Chapter 8: Coming to the Door

Madam Zhang pulled Ding Xiang into her arms, her eyes searching for the hiding place. Her voice trembled as she murmured, "Xiangxiang, be good, don't cry..."

Ding Zhao stepped outside and closed both the bedroom door and the main house door.

A moment later, Ding Zhao returned, beaming with joy.

"It was Li the Second from the next alley. His boil has healed, and he gave me fifty copper coins as a thank-you gift."

During his year of grinding medicine, Ding Zhao had learned how to lance boils.

He was diligent, sociable, and very eager to help. Regardless of whether a task was his responsibility, he would help as long as someone asked. He helped Old Physician Fang the most, assisting with both the clinic's affairs and the heavy chores at home.

Every month, Madam Zhang would also visit the Fang family to wash their quilts and bedsheets. The two of them held a simple philosophy: since they had no money, they would repay the debt of gratitude in this way.

Old Physician Fang had a specialized method for treating carbuncles and boils, and he took a great liking to this hardworking young man. Whenever Ding Zhao sought advice, the physician would explain everything in detail.

Lancing a boil at the clinic cost at least three hundred copper coins, but when neighbor Li the Second found Ding Zhao, he ended up giving him fifty copper coins once it was cured.

Even though Ding Xiang could not see him, she could hear the lightness and joy in Ding Zhao's voice. This father was quite clever; he had even picked up a new skill while working as a temporary hand.

He must have learned how to prepare medicinal pills there as well, right?

Madam Zhang’s eyes crinkled with a smile. She leaned down to kiss Ding Xiang and said, "Xiangxiang is our family's lucky star. As soon as you arrived, your father started earning money."

She then said to Ding Zhao, "Get a few feet of good cotton cloth for Xiangxiang tomorrow. Make sure it's soft."

Ding Zhao nodded. "Mhm. I'll also buy some cane sugar to put in her rice water so it's sweet. My poor daughter, it's a hardship for her to only have rice water to drink."

Hearing this, Ding Xiang's little chest swelled with sweetness. Despite his rugged appearance, this father was actually quite sensitive.

At the Hour of the Dog, both Ding Zhao and Madam Zhang had climbed onto the *kang*, when there came another knocking at the door.

The two of them grew tense again.

Madam Zhang pulled the child into her arms, while Ding Zhao put on his clothes and went outside.

The night was thick, with only a few small stars in the sky.

Facing the courtyard gate, Ding Zhao asked, "Who is it?"

The person outside shouted in a loud voice, "Officers! Someone lost something. A thief was seen running this way. We're checking to see if a thief entered your house."

Two more loud knocks shook the door, making Ding Zhao's heart tremble; the sound was even more chilling in the silent night.

Ding Zhao had no choice but to open the door, and two officers walked in.

They looked around and asked, "Have you found a nursing infant?"

Their attitude was much better; they weren't asking about a thief, but about a baby.

Ding Zhao was scared out of his wits. These people were likely looking for Xiangxiang, and they meant her harm. If a child went missing and a report was filed, the authorities would search for the child openly and wouldn't need to lie to get people to open their doors or reveal their true intentions.

If Xiangxiang were taken by them, it would be dangerous!

Ding Zhao steadied himself and said in a voice only Madam Zhang could hear, "A nursing infant? We haven't found one."

He was reminding Madam Zhang to quickly soothe and hide the child. Although he knew Xiangxiang didn't like to cry, he still feared an accident.

The officer asked again, "Have you seen anyone nearby pick one up? If you find it, the owner will reward you with five hundred taels of silver. If you find a clue that leads to the child, there is a reward of one hundred taels."

Ding Zhao's eyes brightened for a moment, but he shook his head with a look of regret. "To be honest, officers, we haven't found one, nor have we seen anyone else pick one up."

The officers still entered the house to look around, and one of them cast a meaningful glance toward the closed bedroom door.

Ding Zhao pushed the door open, and the officer took a quick look inside. There was no child in the room, only a woman.

The officer left the room and tossed Ding Zhao a small silver corner. "If you find anything, go deliver a message to Ma Hong at the Five Cities Military Command. Remember, don't look for anyone else—find Ma Hong, and your reward will not be small. That much money is more than you could earn in a lifetime."

In their eyes, a nursing infant wasn't worth five taels, and these poor wretches wouldn't be able to refuse such a massive temptation. If they found the child or discovered a clue, they would surely rush to report it.

Ding Zhao bowed deeply. "Yes, yes. If we have such luck, we will strike it rich."

The two officers left the house and went to knock on the neighbor's gate.

Hidden in the *kang* cabinet by Madam Zhang, Ding Xiang was so scared she had soiled herself.

Old Witch Xun's people had actually found this place.

The Old Witch was doing such a wicked thing; the head of the Xun family—her own biological grandfather—likely didn't know. The Old Witch and Third Master Xun had limited capabilities and only dared to search so secretly. Entering homes to search for people was likely something they only dared to do in poor districts and at night.

Those two officers were likely subordinates of this "Ma Hong." Ma Hong served in the Five Cities Military Command and was a man of the Old Witch and her son.

She had to remember this name well.

*Ma Hong*—"Red Horse" spelled backward. To aid her memory, Ding Xiang made this mnemonic.

The heroic images of Ding Zhao and Madam Zhang grew even taller in Ding Xiang's heart. They were overjoyed over fifty copper coins, yet they refused the temptation of five hundred taels so decisively, all to save a nursing infant they didn't even know.

If she had fallen into anyone else's hands, she likely would have been handed over.

Ding Xiang made a silent vow in her heart: *You won't have saved me in vain. In the future, I will earn far more than five hundred taels.*

Madam Zhang was also drenched in a cold sweat. Only after hearing the courtyard gate being bolted did she carefully pick Ding Xiang up. Seeing the little girl looking at her with bright, sparkling eyes and a smile on her lips, Madam Zhang spoke with lingering fear.

"It's a blessing that Xiangxiang didn't cry. If she had, all three of us would be finished."

When Ding Zhao returned, his nose and forehead were covered in sweat.

He pulled Ding Xiang into his arms and said, "Good child, you are blessed to have escaped a disaster and ended up in a commoner's family like ours. Though we are not wealthy, we can treat you well. Only one thing: you must never cry loudly. Once we leave the capital, you will be safe."

Madam Zhang pressed her hands together in prayer. "Amitabha, Heaven has eyes, and the Bodhisattvas protect us."

Ding Zhao added, "Those two officers went to the neighbor's house. We absolutely cannot let the neighbors find out we have a child."

Madam Zhang asked, "Will those people go to the docks to look for her?"

Ding Zhao said, "Aside from the neighbors, Old Physician Fang's family, and the people at the embroidery workshop, who knows you didn't give birth last month? There are many people taking nursing infants on boats. We must leave early, make all necessary preparations, and ensure Xiangxiang doesn't attract anyone's attention."

Despite saying this, the couple remained uneasy.

They didn't dare sleep; Ding Zhao kept running to the courtyard to listen for any movement outside.

After the two officers finished searching the alley, it was more than an hour before they finally went to a *kang* to rest.

During the night, lying on the *kang*, Ding Xiang listened to an "indescribable drama" being performed right beside her.

This made Ding Xiang's face flush bright red, her heart racing with embarrassment.

How mortifying.

To think that in her previous life, she had lived to thirty-three and was still "original equipment." Although she had many suitors, she had never thought of marriage or children, nor had she even been in a relationship.

She could only mutter to herself that it was a good thing for a young couple to be affectionate; a harmonious family was much better than the parents she had in her previous life.