After crossing, I was forced to hold on to my thighs and build a kingdom

Five or six more days passed in peace. With enough food, the brother and sister stayed at home and lived a fulfilling life of eating and studying every day.

That afternoon, Jinchu had just finished checking Zhaoer's handwriting when Huizhen, who had not been seen for several days, came to visit happily.

"Jin'er, we were in such a hurry to go to the capital last time that we didn't have time to buy many things. Tomorrow the weather is good, and I have some free time, so why don't we go again?"

She held Jinchu's hand and promised apologetically, "I won't buy anything this time. I'll just be with you! Look around the house and see if there's anything else you need. We'll buy everything and bring it back tomorrow."

Thinking of Liu Fudan's unwilling look when he left that day, Jin Chu felt a vague sense of unease in his heart.

She was about to shake her head to reject Huizhen's suggestion, when she suddenly looked down and saw the cotton shoe on Zhaoer's foot with a crack on it, revealing the toes.

The brother and sister only have this pair of thick cotton shoes for winter. They try to go out less often when the weather is bad, so that their shoes won’t get dirty and wet and difficult to change.

It was better for her as an adult, but Zhao'er was just a child, and the cotton shoes on his feet had been worn out beyond recognition. Children's feet grow fast, and the cotton shoes obviously no longer fit.

She could make do, but Zhao'er couldn't. He was in the growth stage, and if he injured his foot, it would be more trouble than it was worth.

Seeing Jinchu didn't answer, Huizhen asked in surprise, "Jin'er, is there something going on tomorrow that won't be convenient for you?"

Jin Chu shook his head.

Thinking that Huizhen was not an outsider, he told her about the fight and dispute between Fudan and Zhaoer a few days ago, and also told her about the strange expression on Fudan's face when he came to see Zhaoer.

Finally, he said worriedly, "If I'm not at home, if that kid comes looking for me, I'm afraid Zhao'er won't be able to handle it alone."

Hearing Jinchu say this, Huizhen also frowned: "Fudan is a tall and strong child, and he is spoiled by Aunt Sun. He has always been domineering and likes to bully other children. Many children in our village who are about his age have been bullied by him. When they talk to Aunt Sun, she doesn't teach them a lesson. Instead, she blames other children for messing with her Fudan. Over time, the elders in the family also told their children to have less contact with him, either to avoid him or to avoid him. Over time, that child became the little bully in our village!

At this point, Huizhen glanced at Zhao'er, who was looking down and silent, and couldn't help but look a little irritated. "Fudan is a narrow-minded child. If Zhao'er really gets on his nerves, it will be really troublesome."

"Sister, you and Sister Huizhen can just go tomorrow! I won't go out. I'll be studying at home waiting for you, so Liu Fudan won't find out."

"But I'm still worried about you being home alone."

Seeing Jinchu still hesitant, Huizhen suddenly had an idea. She clapped her hands and said with a smile, "I have an idea! How about I let my younger brother Yue accompany Zhao'er tomorrow?"

She smiled at Jinchu and said, "It just so happens that he's studying for the entrance exam to the academy in the prefecture. He's always studying. Why don't I have him bring his books to your house tomorrow to keep Zhao'er company? That way, they can study together."

“That’s a really good idea!”

After hearing what Huizhen said, Jinchu and Zhaoer both laughed.

After sitting for a while and agreeing on the time to go out tomorrow, Huizhen left.

The next day, Jinchu and his sister got up early and hurriedly finished their breakfast. Huizhen then brought a handsome boy of about eleven or twelve years old to Jinchu's house.

"Hello, Sister Jin'er!" The young man smiled when he saw people, and his attitude was polite and gentle. He looked like a smart child.

"This is Brother Yue, right? I'd like to trouble you to accompany my Zhao'er today!" After Jin Chu greeted him, he pulled Zhao'er over and introduced him, "Brother Yue, he's my Zhao'er."

He then turned around and introduced Wang Weiyue: "This is your sister Huizhen's younger brother, a few years older than you. Zhao'er, you can call him Brother Yue!"

After Zhao'er and Wang Weiyue greeted each other and called each other brother and younger brother, Jinchu let them go to review their studies.

After everything was arranged, Jinchu took the silver and went to the village entrance with Huizhen.

Uncle Zhou's donkey cart stood quietly at the entrance of the village. The two girls greeted Uncle Zhou familiarly and climbed on the cart. Soon they drove to Lincheng.

Half an hour later, we arrived at Lincheng.

Jinchu and Huizhen jumped out of the car and went directly to the main street in the city.

According to the list Jinchu made last night, he first bought a pair of cotton shoes for Zhaoer and himself, and then bought a larger cotton coat for Zhaoer.

This time, because they were not in a hurry, they took the time to look into Jinyuzhai when they passed by the store. They found that the fat waiter who had had a dispute with them before was gone, and was replaced by a young man.

"Could it be that the fat guy was sent home by the boss?" Huizhen muttered to herself.

She turned her head and looked at Jinchu: "Jin'er, do you think it will be like this?"

Jin Chu smiled and nodded: "Maybe! Or maybe he didn't come to work today because of something else. After all, that fat guy has a very strong backer. His niece is the daughter of the prefectural governor, who is the legitimate wife of the governor."

"It's just recorded as a legitimate child, but not a real legitimate child. It's just that there's a concubine in the prefect's family, not the prefect's legal wife! Look at how arrogant he was that day. If you didn't know, you would think there was a queen in his family!" Huizhen rolled her eyes with a look of disdain.

Jin Chu couldn't help but smile: "Well, anyway, we didn't suffer any loss, so let's not talk about the past anymore."

Huizhen nodded, took some of the things from Jinchu's hand, and continued walking forward.

The rice and noodles they bought last time were enough for them to eat for a month or two, so Jinchu didn't buy any more staple foods. He only bought some daily necessities such as lamp oil and salt. He also bought five pounds of pork, two boxes of snacks, and a roast chicken.

Finally, when they passed by a bookstore, Jinchu sent Huizhen away and went in to buy a new set of four treasures of the study for Wang Weiyue.

When the two of them had almost finished buying things, it was already past noon, so Huizhen dragged Jinchu, who was also very hungry, into a small roadside restaurant.

The two girls ordered two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, two bowls of rice, and a large bowl of vegetable soup as a gift from the store, and ate until their stomachs were full.

Compared with the last time which was full of twists and turns, this one-day trip to the capital city went very smoothly. After the two of them had their meal, they found a quiet place to sit down and rest for a while. When they saw that it was almost time, they got up and went to look for Uncle Zhou.

When they arrived at the village entrance, Jin Chu paid the fare, and the two got off the donkey cart. When they returned home excitedly with bags of things, they saw Wang Weiyue standing alone at the door with a sad look on his face.

Jin Chu's heart skipped a beat. She dropped her things and quickly walked into the house, but there was no sign of Zhao'er.