Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

First to appear were a black horse-drawn carriage and a donkey cart, with seals affixed to their bodies, as if they had hurriedly fled from some wealthy family.

The drivers were several burly men, each carrying a stick; they were clearly hired guards.

Two carriages with blue curtains followed behind, their curtains tightly closed, obscuring the view inside.

The two households were clearly together, or at least traveling together.

Captain Ma went up to them and said a few words to the leader, a man who looked like a steward. The steward took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and stuffed it into Captain Ma's hand.

Captain Ma weighed them in his hand, a smile spreading across his face. He waved his hand, signaling them to cut in line.

"Make way! Make way!" Captain Ma shouted.

The refugees parted to make way for the horse-drawn carts and donkey carts.

The curtain of the first black carriage was lifted slightly, revealing the face of a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a round face, big eyes, thin lips, and an expression that seemed to look down on people.

She glanced at the refugees by the roadside, wrinkled her nose, and lowered the carriage curtain.

"What's that smell? It stinks!" The voice came from behind the carriage curtain, not too loud, not too soft, just loud enough for the person next to them to hear.

Aunt Wang's face darkened, and Granny Zhao spat.

The curtain of the carriage behind was also lifted slightly, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He was thin, gentle, and wore a plain square scarf, clearly a scholar.

He cupped his hands in greeting to the refugees outside, said nothing, and then lowered the carriage curtain again.

The two families' convoys passed by in a grand procession, leaving behind a trail of dust and whispers.

"Who is this person, with such a grand air?"

"I heard they came from Yongzhou; one family were scholars, and the other were businessmen."

"A scholar? How come the scholar from Yongzhou is slower than us?"

"They have a business, so naturally they have to pack it up and take it with them. Besides, they hired a carriage, and that's how they caught up with us."

"If you have money, why are you crowding around with us? Wouldn't it be better to just buy a house in the capital?"

"Who knows? Anyway, it's none of our business."

Jiang Xing stood by the roadside, watching the carriages pass by. She didn't look at them for long, turned around, and continued walking.

But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Jiang Qingshan's gaze followed the blue-curtained carriage until it disappeared ahead of the procession.

When it was time to set up camp in the evening, the two families also settled down at the campsite.

The scholar's surname was Chen. He was from Yongzhou and his family owned a few acres of poor land. He took the imperial examination for more than ten years before finally passing and becoming a scholar.

Last year, his wife passed away, leaving behind a daughter named Zhilan. Before Yongzhou was captured by the rebel army, he escaped with his daughter and several servants. After a long and arduous journey, he finally caught up with the main force here.

Scholar Chen was indeed known for his good temper in the surrounding area. When setting up camp, he personally carried the luggage, started the fire, and cooked porridge. When the maids offered to help, he waved them off, saying, "You must be tired too, go and rest."

His daughter, Chen Zhilan, stepped down from the carriage, wearing a veiled hat with a white veil hanging down to cover her face. She wore a plain cotton dress with a slightly worn cloak over it. Although not luxurious, it was clean and tidy, forming a stark contrast with the refugees around her.

The maidservant helped her, and the two of them walked to a small earthen mound in the distance to relieve themselves.

When they returned, a gust of wind blew by, lifting the white veil of their hats.

Chen Zhilan reached out to grab it, but missed, and her veil fell off.

A delicate face was revealed, with arched eyebrows, bright eyes, skin as white as a peeled egg, and slightly pursed lips, exuding the unique reserve of a well-bred lady.

Just then, Jiang Qingshan passed by.

He froze, his feet planted firmly on the ground, and he almost dropped the book in his hand.

Chen Zhilan's face flushed red instantly. She was a beat slower than usual when she squatted down to pick up her veiled hat. She put on the veiled hat, lowered her head, and quickly walked back to the carriage, with her maid running after her.

Jiang Qingshan stood motionless on the road, as if he had been paralyzed by acupuncture.

Jiang Qingyue followed behind her brother and saw this scene, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Brother, you've taken a liking to him?"

Jiang Qingshan didn't answer, but his ears turned red, from his earlobes all the way to the base of his ears.

Jiang Qingyue didn't ask any more questions, but she remembered the girl's face.

After Chen Zhilan got into the carriage, the curtain was lowered, but she peeked out through the gap and saw Jiang Qingshan still standing there, holding a book, looking like a fool.

She quickly lowered the curtain, her heart pounding.

The maidservant chuckled to herself, "Miss, that young master has been staring at you the whole time."

"Don't talk nonsense." Chen Zhilan's voice was muffled, with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance.

The maid dared not say anything more, but her smile didn't fade.

The other family, surnamed Qian, were merchants.

Mr. Qian was chubby and had a smile that resembled that of Maitreya Buddha, but his daughter, Qian Baozhu, was a completely different species from him.

Qian Baozhu was fifteen years old. She had a round face, big eyes, and thin lips. Her expression always conveyed the message: she looked down on people.

"What a lousy place! It smells like cow dung!" Qian Baozhu got off the carriage, covered her nose, and frowned so much that she looked like she could trap a fly.

The maidservants quickly laid out blankets, the servants set up tents, and the steward directed the moving of things.

Qian Baozhu brought far more things than Chen Xiucai's family. She brought three sets of tea sets alone, as well as a dressing box filled with hairpins, bracelets, and earrings.

"Miss, the porridge is ready." The maid brought over a bowl of porridge.

Qian Baozhu glanced at it and frowned: "Is this food for humans? The rice isn't even washed properly."

The maidservant lowered her head and dared not speak.

Qian Baozhu took a sip and spat it out with a "pfft": "It's so hot! Are you trying to burn me to death?"

The maidservant quickly knelt down: "Miss, please calm down, I didn't mean to—"

"Get out!" Qian Baozhu smashed the bowl on the ground, shattering it and spilling porridge all over the floor.

The maid knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

Master Qian walked over from the side, looked at the broken bowl on the ground, and sighed: "Baozhu, you're throwing a tantrum again."

"Dad! The porridge she brought is scalding hot!"

"If it's burned, let it air dry." Master Qian waved his hand, dismissing the maid. "Don't break things so easily. Every piece of these things we break is one less we can buy on the road."

Qian Baozhu snorted, turned her head, got into the carriage, and pulled the curtain closed.

Master Qian shook his head and said to the butler, "Go, cook another bowl of porridge, let it cool to a warm temperature, and bring it to her."

The butler acknowledged and left.

If Qian Baozhu treated her servants this way, her attitude towards refugees was even worse.

As her carriage passed through the refugees, the curtain was lifted, and she glanced out and said, "These peasants are filthy. It's my worst luck to be walking the same road as you."

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft; the person next to them could just hear it.

Granny Zhao spat and cursed, "What a piece of trash!" Zhang Gensheng's wife retorted, "So what if you have money?"

Qian Baozhu heard this, turned around, and glared at the woman: "So what if I'm so great? What are you going to do about it?"

Zhang Gensheng's wife was about to say something when Zhang Gensheng grabbed her arm, saying, "Don't cause trouble. We can't afford to mess with that person."