As soon as they entered the camp, the light dimmed abruptly. The tent was spacious and tidy, with neat stacks of bulging burlap sacks lining both sides.
The tent flap stood open, offering a view of the area outside the porridge station. Handcarts were still arriving one after another, each piled high with similarly orderly stacks of sacks.
“Young Master.” Shen Quan had been tallying figures in the account book. At the sound of Shen Guanting’s voice, he immediately turned and bowed.
Shen Guanting swept his gaze over the piled-up sacks. “Do we have enough supplies?”
“Answering Young Master, we have ample rice, flour, and medicinal herbs. At the current rate of consumption, we have enough to last another ten days without any trouble,” Shen Quan replied.
Shen Guanting nodded solemnly. “Mm. Since it isn’t enough, then prepare some more.”
Shen Quan seemed long accustomed to his master’s habit of speaking at cross-purposes. Without hesitation, he nodded. “Yes. I understand. I’ll make arrangements to replenish the supplies at once.”
Shen Guanting paced around the tent twice, looking over the rice and flour here, the medicinal herbs there.
Before long, the faint sounds of pots and stoves being moved came from outside. The workers had already begun lighting the fires to cook the porridge.
Through the tent flap, the people waiting in line could be seen gradually falling silent, all of them turning toward the several large pots sending up clouds of white steam.
Shen Guanting finally tired of wandering about. He found a wooden chair and sank lazily into it. With his eyelids half lowered, he gazed at the cooking smoke slowly rising outside and suddenly asked, “Has anything interesting happened these past two days?”
Shen Quan’s expression grew serious. In a low voice, he replied, “Over the past few days, some unfamiliar faces have been lingering in the distance, watching us, though they haven’t approached. The guards have been keeping an eye on them and confirmed that they were sent by wealthy households in Lingzhou.”
Shen Guanting was not surprised. They had traveled all the way from Huzhou. As merchants from out of town, they had set up porridge stations and offered free medical treatment here on a grand scale. In the eyes of certain local wealthy families, their actions were perhaps a little too bold, even an eyesore. Still, providing porridge and medical care was ultimately a charitable deed, and no one could do more than tolerate it on the surface.
“Let them watch,” he said calmly. “Continue serving the porridge and distributing the medicine. Keep everything else as usual. The Shen family conducts itself openly and honorably—we have nothing to fear from being watched.”
“Yes.” Shen Quan acknowledged the order, then continued, “These past few days, some women and children from the nearby villages have been slipping into the porridge line. They’re dressed in rags, but after looking into the matter, we found that their families are actually managing to stay fed. The people below wanted to ask whether they should…”
“No need.” Shen Guanting raised a hand to stop him. “Isn’t everyone saying that the little master of Zhi Yun Trading House is a naive spendthrift, untouched by the hardships of the world, softhearted and unable to bear seeing anyone suffer? That he gives freely out of sheer kindness, never asking where people come from or whether their claims are genuine? If that’s the reputation we have, why ruin it?”
“Yes,” Shen Quan replied.
Lin Wu returned to the roadside inn with a bamboo basket over her arm. She turned and closed the door behind her, setting both her bundle and the basket on the table. Only then did she realize that her palms were icy cold.
She closed her eyes for a moment and drew a deep breath. Her expression remained unchanged as she said gently to Lin Jing, “I’m going to the kitchen to wash the basket and warm up the flatbreads. We’ll eat something soon to fill our stomachs.”
Lin Jing obediently nodded. He took off the small bucket-shaped pouch hanging from his chest, sat down at the table, and began sorting the broad leaves inside it one by one.
Lin Wu bought a bucket of clean water from the waiter, then carried the bamboo basket to the kitchen. Squatting beside the stove, she briskly scrubbed the basket and washed and wrung out the cloth used to cover the flatbreads. Next, she took out several fermented flatbreads she had deliberately left at the inn and warmed them over the large stove. She also placed half a jar of water in a clay pot to simmer.
She worked neither hurriedly nor slowly, tidying and arranging everything in the same orderly manner as usual.
Before long, she carried all the cleaned and prepared items back to the room. Her figure moved back and forth within that small space. After Lin Jing finished counting and stacking the broad leaves, he tilted his head up slightly, his eyes following her as she moved.
Lin Wu first spread the cloth out to dry, then returned to the table and placed the flatbreads on clean broad leaves. She took out a wooden bowl, lifted the clay pot, and poured warm water into it.
“After working all day, we can finally sit down and take a breath.” Her voice was calm. She broke the flatbread into small pieces and handed them to Lin Jing. “Eat slowly, and be careful not to choke.”
She sat on a low stool, her expression composed, giving no hint that anything was wrong. Yet the flatbread in her mouth tasted like sawdust. Her eyes were blank as she stared ahead, her heart heavy and her thoughts in turmoil.
She carefully went over everything that had happened that day.
First had been that hurried glimpse on the road. At the time, neither of them had known the other, so there should have been nothing unusual about it.
Then there had been their casual conversation beneath the shade shelter. Every word Shen Guanting had spoken had sounded ordinary and entirely reasonable—except for his inexplicable certainty that she would not remain in Lingzhou. How could a stranger he had met by chance make such a prediction about her future?
She lifted the wooden bowl and took another sip of warm water. The slightly hot stream slid down her throat and brought her back to her senses.
If Shen Guanting could be certain that she would leave, then there were only two possibilities. Either he was exceptionally observant and had detected clues from her or Lin Jing’s words and behavior, or he already knew something beforehand. But how could he know?
Before this, her only connection with the Shen family had been the welcoming banquet two days ago. The banquet had been arranged through Shopkeeper Fang of Jincheng Trading House. Could the problem have originated there?
If so, when had she revealed a flaw? Before the banquet, or afterward? If it had been before, then Shopkeeper Fang or Master Qin must have noticed something. If afterward, then the Shen family had seen through her. And during her time with the Shen family, she had only encountered Old Master Shen once, in the kitchen.
Lin Wu’s fingers tightened slightly around the flatbread in her hand. Or perhaps they had all seen through her.
That meant her disguise might have been completely transparent from the beginning to these people, all of whom had weathered the ways of the world. How much did they know?
Countless questions surged up at once, tangling together in her heart like a ball of thread. For a moment, she had no idea where to begin unraveling them.
She must not panic.
She took a deep breath and forced down the tremor in her heart. Even if they had their suspicions, there seemed to be no ill intent for now.
She swallowed the last bite of flatbread and drank half a bowl of warm water. By the time she set down the wooden bowl, her expression had returned to normal.
There was no point in overthinking matters while friend and foe remained unclear. Since she had no foolproof plan, she could only proceed according to her original arrangements. She would make the inquiries she needed to make and prepare whatever needed preparing. If they had some scheme in mind, they would eventually reveal traces of it.
Besides, now that she had drawn their attention, continuing to conceal herself too carefully might only make her look more suspicious. It would do no harm to loosen up a little.
Her thoughts gradually cleared.
She rose and tidied away the bowls and chopsticks. Then she opened her purse and poured out the copper coins inside, counting them together with Lin Jing.
Over the next few days, Lin Wu continued rising before dawn. She made fermented flatbreads, slung the bamboo basket over her arm, and took Lin Jing with her to the docks.
The moment Lin Wu appeared with the bamboo basket, a familiar worker raised his hand and waved enthusiastically.
“Mrs. Lin, over here! The usual—three flatbreads!”
Lin Wu smiled and walked over in response.
“Good heavens, three at once? These flatbreads are so filling that one is enough for a whole meal. Don’t you ever get tired of eating them? Leave a few for the rest of us brothers too!” a laborer waiting for work joked with a wide grin.
“You’re one to talk! When Mrs. Lin comes over later, don’t you buy any.”
“Hey, but he’s right about one thing. Mrs. Lin’s flatbreads are fluffy and fragrant. One will keep you full for most of the day, and they’re affordable too!”
As they chatted and laughed, more than half the flatbreads in the bamboo basket had already been sold. Just then, Xiao Zhao came hurrying over, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Sister Lin, are there any flatbreads left?”
“Only the last two.” Lin Wu lifted the cloth to take a look.
“Hehe, then I’ll take both.” As he spoke, he pulled several copper coins from inside his robe and handed them to Lin Jing.
Lin Jing reached out with his small hand and took them. He counted the coins carefully, one by one, then examined each of them in turn. Only after confirming that there were exactly six coins did he look up at Xiao Zhao and nod. He carefully put the money into his pouch.
“Look at this Little Shopkeeper’s air. Do you really think I’d shortchange you?” Xiao Zhao took a large bite of his flatbread and teased him with a laugh.
Lin Wu reached out and ruffled Lin Jing’s little head, joining in the teasing. “Exactly. Our little business’s Little Shopkeeper is in charge. I, Cook Lin, do whatever he tells me.”
“Then the Little Shopkeeper had better give you plenty of orders and have Cook Lin make more flatbreads,” Xiao Zhao replied cheerfully.
Several more porters came by to buy flatbreads. After Lin Wu told each of them that they were sold out, quite a few of the people nearby dispersed.
Lin Wu tidied the bamboo basket and cloth cover, and was just about to turn around when she suddenly remembered something. She lightly tapped her forehead.
“Look at me and my memory. Brother Zhao, there’s something I should tell you. I have news of my elder brother.”
Xiao Zhao’s eyes lit up. “You found out where he is?”
“Yes.” Lin Wu nodded.
“Come on, let’s go over there and talk. Everyone’s been thinking about you. At long last, you’ve finally heard something.”
“Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts.”
The two of them walked along as they talked.
“A few days ago, I went to the market to buy scallions and met a kindhearted older woman there. She thought I looked familiar, so we started talking. Only then did I learn that she was from Wucang County, like us. She said that when she went to Chenzhou to visit relatives last year, she saw my elder brother. She heard that he had joined a caravan transporting goods there. Later, by a stroke of luck, he settled down in Chenzhou and started a family.”
As she spoke, Lin Wu could not help sighing with emotion. “I never imagined that after being separated by so much distance and for so many years, I’d still be able to receive news of him like this. All this time, I’ve been afraid something might have happened to him out there. Now, at last, I can put my heart at ease.”
Xiao Zhao sighed as well. “This is wonderful news! Congratulations, Sister Lin. At last, you know where he is! That weight on your heart must have finally been lifted.”
“Yes.” Lin Wu’s voice was light with happiness. “That’s why I’ve decided to go to Chenzhou to look for him.”
At that moment, Steward Zhou, who had been listening from the side, spoke up in his gentle voice. “Finding a lost family member is certainly cause for celebration. It’s just that…”
He paused and glanced at the lingering joy on Lin Wu’s face before continuing. “Mrs. Lin, you should consider one more thing. You and your brother have been separated for many years, with no word from him at all. If you go there so suddenly, you don’t know what sort of circumstances his household is in, or whether… he still holds the same affection for you as he did in the past.”
His words were tactful, but sensible.
Lin Wu’s expression dimmed somewhat, but she soon lifted her face again. “Your reminder is well taken, Steward Zhou. I’ve thought about all that. But in this entire world, he’s the only blood relative I have left. No matter what, I have to see him with my own eyes and learn whether he’s well or not. Only then will I be able to put my heart at rest.
“If—if it truly isn’t convenient for him, I won’t be afraid. You’ve seen how I’ve managed to sell flatbreads at the docks these past few days, haven’t you? Once I reach Chenzhou, at worst I can start over from scratch. Besides, Chenzhou isn’t all that far from here. I made my way through Lingzhou, didn’t I? Walking one more stretch of road won’t be a problem.”
Steward Zhou looked at her and stroked his beard approvingly. “What spirit. It seems these past few days at the docks have truly changed you, Mrs. Lin. When I first met you in Wucang County, you still spoke so softly.”
Lin Wu smiled as well. “That’s all thanks to Jincheng Trading House for bringing us mother and son out into the world. We’ve broadened our horizons and grown bolder. A person has to step outside before the road ahead can grow wider. For now, I just hope we can find out whether there’s a reliable caravan heading to Chenzhou that could take us along. If we happen to find one half as honest as Jincheng Trading House, that would be a tremendous blessing.”
She wore a smile, but Lin Wu knew perfectly well that her story could not withstand close scrutiny. The supposedly chance meeting with a fellow villager, the elder brother who had settled in Chenzhou—every bit of it was fabricated. Anyone who asked one question too many would expose the lie. But by now, in their eyes, she already had enough flaws in her story. One more would hardly matter.
Once they reached Chenzhou, whether it was the Fang family or the Shen family, they would be separated by distance and have nothing more to do with one another.
The moment Xiao Zhao heard this, he hurriedly reminded her, “Chenzhou? Then this is perfect! Isn’t it along the way for Zhiyun Trading House’s return trip to Huzhou? Have you forgotten? A few days ago, Young Master Shen even mentioned that he wanted to invite you to travel with them as a temporary cook. If you’ve decided to go to Chenzhou, we can speak to Zhiyun Trading House and ask them to take you along. Wouldn’t that solve everything at once?”
Lin Wu thought to herself that, sure enough, if she wanted to go to Huzhou, she ultimately could not avoid the Shen family. Yet when she recalled Young Master Shen’s calm, unreadable eyes, she felt an inexplicable chill in her heart. As far as she was concerned, whether this man would bring her fortune or disaster remained impossible to discern.
Before she could answer, Steward Zhou slowly shook his head and spoke.
“Zhiyun Trading House’s destination this time is not Huzhou.”
Xiao Zhao stared at him. “What? They aren’t returning to Huzhou? Then where are they going?”
Lin Wu also looked over in surprise.
Steward Zhou slowed his voice. “If this were an ordinary trip between Lingzhou and Huzhou, Zhiyun Trading House knows that route so well they could make the journey with their eyes closed. There would be no need for Old Master Shen to personally come to Lingzhou and take charge, nor for Young Master Shen to make arrangements from beginning to end.
“Since both the Old Master and the Young Master have set out, this journey must be important in both directions. The cargo they transported here from Huzhou was extraordinarily rare, so their return trip is likely to be far more than a simple journey back to Huzhou.”
Xiao Zhao suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly. “You’re right! But where exactly are they going?”
Steward Zhou gazed toward the Zhiyun Trading House wagons being loaded at the nearby warehouse and shook his head. “The caravans have been rushing to prepare their goods these past few days. I imagine their destination will become clear within the next few days.”
For some reason, Lin Wu felt a weight lift from her heart, only to be replaced by a vague sense of bewilderment. She sighed. “I had been hoping I might get lucky and travel with Zhiyun Trading House. It seems good fortune doesn’t come around all the time.”
“Sister Lin, don’t worry,” Xiao Zhao consoled her. “There are plenty of caravans headed to Chenzhou. Most of them take the Cang River by water. Traveling by water is cheaper than going by land. Every few days, cargo boats leave the docks for Chenzhou. We can take our time asking around. We’ll find one that suits you.”
The Cang River was an inland waterway. Its current was gentle and its channel narrow, so even traveling downstream, the boats were not especially fast. The five-hundred-li journey took nearly ten days. Although Xiao Zhao said it was cheap, that was only in comparison.
For land transport, the charge was four hundred copper coins per hundred jin per hundred li. By water, it was one hundred copper coins. But those rates applied to goods. If a person wanted to take a boat, even a modestly comfortable passenger cabin would cost twice as much. By the time the fare for one adult and luggage—at most one hundred and fifty jin—was calculated, the journey to Chenzhou would cost a string and five hundred coins.
It was not a small sum, but for now, they could still afford it.
But…
Lin Wu awkwardly tugged at Lin Jing’s hand, her face coloring with embarrassment.
“We don’t have travel documents.”
Even the cheapest boat fares are out of their reach now.
Xiao Zhao froze for a moment, scratching his head. "That truly is quite a predicament..."
For a short trip, it would be easy to keep things under wraps, but a five-hundred-li long journey would inevitably run into inspections along the way. Especially on small passenger and cargo vessels, a widow and her young son would stand out far too much. If they were stopped for questioning, the risks would be far too high. After mulling it over again and again, hitching a ride with a large merchant caravan on their ship was the only truly safe option.
For a moment, none of the people present could come up with a better solution.
Xiao Zhao spoke up again to comfort them. "Then we'll keep asking around and wait for news from the Cloud Weaving Firm. Who knows, they might just be heading the same way. We'll all keep an eye out for you in the coming days."
"Thank you so much, Brother Zhao, and thank you for all your trouble, Steward Zhou," Lin Wu bowed slightly to the two of them, her gratitude genuine. "It's all right. We'll find a way eventually."
She took Lin Jing by the hand and turned to leave.
Over at the Shen residence, the tea hall was completely quiet, save for the soft, faint sound of a tea grinder rubbing against compressed brick tea. Shen Guanting kept his eyes lowered, grinding the tea brick at a leisurely, unhurried pace.
"You still have the leisure to prepare tea here?" Shen Zhongming strolled in, raising an eyebrow at his eldest grandson's unflappable demeanor.
Shen Guanting didn't even lift his head. "Grandfather, that's hardly a fair thing to say. I've been running around nonstop for days, and the first thing I wanted to do once I finally caught my breath was come back and make you a proper cup of tea. This filial devotion of mine, and instead of praising me for it, you're scolding me? It's quite disheartening, really."
"Filial devotion?" Shen Zhongming sat down on the nearby sandalwood chair, glancing at him sideways. "Your sad, sorry tea preparation skills, you don't know how bad they are yourself? You'd be better off going to the storehouse and looking over the cargo manifests a few more times, instead of wasting my good tea bricks here."
He paused for a moment, then added, "I thought I told you not to go pester that mother and her son?"
"I haven't done any such thing," Shen Guanting replied, turning to pick up a tea sieve from the table. A neat row of different tea sieves was lined up on the tabletop, each made from a different material — wood, copper, silver — all exquisitely and carefully crafted. He reached out and took the copper sieve. "Last time the tea didn't taste right. It must have been that silver sieve's fault, ruining my technique."
As he sifted the fine tea powder slowly and methodically, he continued, "As for that mother and son, I just happened to run into them at Shopkeeper Fang's last time, and we only chatted for a few moments, that's all."
The fine tea powder drifted down gently, and he suddenly let out a soft chuckle, lifting his eyes to look at Shen Zhongming. "Grandfather, you see how the world works. The more you tell yourself not to do something, the more that thing will just stumble right into your path. Heaven just loves to do the opposite of what you expect."
"So according to that logic, this is somehow my fault?" Shen Zhongming huffed.
"How dare I say that?" Shen Guanting used a silver spoon to divide the sifted tea powder into two black-glazed tea bowls. "You don't need to worry over this. I hear they're trying to head southeast to Chunzhou, while I'm traveling south. Our paths have nothing to do with each other. Even if I wanted to stir up trouble, there's no chance for it."
"Are you absolutely certain of that?" Shen Zhongming lifted his eyes, his gaze falling on his eldest grandson's calm profile. Shen Guanting was still focused on the clay pot set over the small brazier, which was now starting to make soft, faint hissing sounds.
"Of course," Shen Guanting said evenly. "The South Cliff route is the Shen family's most important southern trade artery. You and Father took me along it several times in the past. Now that I'm making the trip on my own, it carries a special weight. You don't truly know a route until you've held the rudder yourself."
"Oh, now you're a self-appointed expert, are you?" Shen Zhongming shook his head and laughed. "What, do you want me to hire a tutor from the Confucian academy to travel with you, so you can write a whole *Account of Shen Guanting's Journey Along the South Cliff Trade Route* to dedicate to the Shen family ancestral hall later?"
"That's actually a pretty good idea," Shen Guanting laughed back. "I've just reached the age of manhood this year. It's high time I went out and ventured into the world, learning to stand on my own two feet and take charge of things."
"Everything you say somehow makes sense, doesn't it?"
By this time, the clay pot had begun making soft gurgling sounds. Shen Guanting watched the thin wisp of steam rising from it. "I hear that mother and her son still haven't figured out how to get to Chunzhou. What do you think, should I lend them a hand?"
"Oh? This is a surprise. There's something you haven't already decided on?" Shen Zhongming didn't give a clear answer. "What kind of mischief are you planning to get them into this time?"
"A merchant never does anything that brings no profit," Shen Guanting said. The pot was gurgling loudly now. He lifted it and tilted it slightly, letting boiling water pour straight into the tea bowls. The tea powder swirled in the water, and thick white steam rose up, blurring the view.
He continued speaking through the swirling mist. "We can hire her as a traveling cook for the Cloud Weaving Firm. She'd naturally follow our travel schedule, go south with us all the way to South Cliff, and then come back north to Huzhou."
The steam cleared a little, revealing his calm, composed features.
Shen Zhongming's brows furrowed, and his voice grew a little heavier. "No. That won't do."
Shen Guanting pushed the tea bowl over to him. "They're connected to the Gu family, aren't they?"
Shen Zhongming went silent for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "There's no solid evidence of that right now. In these delicate, uncertain times, the wisest course of action is not digging into matters we don't have to."
"There's no one else but the Gu family that could make you this cautious," Shen Guanting said, shaking his head gently as he spoke. "A widow and her young son traveling alone are treading on thin ice. In any era, a woman with no one to rely on is a very conspicuous target."
He picked up his own tea bowl, taking a slow, unhurried sip, then frowned slightly. "Even if we wanted to look out for them quietly, the prerequisite is that they're within our sight. If we keep them close under our watch, we can see clearly what's true, what's false, what's good, what's bad, and we'll have time to respond to anything that comes up."
He set the tea bowl down. "If anything unexpected happens, the Shen family will also have time to step back and extricate ourselves."
"After all, there's no proof of who they really are," Shen Zhongming sighed. "It's only because they look a little familiar. All of this is just guesswork."
Shen Guanting's gaze was clear and sharp. "It's rare to see you being this careful, Grandfather. Precisely because nothing is certain yet, that's all the more reason to keep them nearby."
Shen Zhongming was quiet for a while, then lifted his now slightly warm tea bowl. "To think that this old man of mine is dragging all of you into this murky situation."
"Both you and Father taught me growing up that the way to conduct yourself in the world is to always hold a kind heart," Shen Guanting said in a steady, calm tone. "Since we have the ability to help someone, giving them a hand when they need it is no more than a small, easy thing to do."
Shen Zhongming froze for a moment when he heard that, then burst into hearty laughter. "This old fool of mine was thinking too narrowly. That's right, this isn't some complicated matter at all. It's nothing more than doing a good, kind deed."
"Grandfather," Shen Guanting raised his eyebrows slightly, "here we are, the two of us, standing around acting all deep and thoughtful, speculating back and forth. What if that mother and her son don't even want to travel with the Cloud Weaving Firm in the first place? South Cliff is such a remote, harsh place that ordinary people go out of their way to avoid it. Or maybe they have nothing at all to do with the Gu family. From start to finish, we're just chasing shadows, making up a whole drama out of thin air."
"You rascal," Shen Zhongming shook his head, laughing and chiding him, then said with a sigh, "If they really have no connection to the Gu family, that would be a good thing. The world would have two less poor, unfortunate souls. But if they do agree to come south with us... then whatever's behind this is far from a coincidence."
With that, Shen Zhongming leaned down to take a sip of his tea, and his brows immediately knotted up. "This tea you brewed is just as astringent and bitter as always."
"It must be this black-glazed tea bowl that's the problem," Shen Guanting said without batting an eye. "If you ask me, next time we should try using green-glazed bowls. They have thin bodies and smooth, even glaze, so they can really bring out the true flavor of the tea broth."
"Then don't come crying to me complaining you scalded your hands all blistery, and try to blame it on the boiling water."
