บท 7: Chapter 7 Leaving Beijing
Ye Xinyan rubbed her icy hands together, then blew on them twice for warmth, "No need, Nanny Jin. Your appearance hasn't changed much, it's safer if I go."
At this moment, Ye Xinyan bore no resemblance to the young lady of the Duke's Mansion. She wore a simple hair bun without a single ornament, and it was even somewhat disheveled; her complexion was sallow, and she was dressed in a dusty patched skirt. The shoes on her feet, although not muddy, were worn out to the point of being unsightly, with thick patches sewn onto the toes and heels that had been worn through multiple layers.
To create the image of a poor woman, Ye Xinyan had hardly washed her face at all in over two months.
Nanny Jin worried that not washing her face for a long time would damage her skin and had advised her against it, but Ye Xinyan rebutted her with the question, "What's more important, a nice complexion or our lives?" and stopped her in her tracks.
She no longer planned to rely on her beauty to make a living, nor did she intend to marry based on her looks. Since they needed to conceal their identities, why would she care about her appearance?
As Ye Xinyan walked into the room, she said, "I've found out that a caravan is gathering people to travel together to Jiangyang Prefecture. I think we should secretly attach ourselves to the caravan when it leaves the city. Once we reach a less populated area, we could simply give them some Silver Coin and head north with them. When we arrive at Xunbei City, we can split from them and head to Miyi."
Miyi County was the hometown of a distant cousin of Nanny Jin. More than a decade ago, Nanny Jin had helped this cousin, and it should be unlikely that they would be turned away if they sought refuge with them.
As for Nanny Jin's own hometown and her two brothers, it was too dangerous to seek refuge there. Since Nanny Jin had left with Ye Xinyan, the Duke's Mansion would certainly search Nanny Jin's hometown, and going there would be like throwing themselves into the mouth of a tiger, akin to turning themselves in.
Once they found a safe place to stay, Ye Xinyan believed that with the education she had received over so many years, she would not be so helpless as to let herself and Nanny Jin starve to death.
"This place seems very safe. Since we moved in, there hasn't been any strangers loitering around. Why don't we stay a bit longer, wait until spring gets warmer, and then start our journey?"
Nanny Jin hesitated. It was already deep autumn, and the weather would only get colder. It wasn't so much an issue for her, but the young mistress had lived a life of luxury for years and might not withstand the hardship. Even though the young mistress had endured some hardship over the past two months, the road was different. If she fell ill from cold and exhaustion, it was no laughing matter.
As they entered the house, Nanny Jin set down her basket and quickly poured a cup of hot water for Ye Xinyan.
Since leaving the Duke's Mansion and moving into this alley, Ye Xinyan had cautioned Nanny Jin that from now on, their every expense would be in line with their neighbors', as if they were two poor relatives seeking shelter. So it wasn't just that they had no tea; even the tea cups were cheap and flawed, with small notches on the edges.
Ye Xinyan sat on the stool by the table, took the cup with both hands, and warmed them as she sipped the water in small mouthfuls.
She continued from where she left off, "Let's leave now. The Duke's Mansion is probably exhausted from searching for us. With the weather getting colder, they wouldn't expect us to travel in the severe cold, which makes it less likely for us to be discovered."
She couldn't dare tell Nanny Jin that today she had seen someone who recognized her. To be on the safe side, it was better to leave at the earliest opportunity.
Nanny Jin was still not at ease, "Young Mistress has never been outside. You don't know the hardships of travel. What if you can't bear it and fall sick with cold? What then?"
Ye Xinyan pursed her lips without a word. Who said she hadn't experienced hardship? As a child, she studied while helping her grandparents work the fields. During college, she worked part-time to earn tuition, and after that, she regularly worked overtime for her job performance. She had never complained about being tired.
In these extraordinary times, what was there to fear from a bit of hard work? With proper precautions and attention to diet and avoiding cold drafts, it would only mean enduring the cold. What of it? To avoid being confined to that so-called ancestral temple, to escape being locked away in a secret room of Madam Yin from the Duke's Mansion, any amount of hardship was worth it.
"Young Mistress, take off those shoes on your feet. I'll air them out," Nanny Jin said as she offered a pair of dry shoes.
"Oh, we also need to prepare some clothes," Ye Xinyan said while changing her shoes. "Like shoes and socks, we should pack a few extra pairs. In this freezing weather, you absolutely can't wear wet shoes or socks."
Nanny Jin sighed. The young Miss had made up her mind. Either way, they would have to set out sooner or later, and at least the weather during winter was dry. Wearing more layers would keep one warm. If they were to start their journey next spring, although the weather would be warmer, the rains could make it rather miserable. Equally, there was the worry of catching a cold and falling ill.
Afterward, they began the tense preparations for their journey. Clothing, oilcloths, dry food, water bags. To reduce some of the load on the road, Ye Xinyan also had a low, four-wheeled cart made, which could be pulled along with a rope.
...
On an early morning at the beginning of October, Ye Xinyan and Nanny Jin got everything ready and left through the north gate, trailing behind a fairly large merchant caravan and heading northwest.
Since there was a merchant group paving the way in front of them, and they didn't stray far from the caravan, they would stop for the night in towns and small county cities. This arrangement proved to be safe and smooth over the next two days.
On the third night, they reached a place with no village in front and no shop behind. The merchant caravan stopped to camp on the spot.
As the light dimmed, Nanny Jin exchanged a glance with Ye Xinyan. "We've come quite far from the capital by now. Let's go over and join them," said Xinyan.
Nanny Jin looked at Ye Xinyan's disheveled and dirty appearance and nodded with a smile, "Hmm, just one look at the young Miss and anyone would know she's a capable girl from a poor background. I'll go talk to them now."
Xinyan laughed and said, "Nanny, remember to watch your words, even in private you mustn't refer to me as Miss or yourself as a servant anymore. It's very easy to give us away."
To conceal their identities, Ye Xinyan and Nanny Jin posed as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Back in the city, they rarely ventured out together and Nanny Jin stubbornly refused to change her way of addressing Xinyan even within their own courtyard. Ye Xinyan had not insisted on it. But now it was different; they would have to live with these identities from now on, so naturally, they needed to form the habit early on.
Nanny Jin hurriedly agreed and then went to speak with the leader of the merchant caravan.
Having served by the original Ye Xinyan's side for so long, she was also quite competent. They made up a story about visiting relatives to request joining the caravan.
Among the assembled merchants, not all were traders; there were also people hurrying home. Bringing everyone together for the journey was about having more numbers for mutual support and deterrence against robbers on the road.
Seeing that Nanny Jin and Ye Xinyan appeared to come from a poor family, and the younger one looked rather plain, there was nothing about the two of them that would stir up malicious intent. Naturally, they wouldn't cause the caravan any trouble.
After receiving the caravan leader's permission and a bit of bargaining from Nanny Jin, they handed over three hundred wen of money and successfully joined the merchant group.
Since both were industrious, they would help start fires and boil water during meal stops and even prepare simple food for everyone. Consequently, they were quite welcomed by the merchant caravan along the way.
As time passed, the weather grew colder and colder, but thankfully everyone was well-prepared. Constant movement on the road also kept illness and frostbite at bay, making for a smooth journey.
A month later, the merchant caravan arrived in the territory of Jiangyang Prefecture.
Throughout the journey, members of the caravan would leave upon reaching their destinations and new ones would join intermittently; partings were common. The caravan leader indeed regretted seeing Nanny Jin and her companion leave, as losing two non-petty and diligent people was a loss of sorts.
As they caught sight of Xunbei City from a distance and the day was still young, the caravan decided not to enter the city in order to make up more ground. The caravan leader, appreciative of Nanny Jin's and her companion's diligence, warmly suggested a route to Miyi before parting ways with them.
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