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On the second day, Chunniang went to the pier early in the morning to check, waiting until noon, but still, Xiao Chengjun’s ship was nowhere to be seen.

By this point, she had realized that the young master of the Xiao Family had indeed abandoned them here.

Chunniang was furious, but the only available course of action was to figure out a way to return home.

Yingbao, on the other hand, wasn’t in a hurry. She leisurely went to the market with Chen Zhao, taking the opportunity to eat, drink, and shop.

They not only bought a new small charcoal stove and a basket of charcoal but also purchased a variety of local vegetable seeds. Once at the market, they happened upon a vendor selling honey mandarins and bought a large basket full of ripe yellow ones.

As expected, the honey mandarins were sweet and delicious, with a fragrant aroma that wafted into your nose.

She collected all the peels and dried them secretly in the cave dwelling, intending to steam them and make dried orange peel when they got back.

Anxious, Chunniang thought about hiring a cart in the county town to return home, but was deterred by Yingbao.

“Mother, don’t worry. This is a shipping pier, and many merchant ships pass by. All we need to do is find a ship heading to Qinchuan County, and we can just pay them a fare,” Yingbao advised.

Chunniang sighed and nodded in agreement. But she continued to visit the pier daily, inquiring the crew of any large merchant ship that docked if they would be passing through Qinchuan County.

Several days passed in this way, and they didn’t find any ship passing through Qinchuan County. Instead, they encountered a familiar face.

The lean scholar, Li Xu, arrived at the pier with his book bag, surprised to see Chunniang sitting under a large tree. He quickly came over to greet her.

“Madam Jiang, what brings you here all alone?”

Chunniang returned the greeting and bitterly smiled, “Truth be told, the ship that brought us here has departed. I was looking for a merchant ship going to Qinchuan County to take us back.”

Li Xu furrowed his brows, “Madam Jiang, large commercial ships seldom dock here. Why not come with me, and we can find a ship from my home.”

Chunniang was startled, “There are few large commercial ships here?”

Li Xu nodded, “This pier is small. It’s good if we see two or three long-distance merchant ships in a month. Mostly, short-haul ships dock here for passengers. My hometown is right next to the Ming River; there are quite a few large merchant ships that pass by. Perhaps, we could find one that’s headed directly to Qinchuan County.”

Chunniang pondered for a moment, then said, “I’ll go back and discuss it with my daughter.”

For the first time in her life, she was all by herself in an unknown place. Without a clue about what she should do, she could only turn to her daughter for advice.

Li Xu nodded, “I’ll be waiting here for you, Madam Jiang.”

Chunniang responded and hurried to the inn to meet her daughter.

Yingbao and Chen Zhao had just returned from the market. Seeing Chunniang’s worried face, they asked immediately, “Mother, what’s the matter?”

Chunniang explained everything about her encounter with Li Xu.

“Scholar Li said that there are few long-distance ships docking here and suggested that we go with him to his place and find another ship there,” she elaborated.

After a moment’s contemplation, Yingbao nodded in agreement, “In that case, let’s go with him.”

Travelling with a scholar like Li Xu was undoubtedly the safest option for them.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhao was quick to pack her things, “Well, let’s go. I’m fed up with staying here and would like a change of scenery.”

Thus, Chunniang and Chen Zhao packed up their sundries into baskets and headed for the pier.

Once they reached the pier, they found that Scholar Li Xu had already found a fishing boat and was haggling over the fare with the fisherman.

“Two coins is too expensive for a journey to Tea Tree Village in Anyang County. The last time I rented a boat, it only cost one coin,” he argued.

“We’re more than a hundred miles away from Tea Tree Village. Which part of it seems excessive to you?” The fisherman countered, “Go around and ask, can you find anyone offering a better price?”

Li Xu thought for a moment and indeed turned to inquire from a different fisherman.

Seeing his potential customer leaving, the boatman became frantic. He quickly jumped ashore, caught hold of Li Xu’s book bag and pleaded, “Hey, hey, sir, don’t you leave, I haven’t finished speaking. How about this, I can go as low as one coin and eight, not a penny less.”

Li Xu deliberated for a while before nodding, “Okay, but I have three companions. You’ll have to wait a bit.”

“What? There are others?” The boatman felt he was at a loss but was worried about Li Xu approaching other boats, so he agreed reluctantly, “Alright, alright. But I can only wait for two hours.”

Just as his words fell, they heard a young girl’s voice, “Mister Li, we’re here!”

Seeing Yingbao, Li Xu’s face brightened up. He respectfully greeted her, “Young doctor.”

Yingbao also paid his respects, “Thank you for your trouble, Mister Li.”

“Not at all. Let’s get on board.”

Li Xu boarded the ship first, placing his book bag down and proceeded to assist Yingbao and the others.

Once everyone was aboard, the boat’s pole pushed off from the pier, and they departed downstream.

Yingbao sat on the boat, observing Li Xu intently. She noticed his frail health and his intermittent coughing, which prompted her to ask, “Mister Li, has your health improved?”

Li Xu whispered back, “Much better, thanks to your medicine.”

“Since you are better, why don’t you go and take the examination?”

This was the year of the local triennial examinations. If Li Xu were to go to the Prefecture City, he would make it in time for the exams in August.

Li Xu shook his head, “You’re unaware of this, young doctor. I was ill for several months. Not only has my health been severely undermined, but my studies have also been disrupted too. Thus, I want to try again in a few years.”

The primary reason, though, was that he was out of money for the trip to the Prefecture City.

The reason he had enough money to hire a boat to return home today was because he had sold two of the medicinal pills that young doctor had given him for four coins.

When he was doing this, he felt very ashamed. After all, he had received the pill as a gift and was now selling them to outsiders for a tidy profit.

However, if he didn’t sell them, he would have no money to get home. So…

Li Xu shot Yingbao a guilty look and covered his mouth to cough faintly.

“Oh,” Yingbao nodded, seemingly understanding.

The fishing boat rode the wind and the current, and with sail set, travelled swiftly.

They covered the hundred-plus mile journey in just one day.

Li Xu led Yingbao and the others ashore when it was already dusk.

They found a nearby inn and checked in for the night.

The night passed without incident.

In the morning before sunrise, they checked out of their rooms. Li Xu hired a bullock cart and escorted the three of them back home.

He wanted to go home first and check on his elderly mother, then personally see them off to the big pier by the Ming River.

During his illness in Anping County, he had sent a letter back home, but no one had come to get him. He was unsure if something had happened at home.

A few hours later, the cart finally reached a small village in Tea Tree Village.

As soon as they entered the village, someone recognized Li Xu and called out, “Hey! Isn’t this our village’s scholar? Have you come back from the Prefecture City after the exams? Have you been recommended for further studies?”

Li Xu greeted that person politely, “Uncle Four, I didn’t go to the Prefecture City.”

“You didn’t go to the Prefecture City? Where have you been all this time?”

The man referred to as Uncle Four glanced into the bullock cart, shocked and said, “Oh dear, you’ve brought a woman back with you! Did you get married out there?”

Yingbao coldly replied to the man, “We are traveling doctors passing through here. Uncle, please don’t spread rumors.”

With a stern face, Chunniang quickly put on her wide-brimmed hat.