The journey for Chen Huihong and her group was extremely monotonous.
At least that’s what Qin Huai thought.
Travel by day, rest by night, drink from streams they passed, ask for directions from people they met, beg for food from rich travelers. Possibly due to their proximity to Beiping, Granny Zhang only begged from obviously wealthy caravans, avoiding any attempts to sell people.
On a good day, they might get a few cakes; on a bad day, they might get whipped.
When they were just a day and a half away from Beiping, the weakest child in the group collapsed.
Granny Zhang tried to pry open his mouth and feed him a bean cake, but seeing he no longer even had the strength to chew, she took the cake back and ate it herself, all the while saying regretfully, "He can’t even eat something this good, it seems he’s really going to die."
"Such is his misfortune; we’re almost there, and he’s just wasted my food all along the way."
The other children didn’t say a word, only dared to quietly look up at Granny Zhang chewing the bean cake, while no one paid attention to the person on the ground.
Swallowing the bean cake, Granny Zhang took a sip of water, cleared her throat, and said loudly, "Hurry up and don’t be lazy, we’ll be there in two days at most. There’s plenty of rice porridge waiting, don’t end up unlucky one."
Finished speaking, Granny Zhang grinned and walked over to Hui Niang, warmly saying, "Hui, have you made up your mind? When your young lady abandons you, come to me, I’ll provide you with plenty of black bread, unlike others."
Hui Niang shrank her neck, clutching the jar as she hid beside Chen Huihong.
Granny Zhang pursed her lips, glanced at Chen Huihong, and dared not say more, continuing on her way.
The group continued their journey, just short one person.
Hui Niang walked on Chen Huihong’s left, whispering, "Sister, yesterday I gave him a bite of the sweet potato you gave me, but he still died."
"If I had given him a bit more, would he have made it to Beiping?"
Chen Huihong glanced at Hui Niang and calmly said, "If you hadn’t given it to him, he would have died yesterday. Giving more would only mean he’d die tonight; people have to die eventually, you can’t save him."
Hui Niang was stunned, whispered, "But... I don’t want to die."
After saying that, Hui Niang forced a smile, looking at Chen Huihong: "Sister, are your family really in Beiping too?"
"No," Chen Huihong said honestly. "I told you, I’ll accompany you to Beiping. You go find your parents, and I’ll do my own things. Once we reach Beiping, we’ll part ways and not bother each other."
Hui Niang clamped her mouth shut, slowed down her pace, and quietly followed behind.
Qin Huai, who had been weaving through the group trying to overhear anything crucial, wagered on a platter of buckwheat buns that these two would split up upon reaching Beiping to no avail.
A day and a half later, this motley crew finally arrived at Beiping City.
Granny Zhang’s home was in the outskirts, with a low house and a shallow well, no need to enter the city. Although she still wanted to trick Hui Niang into being sold for profit, the joy of returning home after a life-and-death journey overwhelmed her greed.
After one last failed attempt at persuading, Granny Zhang decisively abandoned the idea, pointed the way to the inner city for Chen Huihong, and parted ways.
Parting from Granny Zhang and her group, Chen Huihong slowly pulled out a piece of tree bark to chew as she walked.
The days traveling together had been stifling for her, only allowing her to sneak bites of tree bark at night when everyone lay down and turned their backs. Now, with just Hui Niang next to her, Chen Huihong could openly chew the bark.
Hui Niang followed Chen Huihong, unfazed.
"Granny Zhang said there’s a charity offering porridge on the way to the inner city; most refugees are gathered there. Your parents should be there, you can go and check," Chen Huihong told Hui Niang.
Hui Niang was somewhat anxious: "Sister, are you... Are you not going?"
"I’m not interested in that," Chen Huihong replied. "Granny Zhang said the inner city is lively, with storytelling, opera, street performers, acrobatics, and even Eight Banners, bird-walking, and cricket fighting. With so many people, now that I’ve come this far, I want to go see for myself."
Hui Niang could only mutter, "Then... then you take care."
Chen Huihong nodded, feeling the journey had ended successfully. She casually turned and walked a few steps forward before stopping, contemplating. Reluctantly, she pulled out her beloved half-piece of wooden horse from her waist, hesitated, and put it back, taking out the seven or eight copper coins she’d collected along the way.
"Take these," Chen Huihong said, stuffing all the copper coins into Hui Niang’s hands. "You don’t want to die, right? Don’t eat anything rotten."
Hui Niang held the coins tightly, carefully tucking them into her clothing, and raised the jar towards Chen Huihong: "Sis... Sister Chen, I have no money, I only found this jar. Take it and use it for drinking water."
"I don’t like drinking water," Chen Huihong shook her head and walked away.
Qin Huai followed Chen Huihong for thirty or forty steps, seeing that Chen Huihong indeed had no intention of turning back. He glanced back at Hui Niang, who also showed no sign of following, and couldn’t help but conjure a question mark over his head.
The plot was already dull enough, and now one of the main characters was missing, as a spectator, what was there to watch?
Soon, Chen Huihong showed what was worth watching with her actions.
Chen Huihong, in full refugee attire, strolled through the crowd, leisurely observing everything: beggars, commoners, wealthy gentry, bespectacled folks, and those with canes—everything was intriguing, everything deserved a look.
If someone was boasting at a teahouse, she’d linger at the entrance listening; if a fight broke out outside a martial arts studio, she’d elbow her way to the front to watch.
Normally, for someone in beggar or refugee attire to push through crowds , it would cause dissatisfaction among the bystanders. But everyone seemed remarkably accepting of her presence.