Chapter 39

Money means living large!

After returning to Tongxintang and picking up Goudan and Erya, Yun Shuang headed straight to the best inn in the county—Qifeng Hall.

Qifeng Hall was owned by one of Shanyang County’s top merchant families—the Cao family. They started their business here with inns and lodgings, and though they later relocated to the more inland prefecture of Ding’an County in Xiazhou, their largest and most prestigious inn was still this one.

Erya was especially spirited today. When she heard that her mother was taking them to stay one more night in the county and that they’d be staying at the finest inn, she was so excited that she skipped along as she walked, chattering nonstop. “Mother, this will be my first time staying at an inn! Brother Changyong said inn rooms can be so big and so pretty! Will it be bigger than the village chief’s auntie’s room?”

The biggest room Erya had ever seen belonged to Village Chief Huang. Back then, Sister Miao had even subtly tried to lure them, asking if they’d be willing to move in together.

Yun Shuang smiled gently at her. “Erya can take a look soon and see if the room really is bigger.”

Goudan, meanwhile, wasn’t in such high spirits. His little brows were tightly furrowed as he muttered, “The best inn must be expensive… Mother, are you sure we have enough silver?”

Facing her son’s skeptical look, Yun Shuang could only laugh and sigh. She patted her chest. “I told you I’d give you two a better life—and I won’t go back on my word. You’re just a kid. What are you doing worrying about all this?”

To demonstrate their financial security, Yun Shuang booked an upper-tier suite.

Qifeng Hall might be the best inn in the county, but even its fanciest rooms weren’t outrageously priced—just one or two silver coins per night.
In the end, Yun Shuang led her two wide-eyed children—awestruck by her lavishness—into their room under the cheerful guidance of several attendants.

The inn’s staff were well-trained and professional. Although they gave a discreet glance at the trio’s modest clothing when Yun Shuang said she wanted the best room, they said nothing and led them over with smiling faces.

Yun Shuang immediately asked for three servings of food and for hot water to be prepared for bathing later.

As the attendant was about to leave, she called him back. “This afternoon’s drums—was it because Jinmeng Kingdom made a move?”

The attendant now saw Yun Shuang as some noblewoman from the city coming to the countryside to “experience rural life,” and instantly grew even more enthusiastic. “I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you before—surely you’re not from Shanyang County, are you? No need to worry—this kind of thing happens often here. With General Jiang around, those barbarians could never break through!”

Then he added, “Tomorrow, I’ll send someone to check outside the city gates. If the alarm’s been lifted, you’ll be free to go wherever you please, without concern.”

As he spoke, there wasn’t a trace of fear or anxiety on his face—he looked nothing like someone living on a war-torn frontier. And the source of their confidence? That man.

Once again, Yun Shuang felt just how deeply the common folk trusted General Jiang. Her emotions grew even more tangled. She gave a soft “Mm” in response, then asked the attendant to send up some paper and ink later and dismissed him.

Her two children, unaware of their mother’s inner turmoil, were still wandering about the lavish room with wide-open mouths, marveling like little country bumpkins on their first city visit—touching this, poking that.

After satisfying their curiosity, Erya came skipping back and threw herself into Yun Shuang’s arms. Her eyes sparkled. “Mother, this place is so beautiful! Just like the grand palace the storyteller talks about!”

Every so often, traveling storytellers passed through their village, and when they did, the grown-ups and children would gather with their stools and listen eagerly. It was one of their favorite pastimes.

Yun Shuang stroked Erya’s little head, smiling. She wasn’t sure if it was because her thoughts had been drifting to that man, but looking at Erya now, she couldn’t help but feel she saw traces of him in her daughter’s expression.

At that moment, Goudan returned with his hands clasped behind his back, wearing a dignified little expression. “This room’s not bad,” he said seriously.

Then, after a pause, he couldn’t help but ask, “Mother… are you sure we have enough money?”

Yun Shuang: “…”

She was utterly bewitched. She actually thought Goudan’s serious little expression resembled that man in certain ways. Quickly shaking her head to dismiss the thought, she turned to her two startled children and forced a smile. “Don’t worry—if you want to stay here a few more nights, we’ve got plenty of silver.”

To keep herself from overthinking, Yun Shuang threw herself into action. After dinner and bathing the kids, she sat them down at the table and spread out a sheet of white paper.

Erya tilted her head curiously. “Mother, what are you doing?”

Yun Shuang picked up a brush and dipped it in ink. “You’ve both grown so much. It’s time for you to have proper names.”

Erya blinked in confusion. “But I do have a name. It’s Erya.”

Yun Shuang: “…” She took a quiet breath and tried to explain, “That’s just your nickname—your childhood name. When you go to school and make lots of friends out in the world, if you only use a nickname, people will think you’re being disrespectful. You need a formal name.”

Erya and Goudan froze as though they’d heard something unbelievable.

After a long pause, Goudan bit his lip and cautiously asked, “Mother… you mean we’re going to study? Like Huang Mingli and Xu Wei’an?”

Huang Mingli was the village chief’s grandson, the same age as Goudan. Xu Wei’an was the nephew of Xu Changyong, just one year older. Though they were all from military households and had no chance at official exams, those who wished to stand out in the military still needed more than brute strength. That’s why capable families hired tutors to begin a child’s education early. Only the Huang and Xu families could afford such things. Other villagers, if they had good relations with those two households, would slip them a few coins to let their own children join the lessons.

What Yun Shuang didn’t know was that every time Goudan passed by the Huang and Xu homes and heard the sound of children studying aloud, he’d stop for a moment, face full of longing.

Yun Shuang’s lips curved gently as she nodded, “Of course! The two of you will go to school and study hard to become people with knowledge.”

Become people with knowledge…

Those words were so foreign, so distant for Goudan and Erya.

Goudan couldn’t help but bite down hard on his lower lip—as if only by doing so could he be certain this wasn’t just a dream. Erya, on the other hand, was far less complicated than her older brother. Overjoyed, she chirped, “Then does that mean we can be good children like Wuyi (never think)? Mom, I want to study, become someone with knowledge, and make many friends. Mom, what will our formal names be—mine and brother’s?”

She remembered that Mother said to do all those things; they had to first have proper names.

Yun Shuang smiled softly. In recent days, whenever she had free time, she’d been quietly pondering what names would suit them best. And now—she had made her decision. She raised her hand and, with careful strokes, wrote several large characters across the paper.