Chapter 230: The Governor’s Wife

Sang Luo instinctively stopped, and didn’t need to inquire deliberately as she overheard nearby conversations.

Someone who had been at the city gate earlier commented, “The person who just rode out on horseback was probably the governor. I heard someone announcing that the governor’s wife has arrived.”

“But look at the size of this caravan! Who is this governor’s wife? Such a grand display?”

“Well, we wouldn’t know, but anyone who can become the governor’s wife surely comes from a prominent family.”

Sang Luo and Shen Lie exchanged glances. Shen Lie said, “Let’s go. We can return before the convoy arrives. We’ll still be able to see from the village gate.”

Mrs. Chen, who was only interested in the commotion, was more concerned with the safety of the young bride and Sang Luo than with the governor’s wife.

The wise elder preferred to avoid crowded places, especially with two pregnant women, so they quickly moved on.

…

The entrance to Daxing Village is adjacent to the official road. From the corner where the official road turns towards the main city road, there is a side path that leads to the village entrance, making it a convenient spot to watch the activity on the main road and at the city gate.

It offered a good view and was absolutely safe.

By the time Sang Luo and the others returned to the dirt road outside Daxing Village, they saw that the head of the caravan they had spotted from afar was already very close to the village. The banner at the front of the caravan was fluttering in the wind, displaying the character “Fan” for the Fan family of Chenliu.

Indeed, the governor’s wife had arrived.

When a noble lady of a prominent family travels, even though the troops and guards are no longer publicly maintained, they still wear servant attire. Although they did not see the full extent of it, the scale of the caravan was truly impressive. Considering the long, unending line they had seen at the city gate, Sang Luo could barely imagine the grandeur associated with the Chenliu Fan family.

Sang Luo instinctively stopped, her impression from the earlier glimpse being somewhat vague. The display was grand and ostentatious, yet it seemed to conflict with her limited understanding of the Chenliu Fan family. From what she knew, the Fan family had a good reputation.

As the vanguard of the caravan passed by, Sang Luo saw a carriage adorned with the Fan family crest. Though grand, it was not overly showy. More importantly, the former governor was riding beside the carriage. The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing a young woman with a somewhat heroic demeanor, engaged in conversation with the governor.

It seemed this was the governor’s wife.

From the appearance of the carriage, it was clear the governor’s wife was not one to flaunt herself.

Sang Luo felt slightly relieved. The conduct and character of the officials were crucial to the people of the city, and their family members mattered too.

After the Fan family’s convoy passed, Sang Luo and Shen Lie saw a succession of supply carts. The scale of the caravan was impressive, with so many supplies, which explained why there were over a hundred guards at the front.

The procession included dozens of carts carrying provisions, followed by carts with various goods. Mrs. Chen and Qin Fangniang’s eyes brightened when they saw the supplies.

What was in these carts?

Chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, sheep, and cows!

Cows!

The sight of cows was particularly exciting. While other animals like geese and piglets were rare, cows were a major asset, especially with spring plowing approaching. One cow could replace several laborers.

Sang Luo was also excited. Shen Ning, who was skilled at raising chickens and ducks, was especially thrilled. Although they had chickens and ducks, geese were not available.

What impressed Sang Luo further was the sight of ten carts filled with poultry and piglets, and a long line of cows, followed by hundreds of refugees.

Yes, refugees. In the cold weather, Sang Luo even saw several men with empty sleeves.

Shen Lie observed quietly and, when the end of the convoy was in sight, whispered, “There are about two hundred guards, six hundred soldiers, and roughly three hundred refugees, including those helping with the carts.”

Sang Luo was surprised. Eight hundred guards and three hundred refugees, along with such a large amount of supplies, showed the governor’s wife had considerable courage.

She turned to Shen Ning and said, “Go tell Aunt Shi, Aunt Zhou, and the others that many refugees have arrived outside the city and let them come see the situation.”

Shen Ning nodded, glancing at the ragged refugees who had just passed, and hurried back to the village. Qin Fangniang, realizing the situation, asked, “Are you saying… these people are from our Shezhou?”

Sang Luo did not confirm directly, saying, “It’s just a guess. They might be people who escaped from Shezhou during the chaos or were taken away by the rebels. Of course, I could be overthinking it.”

She recalled the nearly abandoned Qiyang County.

The news she had heard was that the elderly were slaughtered, while women, children, and young men were taken away.

With the rebellion quelled, where were these people now? How many people from Shezhou were displaced like the people of Qiyang County?

People longed to return to their homes. With the situation stabilizing, if these refugees were indeed from Shezhou, it would make sense that the governor’s wife, being from Shezhou, could bring back such a large group.

…

The guards were accommodated by the governor’s residence, the six hundred soldiers were taken to rest by the stationed troops, and the refugees were not allowed into the city, gathering outside the city gate. Chu Qichang and all the officials from the household set up a temporary work area outside the city gate. From Daxing Village, the scene was bustling and crowded.

The Shi family and Zhou family arrived quickly, with mud still on their hands from coming down from the mountains. Shopkeeper Xu also came out, not to find family but to check on the former employees of Dongfu Restaurant.

Seeing so many refugees, he hoped to find someone familiar and went straight to the city gate.

Sang Luo and Zhou Ge did not stay long and returned to the village. Upon arriving at Chen’s house, Mrs. Chen grabbed Sang Luo and whispered, “The snow has melted for two days, but the mountains are still slippery. You should stay home and not go out to the fields or mountains.”

“During the first three months, the pregnancy should not be made public. Just keep it between us, understood?”

Sang Luo smiled and agreed. She then instructed Shen Lie and Shen Ning, “Pregnancy makes me sensitive to certain smells—meat, oil, smoke, all are unbearable. So, don’t let me handle cooking for now. You both need to take care of it.”

Shen Lie and Shen Ning agreed repeatedly.

Mrs. Chen thought of nothing else to say and smiled, ready to return home to share the news with her husband and son, bringing them some joy.

Sang Luo said her goodbyes to the Chen family and returned home. Shen An, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed to the door.

“Elder Brother, what did the doctor say? How is Sister-in-law?”

Shen Lie did not want Sang Luo to enter the kitchen again, so he led everyone to their own house, with Shen An following closely.

Shen Ning, smiling happily, leaned towards her second brother and whispered, “Sister-in-law is pregnant and can’t stand strong smells, which is why she feels nauseous. Did you handle any fish? If you did, don’t go near Sister-in-law.”

Shen An’s eyes widened, “No, no, I haven’t even started cutting the fish.”

He was excited, “Will I have a nephew?”

Sang Luo asked, “Why only a nephew? Don’t you like a niece?”

Shen An laughed, “A niece is fine too. Nephews or nieces are both wonderful.”

He happily circled around his sister-in-law.

Shen Lie, who could only stay three steps away from his wife, was envious.

He turned to wash his hands, scrubbing several times and changing water, trying to get rid of any smell.

Sang Luo laughed lightly.

Shen Ning also smiled, remembering something, and said to Shen An, “Don’t mention this outside. Mrs. Chen said not to reveal it during the first three months.”

Shen An didn’t ask about the consequences but nodded, indicating he understood.

Shen Lie washed his hands for quite a while, changing the water several times and checking the smell. Once he was sure there was no lingering odor, he tentatively moved closer to Sang Luo.

Sang Luo smiled and pulled him a bit closer. “Alright, I see you’ve changed the water three times.”

Shen Lie’s heart raced. With him so close, he tentatively placed his right hand on Sang Luo’s abdomen.

Everything felt normal compared to usual, but he was so happy that he forgot Shen An and Shen Ning were still present. He embraced Sang Luo with a smile.

Shen An and Shen Ning exchanged glances, smiling as they quietly left the room.

Shen Ning, being meticulous, returned to the kitchen and saw that her second brother had already steamed the rice, and the vegetables and tofu were chopped. Knowing that Sister-in-law couldn’t stand the smell of fish, and with Mrs. Chen also saying that oil smoke was unbearable, she decided to close all the doors and windows of the kitchen, leaving only the back window open. She even pushed Shen An out to avoid any fishy smell getting on him. Only then did she start cooking.

Shen Ning had a real talent for cooking. She prepared stir-fried greens, scallion tofu, and fish head tofu soup on the other stove. The leftover fish meat was salted and set aside for the next day.

A light, simple meal.

The fish head tofu soup was meant to be nourishing, and Shen Ning had added plenty of ginger. But when Shen An brought it over, Sang Luo couldn’t even sip it and ended up gagging.

Shen Lie and Shen An were anxious. They quickly removed the soup, but whether it was the stimulus from the fish soup or just her inability to eat, Sang Luo couldn’t eat any of the tofu, vegetables, or rice. Even the warm water Shen Lie brought couldn’t be tolerated.

She couldn’t keep anything down.

Shen Lie was worried, frowning, “We can’t have you not eating anything.”

Sang Luo weakly waved her hand, “Skipping one meal is fine. I just can’t handle the smell. As long as I’m not forced to eat, I’m fine.”

She knew this was unreasonable but added, “I’ll try again when I’m hungry.”

For dinner, she only managed to drink a sip of fish soup and eat two bites of vegetables.

Seeing her strong reaction, Shen Lie didn’t insist. He sent the food back to the kitchen, spent some time with Sang Luo to ensure she felt better, and then went to the Chen family’s home to seek advice.

At the Chen household, Zhou Ge wasn’t in much better shape. Fortunately, Mrs. Chen and Qin Fangniang, being experienced, took care of Zhou Ge while Mrs. Chen prepared a bowl of finely chopped pickled vegetables for Shen Lie.

“Let Sang Luo rest a bit. If she’s already nauseous, eating anything will only make it worse. When she’s hungry later, cook some plain porridge and serve it with a small dish of pickled vegetables for her to try.”

Shen Lie gratefully took the bowl of pickles and returned home.

Upon arriving home, he found that there were guests—Shopkeeper Xu, the Zhou family, and the Shi family had all arrived. Sang Luo was hosting them, and with so many people, they were speaking outside the house.

Shen Lie instinctively looked at Sang Luo and saw that her complexion was somewhat better, which reassured him. He greeted everyone and quickly went inside to put the bowl back in the kitchen, covering it with a plate. He then returned and asked, “How is it?”

The guests all shook their heads. Zhou Cunzheng said, “They are indeed from Shezhou, and some from Qiyang County, but none that we recognize.”

Shen Lie was silent, “That’s good news. Back then, they had to flee into the mountains. This group must have returned from somewhere else.”

The wife of Shi Erlang said, “Sang Luo mentioned the same thing. I heard this batch is returning from several nearby states.”

“So far?”

Shopkeeper Xu nodded, “Whether they escaped or were taken by the rebels, the governor’s wife is impressive. Not only did she bring guards, but she also seems to have borrowed troops from somewhere. Since entering Huainan Road, she’s been asking the refugees if they are from Shezhou. Whenever she found someone, she used her status as the governor’s wife to recruit them.”

“She brought so many poultry and livestock to Shezhou, explicitly for the people of Shezhou. Who wouldn’t want to return to their hometown?”

Shopkeeper Xu asked Sang Luo, “I heard from the governor that you’re considered a sort of fellow townsman with the governor’s wife. Have you heard of her before?”

Sang Luo shook her head, “I rarely went out when I was a girl, so I’m not familiar with the Fan family of Chenliu. However, from what I’ve seen of the supplies brought by the caravan today, whether borrowed or purchased, having such a considerate governor’s wife looking after the people means our lives in Shezhou should improve.”

Thinking of the woman’s heroic demeanor she had seen in the carriage, Sang Luo smiled. The discomfort from dinner had eased significantly, and she thought of the four words: Heroic Woman of the Age

This term seemed very fitting for the governor’s wife.