Chapter 100: Young Master Asks to Tag Along
Tong City was a fairly bustling, large city.
Sure enough, there were no ragged refugees in the city. Any who had managed to get in must have been driven out. Still, many shops on both sides of the street were closed.
Mrs. Chen took some silver from Gu Zhang and hurried off to buy shoes.
Fortunately, the price of shoes hadn’t increased. A lower-quality pair cost one or two hundred cents, while a better pair went for three to five hundred cents.
Mrs. Chen bought a pair of the cheapest shoes for everyone in the family, not even forgetting Lian’er.
The front of Lian’er’s shoes were so worn that several of her toes were poking out.
Gu Fei pulled her older brother to the apothecary. The herbs he had bought earlier were not nearly enough. The weather was getting colder by the day, and they were often resting out in the open, making it easy to catch a cold. They also needed to buy some medicine for treating injuries, just in case.
As the two of them entered the apothecary, they came face to face with a guard in black carrying a youth in blue robes on his back. Another guard followed alongside them.
Gu Fei froze for a moment. ’Isn’t that the young man we met at the inn the other day?’
’He’s being carried on someone’s back. Is he injured?’
Gu Fei only glanced for a moment before looking away.
The first thing Su Chen noticed was her floral-patterned blouse and skirt set on a blue background.
The outfit was dusty, and the hem of the skirt was stained with mud.
The corner of Su Chen’s mouth twitched. ’It’s been several days, hasn’t it? Has this girl really not changed her clothes this entire time?’
Looking up from her clothes, he saw a delicate and pretty face. It was reasonably clean, but her hair was a mess.
Su Chen recalled the Shopkeeper saying this girl was special. He pursed his lips. ’Special in what way? She’s just a sloppy little girl.’
Chen Hu carried Su Chen out of the apothecary. Spotting the mule carts outside and Gu Zhang on one of them, he said, "Young Master, that girl just now... wasn’t she the one we met at the inn a few days ago?"
Su Chen grunted in acknowledgment.
Chen Hu continued, "Young Master, since you said we’ll leave as soon as we buy a horse-drawn carriage today, why don’t we ask them where they’re headed? If we’re going the same way, it would be safer to travel with them."
Su Chen frowned slightly. "They’re just a bunch of peasants. Why would we follow them?"
The guard beside him, Zhang Ze, said, "Young Master, I think Chen Hu has a point."
"That old man leading them is a trained martial artist. I could tell the moment we met. This group might have more to them than meets the eye."
"It’s a long road ahead, and with so many refugees, two fists are no match for four hands. I’m afraid Chen Hu and I alone won’t be enough to protect you, Young Master. The escort agencies have no dart masters for hire right now. At the very least, they have numbers on their side. If we run into trouble, they can help put up some resistance."
Su Chen thought for a moment. "Fine. Go and ask them."
The group turned back.
Gu Zhang and Gu Erlang were sitting on the shaft of the cart when Zhang Ze approached and cupped his fist in his hand. "Sir, we met at the inn a few days ago. I wonder if you remember us?"
Gu Zhang quickly hopped down from the cart and returned the gesture. "I remember, of course. You are—"
Zhang Ze gave a bitter smile. "You could say we’ve fallen on hard times. A few days ago, just as we were about to enter the city, a huge crowd of refugees suddenly surged toward the gate. The guards couldn’t hold them back. Our horses panicked and bolted, and my Young Master was separated from the madam."
"Our Young Master was dragged for more than ten li by a panicked horse before being thrown from the carriage. He broke his leg in the fall."
Gu Zhang immediately expressed his sympathy. "How terrible! What a tragedy, a true disaster of nature and man."
Zhang Ze nodded. "Isn’t that the truth. Sir, I was hoping to ask, where is your family headed?"
Gu Zhang replied, "We plan to go to East Sea County."
Zhang Ze glanced back at Su Chen, who gave a slight nod.
Zhang Ze then said, "Sir, I have a bold request. We happen to be going to East Sea County as well. There are only three of us, and the number of refugees on the road ahead is only going to increase. Frankly, we’re afraid to travel alone. I was wondering if we could journey with your family?"