Chapter 7: A Long Road Ahead

Madam Zhang brought over Ding Xiang's small clothes and hat, feeling them carefully. They were soft and smooth, and the seven small pearls on the hat were round and full.

She remarked, "Though these beads are small, they are so perfectly round; you can tell by looking at them that they are of high quality."

Ding Zhao said, "Don't sell or throw away anything belonging to Xiangxiang; after all, she brought them from that home. That wooden box is too conspicuous; chop it up and use it for firewood.

"During these few days in the capital, we must keep a close eye on the child and not let her crying be heard outside. If the neighbors hear it, do not admit we have a child. Just say we heard crying too, but don't know which house it came from."

Madam Zhang agreed, "Mhm. I won't hang the washed clothes and diapers in the courtyard; I'll dry them inside the room. And we can't let anyone enter the room..."

Ding Xiang gave this kind and intelligent couple a mental thumbs-up. She was also afraid they might sell or throw away the clothes and swaddling clothes, as these items would be of great use in the future.

The small gold bracelet the Princess had placed on her wrist was gone. That had been a gift from her grandmother, the Empress, and it had certainly been taken off to be worn by Princess Feng.

As for the things she was wearing and had brought with her, even with the sewn-on pearls, they were nothing out of the ordinary; the Princess wouldn't notice if she had one set more or one set less.

When they held and kissed her, Ding Xiang saw their blurred faces. Even though it was a blurry image, she could tell they were both young, in their twenties.

The new mother had relatively thick lips, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents. She spoke with a gentle tone, appearing to be a woman of mild temperament. The new father had a broad face, small eyes, a round nose, and a small, upturned mouth; he looked somewhat like a certain Yue from the crosstalk performances of her previous life. He looked honest and simple, yet he spoke and acted with great order, revealing himself to be a kind and clever man.

Though their looks were ordinary, their eyes were filled with affection for Ding Xiang, which made her feel secure.

Madam Zhang used soft old clothes to cut diapers and alter the small clothes for Ding Xiang, then asked Ding Zhao to go to the market tomorrow to buy some soft fine cloth.

As the couple chatted about pleasant anecdotes from home and discussed their future arrangements, Ding Xiang learned more about their family.

Their hometown was Beiquan Village, Gu'an Town, Linshui County, in Jiaodong Province. They had an ironworks in the town and fifteen acres of farmland in the countryside.

Ding Zhao's mother had passed away early, but his father was still alive. The father and son worked the ironworks, while the land was leased to others for farming. They had two sons: seven-year-old Ding Lichun and four-year-old Ding Liren.

Ding Zhao also had a younger brother who seemed to be on bad terms with Ding Zhao's father; he lived in the county seat with his wife and son.

Two years ago, Ding Zhao's left arm suddenly became immobile. For a blacksmith, this was equivalent to being disabled. They were extremely anxious and saw many doctors, but none could cure him.

While seeking medical treatment in the provincial capital, Ding Zhao happened to save an elderly lady who had fallen. The lady's son happened to be a physician.

This physician said that Ding Zhao suffered from blood stasis and Qi stagnation. This kind of ailment could be easy to treat or impossible to cure in a lifetime. The fact that Ding Zhao had been treating it for so long without success indicated the condition was serious. If financial circumstances allowed, he should go to the Qianjin Clinic in the capital to find Old Physician Fang, as Old Physician Fang was an expert in such cases. He was an old acquaintance of Old Physician Fang and could write a letter of introduction.

Ding Zhao went home to discuss it with his elderly father. His father could not bear to see him disabled at such a young age. Although the family was not wealthy, they had some savings.

In August of last year, Ding Zhao brought half of the family's savings—eighty taels of silver—to the capital to seek Old Physician Fang's help. Because Ding Zhao's arm was immobile, Madam Zhang came along to care for him. His elderly father and the two children could only afford to pay a neighbor to help with cooking and laundry.

Old Physician Fang said that if Ding Zhao received regular acupuncture and took medicine, there was an eighty percent chance of recovery, which would likely take one to two years. If it wasn't cured within that time, he would be powerless to help.

Old Physician Fang was not only a skilled physician but also a warm-hearted man.

Seeing that they were not wealthy and had traveled a great distance to the capital to see him, and knowing he was introduced by an old friend, he took advantage of the fact that a medicinal pestle apprentice had recently left. He let Ding Zhao, whose right hand was functional and strong, help with grinding medicine. This made treatment more convenient and allowed the family to earn a little money.

Hearing that Madam Zhang was fast and skilled at making braided cords, he also had his daughter-in-law introduce her to an embroidery shop.

Ding Zhao and Madam Zhang rented this small courtyard with only three old rooms, and they were barely managing to make ends meet.

Old Physician Fang truly was a divine physician; after one year, Ding Zhao's illness was cured.

The couple was overjoyed. They had twenty taels of silver left; they used eight taels to buy a heavy gift for Old Physician Fang, and the remaining money was for boat tickets and supplies for their hometown. They would return home the day after tomorrow.

They hadn't expected to pick up a beautiful daughter today.

Ding Xiang understood. No wonder they wanted to adopt a child they felt an immediate connection with; it turned out they were a middle-class family. If they were poor people who couldn't even afford to eat, and they already had a son, no matter how cute a child was, they wouldn't be able to raise them for free—unless they intended to raise her as a child bride.

Ding Xiang felt both fortunate and moved. They truly wanted her as a daughter; they had even discussed which day she was born.

This couple was not only kind but also resistant to temptation; even when Granny He offered such a high reward, they were not moved.

*May good people live peaceful lives and receive good returns; may the kind be blessed by heaven, and may the scent of roses remain on the hand that gives them... You will have your blessings.*

From the way they spoke, water transport in this era was very developed. The Qianqian Grand Canal passed through Linshui County, making their journey to the capital very convenient.

It would take an hour and a half by donkey cart from Beiquan Village to the Linshui County pier, and then about eight to twelve days by boat to reach the capital, depending on the weather and wind, excluding extreme weather. Upon reaching the capital's suburban pier, it would take another three-plus hours by donkey cart to reach the South Gate of the capital.

In ancient times, places with canal piers were equivalent to places with airports or train stations in the modern world; the economy was relatively developed, making it a good place for business.

The "Qianqian Grand Canal" here was likely the Grand Canal of the previous life, and Qianzhou was likely Hangzhou.

Ding Xiang also wanted to leave the capital as soon as possible. Her constitution was special, and she feared being found and silenced by the Xun family.

The face of Nanny Li appeared before her eyes again. Because she had stared at it for so long, that face was even clearer than the faces of the Princess and the little brother.

Ding Xiang swore she would remember those blood relatives and the people who did evil things. She must not forget, so she could return for revenge in the future.

To seek revenge, one needed capital—not just money, but also connections. Furthermore, one had to find a convincing reason and an entry point; one couldn't exactly say that a one-month-old infant had overheard their evil plans.

However, to become someone useful, she would have to wait until at least six or seven years old. As for possessing sufficient wealth and powerful connections, she didn't know how long that would take.

The road ahead was long.

Leaving that life of luxury still made Ding Xiang feel a bit uneasy, but the joy of escaping a disaster and surviving a great calamity outweighed that unease. Combined with the joys and sorrows and various circumstances of her previous life, she calmly and readily accepted these new parents and the massive shift in her destiny.

It was just that this "lying flat" lifestyle was quite difficult to endure.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the courtyard gate.

Both the husband and wife grew tense.