Traveling through ancient times: living a different life

The next day, after paying for the room, the four of them drove away in a horse-drawn carriage. They stopped to eat in small towns along the way, and stopped to let the horses graze and drink water in places with good grass and water. The rest of the time, they were on the road.

They arrived at Xiusong County at 11:00 PM. They found an inn to rest. In the room, Biyue asked her, "Do you want to stay in this county or go further?"

Yu Xiaocao said, “Can we go to the town ahead? It’s farther away and they won’t be able to find me. After ten or eight years, my child and I will have changed our appearance and we’ll be at ease.”

"Okay, I'll do as you say." Bi Yue knew what she was afraid of, so she agreed. She would help her to the end and see her off to the end.

On the third day, they started moving forward again and arrived at Shao'an Prefecture. It was already Yin time in the afternoon when they arrived at the city. The four of them drove a horse-drawn carriage into the city. The city was quite prosperous, with shops lining both sides of the road. Occasionally, there were hawkers pushing carts and hawking their wares on the roadside. Customers were coming in and out of the shops to buy things. Everyone had a different expression. It was obvious that there were many wealthy people in the city. The life of the ladies and ladies was to go shopping on the streets. In my previous life, I also liked to go shopping with my girlfriends, so it was probably similar.

The carriage drove forward and picked a medium-sized inn to rest. The waiter in the inn received us warmly, took us to open the door of the guest room, and asked if we wanted hot water.

Bi Yue saw that the waiter was about fifteen or sixteen years old, quite clever and sweet-talking, so she gave him a tael of silver and asked him to bring two buckets of water. She then asked him, "Do you know how to get to the human tooth market and the orphanage in the city? I'm going to these two places tomorrow. If you can lead the way and help me with these two things, I'll give you another tael of silver, how about that?"

The waiter grinned and said, "Guest, I happen to be on vacation tomorrow, so I can accompany you to these two places. I'll be waiting for you at the door of the cloth shop in front at 7 am. What do you think?"

Bi Yue replied: "Okay."

Bi Yue could guess what the waiter was thinking. What did he mean by taking a day off tomorrow? He must have asked for leave to take on some private work. He didn't earn much as a waiter in a month, so he would definitely not miss any chance to earn some extra money. This waiter was not only smart but also had the potential to be a businessman.

In the morning, the four of them got up, said goodbye to the shop owner, and drove out in their carriage.

When they were almost at the door of the cloth shop, Xiaomai saw the waiter waving happily from afar. After the carriage stopped, Xiaomai asked him, "Can you drive a horse-drawn carriage?" The waiter touched his head and smiled, "I can drive an ox-drawn carriage. The horse-drawn carriage and the ox-drawn carriage should be similar."

The waiter got on the carriage and sat next to Xiaomai, and the two of them drove together.

The five of them stopped at a roadside breakfast shop. The waiter tied up the carriage and sat down. Xiaomai ordered five bowls of porridge and five fried cakes, and bought a dozen buns and put them on the table.

The waiter was embarrassed to eat, so Xiaomai said to him, "Eat. I know you've been waiting by the road so early, so you must not have had breakfast. I've ordered it for you, and it'll be a waste if you don't eat. If you don't eat enough, how can you help lead the way? My lady doesn't need a bite of your food."

After listening to Xiaomai's words, the waiter looked at Biyue, and when he saw the lady nodded to him, he knew that she agreed, so he started to eat. He got up early today and drank a bowl of water. He had been hungry for a long time, so now his appetite was open. He ate a bowl of porridge, a fried cake, and three buns, and finally he was full.

When Bi Yue saw that he ate so much, she really felt that the saying "this little brat is eating me into bankruptcy" was true.

After everyone had finished eating, there were still two buns left. Xiaomai handed the two buns to him, and he put the buns in his clothes pocket with a smile.

Several people got on the carriage. The waiter drove the carriage in front, while Xiaomai, Biyue, and the mother and daughter sat in the carriage.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Human Tooth Market, Xiaomai and the waiter got off the car, and Biyue also got off, asking the mother and daughter to stay inside. The waiter walked up to Biyue and said with a flattering smile, "Miss, my name is Tian Jianshan, and I am very happy to lead the way for you today."

"Well, let's lead the way."

The three men went to the human tooth shop, and a fifty-year-old woman came up to them and asked, "Are you buying a human or an animal?"

Xiaomai walked up to the woman and said, "We want to apply for a new household registration. I think you can handle it."

The woman's eyes lit up and she smiled and said, "Sure. If you have an old household registration, it will cost 15 taels of silver per person to exchange it for a new one. If you don't have an old household registration, it will cost 30 taels."

Bi Yue stood nearby and thought to herself: This is really a big mouth.

Xiaomai bargained with her, and finally agreed to exchange it for 12 taels of silver per person, otherwise he would let her go to another house.

Bi Yue took out a note and an old household registration and handed her the note with her name on it. She took a look at the old household registration and went into the house. After a while, she came out and handed the two newly processed household registrations to the little girl.

He said to Biyue, "This old one can be burned. There is no use keeping it." Biyue took the new household registration and gave the woman 24 taels of silver.

I went to find the mother and daughter, handed her the old and new household registrations, and told her it was up to her to burn the old one or keep it. She said, "The past me is dead. I am starting a new life and making a break with the past."

Bi Yue felt that what she said was right, so she took out a lighter, pressed it, and a flame came out of it. She handed it to Yu Xiaocao. She was not surprised by what the little girl took out. She lit the old household registration and looked at the flame burning on the paper with a relaxed smile on her face.

She changed her name on the new household registration to Chen Minghua, and her daughter's name was Chen Anxin. Looking at the new name, she smiled and shed tears again.

These two names were requested by the mother and daughter last night. She said that it was Bi Yue who saved them, and was going to take them to Renya City to change their household registration, and helped her escape, and spent so much money on her. This kindness could not be repaid even if she worked like a slave in the next life. The little girl was their reborn parent and benefactor, so she insisted on taking Bi Yue's surname. Bi Yue agreed to her request and fulfilled their wish.

A few people drove to the orphanage again. When they got there, they saw three words "Orphanage Bureau" written on the gate. This should be a plaque written by the government.

After parking the car outside the door, several people went in. The yard was as big as a basketball court, with more than ten rooms. There were children of different ages in the yard. When they saw someone coming in, they hurriedly shouted into the house: "Grandma Su, someone is coming." A woman in her 50s with gray hair walked out from another room, followed by two middle-aged women in their 30s. One of the women was limping. When she saw the few people, she hurriedly asked, "What's the matter with you?"

Biyue walked up to the old woman and said, "I heard the child call you Grandma Su. Are you the one in charge here?"

"Yes, I am the dean here. May I ask what you are doing?"

"This mother and daughter are helpless and in poor health. They want to stay here. I wonder if you can take them in."

“Do you have a household registration?”

"some."

I handed the household registration to Grandma Su. After she looked at it, she asked some more questions and then accepted it readily.

Seeing that the other party accepted her and her daughter, Bi Yue took out a hundred taels of silver from her bosom and handed it to Grandma Su, saying, "This is a little gift from me. I donated it to the Charity Bureau."

The old woman took the banknote and expressed her gratitude. Bi Yue said, "Can I have a look around here?"

"Of course, please do."

So I went to see this ancient orphanage with Xiaomai and Tian Jianshan. The children's bed quilts were all half-new, and their clothes, although not new, were clean and tidy.

I asked a boy of seven or eight years old how the food was. He said he was well fed and could eat meat once a month. He also said government officials and kind-hearted people came to donate gifts.

It seemed that the county magistrate of the city governed this place very well and was a good official. After having a general understanding of the situation here, he felt relieved. He said goodbye to the mother and daughter, Grandma Su and others, and then drove away in his carriage.