An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

It was May 28th, and this was the sixth letter Jing Chunxi had received since arriving in Qiantang County.

Those secret letters that often come in but contain only a few words are not included.

She opened the envelope and found several pages of paper inside, just like before, each with a different person's handwriting.

Pu Ge'er wrote the longest. He first briefly mentioned his trivial matters at Wenhua Academy, and then devoted the rest of the article to his mother and the unborn child.

"Grandpa Prince was reluctant to let Dad go back to the military camp, so he transferred him to the position of Inspector of the Censorate, a third-rank official, according to his original military rank.

My mother's belly has been frighteningly big since she was seven months old. The emperor gave face to Prince Jing and specially approved my father's leave, asking him to stay with my mother and return to duty after her baby was born safely.

Daddy was always worried that Mom would be hungry, but he wouldn't let her eat much, so she ended up eating five or six meals a day. He even made a wide belt with his own hands to support Mom's belly every day, and he would help her walk around the farm twice a day, morning and night.

"The clan's houses and lands had been returned, and the children could have returned home to reunite with their parents. However, the military doctors said it was not appropriate for my mother to move now, fearing she might upset the fetus. So, no one left, and we agreed to wait until my mother gave birth before returning to Beijing together.

My second aunt simply moved to Qingshan Villa to recuperate, taking care of her own children while spending every day talking to my mother. Now her face is much rosier and she is talking more.

One time I secretly heard her tell my mother that she wanted to have another child after her second uncle came back..."

"If the imperial examination date isn't changed, all four of us from Qingshan Manor will have to take it this year. The teacher said it would be best for the three of them to take the academy exam this year, but since I'm the youngest, he only allowed me to take the Tongsheng exam, saying something like 'there's still a lot of time to go'..."

Jing Chunxi couldn't help but chuckle when he read this. This kid, while complaining, his words revealed a refusal to admit defeat.

Xiaoyu was traveling with them. Her parents hadn't survived the arrest, and she was left without a family member.

Jing Chunxi felt sorry for her and had the government file a case against her. He took her in and planned to take her back to Beijing. However, she was not very courageous and was always timid around others, like a frightened sparrow. When the six children were together, this trait was not very obvious.

During the past few days of traveling together, she didn't dare to get close to Jing Chunxi because Aunt Wei was with her. Although she didn't say a word, she always followed A Yue quietly at a distance of three steps, her large eyes that were too mature to understand were always watching the young lady's every move.

Ah He and Dou Zi, brother and sister, had just been brought home by their mother the day before. The woman, along with her two children, knelt and kowtowed to Jing Chunxi and Xu Zize, saying that it was all thanks to the nobles that her children were still alive.

Dongzi was picked up early by his uncle in a bullock cart. The man took out his treasured malt sugar from his arms. Dongzi grinned as he chewed the sugar. It was clear that his uncle loved him. When he left, the children wiped away their tears.

Xu Zize asked Qingfeng to give each of their families a hundred taels of silver for travel expenses, and they were even more grateful.

The remaining two teenagers, Shitou and Shuisheng, were fourteen and fifteen, both orphans without parents. They worked the hardest when distributing the relief food, their shoulders bruised from carrying the rice bags without a word.

Seeing that they were smart and having nowhere else to go, Lord Xiao decided to keep them in the yamen to do odd jobs.

Fortunately, they had nothing to do at the house some time ago, and Chuntao had taught them how to read and keep accounts. They are not stupid, and after two years when they have grown up, they will be able to wear black clothes and work as servants - for children who are used to suffering, this is a great fortune.

Qiling Temple was located far away on Shugang Mountain, on the border of Pingjiang and Qiantang counties. The carriage had been bumping along the official road for two days and one night. The post station we'd stayed at last night was leaky, and Aunt Wei hadn't slept half the night before, now rubbing her aching waist.

Jing Chunxi, however, was full of energy. He and A Yue leaned against the car window and counted the wild roses on the roadside. The pale pink petals were still covered with morning dew.

"Aunt, our car is too big to go forward."

Xu Zize pulled the reins, his dark suit matted with dust. He dismounted swiftly, his boots crushing a few dead leaves. "We have to walk from West Peak to Middle Peak. I've asked Lu Ying to go ahead and tell the monk in charge to prepare tea. We can rest when we get there." He reached out and lifted the curtain at the back of the carriage, letting in a mountain breeze that carried the bitter scent of pine needles.

Aunt Wei climbed out of the carriage, leaning on the young man's sturdy arm. Her embroidered shoes sank into the thick pine needles as soon as they touched the ground. She looked up at the ancient cypress trees that blocked out the sun, tiny golden rays filtering through the twisted branches.

She took a deep breath, and the chill of the forest mixed with the sandalwood penetrated her lungs, making her shiver. "They say the heat in the south of the Yangtze River is very severe, but this mountain seems to be hiding a piece of ice."

"Masters, put on more clothes!" Chuntao's voice startled a few tits. She came trotting over, holding a light lilac jacket, the silver hairpin in her hair jingling.

Xiaoyu was carrying a package with difficulty in the back, and Zhengyue and Tangshuang were still rummaging through the carriage - the mahogany boxes were being turned over with a clanging sound, and the crisp sound of porcelain bottles colliding could be faintly heard.

Jing Chunxi jumped out of the car, her skirt lifted. Her pomegranate-red dress brushed against the moss, and she dodged it gently, hopping a few times on the spot: "It'll warm up if I walk!"

Like animals out of their cage, Ah Heng and Ah Yue chased and played around the ginkgo tree, which was so thick it took three people to hug it. The fallen leaves rustled under their feet, startling a few squirrels.

Xiaoyu suddenly sprinted a few steps, her thin arms outstretched to protect the outside of the slope. Ah Yue's embroidered shoes had been caught on a tree root, but the little girl didn't care at all, instead pointing and giggling at the squirrel in the treetops.

Aunt Wei saw this scene. She stroked the Buddhist beads on her wrist and her gaze lingered on Xiaoyu's brand new cotton collar for a long time.

"Aunt Wei, shall I leave the first month, the first day, and the rain to you?"

Jing Chunxi suddenly leaned in closer. She noticed a few strands of silver in Aunt Wei's hair, and remembered that she had come in such a hurry that Aunt Wei didn't even bring a personal nanny.

Zheng Yuezheng was handing things to Chuntao. Although this girl was impulsive and had the potential to learn martial arts, she had learned the rules after following Chuntao out a few times, and she was quite capable of pouring tea and fanning herself.

As for Chuyi... Jing Chunxi caught a glimpse of the small wooden sword on Ah Heng's waist - it was the one Chuyi helped him carve during the trip to Jian'an County last year. The word "Heng" was engraved on the hilt of the sword. It seemed that Ah Heng liked it very much.

As for Xiaoyu, she was still young and could be a playmate for Ayue. If she stayed in Jiangnan, perhaps she would be able to meet some of her comrades in times of trouble.

Aunt Wei waved her hands hurriedly, her pearl earrings dangling: "How can this be..." But her eyes kept drifting to Xu Zize. The young man was tying the saddle rope knot, and his fingers paused slightly when he heard the words, and the cowhide rope left a red mark on his palm.

"Don't worry, aunt." Xu Zize turned around with a gentle expression, his black sleeves brushing against the shaft of the cart. "I originally picked these people for Xi'er to protect herself, but now..." He suddenly caught a glimpse of Jing Chunxi standing on tiptoe to reach for the maple leaves, and the rest of his sentence turned into a sigh. "Anyway, you can use them."