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

When Jiang Xing left the fire, no one noticed that she was missing.

Shen Dehou was squatting on the ground distributing grain, Aunt Wang was stirring the pot, and several children were chasing and playing around the fire, making her figure, as she walked out of the crowd, seem like a silent shadow. She walked around several oilcloth sheds, through the gaps between two refugees' carts, and all the way to the south side of the camp, quite a distance, until she stopped at the corner of the city wall. Here she was quite far from the fence, and could see the torches of the patrolling soldiers moving in the night in the distance. There were no sheds around, and no one was paying attention to this side.

She leaned against the city wall, waiting for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, when footsteps slowly approached from afar. A figure flickered in the firelight, then turned a corner and came towards her. Ma Dadan cautiously trudged forward, limping, the faint firelight illuminating his face and a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. He reached Jiang Xing, and without exchanging pleasantries, squatted down, glancing around as he lowered his voice and said, "There are few people here; some things were not appropriate to say in public just now."

Jiang Xing didn't respond, waiting for him to speak.

"The imperial court's resettlement order has indeed been issued, and the documents for distributing land have also arrived." Ma Dadan licked his lips, his throat a little dry. "There are too many refugees now, and the government office can't accommodate them all at once. There are at least several thousand people crammed into the fence, and the government office is still checking the rosters. The earliest batch has been waiting for almost two months. The government office's idea is to send a group of people before the end of the year, and the rest will wait until after the new year."

"If we have to send people out in batches first, we will definitely give priority to the earliest refugees," Jiang Xing said.

"Yes." Ma Dadan glanced at her. "If we follow the normal order, we'll have to wait until after the New Year."

Jiang Xing remained silent. She wasn't surprised by the outcome; she had already scanned those numb faces when she entered the camp that afternoon and had a general idea of ​​what was going on. But since Ma Dadan had called her out for a private talk, it meant there was still room for negotiation.

"The token that Commandant Zhao gave me." Ma Dadan took out the bronze token from his pocket, turned it over between his fingers, and the bronze surface gleamed in the firelight. "Prefect Liu is willing to make an exception for Commandant Zhao's sake. He said he would give me three spots, and if any of my relatives want to leave, they can be added to the first batch of allocations."

Jiang Xing's brow twitched slightly. She didn't rush to reply, waiting for Ma Dadan to continue.

"As you know, I'm all alone now. I have no relatives, and all my friends have passed away," Ma Dadan said, a dim look flashing in his eyes, his loneliness about to overflow.

He then held up three fingers, then lowered one. "Three spots. One for you, and the remaining two are up to you. If you need more, it will be charged per person, two taels of silver per household."

"Two taels per household?" Jiang Xing's tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether he thought it was too expensive or fair.

Fearing she might think Liu Tongpan was taking advantage of the situation, Ma Dadan quickly added, "Liu Tongpan isn't trying to rob us. It's just that the list is already finalized, and if you join, someone else's name will be replaced. There's a risk involved; if the person being replaced causes trouble, Liu Tongpan will also be held responsible. Two taels of silver for a spot after the New Year, meaning you can leave before the New Year—there are plenty of people in the camp willing to pay that. In this world, the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be safe."

He paused, then added, "Besides, I heard that the first group of people to be relocated all got good land—land near water sources and close to the county town. After the New Year, the rest will have to go to the mountains."

Jiang Xing remained silent for a moment.

She was calculating. According to Ma Dadan, Liu Tong had allocated three slots. Her family would get one, her third uncle's single household would get the second, leaving one slot. Of the families who were supposed to join, who would get it: Widow Sun, Wang Laoshi, Shen Dehou, or Granny Chen? And the rest? They'd have to pay two taels of silver to buy it? They'd all just crawled out of piles of corpses; forget two taels of silver, they'd struggle to even come up with two taels of loose silver right now.

"When will the list be finalized?" she asked.

"By noon tomorrow at the latest." Ma Dadan stood up and stretched his ankles. "Give me an answer by tomorrow morning so I can report back to Judge Liu."

"understood."

Jiang Xing was about to leave when he suddenly stopped, as if remembering something trivial, and casually asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

Ma Dadan was taken aback by her question. He was still clutching the token in his hand, his mouth slightly agape, clearly not expecting Jiang Xing to ask him this. They had been dealing with each other all the way, and this girl always only asked about official business, never personal matters. He paused for a moment before regaining his composure, tucking the token back into his pocket. His voice was softer than before, carrying an unusual seriousness: "I'll stay at the prefectural office. Magistrate Liu's side is short-staffed; he's already spoken to me about it."

He paused, glancing at Jiang Xing. The firelight shone from the side, illuminating her angular face. A clump of chaff clung to her cuffs, and her eyes, in the darkness, were as calm, clear-headed, and devoid of any superfluous emotion as they had been when making decisions along the way—yet strangely captivating.

Ma Dadan suddenly felt a tightness in his throat. He realized that after tonight, once the resettlement list was finalized, he and this girl in front of him would likely never see each other again. Once they reached the prefectural city, he would return to his work, and she would go back to farming; they would go their separate ways. But he owed her more than just a thank you.

"If you ever need anything in the future, come to the government office to find me," he said, trying to make it sound like he was talking about something very ordinary, but he couldn't hold back the second half of his sentence, his voice deepening, "I still owe you my life."

Jiang Xing glanced at him, didn't say anything polite, just nodded slightly, and then turned and walked back.