Chapter 7

“—What are you doing?”

Prefectural Governor Luo, surrounded by several attendants, approached and asked.

Zhan Jianxing was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Luo Zhifu to appear so suddenly. Quickly jumping down from the chamber pot, she rushed to the bars and stretched out her frost-reddened hands. “Your Honor, my mother is ill—she’s burning with fever. I was just trying to gather some snow to cool her down. I meant no harm. Please, Your Honor, show us mercy and call a physician for my mother.”

She knelt down behind the bars.

Luo Zhifu looked down at the small handful of pristine white snow in her palm and nodded approvingly. “A filial child indeed.”

Turning to the jailer behind him, he ordered, “Unlock the cell.”

The jailer obeyed, stepping forward to undo the heavy chains. With a creak, the cell door swung open.

Zhan Jianxing was stunned again—the jailers had been so difficult, yet Luo Zhifu was unexpectedly accommodating. Had he really opened the cell door? Did he mean to release them?

Her bewildered expression caught Luo Zhifu’s eye, and he chuckled before asking her another question. “That day in court, I noticed your speech was quite measured. Have you been studying?”

Cautiously, Zhan Jianxing nodded. “Yes, but I’m slow-witted. I’ve only just begun learning to read.”

Luo Zhifu remarked, “From what I’ve observed, you’re sharp and filial for your age—far from slow-witted. I hope you won’t let these hardships deter you. Return home and continue your studies diligently.”

Such praise from a local official was rare, but Zhan Jianxing barely registered it. Her attention was fixed on the words “return home.” Eagerly, she asked, “Your Honor, may we go home?”

Luo Zhifu smiled and nodded. “I’ve just received an imperial edict. The case of the Prince of Dai’s death has been resolved—it has nothing to do with you. From today onward, you and your mother are free.”

As it happened, news of Xu Shi’s illness had reached him just as he received the official dispatch from the post station. Otherwise, the release of two commoners wouldn’t have warranted a personal visit to the prison.

Overjoyed, Zhan Jianxing kowtowed. “Thank you, Your Honor!”

She scrambled to her feet and hurried to the corner, pressing the half-melted snow onto Xu Shi’s forehead before trying to lift her. The benefits of her daily labor showed now—though it was a strain, she managed to support Xu Shi upright.

The cold shock of the snow made Xu Shi shiver, bringing back some awareness. “…Xing’er?”

“Mother, we’re innocent. We’re going home!”

Xu Shi smiled weakly. “Really?”

“Yes, Mother. We’re going home.”

With earnest reassurance, Zhan Jianxing helped Xu Shi out. As they passed Luo Zhifu, she thanked him again with heartfelt sincerity.

Luo Zhifu smiled faintly. “Don’t delay. Go find a physician.”

**

To see a physician, they needed money.

Outside the prison gates, the swirling snowflakes stung their skin, but the biting cold seemed to revive Xu Shi’s spirits. She no longer leaned entirely on Zhan Jianxing, forcing her trembling legs to carry her forward, step by uneven step, toward home.

As the familiar streets came into view, Zhan Jianxing quickened her pace. She had already calculated—there was an apothecary on this very street. Once they fetched money from home, Xu Shi could receive treatment without delay.

The overwhelming relief of surviving a disaster dissipated completely upon seeing the doorstep.

The Zhan Family Bun Shop stood wide open, with the north wind howling through the empty space, carrying snowflakes inside unchecked.

They had been taken away in such a hurry a few days ago that they hadn’t had time to secure all the door panels. But being in the heart of the city, surrounded by mostly amiable neighbors, even if the public security wasn’t perfect, it shouldn’t have left them with nothing but an empty shop!

Zhan Jianxing stood amidst the scattered door panels strewn haphazardly on the ground, feeling her hands and feet turn icy cold. The trembling that ran through her body was no less intense than the day she had suddenly been accused of “poisoning the Prince of Dai.”

They had been robbed—

And of all times, now!

Zhan Jianxing turned woodenly to look at Xu Shi and suddenly felt like collapsing right there.

She was so tired.

Why was everything so difficult?

But she knew she couldn’t give in. If she did, what would happen to Xu Shi, who was already ill?

She clenched her teeth tightly, soon tasting the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. She didn’t know where she had bitten herself—

“Xing-ge, you’re back?!”

A delighted cry came from across the street. Little Chen’s Wife leaned out, waving eagerly. “Come over here, warm yourselves at our place!”

The familiar voice helped Zhan Jianxing regain her composure. She told herself not to panic—there was still a way. They just had to find the thief.

Supporting Xu Shi, who was equally devastated, she made her way over. Little Chen’s Wife noticed Xu Shi’s poor condition and rushed out to help, exclaiming, “Oh no! Sister Xu, are you sick? By the way, Xing-ge, since you’re back, does that mean everything’s alright now?”

Zhan Jianxing answered one by one, “The court has cleared us. We’re innocent. It snowed, and my mother fell ill in prison.”

“That’s good, that’s wonderful!”

Little Chen Shopkeeper, who was adjusting the brazier, also brightened up and called out, “Here, let Sister Xu and Xing-ge sit here by the fire.”

After settling Xu Shi down and thanking the couple, Zhan Jianxing immediately asked, “Brother Chen, Sister Chen, do you know who robbed our house? I need to report it to the authorities. My mother is sick and needs money for treatment—we can’t afford delays.”

Little Chen Shopkeeper and his wife exchanged glances, their expressions odd—as if they knew but were hesitant to say.

Zhan Jianxing’s tense heartstrings loosened slightly. She hadn’t expected it to be this straightforward; she had hoped for just a clue. She pressed further.

Little Chen’s Wife sighed. “Ah, Xing-ge, don’t get upset when I tell you. We’ve been neighbors across the street for so long and always gotten along well. When you were caught up in this misfortune, there wasn’t much we could do to help, but we at least wanted to keep an eye on your shop. When we got back from the yamen, we planned to secure the door panels for you. But who would’ve thought—your Zhan family relatives came.”

It was Zhan Family’s Eldest Uncle and Third Uncle. No one knew what they had originally come for, but upon learning that their late brother’s widow and child had fallen into misfortune, after a brief moment of shock, their eyes lit up with greed. They had arrived with a donkey cart and immediately began dismantling the few door panels that had been secured, barging into the shop and hauling everything they could onto the cart.

The neighbors couldn’t stand it. Someone stepped forward to stop them, but Zhan Family’s Eldest Uncle rolled his eyes and snapped, “These are the Zhan family’s belongings. What business is it of yours?”

The neighbors continued to speak, but Zhan Family’s Third Uncle’s words were even more unpleasant: “My second sister-in-law is a widow and should keep to herself. You’re getting all tangled up with her—could it be there’s something between you two?”

With this slander thrown out, even those who still felt indignant dared not step forward. As long as Xu Shi had not remarried, she remained the wife of the Zhan family, raising their son. When it came to disputes over family property, outsiders indeed had no place to interfere.

And so, in just half a day, the two Zhan uncles emptied the steamed bun shop, even taking the pickled cabbages stored in the cellar for winter. They loaded their donkey cart to the brim and left in triumph.

Xu Shi alternated between chills and fever, her teeth chattering uncontrollably, unsure whether it was from illness or rage. “These—these beasts—!” she cried.

The Chen couple didn’t know why the Zhan uncles had come, but Xu Shi had an inkling. It was likely, as Zhang Shi had said, to pressure her into remarrying—perhaps even to seize Zhan Jianxing, forcing her to abandon her studies and toil in the fields like an ox or horse. The thought nearly made Xu Shi faint from fury.

“Ah, Sister Xu, calm down. You’re ill—you mustn’t get so worked up,” Little Chen’s Wife urged, nudging her husband. “Don’t just stand there. Take a couple strings of coins and fetch Doctor Chu to examine Sister Xu.”

The request for a loan had already been on Zhan Jianxing’s lips, but before she could speak, her eyes reddened, and she moved to kneel in gratitude to Little Chen’s Wife.

Little Chen’s Wife stopped her. “Enough of that. We’ve lived across from each other for nearly two years now. How could we stand by and watch your mother burn up with fever? First, let’s get her treated. As for your family’s belongings, you can demand them back from the clan later. If your elders are willing to uphold justice, you might still recover them.”

Zhan Jianxing bit her lip and stayed silent.

She knew full well there was no hope of that. Two years ago, while still in mourning, Xu Shi had been pressured to remarry. They had pleaded with the clan, but the elders dismissed it as a family matter. They then turned to the village elders and even met the village chief, only to discover that the man the Zhan family wanted to force Xu Shi to marry was the chief’s own mentally disabled son—who was not only simple-minded but also half-paralyzed, bedridden and needing to be fed. Xu Shi had refused to remarry for Zhan Jianxing’s sake, let alone to such a man.

In the struggle, Xu Shi had nearly dashed her head against Father Zhan’s grave. Fearing the scandal of driving a chaste widow to suicide, the village chief finally relented, allowing Xu Shi to flee to the city. With the last of their savings after Father Zhan’s burial, they bought the steamed bun shop as a refuge, starting anew.

But that was all in the past. Soon, Doctor Chu arrived. The unfortunate old man had a kind heart—after examining Xu Shi, he only charged for the medicine, waiving the consultation fee.

Though the world was harsh and the common folk often met with obstacles, there were still pockets of warmth and kindness.

Heartened slightly, Zhan Jianxing settled Xu Shi temporarily in the oil shop before braving the snow to cross the street, hoping to see what remained of their home.

It was spotless.

Apart from the heavy dough-making table, too cumbersome for the donkey cart, only the four walls remained. It was clear that if possible, the Zhan uncles would have scraped off the very plaster.

Zhan Jianxing didn’t linger in the front—there was truly nothing left to linger for—and headed straight to the living quarters at the back.  

The two rooms at the rear didn’t seem to have changed much. This wasn’t due to any lingering conscience from her uncles, but because Xu Shi, fearing they might one day be forced to leave Datong, had deliberately avoided accumulating too many belongings—not that they had the money to do so. Even so, the few chests and cabinets they owned had been pried open and ransacked.  

Zhan Jianxing ignored the mess and went straight to the kang bed where Xu Shi slept, reaching into the hollow beneath it. Sure enough, the small jar of copper coins hidden there was gone.  

Her heart was too numb to feel any more pain. She moved to her own small room next door, straining to shift the wardrobe aside. Behind it, she pried out a loose brick from the wall. The house had fallen into disrepair over the years, and this brick had been loose since they bought the place. She had deliberately left it unfixed, using the hollow to stash the pocket money Xu Shi gave her for emergencies.  

When she removed the brick, a small pile of scattered copper coins was revealed.  

Her eyes brightened slightly as she quickly gathered the coins into her hands. There was nothing else worth checking. She returned to the oil shop and, despite Little Chen’s Wife’s protests, insisted on repaying her for the medicine. Then, she asked Little Chen’s Wife to look after Xu Shi before heading out again.  

She was going to the County Government Office.  

The village elders were useless. If she wanted to reclaim their belongings, the only option left was to file a complaint with the authorities.  

Author’s Note:  

While writing, I didn’t realize it, but now that I’m posting chapter by chapter, it does feel… a little bit angsty (guilty). But don’t worry—the clouds will part soon! Mother will be safe, nothing bad will happen.