As they stepped out of the gates of the Li Residence, Xie Zhan swung his stick back into the courtyard, knocking down a pursuing servant before locking the Li family gate from the outside.
Turning to set Gu Jiu down, still feeling the chill in the air, he asked gently, "Are you able to walk?"
Gu Jiu slowly regained her senses and replied, "Yes, I can."
Xie Zhan nodded, "Let's leave this place first."
The two made their way down a narrow alley and onto a bustling street. Xie Zhan figured the Li family wouldn't dare pursue them openly on the streets. He halted, looking at Gu Jiu, "Where are you from, young lady? And where are your family members?"
The sunlight shone on the boy's handsome, delicate features, momentarily blinding. His fierce demeanor had dissipated, returning to that of an elegant young scholar. Gu Jiu took a deep breath, bringing her thoughts back and blinked, "My name is Gu Jiu. I'm from Wuzhou. My family and I came to Jingzhou to seek a living, but they all starved to death on the way."
Wuzhou was where the original host's family was massacred.
Xie Zhan stared at her, his eyes clearly saying, "I don't believe you!"
The young girl before him had delicate features, with a somewhat sickly pallor, but couldn't hide the air of nobility that permeated her. Did someone from such a background need to beg for a living? And claiming they all starved to death? It was unbelievable.
But the fact that her whole family perished was probably true. Who would curse their entire family to death for no reason?
Just a teenager, it was quite pitiful.
Xie Zhan lowered his gaze, pondering slightly. Though his face still retained some childishness, his demeanor exuded maturity.
This contrast was somewhat adorable.
Gu Jiu's fingers twitched, looking at the boy's head, wanting to ruffle it. But seeing the height difference, she felt disheartened. He could almost be mistaken for a teddy bear to tousle with, given the height gap. It was truly heartbreaking.
"What are your plans next? If you have nowhere to go, I can take you to the county yamen. There's a government-run orphanage there, specifically for homeless children," Xie Zhan offered.
Gu Jiu immediately shook her head. She didn't want to end up there, where starvation might be avoided, but she had her own skills to survive in this unfamiliar time and space.
Just as she was about to thank Xie Zhan, her stomach suddenly growled loudly.
Gu Jiu felt embarrassed. She had been hungry for too long; one bun was like nothing, barely enough to regain some energy.
She looked up, intending to speak, but what came out was, "Could you lend me some money first?"
There was a hint of amusement in Xie Zhan's eyes as he cleared his throat with a fist against his lips. "Let's go, I'll take you to buy something to eat."
She was so pretty; he didn't want her to be kidnapped again. It was better to keep her by his side.
As they arrived on a relatively wide street, before they could buy any food, they noticed people on the street looking distressed, many running and crying. There were also quite a few officials in public service attire, banging bronze gongs and riding horses in all directions.
It was chaotic, as if the sky were about to fall.
Xie Zhan halted, furrowing his brows.
At that moment, a horse swiftly approached from a distance, carrying a teenage boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old.
The rider approached swiftly, dismounting near Gu Jiu. The young man, glancing curiously at Xie Zhan, quickly spoke, "Fourth Brother, I just went to the county school to find you. They said you went to the Li family to offer condolences, luckily, I ran into you here. There's a major crisis; the county office posted a notice stating that the Juhuyan Embankment is about to breach. The county magistrate urges everyone to evacuate Qinghe County!"
Xie Zhan's brow furrowed immediately, murmuring either to himself or questioning the young man, "Why? Juhuyan Embankment was built less than three years ago, how could..."
As he spoke, contemplating the individuals involved in constructing Juhuyan Embankment and the hidden agenda behind it, he suddenly stopped. His frown deepened, and his eyes grew colder.
The youth continued, "I heard that Qizhou upstream has been experiencing heavy rain for over ten days. The county magistrate, concerned about Juhuyan Embankment, inspected it and found several cracks in the main structure. It's expected to breach within three days. Everyone needs to evacuate! The county magistrate, being an expert from the Water Department, knows his stuff. What he said must be accurate."
No wonder the streets felt like doomsday.
Gu Jiu couldn't help but mock her unfortunate fate. She hadn't been in this world for even a day, and she had encountered such a mess.
Indeed, life isn't about the worst; it's about getting even worse.
Xie Zhan's face turned grim. Qinghe County, being predominantly plains with some basin-like areas, meant that if Juhuyan Embankment breached, dozens of counties downstream would turn into a vast expanse of water. How many of the several hundred thousand residents could escape?
Seeing him lost in thought, the youth urged, "Officials have dispatched people to notify villages, and the county school's teachers and students have scattered. Let's hurry back! Oh, this horse was a gift from Uncle Xu, useful for carrying things on our way."
Speaking while continuously stealing glances at Gu Jiu, he couldn't resist asking, "Fourth Brother, who is this young lady?"
Xie Zhan absentmindedly replied, "Lady Gu Jiu, picked up on the road."
The youth widened his eyes, somewhat excited, and questioned, "Picked up? Are we bringing her home?"
Before Xie Zhan could respond, he turned to Gu Jiu with a grin, "I'm his younger brother, Xie Fifth Xie..."
Interrupting him, Xie Zhan handed him some silver coins and a few copper coins, saying, "Hurry, go buy food, salt, rainproof cloth, and some common medicines. Also, get a bucket of tung oil. Do you have any money left? Spend it all on these items, wait here after purchasing. I'll take her back and come to pick you up. Hurry!"
Taking the reins, Xie Zhan urged Xie Fifth Xie to leave, then turned to look at Gu Jiu.
With a sigh, feeling a headache coming on, he mounted the horse and extended a hand toward Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu, not trying to be strong-willed, realized that without a natural disaster, she could rely on her own abilities. But facing an imminent flood, where could she hide? If she didn't seek help, she'd likely meet her end.
She handed the reins over to Xie Zhan with nimble ease, relying on his strength to mount the horse.
The ride was rough and bumpy, and Gu Jiu, with her frail body, felt dizzy and nauseous after a short while. Her heart, liver, and lungs seemed to shift position, and she passed out in no time.
...
Xie Zhan's family lived more than thirty li away from the county in Huaishu Village. As they entered the house, Xie's family was astonished by the little girl he was carrying horizontally. No one paid much attention to the extra horse.
Xie Second Xie asked, "Who is this little girl, and what happened to her?"
Xie Zhan explained briefly, "She fainted from hunger. Her name is Gu Jiu, and her whole family starved to death. Li Laoye wanted to arrange a ghost marriage for her with Ziqian, so I saved her."
Although he felt that Gu Jiu's background was not simple, he didn't have time to elaborate at the moment, so he just relayed the message about Gu Jiu's family starving to death.
Mrs. Zhang, the eldest daughter-in-law who was busy burning firewood in the yard, overheard and hurried over to take a closer look. "Oh, she's so pretty, doesn't look like a child from a poor family."
Mrs. Xu, Xie Second Xie's wife, also came out of the kitchen and peered over, her eyes shining. "The little girl has such an adorable face. Let's keep her in our family; it's pitiful otherwise."
The Xie family hadn't had a daughter for three generations, so everyone was very curious about the little girl Xie Zhan brought back.
Xie Zhan strode into the main room with Gu Jiu in his arms. Just then, his mother, Mrs. Gao, came out of the main room and said, "Fourth son, bring her in. Your eldest brother is discussing matters under the big locust tree; he wants to see you as soon as you return."
Xie Zhan replied, then carried Gu Jiu into Mrs. Gao's room, laid her on the bed, and hurried out.
Before leaving, he told Xie Second Xie that Xie Fifth Xie was buying things in the county town, so Xie Second Xie should hurry and harness the horse to the carriage.
The Xie family originally had a donkey to pull the cart, but it was too slow, so luckily Uncle Xu had sent a horse.
Xie Zhan was the best-educated person in the surrounding ten miles, knowledgeable and insightful. Despite being only fifteen or sixteen years old, whenever there was a major event in the village, people would consult him.
When Xie Zhan arrived at the locust tree, a group of people was gathered together discussing which direction to flee.
Seeing Xie Zhan, Xie Eldest Xie quickly called out, "Fourth brother, come quickly. You traveled with the master last year and visited many places. Tell us quickly, which direction should we run in?"
Travel was inconvenient these days, and few ventured far from home. Many people's farthest destination in their lifetime was just the county town.
So, they might not truly understand the terrain of their hometown.
