I was divorced because I got pregnant during the lean years, so I went back to my parents’ home and

She was so busy that she forgot about it.

When he arrived at the Nanjiao Market, Ji Xiaobei drove his donkey cart directly to the toilet in the south.

I looked around but couldn't find the hunchback woman.

Ji Xiaobei: It’s not possible that she took the money and ran away without finding out the news!

She cracked her whip and headed for the hayfield.

She wanted to buy some fodder for Ma Debiao.

When we arrived at Anzhou City, we had no time to release Ma Debiao outside the city, so he ate the fodder very quickly.

That day, Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Huang were going out to graze the donkeys, but were brought back by Ji Xiaobei.

The two old ladies went out, and Ji Xiaobei was afraid that they would get lost. If the donkey was not properly parked and the two of them got lost, it would be troublesome.

It’s better to spend a few more dollars and buy more fodder.

When Ma Debiao saw that someone was buying fodder for himself, he hummed with joy.

After buying a cart of fodder, Ji Xiaobei drove the donkey cart out.

The hunchbacked woman appeared out of nowhere and blocked Ji Xiaobei's donkey cart.

Ma Debiao was shocked.

The hunchback spat at Ma Debiao: "You ugly ass, you scared me to death!"

Ma Debiao: ...Who is scaring who?

The hunchbacked woman smiled at Ji Xiaobei who was sitting on the shaft of the cart.

Ji Xiaobei drove Ma Debiao to a secluded place.

"Miss, the Narui family moved here from outside. Old Narui and his son Ruida rented a house in that courtyard. I heard that Ruida had a sister named Rui'an, who was a concubine of a high-ranking official in the capital and gave birth to a son.

He returned to the capital a few years ago, but for some reason the child ran away. Some said that he was abused by the mistress, while others said that the child was used to being idle outside and couldn't stand being disciplined.

The concubine lived in Zisu Lane and died a few years ago, so Ruida went to the capital to ask for the child, and the mistress of the high-ranking official's family had people post notices to look for the child..."

The hunchbacked woman kept talking.

Ji Xiaobei asked her how tall the child was.

The old woman shook her head. She heard that the child was not young anymore, about fifteen or sixteen years old.

Ji Xiaobei pondered the old woman's words carefully and recalled Ah Qi's appearance, who was smart, clever, brave and fearless.

If it weren't for him, Jijiawan might have suffered heavy losses.

From this perspective, Aqi is still the benefactor of Jijiawan.

Whether he was abused by his family or was unwilling to go home, Ji Xiaobei was willing to find out.

If it really is Aqi, then all my efforts are not in vain.

If it wasn’t Aqi, it wouldn’t matter.

He couldn't get in touch with the high-ranking officials in the capital, so he had to ask Xiaoyaozi for help and make use of his network of contacts.

Just as Ji Xiaobei was about to leave, he was grabbed by the old woman.

The hunchbacked woman has bright eyes.

"Girl, whatever news you need, I can get it for you!"

Ji Xiaobei: "Go to the capital and ask who that senior official is?"

The old woman smiled and said, "Young lady, please stop joking. We can't get close to high-ranking officials. If you want to talk about what's happening in Anzhou City, I can't hide it from you. If a woman has a fight with a man, or a man has a lover outside..."

While the hunchbacked woman was talking nonstop, Ji Xiaobei had already driven away on the Ma Debiao.

On the way, she thought of the food at Taoran Ju again. She had to admit, it was really delicious.

She ate a lot of what Fu Jichang bought that time.

Of course, Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Lin also ate a lot.

Fu Jichang, Heita and Old Lady Fu were interested in stewed cured pork ribs with winter melon.

The fried shrimp balls are really delicious.

Ma Debiao was pulling a cart of fodder, walking unsteadily.

It's not that it can't go fast, it's that Ji Xiaobei doesn't let it go fast.

That cart of hay was fluffy, and when it was running fast and the wind was strong, the hay was blown away, causing a lot of loss along the way.

Ma Debiao occasionally couldn't control his strong legs and walked faster.

Ji Xiaobei would hold the reins, scold it, and occasionally spank it.

It would be fine to be spanked at home, but it would never want to be molested on the streets of Anzhou.

After a while, we arrived at the entrance of Taoranju. People were gathered in a circle, and it was crowded. I had no idea what they were doing.

Could it be that there is a stall selling roast duck at the door?

There were many luxurious carriages and sedan chairs parked around, and the coachmen and sedan chair bearers were chatting in groups of three or four.

Ji Xiaobei, driving a donkey and pulling a cart of fodder, also stopped by the roadside.

It seemed a bit out of place, but Ji Xiaobei didn't care at all. He jumped off the donkey cart and looked over there.

Ma Debiao also stood out from the crowd, but he still held his head high and looked at the big horses around him.

The coachmen all looked up and looked at the man, the donkey and the hay on the cart.

"Hey, little brother, has Taoranju moved all its things out to sell?"

Ji Xiaobei asked.

The coachman, who was squatting and chatting, pointed to a notice posted on a big tree nearby.

Ji Xiaobei leaned over to take a look. The words were very large, but she couldn't recognize much of them.

She was never one to argue, so she went back to the coachman and asked, "What are those people doing over there?"

The coachmen looked at Ji Xiaobei, who was dressed simply and the hair on the donkey's head was missing patches, which was also quite plain.

But the fodder carried by the donkey cart was very luxurious.

Only wealthy families are willing to buy such good fodder for their livestock.

Looking at Ji Xiaobei's expression and the aura around him, the coachman guessed that he must be a young man from some family who came out to experience life and buy fodder.

The coachman said, "Sir, that's the commander of the Western Suburbs, Lord He, who is raising money for the soldiers and civilians in the Northern Frontier to buy food and send it over."

"Ah...shouldn't it be the court's job to deliver food and fodder to the border?"

Ji Xiaobei asked in confusion.

Another coachman said with a smile: "Sir, haven't you heard that there is a great master who knows everything about the gods. This year, the northern border will be extremely cold and there will be heavy snow. The mountains will be closed due to the heavy snow, and a lot of food will be needed.

Lord He had served on the frontier for several years and had deep feelings for the frontier, so he raised money in his personal name..."

Ji Xiaobei: "On a personal basis, how big of a face does Mr. He have? No, how big of a reputation does he have? To make rich merchants rush to take the money."

The coachmen were bored and eager to talk.

"Sir, you are not from Anzhou, right? Then Lord He is so proud. No, Lord He is so proud. You don't know who Lord He, the Minister of War, is, right?"

Ji Xiaobei: "Is it his father?"

"Oh, you guessed it right. Sir, go and have a look. Don't miss it if you pass by. Defending the country is everyone's responsibility..."

Ji Xiaobei went over there.

I heard the coachman behind me say: "I think this young man is not an ordinary person. Look, he went to donate money. Looking at his stature, you can tell that he is a rich man, not an ordinary coachman...

Bah, not a coachman at all."

Ji Xiaobei muttered in his heart: You are really wrong, I just want to see what kind of person Commander He, the son of the Minister of War, is and how big his face is!