Chapter 11: Delicate!

Xin Nian knew clearly that her mother was by no means being pretentious; the things her mother worried about were precisely the painful realities that women on the road of exile had to endure.

They were already suffering immensely from traveling day and night without rest. If they couldn't get safe hygiene care during their menstrual periods, they would likely be broken before even reaching the Far North.

For the sake of their physical and mental health, Xin Nian had to find a way to recover her original space as soon as possible, no matter what.

Over there, the old bailiff had finished handling the paperwork and seals with the post station manager and was shouting for everyone to split into two groups and head toward the backyard.

Half the people were shoved into the stables to spend the night, while the other half were sent to the woodshed.

The Xin family was assigned to the woodshed, which was considered fortunate by comparison. At least the woodshed had a roof over its head, which was better than that stinking stable shed.

Soon, Xin Nian realized she was still too young.

The woodshed was no better than the stables. Seventy or eighty people were crammed into a dilapidated room, and when the men took off their shoes, the stench of their feet was truly pungent enough to drift for miles...

After a day of walking, everyone had more or less developed blisters on their insteps and soles.

The Xin family was no exception.

Fortunately, she had been secretly channeling her healing power into herself and her mother, so the injuries on their feet were much better than everyone else's.

Her father, however, was in a sorry state. Not only were his heels red and swollen, but he also had three or five blisters on his soles. When he took off his shoes, he winced and hissed in pain.

The family of five occupied a spot by the door of the woodshed, where the air was slightly better with the door open.

Dali fetched a straw mat for them to spread on the ground and placed the young master, Xin Mochen, further inside to avoid him being stepped on.

Seeing her busy sending water skins and cakes to her and her mother, Xin Nian waved her over. "Dali, you sit down and rest too. You've been pushing the cart for most of the day; you must be tired."

Dali shook her head and said stiffly, "This servant is not tired."

Xin Nian looked at her with a smile. "Dali, what is your surname?"

Dali was stunned, then shook her head. "This servant has no surname."

"Having no surname is fine. From now on, you can take my surname and be called Xin Dali! How about that?"

Dali’s eyes lit up, and she cupped her hands in a salute. "Thank you, Young Miss, for bestowing a surname upon me."

The ancients were truly simple and sincere. Looking at the bright-eyed Dali, the mother and daughter felt the same sentiment in their hearts.

"Sit down quickly and eat with us. From now on, we are a family of six!" Xie Ninglan said with a chuckle.

Dali hesitated for a moment, then sat down as instructed, took a piece of cake, and cupped her hands again. "Thank you, Madam."

Nearby, Xin Wenyuan huddled in a corner, blinking not once as he popped three or five blisters himself. He let out a long, drawn-out hiss, dragging out his words. "Daughter~ your father now feels like these feet don't even belong to him anymore."

They were so numb and itchy that he felt like crying!

Xin Nian and Xie Ninglan looked at him with eyes full of sympathy.

To ensure security and prevent escape, the men were all wearing cangues while traveling. Carrying a ten-pound wooden frame, one could imagine how miserable it was.

Only when resting at night could they take them off to relax.

Her father now not only had blistered soles, but his shoulders were also rubbed raw and bloody by the heavy cangue.

Xie Ninglan felt a pang of heartache as she applied medicine to his chafed shoulders. "Old Xin, bear with it. Our daughter said this medicine isn't very effective; it can only provide a little relief."

"Tomorrow morning, my maiden family will send us another batch of herbs. Once we get them, I'll have our daughter grind some useful, effective powder for you when she has time, and you won't be so uncomfortable."

Xin Wenyuan nodded repeatedly, hissing and groaning "Ouch~ ouch" incessantly. The expressionless Xin Dali rolled her eyes fiercely at this delicate son-in-law.

The Young Miss, such a pampered daughter of a noble house, also had blisters on her feet, yet she never once groaned or acted like she was dying.

A grown man was pulling a long face, acting pathetic in front of his wife and daughter. The old madam was right; this son-in-law was truly unreliable. In the future, she would have to rely on herself to help her young mistress along the way!

"Mother, give me some copper coins." Xin Nian gave Xie Ninglan a wink. Shielding her with half her body, she let her mother fish out a handful of copper coins from a bulging money pouch.

The loose silver given by her grandmother, in denominations of one, two, or three taels, was also in there, along with several hundred copper coins—it was quite a heavy bag.

Xin Nian took the money and turned to walk outside. Many people followed her with their eyes, seeing the young girl whispering and smiling at the old bailiff.

The latter appeared very polite, and before long, Xin Nian returned with two young post station servants.

Each servant carried a basin of hot water, which they set down before turning to leave.

"Father, Mother, you should both soak your feet in the hot water."

"Daughter, you go first." Xin Wenyuan pointed to the clear water.

"No need, you wash." She knew her own physical condition better than anyone; her healing ability would provide her with a constant stream of energy.

The blisters on her soles had long since faded. Although this delicate body was not yet accustomed to high-intensity walking and exercise, her situation was actually much better than her parents'.

Xin Wenyuan scooped up his young son, who was squatting nearby, and chuckled. "Son, you soak your feet with Dad."

"Forget it, don't ruin the child with your stinking feet." Xie Ninglan glanced at him with disdain and pulled the child to her side. "Han'er, soak with Mother."

"Then I won't be polite." Xin Wenyuan happily stuck his feet into the hot water, a look of both pain and relief appearing on his face as he made strange "Ouch" sounds.

Dali tightened her lips, secretly drawing another big red cross on the son-in-law's head in her mind.

Stingy! Delicate! And a bit of a chatterbox! These were all fatal flaws for a man!

A man should be like the old master or the eldest master of the Xie household—upright and indomitable, capable of supporting the entire family without effort.

The couple was in the corner by the door taking off their shoes to soak their feet when Xin Wen'an happened to glance over and saw this scene, his anger flaring up.

He frowned and walked over, his face full of disapproval. "Fourth Brother, you... this is simply a disgrace to our refinement!"

The scent of a pedantic scholar wafted over. Xin Wenyuan couldn't help but retort, "It's just soaking feet, how does that have anything to do with refinement? What, you never bathe or wash your feet, and you've just been stinking for decades?"

Madam Zhuang stepped forward to mock them. "Fourth Brother, you are all too unrefined. Taking off your shoes to wash in public like this, and you, Fourth Sister-in-law, following suit. As women, exposing your feet in public is simply a disgrace to our entire family's reputation."

Xie Ninglan was busy popping the small blisters on her young son's feet.

The child's small, fair feet were red, swollen, and covered in blisters; Xie Ninglan felt her heart ache just looking at them.

Why was this child so tough? Other children would have been crying and making a scene after walking for a day, but his feet were like this, and he hadn't made a single sound.

She was just asking the child, "Your feet are like this, don't you feel pain? Why didn't you tell your father?" when the Xin Wen'an couple walked straight over, looking for trouble with sour faces.

With her fiery temper, how could she endure even a bit of it? She immediately spat, "What's it to you? You two have to stick your noses into everything, don't you? If you can't stand the sight of it, why don't you just donate your eyes?"

"We didn't offer you the foot-washing water, so why are you rushing over here to get scolded?"