The girl gestured for a long ti, but Hua Manman still couldn’t figure out the way to the county town.
She wanted to ask the girl to guide them, but the girl’s father had just passed away. It was a ti of imnse grief, and Hua Manman couldn’t bring herself to make such a request.
The girl was very perceptive.
Sensing Hua Manman’s hesitation, she took the initiative to offer.
"How about I take you there?"
Hua Manman was overjoyed. "That would be wonderful!"
But then she saw a look of hesitation and conflict on the girl’s face.
Just as Hua Manman was wondering what was wrong, Li Ji suddenly spoke.
"What do you want in return?"
Her intentions laid bare, a blush crept across the girl’s pale, thin face.
She tugged at the hem of her clothes and asked shyly.
"Could you... could you spare so food?"
She and her brother hadn’t eaten in two days. Her father had died from extre hunger, compounded by the long and arduous journey.
The siblings were in desperate need of food.
If they didn’t find sothing to eat soon, they would likely suffer the sa fate as their father, dying a painful death in despair.
It pained Hua Manman to say, "We don’t have any food with us."
Their carriage had been stocked with food, but when they fell into the water, their only thought was to survive. Who could have worried about provisions then?
Now, the two of them had nothing to their nas.
The girl was clearly disappointed. "Oh..."
Then she added.
"Then could you help with sothing?
My father has passed away, and I can’t just leave him here.
But my brother and I aren’t strong enough, and we don’t have any tools. We can’t dig a grave..."
Hua Manman understood instantly. "Where do you plan to bury your father? We can help dig the grave."
The girl knew nothing of feng shui; she could only pick a spot on higher ground, hoping her father’s grave wouldn’t be washed away by the floodwaters as well.
With no hoes or shovels available, they had to rely on their bare hands.
Hua Manman clawed at the dirt a few tis, but she broke a nail, and her face scrunched up in pain.
Li Ji had originally planned to stand aside and watch coldly.
It was beneath him to perform such nial labor as digging a grave.
But seeing Hua Manman’s miserable expression, he felt a surge of irritation.
Hua Manman was about to claw at the dirt again when Prince Zhao grabbed her hand.
With a firm tug, Li Ji pulled her to her feet and pushed her aside.
"Stay over there."
Hua Manman stared at him in surprise.
Li Ji tore a strip of cloth from the hem of his robe. Using it as a rope, he fastened a sharp stone to a wooden stick.
He began to dig the grave with this makeshift hoe.
The tool was crude, but it was functional. Coupled with the fact that Li Ji had practiced martial arts for years, his strength far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
He soon dug a deep pit.
The girl wrapped her father in a tattered straw mat. Then, she and her brother lifted their father’s body and carefully lowered him into the pit.
The four of them worked together to fill the pit, and they erected a wooden plaque before the burial mound.
Surprisingly, the girl could read and write.
She bit her finger and, with her own blood, wrote her father’s na and his dates of birth and death on the wooden plaque.
They didn’t have the ans for proper mourning clothes, and incense or offerings were completely out of the question.
The two siblings knelt before the grave and kowtowed three tis, their foreheads striking the ground.
And with that, the burial was complete.
Hua Manman took out her handkerchief and used it to bandage the wound on Li Ji’s forearm.
The physical exertion had caused Li Ji’s wound to split open again, and it was bleeding more heavily.
Even with the handkerchief wrapped around it, the bleeding didn’t stop completely.
The blood quickly soaked the handkerchief red.
Hua Manman was very worried. ’You can die from losing too much blood.’
Hearing her thought, Li Ji gave an unconcerned smile.
"It’s nothing. I..."
In their current situation, he had to hide his identity to avoid unnecessary trouble.
He quickly corrected himself.
"I’ve survived far worse injuries than this, haven’t I?"
Hua Manman rembered the vicious scar on his leg and sighed inwardly.
A look of heartfelt sympathy crossed her face.
"As the saying goes, surviving a great disaster is a sign of good fortune to co. I’m sure everything will go smoothly for you from now on, and all your wishes will co true!"
After bidding farewell to their father, the siblings, true to their word, prepared to guide Hua Manman and Li Ji to the county town.
They made simple introductions as they walked.
The girl’s na was Jin Ling’er, and her younger brother was Jin Sinian.
Their nas alone suggested they were not from an ordinary peasant family.
Peasants in this era were very casual when naming their children, often using nas like Gou Dan, Gou Sheng, or even Goushi—literally "Dog Leftover" or "Dog Shit."
So girls didn’t even have a proper na at all, simply being called "First Girl" or "Second Girl" based on their birth order.
Hua Manman, ever one to go with the flow, ca up with a suitably down-to-earth alias.
"My na is Hua Xiaoyu. I really love to eat fish, so that’s what they call ."
Then she pointed to Prince Zhao and introduced him with perfect nonchalance.
"This is my husband. His na is Li Ergou."
Li Ji: "..."
’Li Er-what? Say that again if you dare!’
As if she knew Prince Zhao was about to fly into a rage, Hua Manman quickly leaned in and whispered her explanation.
"Country folk like to give their children nas like ’Cat’ or ’Dog.’ We have to blend in. This way, we won’t attract any attention."
Li Ji sneered. "Then why not call yourself Hua Dagou?"
Hua Manman replied, "Hua Dagou doesn’t sound nice."
Li Ji’s smile was practically a snarl. "And Li Ergou sounds so much better, does it?"
’Li Ergou might not sound nice,’ Hua Manman thought, ’but it suits your personality perfectly!’
Outwardly, she put on a shy expression and said demurely.
"I think any na sounds wonderful on you."
Li Ji reached out and pinched her cheek, squeezing as if to vent his frustration until her face was distorted.
’It was one thing for this little minx to curse in her head,’ he thought, ’but now she has the gall to insult to my face.’
Hua Manman whimpered pitifully, begging for rcy.
"Ow, ow, ow! Please be gentle!"
Noticing the Jin Family’s siblings looking their way, Li Ji, not wanting to arouse suspicion, released his grip and let the little minx off the hook.
Seeing Hua Manman clutching her face as if in pain, Jin Ling’er asked cautiously.
"Sister-in-law Gou, are you all right?"
Hua Manman froze, asking in disbelief.
"What... what did you call ?"
Jin Ling’er looked baffled. "Sister-in-law Gou. Your husband’s na is Li Ergou, so shouldn’t we call you Sister-in-law Gou?"
Hua Manman: "..."
’Fuck, I can’t believe I forgot about that part!’
She forced a smile. "You can also call Madam Li."
But Li Ji said with a wide grin.
"No, I think ’Sister-in-law Gou’ is much better.
After all, that’s what all the folks back ho used to call you. Isn’t that right, Sister-in-law Gou?"
Hua Manman: "..."
’Damn it! The bastard turned the tables on !’
Although Jin Ling’er didn’t understand why, she could sense that the atmosphere between Li Ergou and his wife had grown a little strange.
...
As this is a new book, I need everyone’s votes and comnts for support. Good morning, and mwah~
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