Chapter 19 Not Enough Money to Spend_1

The towering city wall, approximating six zhang in height, stood majestically in the distance. Upon the city gate, the words "Chudu" were clearly distinguishable, and the thickness of the wall along with its solemn colors proclaimed its inviolable authority to the world.

Unconsciously, Mo Yan looked up for a while, feeling a soreness in her neck. As she shifted her gaze, she realized that even the youngest, Zhenzhen, was awestruck by the grandeur of the city tower.

"We've finally arrived!"

Mo Qingze, coming back to his senses, exclaimed.

"It's wonderful we're here; any further and Zhenzhen's feet would have fallen off!"

Zhenzhen, watching the passing crowd, was excited, but his childlike words were unintentionally amusing.

"Hmph, talking nonsense again. Weren't you carried by father all along the way?"

Xin Er loved to bicker with her brother, and seizing the opportunity to tease him for his foolish remark, she couldn't help but chide.

With his shortcoming pointed out, Zhenzhen wanted to retort but couldn't think of a comeback, his little face turning red as he pouted and muttered, "Bad second sister, the worst second sister."

The others were amused by the siblings' antics and couldn't help but laugh.

It was getting late, and they needed to find a place to rest upon entering the city. Mo Yan wasted no time, took out the Passage Order Xiao Eleven had given them from the bundle, and handed it to Mo Qingze.

The drought and turmoil in the South had spread to the North, causing many people to flee from the South to seek refuge in the North, and many of them ended up in Jing City. To avoid chaos within the city, the Court managed the refugees' entry into Jing City strictly. Hundreds of soldiers guarded each of the four city gates, inspecting passersby. Unless one had relatives willing to take them in or possessed a Passage Order, they could only stay in the refugee camp by the North gate.

Grandfather Li, that is, Lizhong, was worried about how to enter the city when he saw the troops guarding the gate. But upon noticing Mo Yan produce a Passage Order, he curiously refrained from asking about it.

With the Passage Order, the group smoothly passed the inspection and stepped into the Imperial Capital.

The Imperial Capital was truly deserving of its name, with clean, neat streets flanked by densely arranged houses and shops, bustling crowds, and busy traffic—all orderly and without a hint of chaos. Ordinary citizens wore clothes that rarely showed patches, indicating a glimpse of the city's prosperity. Grandfather and grandson of the Li family were somewhat accustomed to this, but Mo Yan's group, with their clothes covered in patches and layered with the dust of travel, looked distinctly out of place, drawing many curious glances from onlookers.

Mo Yan didn't mind, Mo Qingze, being a scholar, didn't feel ashamed, Zhenzhen was too young to understand the stares, but Xin Er felt somewhat embarrassed and instinctively ducked her head, hiding behind Mo Yan.

Having entered the city earlier than planned and skipped lunch, the group was famished. At Mo Yan's insistence, they found a clean noodle stall to satisfy their hunger first.

In Jing City, prices were high. A bowl of shredded pork noodles that cost three wen elsewhere was double the price here, at six wen. Mo Yan ordered six bowls of noodles, spending over thirty wen in one go, which pained her as she didn't have much silver, and there would be many expenses on her initial arrival to Jing City!

Grandfather and grandson of the Li family felt very sorry. All along the journey, everything they ate and drank was provided by the Mo Family; without them, with neither money nor food, they wouldn't have made it to Jing City.

The gratitude to the Mo Family was deeply etched in Lizhong's heart. As he thought of the families parting ways soon, perhaps never to meet again, and with no chance to repay their kindness, he couldn't help but speak:

"Mr. Mo, it's not easy to find a place to stay in Jing City. If you don't mind, you could come and live with my son-in-law's family for a while, so we can look after each other,"

Upon hearing this, Liyan's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly. During this time, she had come to think of the Mo Family as her nearest and dearest, aside from Grandfather.

Mo Qingze immediately shook his head: "Uncle Li, I appreciate your kindness, but I must decline your offer!"

Mo Yan, noticing Lizhong's intent to express his gratitude, spoke up before he could persist, "Grandfather Li, when we helped you, we didn't expect anything in return. After all, we are outsiders; it wouldn't be right for us to impose. Besides, we are capable of finding our own place in the city."

Seeing their firm stance, Lizhong felt hesitant. It would be acceptable for him and his granddaughter to stay with his son-in-law without stirring gossip, but bringing the Mo Family along might displease his daughter's stern mother-in-law, causing difficulty for both his daughter and son-in-law. Moreover, the debt of gratitude was his to repay; he couldn't in good conscience let his son-in-law's family bear it. His greatest fear was that, in trying to repay the kindness, he might cause discomfort to his benefactors, turning his good intention into a misdeed.

The father and daughter of the Mo Family had also considered this, which is why they firmly declined, to avoid putting the Li Family in an awkward situation. Besides, living under someone else's roof is never ideal.

At that moment, the noodles were ready and brought to the table by the landlady, temporarily suspending the conversation.

After sharing a bowl of noodles, the two families were about to part ways, and although Lizhong tried to persuade them one more time, Mo Qingze still did not agree.

Lizhong, having no other choice, said, "I stayed in Jing City for a while and am quite familiar with it. If you're looking for a place to stay, it's best to head to West Market. The commoners there are better off and easier to deal with. Plus, there are night patrols that make the area safer to live in."

Mo Yan and her father expressed their gratitude, finding this information extremely valuable. Otherwise, with their lack of knowledge about the vast city, they wouldn't even know where to begin looking for a suitable place.

Finally, Lizhong gave Mo Qingze the address of his son-in-law's residence, asking him to let him know once they found a place to settle down, wishing for the two families to keep in touch. With a smile, Mo Qingze took note of the details, and after an affectionate farewell, they parted ways, heading in opposite directions, one to the east and the other to the west.

...

By the time Mo Yan and her group arrived in West Market and found a place to rest, the sun had already set.

After seeing off the elderly couple who had rented the house to them, Mo Yan joyfully surveyed their new home. The location was somewhat remote, situated at the very end of the street, with a long alley outside the courtyard door that truly was frightening at night.

The house, made of blue bricks and grey tiles, appeared a bit worn and wasn't large, consisting of a small main hall and two rooms. One of the rooms had been partitioned to create a separate living space and kitchen.

What satisfied Mo Yan was the courtyard—though not large, about twenty pings in size—it had a small vegetable patch against the wall, a chicken coop in the corner perfect for raising chickens, and beyond that, a well, which made fetching water quite convenient.

Though the rent wasn't cheap, costing one or two pieces of silver a month, Mo Yan was quite content to find such a quaint courtyard in Jing City, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

It took the family two hours to clean the house inside and out, and Mo Yan realized there was too much they needed to buy. The old furniture left by the landlord was serviceable enough, but they still needed to purchase bedding, pots, pans, and the like.

After tallying up the necessities, Mo Yan dismally found that the few pieces of silver she had left were nowhere near enough to cover the expenses...