you, brother.”

After Su Laowu finished speaking with the man, he turned to ask Old Madam Su for directions to Qingshui Village. But to his surprise, he found her expression dark and her breathing tense—she looked both shocked and angry.

Wu Chunhe exchanged a glance with Li Sumei. Li Sumei thought for a moment, then took the baby from her arms, gently patting her while asking, “Mother, what’s wrong? Is something not right?”

Old Madam Su pressed her lips together and shook her head. “It’s nothing. Let’s go check out Qingshui Village first. It’s far. We’ll hire an ox cart.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the Seven-Treasure Longevity Lock hanging around little Su Huan’s neck. She stepped forward and carefully tucked the baby blanket up to cover the pendant thoroughly.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Back on the boat, they had earned over a thousand copper coins from selling fish. Although some of it had already been spent, considering what Madam Wang had given them earlier, along with the wages Su Laosan and Su Laowu earned while working on the boat, they weren’t strapped for cash.

They hired an ox cart and set off with their luggage in the direction of Qingshui Village.

Qingshui Village was very remote—so remote that even with an ox cart, it would take two full hours to reach from the capital. As such, the fare was higher than usual.

Before setting off, the old cart driver took their money, and seeing that they were all thinly dressed, he warned them mid-journey, “Don’t be fooled by the sunshine now. Once the sun goes behind the clouds and the north wind starts blowing, that chill can freeze a man right down to his bones!”

As if to prove his point, Su Lao’er, Wu Chunhe, and Zhang Xiaolan all sneezed at the same time.

The driver’s reminder made Old Madam Su realize that the winters in the capital were even colder than those in the Central Plains. She hurriedly told everyone to pull out all the clothes in their luggage and wrap up warmly.

Originally, the family had been dressed decently, but now, with their patched and worn old clothes layered on top, they all looked shabby and destitute.

As night approached, they arrived at Qingshui Village.

After sitting in the ox cart for so long, the Su family’s limbs were stiff from the cold, and everyone was shivering. Little Su Huan’s cheeks were red from the freezing wind, but fortunately, Su Laowu had held her close in his arms the whole way, warming her with his body heat. Only then did she feel somewhat better.

Old Madam Su went door to door asking questions, until finally she led the family to stand before a particular courtyard gate.

Little Su Huan blinked her bright, curious eyes, gazing at the thatched cottage in front of them.

The cottage consisted of a single courtyard. In the center was the main house, flanked on either side by two side rooms, with a kitchen and firewood shed in the back.

The courtyard walls were made of woven fences. Standing in front of the gate, Old Madam Su called out, “Zhang Hongzhuang, are you there? I’m your elder sister, Zhang Hongtan!”

Her face was flushed from the cold and looked rather pale. After calling a few times, several men and women who had been shoveling snow in the yard turned to look at them, their expressions confused and unfamiliar.

Moments later, from inside the house, an old woman with graying hair, leaning on a cane and wearing a hood, came out. She looked Old Madam Su up and down, then her gaze swept over the rest of the Su family standing behind her, all dressed in ragged clothing. Her expression immediately darkened with distaste, and she said with contempt, “Zhang Zhaodi, you’re still alive?”

Why did she call Old Madam Su Zhang Zhaodi?

The Su family all froze for a moment.

“I already said I changed my name. I go by Zhang Hongtan now.”

Upon seeing her, Old Madam Su’s expression became a bit more restrained. She forced a smile and said, “You seem well, sister-in-law. Since you’re healthy, of course I’m fine too. These past two years there’s been a terrible drought in the Central Plains—our fields dried up, and even the rivers ran dry. So, I brought my whole family back to seek refuge with my maternal relatives. Since you’re home, could we trouble you to let us stay for a few days? As for food and drink, we…”