Shen Qingwan stayed in a main room with her two children, while the others were left to allocate their own accommodations.

She originally thought that Lu Jiaojiao and the old Madam Lu would share a room, and Li Qiuju and Zhou Huiniang would stay together, each bringing along one or two children.

However, she hadn’t expected Li Wenzhi, that scheming man, to claim a main room for himself, bringing Li Qiuju and their two children along.

Meanwhile, Old Madam Lu and Lu Jiaojiao also occupied another main room, forcing Old Master Lu and the second son’s family into a medium-sized room.

Shen Qingwan didn’t bother worrying about them.

Instead, she asked the inn staff to fetch some water so she could bathe her two children properly.

After days without a bath, she felt like she smelled rancid.

The two children hadn’t sweat much while sitting in the mule cart, so they were still relatively clean.

The inn staff told her that a bucket of water cost ten copper coins, which surprised Shen Qingwan—it was quite expensive!

The staff explained that water was scarce in the city, so prices had increased significantly.

The wooden tub for bathing was quite large, and it would take at least eight or nine buckets to fill it. But Shen Qingwan didn’t hesitate to spend the money for a good bath.

Li Wenzhi’s room was right next to hers. When he heard that she had ordered water for bathing, he was tempted.

“Waiter, bring us ten buckets of water as well,” he said.

Li Qiuju immediately tried to stop him. “Didn’t you hear? A single bucket costs ten copper coins! Ten buckets would cost a whole tael of silver!”

All their money was controlled by Old Madam Lu, and Li Qiuju had very little private savings.

Naturally, she was reluctant to spend so much.

Li Wenzhi pinched her waist playfully and smiled. “Someone else is paying for it, so why not take advantage? Our sister-in-law has plenty of money. What we’re spending is nothing to her.”

Hearing this, Li Qiuju’s face lit up. “Then can we also order some food? I wonder if this inn serves meals.”

They had been eating dry rations for days, and now she was sick of them.

Li Wenzhi raised an eyebrow. “If they don’t serve food, we can just have the staff buy some from outside. We’ll put it all on Shen Qingwan’s tab.”

With that, Li Wenzhi called the inn staff over and asked them to buy some food, especially meat.

He figured that whatever they didn’t finish, they could take on the road.

The inn staff didn’t refuse and quickly went out to purchase the food.

Li Wenzhi happily returned to his room to wait, unaware that the walls were thin and that Shen Qingwan had exceptionally good hearing.

Naturally, she heard everything he and Li Qiuju said.

Shen Qingwan went downstairs and spoke to the innkeeper, who nodded repeatedly at her instructions.

After she returned to her room, the staff member who had bought the food returned, but before he could deliver it, the innkeeper stopped him and whispered a few words.

The staff member then carried the food upstairs and knocked on Li Wenzhi’s door.

“Sir, here is the food you ordered. That will be two taels and three qian of silver,” the staff member announced.

Li Wenzhi nodded and took the food. “Just put it on the tab. My sister-in-law will settle it when we leave tomorrow.”

The staff member quickly blocked the door. “Sir, that won’t work. This food wasn’t from the inn, so we can’t add it to your bill. I paid for it out of my own pocket, so please settle the amount now.”

This was the first time he had encountered a customer who not only refused to tip for the errand but also wanted to avoid paying entirely.

Luckily, the innkeeper had warned him in advance, or he would have been tricked.

Li Wenzhi’s face darkened. “It’s just a little money! I’ll pay you tomorrow. Besides, my sister-in-law is covering all our lodging expenses. She’s in the room next door—go ask her for the money.”

The staff member remained firm. “Sir, your lodging has already been paid for, but this food was your separate order. How can I ask someone else for the money? Besides, the lady who paid for your stay already informed the innkeeper that any additional expenses must be covered by the individuals themselves. She is only covering the room fees. Please don’t make this difficult for me. That money is nearly half a year’s wages for me—if you don’t pay, my family will starve!”

The staff member looked at Li Wenzhi with a pleading expression.

Li Wenzhi, furious, slammed the food onto the table and stormed over to knock on Shen Qingwan’s door.

Inside, Xiao Chen was bathing alone while Shen Qingwan was changing the bed linens.

She found the ones in the room too dirty, so she had taken out a clean set from her personal storage space.

She planned to take them with her when she left in the morning.

Hearing the knock, she walked over and opened the door.

Li Wenzhi greeted her with a forced smile. “Sister-in-law, Qiuju and I were hungry just now, so we asked the inn staff to buy some food for us. I—”

“Mmm. Then go ahead and eat,” Shen Qingwan interrupted.

Li Wenzhi hurriedly added, “But the food hasn’t been paid for yet. The staff is still waiting for the money, so sister-in-law, you should—”

Shen Qingwan smirked coldly. “If you’re sick in the head, you should go see a doctor. If I recall correctly, we’ve already separated households, haven’t we? Covering your lodging expenses today was already a favor to our parents’ sake. If you try to take advantage again, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

“You’ve got plenty of silver from those bandits, so what’s the harm in giving me a little? We’re family, after all! I only asked you to cover a meal—why be so stingy? Doesn’t it bother your conscience to spend that money? It was stolen from refugees by those bandits!”

Li Wenzhi’s outburst attracted the attention of many onlookers.

When they heard his words, their gazes toward Shen Qingwan turned strange.

Some even looked eager, as if they had spotted easy prey.

Shen Qingwan’s eyes narrowed, glinting with a dangerous light.

A chill ran down Li Wenzhi’s spine.

Realizing too late that he had spoken recklessly, he turned and saw the greedy eyes of the crowd. He instantly regretted his outburst.

“Li Wenzhi, you’re really something,” Shen Qingwan said, her voice laced with hidden menace.

Li Qiuju also realized they had made a mistake and quickly pulled Li Wenzhi away.

The staff member followed, and when he saw that Shen Qingwan wouldn’t be paying, he turned to Li Qiuju instead.

Not wanting to stay under the crowd’s scrutiny, Li Qiuju reluctantly paid for the food.

Before leaving, the staff member asked if they still wanted the hot water.

Li Qiuju immediately refused.

Now that she knew Shen Qingwan wouldn’t cover their expenses, she couldn’t afford to spend ten copper coins per bucket.

Back in her room, Shen Qingwan shut the door, ignoring the hungry eyes still watching from outside.

It seemed she wouldn’t be getting a peaceful night’s sleep.

She went to the stable and discreetly stored all their belongings in her space to prevent theft.

After washing up, she lay down with the children, but she didn’t change into sleepwear.

She was ready for the uninvited guests who would surely come knocking that night.

At midnight, the inn was silent.

A cold wind whistled through the gaps in the window, and the occasional hoot of an owl echoed from outside.