After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

To the right of the entrance is the kitchen, where you can cook and boil water. A fire burns in the stove, smoldering over an iron pot, which is likely boiling water for the guests. To the left is an unremarkable two-story building. Afu explained that it's a dormitory-style building, with two rooms downstairs and three upstairs. Downstairs, the left side is used for storage, and the right side for living quarters. The upstairs is for traveling merchants or镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) who are not well-off.

Judging from the sounds, people are living both upstairs and downstairs. Downstairs, they're already asleep, their snoring filling the air. Upstairs, from left to right, the leftmost room is already occupied. The middle room still has its light on, but no one is speaking. The rightmost room not only has sounds, but also shadowy figures moving around.

The two-story building directly opposite the main gate is the main house, reserved for distinguished guests. These distinguished guests included government officials, gentry, and wealthy individuals.

Ah Fu crouched down and lowered his voice, saying, "Our post station is in a remote area. Apart from the postmen who deliver mail, we've never seen any proper officials. There are some local gentry, though, mostly in the spring and autumn."

Spring outings, autumn scenery viewing, families staying at inns... I can understand.

Afu led them to the second floor, took the key hanging from his waist, and opened three rooms.

Liu Ying held up two fingers: "Two rooms, my wife said she only wants two rooms!"

Ah Fu: "The other one is free!"

Firefly: "A pie falling from the sky is always a trap! Kid, tell me honestly, what are you planning to do?"

Afu: "You're still not happy about us giving you an extra room?"

Liu Ying put her hands on her hips and put on a fierce expression: "Little brat, to be honest, I'm very, very fierce."

Afu covered her mouth and laughed: "Sister is very pretty, and not fierce at all."

One sentence made Liu Ying overjoyed. She grabbed a handful of snacks and put them in A Fu's hand: "Since you're so sweet-talking, I won't hold it against you. I'm rich, I don't care about the cost of a room. Tell your mother to send up all the good food and drinks from your inn."

Liu Ying's snacks were all homemade—dried fruit and dried meat—and they tasted quite good. Afu thanked her, carefully putting the snacks into her pocket before speaking, "Sister is pretty, but not very bright. Afu said that room was a gift. Sister isn't the first, nor will she be the last. Mother said that when there are many people, there's nothing we can do; when there are few people, we can have one more room, and having one less room doesn't make much difference, especially since this superior room already costs more."

Afu beckoned them closer: "Mother also said that whether or not people stay, the rooms still need to be cleaned. It's only when people stay that the inn has life, and only when it has life will the inn get better and better."

She held up her last finger: "Your mother and Afu like you. You are quite different from the guests we've had before."

Liu Ying pinched his ear: "You little rascal, I'll give you all the snacks."

Afu waved her hand: "I can't accept something for nothing. My sister has already given me enough. My mother and I cleaned the room ourselves. The bedding and tea set were all washed, changed, and scalded with hot water. I still have to help my mother. My sister and the two distinguished guests, please rest first."

Lu Zhiyuan noticed the details in the rooms; almost every room had a plain white gauze curtain hanging in it. Plain white gauze, plain clothes—this inn must be hosting a funeral. Her gaze fell on Afu: "Your father is sick? Incurable, on his deathbed? Your and your mother's plain white clothes, including the white gauze curtains in this inn, are all for him?"

The light in Afu's eyes disappeared.

"Can you tell me what illness he has? I'm a doctor, a really good one. Maybe I can cure your father's illness."

Afu's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed.

“Mother said Father’s illness is a heart ailment, and there’s no cure.” Afu’s shoulders slumped: “Sister, what is a heart ailment? Why is there no cure for a heart ailment?”

Lu Zhiyuan patted Afu's head: "There are many kinds of heart disease, and I don't know which kind your father has. You can ask your mother first. If she is willing, I can help your father take a look."

Afu's mother came up with a pot of boiling water. Hearing this, she gently shook her head: "No need to trouble you, Madam. My husband is critically ill and will only live for the next couple of days. Madam and our honored guest, please wash your hands first. The meal will be ready soon. After you have eaten, you can take a bath. There is a bath tub in each room, which has been cleaned with soap and is placed in the small cubicle on the right."

His gaze shifted to Lu Yun: "There are no rooms for male guests; you'll need to go to the room behind the kitchen."

Seeing Lu Yun frown, he quickly explained, "Don't worry, esteemed guest, that bathroom is only for guests staying in superior rooms. Just like the rooms, it is maintained daily and cleaned with hot water and soapy water every day."

Lu Yun: "It's alright!"

Perhaps because she rarely encountered such an understanding guest, Afu's mother's eyes reddened, and she took Afu's hand to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

The meal was simple, all home-style cooking, but tasted good and was cooked to perfection. The soup was pigeon soup, served in a small soup bowl, and was very flavorful. After the meal, everyone went back to their rooms to bathe. After bathing, Lu Zhiyuan, unable to sleep, wrapped herself in a cloak and stood on the second floor of the guest room, looking down.

Afu sat at the kitchen doorway, seemingly asleep. He was draped in a garment clearly disproportionate to his size, and the lantern he had been carrying since entering the house lay at his feet. The lantern was much dimmer, presumably because the candle inside was about to burn out.

Afu's mother was still busy in the kitchen, the fire in the stove flickering on and off, until she had cleaned the entire kitchen and emptied the water from the shower room. Only then did she rub her shoulders and walk over to her son.

The little boy, about seven or eight years old, was chubby and weighed at least fifty or sixty pounds. His mother was about 1.65 meters tall and rather thin; she probably couldn't carry such a heavy child. Just as Lu Zhiyuan was wondering whether she could carry or hold Afu, she sat down next to Afu and gently patted his shoulder.

Afu stirred slightly and rested his head against his mother. After a while, his mother got up, and Afu followed suit, leaning against her sleepily.

Their movements were practiced, as if they were already used to it.

Around four in the morning, it suddenly started to rain. The rain wasn't heavy, but it pattered against the windows. Lu Zhiyuan was a light sleeper, and the sound of the rain made it even harder for her to fall asleep. She lit a lamp, took some paper, and sat down at the table to sort through the various pieces of information she had previously speculated about. Just as she made a single ink dot, she heard a faint sobbing sound coming from the backyard.

The window faced the backyard. I pushed it open a crack and looked in the direction of the crying. Through the rain and mist, a figure staggered out. The light in the hut came on, and the light fell on the person, illuminating a broken hairpin.

Standing on high ground, and with the rain falling, I couldn't see the person's face clearly; I could only judge from their clothing, height, and build.

They weren't innkeepers, but guests staying in the communal room. Nine times out of ten, they were trying to sneak into the lady of the house's room and take advantage of her, taking advantage of the quiet of the night and the cover of the light rain.

People like this deserve to die!