The midday rest was brief. No sooner had the group caught their breath than they began packing their belongings again, ready to continue on the road.
Lin Wu was lowering her head, tidying up odds and ends from the kitchen, when the corner of her eye caught sight of a woman in a rough brown cloth garment, pulling along a frail-looking little girl of about five or six, heading straight toward her.
Lin Jing, who had been quietly helping nearby, immediately stopped what he was doing and took a few steps closer to Lin Wu. He appeared shy, but his bright, dark eyes were watching the newcomers warily.
"Excuse me, sister," the woman said as she reached them, a somewhat embarrassed smile on her face.
"Is something the matter, sister?" Lin Wu paused her work, her tone gentle.
The woman gently nudged the girl forward a little and sighed. "To be honest, we've been traveling with the caravan for quite a few days now. We've brought plenty of dried rations, it's just that..." She let her gaze drift, seemingly casually, over Lin Jing. "You're a mother yourself, so you know how delicate a child's stomach can be. Day after day of gnawing on those hard, dry flatbreads is hard on them. I noticed you folks had a fire going and had made some warm food, so I'm swallowing my pride to ask—could I trade with you for a bit? I wouldn't take it for nothing; I'll exchange fine white flour cakes for it."
With that, she pulled two clean-looking flatbreads from the bundle at her side.
Lin Jing noticed the woman's gaze. He looked at the two fine white cakes, then down at the little drawstring pouch hanging at his own side. It was a small bag he'd just taken from the cart, used to hold his unfinished little baked buns, and it was still slightly open at the top. He quickly reached out a small hand, grabbed the drawstring, and pulled it tight, closing the pouch completely. His little buns were now fully hidden away.
Lin Wu caught his smooth, practiced little move and found it amusing. Still, her face wore a sympathetic expression as she sighed. "Ah, traveling with children really isn't easy. You've had a tough time of it, sister, and that little one looks pitiful indeed."
"If I had any other choice, who would put their child through such hardship? Especially my daughter—she was born with a weak constitution and has never fully recovered. Blame my misfortune..." The woman's voice grew more earnest, her eyes turning slightly red.
Lin Wu glanced at the pale, thin little girl, her lips parting slightly as if she were wrestling with herself, before she spoke in a low voice. "Sister, I understand your difficulty. But—but I have my own difficulties too, and I beg your understanding. Though I work at the stove, I'm only temporarily hired. The rice, flour, oil, and grain all belong to the boss. I don't have the authority to make that call. I'm truly sorry."
"Sister, I know the rules. A large caravan has its own order," the woman quickly interjected, her gaze sweeping over Lin Jing's now-bulging little pouch, lowering her voice. "Could you spare a bit from what's allotted to you or your child? Just a little?"
"Sister, that wouldn't be proper," Lin Wu replied, a look of mild alarm crossing her face. "There are too many eyes in this caravan. If I trade with you today, someone else will come tomorrow. If word spreads and everyone comes asking, things will fall into chaos. If the manager finds out, those of us who work here will be punished for sure."
"Oh, just this once. I'm not the type to go blabbing everywhere. If we do it quietly, who would ever find out? The managers don't bother with such trifles!" The woman refused to give up.
Lin Wu simply shook her head firmly and said no more.
Seeing this, the woman's expression soured slightly. She took her daughter's hand and said in a mournful tone, "Why are you so... ah, never mind. Silly me, I thought that since we're both poor souls traveling with children, we might show each other some understanding." With that, she said no more, pulled the girl along, and walked off in disappointment.
Once the woman's figure had disappeared into the crowd, Li Sanniang, who had been standing by silently, leaned in closer with a puzzled look and asked in a low voice, "Why wouldn't you trade with her? I thought the girl did look rather pitiable."
Lin Wu placed the last cooking utensil securely onto the cart, brushed the dust off her hands, and replied, "Ah, when we're part of a caravan and eating the boss's food, we can't just act on a soft heart alone. We have to follow the rules."
She paused, then glanced at Lin Jing, who was all ears nearby, and lowered her voice even more.
"First, as I told her—if I trade with her today and someone else sees it, they'll come asking to trade too. Then what do we do—trade with some and not others? That's nothing but trouble, inviting resentment all around. Second..." Her tone grew heavier. "And this is the more important thing: if they take our food and their child eats it carelessly, or if her stomach was already upset to begin with, and they turn around and claim it was our food that made her sick—then we'd be stuck arguing until we're blue in the face and still unable to clear our names. Wouldn't that cause a huge problem for the caravan?"
"Oh!" Li Sanniang slapped her thigh in sudden realization. "Exactly! That's it! Lin Wu, you've thought this through so deeply. My brains—I only saw a pitiful child and never considered this angle. I've learned something today, truly I have!"
Chef Wang, who'd been helping nearby, nodded in agreement. "Mrs. Lin's words make sense. We've traveled far and wide and seen plenty of these situations. It's not just the families attached to small trading caravans—when we encounter refugees along the way, it's even trickier... Ah, our boss has a kind heart, but these doors can't be opened."
Lin Wu lowered her eyes and added softly, "It's not that I thought it all out so far ahead. I've just seen too much back in the countryside, and been burned too many times, so I've had to harden these lessons into memory. Sanniang, the village you live in must be prosperous and harmonious. Not going through such things often is a blessing."
"This time I've learned my lesson. Out on the road, every little thing needs weighing," Li Sanniang quickly nodded, then couldn't help asking, "But what if that mother and daughter really are simple, honest folk who've fallen on hard times? It's truly difficult for them. Say—if we run into them again, would it be alright to bring them to the manager and ask?"
Lin Wu shook her head. "That would be even more improper. As hired help, why would we go around pulling things in front of the manager on our own initiative? If she truly has a need, she should go directly to the manager herself—that's the proper path."
After all, she'd spent a decade as a palace maid, and counting her previous life, she had over a decade of experience as a seasoned employee. Bringing someone to the manager would mean piling extra work onto her superior's plate—that was completely backwards.
"Right, right! Ah, I really didn't think it through enough," Li Sanniang slapped her thigh again. "At the end of the day, on this road, we just look after ourselves and mind our own business."
"That's right," Lin Wu nodded. "Stick to our duties, avoid mistakes, and we should count ourselves lucky. Being able to work for a generous employer like Jincheng Freight, with our food and board taken care of, is already a stroke of good fortune."
Lin Jing, who had been pressed close to her the whole time, tightened his small grip on the strap of his drawstring pouch.
Only when the figures of the mother and daughter had completely vanished did he gently pat his little bag, as if comforting his little buns inside.
The caravan continued slowly along the official road.
Before long, Manager Zhang and a guard spurred their horses and rode on ahead.
After traveling for a while longer, they spotted from afar a checkpoint built of wood and earth blocking the official road. The checkpoint had a watchtower for lookout, with barriers made of wooden fences and caltrops stretching along both sides, and several soldiers carrying waist-slung sabers standing guard on either side.
Manager Zhang and the escorts stopped there, stepping forward to speak with a man who looked like the head officer.
Soon, the caravan also arrived before the checkpoint.
Seeing the soldiers standing rigidly with their blades, Lin Wu couldn't help but feel a knot tighten in her chest. The palace guards, the execution ground's sentries... those memories seemed to flash before her eyes. Lin Jing stiffened as well, pressing close against Lin Wu.
A few soldiers came forward to conduct the inspection. They didn't rummage through the goods carefully—just glanced at the cargo loaded on the carts, then did a quick walk along the line, occasionally scanning the merchant crew and their wagons.
One young soldier drifted over to the supply cart at the back. When he spotted the small figure hidden behind Lin Wu, he raised his voice: "Oh ho, what's this? Carrying a little milk-baby along? Since when did Jincheng Company start hauling along women and children?"
