Old woman Zhang followed Zhuo Lengping through mountains and rivers. She was afraid of being arrested by the officers and soldiers, so she did not dare to rest for a moment along the way. She only knew that the farther she could run, the better.
They ate and slept in the open air, walked no matter how far they traveled, and saw how many suns and moons they saw, before finally settling down in a small county town.
The mother and daughter asked several inns, but none of them allowed other people to stay here, so they had to walk for a while before they found a place that barely allowed them to stay.
The two of them had a meal in the store, and heard the hunchbacked store owner say that this place was called Taizhou, which used to be quite prosperous, but was now almost desolate due to the riots caused by thieves two years ago. He also said that since then, Taizhou has gradually become an ominous place because the officials in charge have either suffered great disasters or have had poor official fortunes. How can anyone dare to come here? There are also talkative people who say that taking an official position here means that your career will be ruined.
Zhuo Lengping was not interested in this. He just nodded in agreement and forgot about it.
"Speaking of which, girl, you'd better put your name here. If the government investigates in detail, I can also prevaricate it." The store owner took out a ledger and leaned against the table and said.
Zhuo Lengping winked at his mother, turned around and said with a smile, "Of course we can save this."
"Name." The shopkeeper took out a pen from his bag and said.
"Zhu Qiuguang."
"That old lady?"
"My surname is Li." Old lady Zhang said with a smile.
"Where are you from?"
"Nanjing..." Old lady Zhang suddenly stopped talking in the middle of her sentence.
Zhuo Lengping hurriedly answered: "Zhenjiang Mansion near Nanjing."
"Okay... Zhenjiang Prefecture, right..." He started writing slowly.
"That's good. But it's a little inconvenient for a woman like you to live in a hotel. It's best to give her a male name."
"My name can also be treated as a man, right?"
"That's right!" the store owner said after collecting the bill briskly, "Also, my store is small, and the place you live in may be shabby, so just make do with it if you can."
"We have also lived through hard times, and it doesn't matter if we suffer a little. Don't worry." Zhuo Lengping said respectfully.
The mother and daughter entered the house and saw that the surrounding walls were all made of wooden boards, with some scratches on them, as well as traces that looked like they had been burned by smoke and fire. They were extremely dirty.
Zhuo Lengping held on to the wall, and the wall panel also made a "creak" sound. It seemed that it was not very strong, as if it would collapse in the next moment.
She approached the bed and saw that it was made of wood, with a pile of dry grass on top. It shook and made a creaking sound.
"Mother, this bed is not stable..."
Old lady Zhang walked over slowly, sat down on the wooden bed, and then laughed loudly and said: "You and I have survived the days in the ruined temple, so what if we sleep on the same bed? Don't worry!"
"Then my daughter is sleeping on the floor." Zhuo Lengping smiled happily when his mother didn't take it seriously.
Zhuo Lengping walked to a nearby wooden table by candlelight, opened the drawer under the table, and saw a rusty knife inside, so he put it on his body.
"Leng Ping, what are you doing?" Old lady Zhang asked while lying on the bed.
"I saw a knife, so I took it with me." Zhuo Lengping blew the dust off his hands.
"You sleep with this thing?" Old lady Zhang was afraid that something would happen to her, so she was a little panicked.
"Mom, don't worry. I think we orphans and widowed mothers are easily targeted by thieves...it's best to bring something for protection." After saying that, she yawned peacefully, lay down on the ground, and borrowed some money. A beam of moonlight outside the window looked at my mother's face.
Leng Ping hadn't looked directly at his mother like this for a long time, and found that her face was getting thinner and yellower. She knew that her mother was tired both physically and mentally after running around for the past few months, but she didn't know how to comfort her. Leng Ping even felt guilty about not protecting her properly and allowing her mother to enjoy a peaceful life in her later years. He could only look at her innocently with his clear eyes and said softly:
"Mother, you have a good rest, and your daughter will live a good life with you."
Old lady Zhang felt sour, but she just smiled and nodded without saying a word.
This moment was very quiet, even cold, but in the hearts of the mother and daughter, the only thing they could feel was warmth.
Old lady Zhang shivered, "It's a bit cold..." she said, tugging on her thin clothes.
"cold?"
Zhuo Lengping didn't hesitate at all, and stood up in an instant. She quickly took off her coat, held it in her hands, approached the bed, and quietly put the clothes on her mother.
"It won't be cold anymore, right?" Zhuo Lengping asked with a smile.
"It's not cold, it's not cold..." Old lady Zhang smiled kindly and happily, then slowly lowered her eyelids, as if she was gradually falling asleep.
Zhuo Lengping touched his mother's hand which was still a little cold, so he pressed his body against her mother's back, using it as a quilt, wrapping her tightly in his arms.
Zhuo Lengping became increasingly sleepy during the long night, and unconsciously fell asleep leaning against her mother.
At dawn, Zhuo Lengping opened her eyes and looked up to see that her mother was still awake, then she slowly stood up.
"Daughter..."
Zhuo Lengping was walking to the door, and when he heard the call from behind, he hurriedly turned around.
"Are you awake?"
Old lady Zhang nodded drowsily, but suddenly coughed several times.
Leng Ping patted his mother on the back and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Old lady Zhang took a deep breath and said, "It's okay, it's okay... I'm afraid I'll scare you if I cough! I'm just a little dizzy, don't worry."
Leng Ping touched her forehead worriedly, but was startled and immediately stopped his hand: "Mom, your head is a little hot... I'm afraid it's because you've been freezing a few days ago..."
"What?" Old lady Zhang frowned, "It would be terrible if you really catch the cold..."
"It's okay!" Zhuo Lengping pretended to be calm and shook his head: "I'll get some side medicine for you. As long as you take it, you'll be fine... Fenghan can't be called a serious illness. Mother is afraid of what it will do!"
"It's not big, but it's not small either." After saying this, Old Lady Zhang started coughing again.
"It's just hard for you to take care of my daughter, and there are more... ahem... more troubles." She lay back on the bed and made a weak voice.
Zhuo Lengping went out and searched his robes, and found that there were still twenty taels of silver in them. She regretted not taking more money from the Lu family, which ended up where she was today.
She had no choice but to take the money to the drug store and have someone write a prescription for one tael of silver, and give it to her mother immediately after returning. However, the effect of this medicine was not obvious. In addition, living in this shabby house all day long, being frequently disturbed by the autumn wind, and without a bed quilt, made the condition worse.
The old lady Zhang couldn't stand it anymore. She had no choice but to beg the store owner: "Look at how sick my mother is. Please help us and call a doctor and buy a car for us." Cotton sheets for the bed are also good!”
The shopkeeper estimated for a while and curled his lips in embarrassment: "How much do these cost? At least three or four taels of silver! Do you have so much with you?"
Leng Ping was so anxious that he threw the bag on the counter and poured out the remaining one tael of silver.
"I only have these pieces of silver, please help me!" A few tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, and tears rolled in her eyes.
"I'm not related to you, so I don't have the responsibility to help you with money, right? Take good care of your mother. Since ancient times, life and death are determined by fate, so don't even think about asking for help. It's useless."
Zhuo Lengping was stunned for a long time, with tears rolling down his face. In the end, she could only bite her sleeve reluctantly and slowly walked back to the house.
