Chapter 381: Chapter 390: That Really Was a Hardship
Yet this time, before leaving Shengjing, Cui Yun didn’t show up.
Shen Hua was fine.
She wasn’t angry at all.
The carriage which Xie Xun had prepared for her was exceptionally comfortable. Calling it luxurious would not be an exaggeration.
He took the girl aside and gave her detailed instructions.
"Those accompanying you are skilled in martial arts, and there are eight of them to protect you from the shadows."
Shen Hua was very satisfied with the number eight.
"Keep this Jade Token with you. The officials in Fengzhou will not dare to mistreat you when they see it."
This was Xie Xun’s Jade Token indicating his status.
Shen Hua accepted it without any psychological burden.
Xie Xun really worried about Shen Hua.
"Do not act too impulsively."
Every time he said a word, Shen Hua would nod.
But this time the girl was very honest.
"I can’t do that."
Shen Hua lifted her chin: "As soon as I get back, I will have Shen Qu kneeling before me..."
Xie Xun glanced over at Yicui.
"Young master, rest assured, this servant will look after the mistress."
"Make sure she takes her medicine. This very morning, she tried to secretly pour it away."
She was very adept at it!
Even when caught, she did not feel the slightest bit guilty and asked.
——Brother, would you like to join me in watering the plants?
Xie Xun spoke in a low voice, "With no one around you familiar with poison, you should still be cautious of underhanded tactics. I have still asked Xiaoqi to come."
Seeing that he was going to say more, Shen Hua covered his mouth with her hand.
"I don’t want to listen anymore, I’m not listening."
"Alright, enough, it’s time for you to set off."
But Shen Hua didn’t move.
With an air of nonchalance, she glanced at the bustling street.
How could Xie Xun not know whom she was waiting for?
At the thought of Cui Yun, he would lose all trace of gentlemanly composure, feeling an urge to kill with a knife.
Yingwu, wary of Xiaoqi, tried to show off with her brain that only knew how to eat chicken legs. With a lack of insight, she asked.
"Mistress, are you waiting for Master?"
"No!"
Shen Hua glared at her: "I’m waiting for Miss Wei. Although she is incompetent, it would be proper for her to come bid me farewell."
Xie Xun pushed her into the carriage: "Thanks to you, Miss Wei roused the Third Prince’s ire by suggesting the idea of adopting a male concubine. She even asked him if he minded having more brothers. Send you off? She’s likely struggling to protect herself at this moment."
"The Third Prince is truly petty."
Shen Hua complained and then popped her head out again.
"Ji Huo—"
"Him? He spends lavishly, and in just a few days, he spent thousands of taels, nearly depleting half of his fortune. Prince Gong has placed him under house arrest again."
"As for Princess Le Jia, you shouldn’t even think about it. She still has to deal with the nanny from the palace."
Shen Hua began to seriously consider the matter of withdrawing from the gang.
The carriage soon left Shengjing.
To hasten their journey, they followed the official road without stopping for rest, and as they traveled further, the surrounding scenery became desolate and bleak. They pressed on to reach the nearest inn before sunset and settled down there.
The inn was rather shabby. However, since it was the only one along the way, Shen Hua, being on a journey, wasn’t picky.
She only went to the inn’s kitchen. Silently, she watched the cook prepare dishes.
Shen Hua instructed him, "Add eighty-eight grains of salt."
Cook: ...
What, am I supposed to count them?
After leaving the kitchen, Shen Hua saw the innkeeper in a coarse skirt sitting at the counter, holding a baby who was crying incessantly.
It wasn’t completely dark yet, and there were very few guests staying at the moment.
Shen Hua walked up slowly, her gaze lightly falling upon the crying infant whose red little face was convulsing with extreme grievance.
"What’s the matter?"
The shopkeeper knew Shen Hua was no ordinary person. After all, the aura she exuded couldn’t be faked, not to mention the number of servants following her.
She never expected such a noble lady to deign to speak with her. She timidly replied, uneasy.
"The little woman has no milk left, and the baby refuses to drink rice soup. Is he troubling the missus?"
Shen Hua blinked her eyes.
"Oh, he’s hungry?"
Shen Hua had no sympathy; she frowned: "Cry a few more times, and he’ll quiet down. Don’t spoil him."
Perhaps it was the destructive aura towards children that always seemed to emanate from her. The infant’s cries ceased, and he no longer struggled, obediently drinking the rice soup brought to his mouth.
No sooner had Shen Hua entered than Yicui found a chair for her. The girl sat down next to the shopkeeper, staring intently at the baby with a chubby face.
"How old is he?"
"One year old."
Shen Hua appeared contemplative.
The shopkeeper almost thought she wanted to steal the child.
Shen Hua suddenly asked again: "Raising a child isn’t easy, is it?"
Her theoretical knowledge was rich, clearly remembering what her sisters-in-law in the pear garden had taught her.
"From birth, he needs to be fed every few hours. No matter how exhausted I am at night, I must get up, fearing he might be hungry."
"I see his crying is intermittent, his voice hoarse—it must have been a struggle last night."
"Don’t hold him too long either, or later he’ll never leave your side."
The shopkeeper: ???
"I see the missus is young and still wears the unmarried girl’s hairstyle. Could it be that you have a child too?"
Shen Hua spoke softly: "I did."
She scoffed coldly: "Miscarried."
The shopkeeper was no longer nervous, her heart going out to Shen Hua.
"That must have been tough."
She comforted her: "You’re still young, you can still have children."
Shen Hua thought of how she foolishly rushed to the apothecary, pleading with the doctor to save her baby, and scoffed coldly again.
Seeing her reaction, and then noticing the normally expressionless and stoic Yingwu behind her now shivering, the shopkeeper guessed what might have happened during some contemplation.
She had heard many stories of women whose bodies were ruined by a miscarriage, making it difficult to conceive again.
Therefore, she said softly: "These matters also depend on fate. However, I do know some helpful positions for conceiving. If the missus doesn’t find it offensive, I could share them with you, albeit shamelessly."
Shen Hua looked puzzled for a moment—such detailed considerations even for holding a baby.
Had it been earlier, she would have listened earnestly.
But not long ago, she had offered herself, and Cui Yun acted as though he were a pious and chaste woman.
Just then, more guests arrived at the inn.
The shopkeeper became busy, unable to offer advice, she carried the child on her back, taking payments, balancing accounts, serving tea, and delivering water.
"Shopkeeper, why isn’t my food ready yet?"
"Please wait a moment, I’ll hurry the kitchen right away."
Seeing her about to leave, and more guests arriving to stay the night,
Shen Hua saw the shopkeeper overwhelmed and, in a rare act of kindness, offered to help.
"Shop owner, how much is the charge?"
The shopkeeper didn’t expect such a distinguished woman to be so kind-hearted on top of being beautiful.
"A first-class room costs five taels, a bed in the common room two taels. We also have poor people passing through who sleep in the stables overnight; we charge them three cents."
Shen Hua noted this down.
She sat down.
The approaching man, with a full bearded face, leered at Shen Hua: "Oh, they’ve replaced it with a new girl."
"A first-class room."
He was about to tease Shen Hua when he saw Yingwu behind her pull out a dagger. He wanted to touch the girl’s tender hand but quickly changed his mind, sheepishly tossed several coins, and headed upstairs.
"Stop right there."
The girl said coolly and indifferently, "A first-class room costs fifty taels."
"Fifty taels?"
Shen Hua threw the few coins on the ground: "If you’re too poor to pay, then get lost."
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