Chapter 4, Just Because I Took an Extra Glance at You in the Crowd

After seeing to the affairs at home, Old Madam Yan set off for Linyi County, where her eldest son was taking office, accompanied by her eldest granddaughter, her third grandson, and two longtime servants.

Old Madam Yan held a rather high status within the clan, and over the years, the Yan Family had extended considerable support to fellow clan members. Consequently, when they left, the Clan Leader and the higher-ranking elders all came to see them off.

"Old sister-in-law, this year the rain has been scarce, and harvests haven't been great anywhere. Only our Yan village, thanks to those seeds you provided, managed a yield that was a whole tenth larger than in years past. I'm here to express the clan's gratitude on behalf of everyone."

Farmers depend on the heavens for their sustenance, and even after a year's hard labor, they might not have enough to eat. The Clan Leader's gratitude toward Old Madam Yan was heartfelt—with the increase in yields, the smiles on the villagers' faces had grown wider, no longer clouded by the usual worries.

Old Madam Yan quickly helped the bowing Clan Leader to his feet, speaking earnestly, "Clan Leader, you mustn't say such things. Being widows and orphans, if the clan hadn't supported us in various ways during the early years, how could my children have achieved what they have today?"

The Clan Leader's face was just as sincere, "Old sister-in-law, no need to mention it. It's only natural for those from the same clan to share close bonds and support each other. What we did was nothing significant."

"That Zhi Gao, Zhi Yuan, and Zhi Qiang have turned out so well is entirely due to your wise guidance, old sister-in-law."

"Old sister-in-law, you know the situation in our clan. If Zhi Gao and the others ever need anything, just say the word, and the clan will surely provide full support."

At this, other elders of the clan also expressed their solidarity.

"Yes, Zhi Gao's mother, if there's anything you need in Linyi County, just send us a letter," said Third Elder of the clan.

Moved, Old Madam Yan said, "On behalf of Zhi Gao, I thank everyone here. If the opportunity arises, I will have him come back in person to express our gratitude."

The Clan Leader and the elders all looked pleased at her words.

"..."

As everyone exchanged words, half an hour quickly passed.

Sitting in the carriage, Daohua idly swung her little legs, losing interest in the goings-on. Just as she was about to crawl into the carriage for a nap, her grandmother finally waved goodbye to the Clan Leader and the others.

Once aboard the carriage, Old Madam Yan let out a long sigh of relief.

"Pfft!"

Seeing her grandmother's relieved expression, Daohua couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

Old Madam Yan glared at her granddaughter, "Find an old woman's relief funny, do you?"

Daohua scooted next to her grandmother, "I thought you actually enjoyed bantering with the Clan Leader and the rest."

Old Madam Yan rolled her eyes, "You've said it yourself—it's nothing but bantering. Who could enjoy that?"

Daohua, "Then why did you talk with them for so long?"

Old Madam Yan, "A single strand does not make a thread, a single tree does not make a forest. Your father may now be a Seventh-rank County Magistrate, but he still can't do without the Yan Clan. A person without a clan to rely on can't go far."

"Ah... your father has been a County Magistrate for almost nine years, always diligent and earnest. But why has he never been promoted? Isn't it because he lacks strong roots? If only there were someone in the bureaucracy who could speak up for your father..."

Old Madam Yan suddenly stopped, her expression turning somewhat grim.

Seeing this, Yan Wentao tugged at Daohua, signaling her not to ask any further.

Daohua knew her grandmother was thinking of her Fourth Aunt.

When her father passed the imperial examinations, his classmate Yang Boyi came to propose marriage for Fourth Aunt.

The Yang Family was also a prestigious household, with a fourth-grade official as a relative in Beijing. Although Yang Boyi himself was just a Scholar, the marriage was considered a fine match for the Yan Family at the time.

Initially, the Yang Family kept close ties with the Yan Family after Fourth Aunt married in. But later, when Yang Boyi also passed the imperial examinations, the Yang family moved to Beijing, and from then on, the relationship between the two families cooled.

Daohua thought to herself that the Yang Family must have seen her father's lack of promotion despite serving term after term as Magistrate and deemed him a poor investment, hence their distancing themselves.

One had to admit, these ancient people were indeed very pragmatic!

As the grandchildren remained silent, Old Madam Yan continued on her own, "These years, several young members of the clan have proven capable of scholarly pursuits. Once they pass the examinations, your father will have allies in the bureaucratic circles."

Daohua was skeptical, "Who knows how long that will take?"

Old Madam Yan glanced sidelong at her granddaughter, "Even if your father doesn't live to see it, there are still your elder brothers. In any case, we cannot sever ties with the clan."

Daohua shrugged indifferently; she had no intention of breaking ties with the clan.

After spending years in Yan village, she had come to understand that these ancient clan ties were extremely strong. No one would willingly cut themselves off from their own clan.

Behind them was their clan, shielding them from being bullied; without a clan, they were like rootless weeds, vulnerable to being trampled upon by anyone out there in the world.

Daohua lifted the carriage curtain and looked in the direction of the village, only to find the clan leader and a few others still standing at the entrance of the village, which greatly impressed her. Indeed, for the prosperity of their clan, these people could set aside their pride.

"Grandmother, I just realized today that our clan leader, Grandpa, is quite the smooth talker," Daohua said.

What was meant to be inferred was that everyone in the clan should naturally be supportive of one another; the assistance they had provided before was negligible in comparison...

The implication was clear, wasn't it? They wanted her stepfather to help the clan, right?

Old Lady Yan glanced at her shrewd and perceptive granddaughter, then reverted her gaze to her naively honest third grandson and shook her head, "It's nothing but mutual benefit. Some things are better known in the heart than spoken aloud."

Daohua replied, "I don't speak of it to others anyway."

Wentao looked confused, scratching the back of his head; he couldn't understand what his grandmother and Daohua were discussing.

"Let's go sit outside, Third Brother, and let Grandma Sun come in to accompany our grandmother," Daohua suggested.

"Alright!"

On the official road leading to Linyi County, a horse-drawn carriage trundled along at a steady pace. On the carriage, a man in his fifties managed the reins, with two youths, one big and one small, seated beside him.

The elder was simple and robust, while the younger was soft and cute.

"Young Master Daohua, would you like to sing a tune to lift the spirits of the old lady?" Uncle Sun asked with a chuckle, looking at Daohua, who was disguised as a boy.

Daohua thought that dressing as a girl was inconvenient for travel, so she had switched to boys' clothes.

Regarding this, Old Lady Yan didn't object; on the contrary, she was quite encouraging, finding Daohua clever. Although these years had been rather peaceful everywhere, it was still best to keep a low profile when traveling.

"Sure, let's sing together, Third Brother," Daohua responded.

"Okay!"

Soon, their young and crisp singing voices filled the air along the official road.

Walking and stopping along the way, Old Lady Yan didn't rush Uncle Sun to move faster.

Her granddaughter and third grandson had never been outside of the county, and letting them see more of the world to broaden their horizons was beneficial.

Daohua and the others rested at inns whenever they came across one, and when they reached a town and were in the mood, they would even take time to stroll around.

However, after half a month, as they started entering the northern territories, such opportunities grew scarce.

The farther north they went, the more refugees they encountered on the road.

Seeing the emaciated refugees, Old Lady Yan couldn't help but sigh, "Ah, it seems last year's drought in the north was quite severe."

Daohua, seeing the cracked and withered farmlands, also felt downhearted. She became much quieter along the journey, staring at the green Daohua flower in her palm that looked like a small green mole, lost in thought.

"Old Lady, there's an inn up ahead. Shall we rest there tonight?" Uncle Sun's voice inquired.

Old Lady Yan lifted the carriage curtain to inspect the inn and, seeing that it was quite decent, nodded in agreement. She then alighted from the carriage with Daohua and Wentao.

The inn was built just outside the city gates, bustling with the comings and goings of many people. The road was lined with carts and wagons, creating quite a lively scene.

Fascinated by everything from ancient times, Daohua started looking around curiously as soon as she got off the carriage.

"The crowd is thicker here, so let's all stick close together. Wentao, take good care of your sister," Old Lady Yan admonished firmly, gripping Daohua's hand while reminding her third grandson to be attentive.

At that moment, Daohua acted very obediently, holding one hand of Old Lady Yan and the other of Wentao.

In Yan Family Village, she had heard countless stories about human traffickers.

In ancient times, once snatched by traffickers, one's chances of being rescued were virtually nonexistent.

When out and about, one couldn't be too cautious.

"Wuu wuu~"

Just as they were about to enter the inn's main entrance, Daohua suddenly heard a whimper and muffled groans emanating from a carriage nearby, and she instinctively turned her head to look.

In front of a carriage loaded with ceaseless passersby, a pair of eyes filled with deep hope and begging just forcefully broke into Daohua's field of vision.