Chapter 7: Confidence

"That good-for-nothing wastrel Xin Wenyuan has truly ruined your life, my child!"

Xie Ninglan was held in the old madam's embrace. At first, she felt a bit uncomfortable, but as she gradually relaxed, she patted the old madam's back with stiff movements to show comfort.

From her grandmother's intermittent recounting, Xin Nian learned that her mother's original self was a hopeless romantic!

In truth, Xie Ninglan did not come from a low background. Her father was the Minister of Personnel, and her elder brother was the Governor of Binzhou; both held real power.

Originally, her family had arranged for her a suitor of excellent character and talent. However, Xie Ninglan had been blinded by love for that wastrel Xin Wenyuan. She had made such a scene that she broke off her engagement, only to hang herself on the crooked tree that was Xin Wenyuan...

As for Xin Wenyuan, he was into all sorts of hedonistic pursuits, daily obsessed with cockfighting and bird-walking. But to say he was truly evil? That wasn't entirely accurate.

At the very least, while he played around, he stayed away from gambling, drugs, and women.

Even when cockfighting or cricket-fighting with his group of fox friends, he never bet money. If asked why, it was because he was stingy. Furthermore, the family's financial power was always held by his parents, and he didn't have the guts to challenge their authority.

Although Xie Ninglan had a fiery temper, she was a paper tiger who couldn't control her wastrel husband at all.

Moreover, the wastrel's daily expenses were limited. Most of the time, Xie Ninglan would turn a blind eye; when she got too angry, she would just hide under the covers and cry, which was quite useless.

The couple would have small quarrels every three days and big fights every five. The daily life of the Fourth Branch of the Duke's Mansion was always chaotic, and everyone had become accustomed to it...

Xie Ninglan, having been lectured by the Minister's wife while being poked in the forehead, felt a bit dazed.

What kind of life had the original self been living, swallowing her pride all these years? A dignified daughter of a Minister's house, wasting her days with a small-time hoodlum.

And for this, she had even given birth to three children for him. Her brain must have been caught in a door.

Seeing her looking so muddled, the Minister's wife couldn't help but feel angry. "You useless thing, if you had listened to your mother, you would have brought the children home years ago. You wouldn't have ended up in this mess."

"Now, not only have you harmed my Niannian, but you've also harmed Chen-ge'er and Han-ge'er. Tell me, do you regret it now?"

Xie Ninglan nodded numbly, though she was thinking that it was fortunate she hadn't divorced, otherwise she would have been inexplicably separated from her "Old Xin."

The Minister's wife wiped her tears, and the nanny beside her supported her, advising, "Old Madam, do not worry too much. Time is short; we should quickly finish giving instructions to the young lady and the little miss."

Old Madam Xie nodded and looked at Xie Ninglan with a solemn face. "It is too late to say these things now. Since you have decided to follow Xin Wenyuan, you must take up your responsibilities as a mother on the road and take good care of your three children."

Xie Ninglan nodded hurriedly.

Old Madam Xie couldn't help but shed tears again. "You have never suffered such hardships in your life. Just thinking about you eating and sleeping poorly on the road makes my heart ache as if it were being carved out."

The nanny wept along with the old madam for a while, offering a few words of comfort.

Only then did the Minister's wife dry her tears, turn around, and beckon, "Dali."

A sturdy, thick-set girl pushed a cart piled high like a mountain, walking with the speed of a flying bird.

The Minister's wife took Xin Nian's hand, her face full of worry. "Niannian, from now on, let Dali stay by your side."

"This girl is eighteen this year, strong as an ox, and can protect both you and your mother."

After saying this, she rambled on about what she had prepared for them. Clothes, bedding, food, and medicine were all there; she had even prepared over a dozen water skins.

To make their journey easier, the old madam had specifically had the soles of their straw sandals thickened, with thick sheepskin sewn into the layers and the soles. Even if the straw soles wore out halfway, the sheepskin layer would hold, preventing their feet from being rubbed raw.

As for dry rations, she had prepared all the flatbreads, pickles, and dried meat she could, and in no small quantity.

Xin Nian's heart, which had been cold and hard for hundreds of years, felt a strange sense of warmth.

She rarely drew warmth from anyone other than her parents and brothers.

Especially in the treacherous apocalypse, relationships between people were nothing more than struggles of interest and exploitation.

This nominal grandmother made her feel a genuine, deep maternal love.

"Keep your wits about you in everything. Prioritize your own children; don't be foolish and give everything away. In that big family of yours, you can't look after everyone. At a time like this, you must look after yourselves first." The old lady nagged and nagged, unable to rest easy.

Xie Ninglan felt a sourness in her heart and nodded heavily. "Mother, I know."

Old Madam Xie tearfully smoothed her daughter's messy hair. "When you reach Binzhou, your brother will come to meet you. Don't worry, we won't let you suffer too much on the road. We will continue to arrange for people to send you emergency supplies along the way."

"As for the guards, the mansion has already made some arrangements." The old lady took out two plain, inconspicuous cotton belts and personally tied them inside the prison clothes of Xie Ninglan and Xin Nian.

She tugged hard to ensure they were secure, then nodded with a solemn expression and lowered her voice. "Each waistband hides one hundred gold leaves for you to settle down in the Far North. Do not take them out easily on the road."

She then took a bag of loose silver from the nanny and stuffed it into Xie Ninglan's bosom, patting it. "Use these carefully on the road. Those guards have big appetites; don't spoil them all at once."

Xie Ninglan's nose felt sore. With the atmosphere as it was, she quickly knelt down and kowtowed solemnly to her mother.

"Mother, you and Father must also take care of your health."

Old Madam Xie wept incessantly, choking out, "You leave the outskirts of the capital early tomorrow morning, which means you are truly leaving the capital. Is there anything else you want before then? I will send someone to bring it."

Xin Nian perked up at this and quickly asked the nanny for paper and a brush, writing out a long list.

The nanny was left stunned.

The list included things like medicine pestles, mortars, herbs, and silver needles. Although Old Madam Xie found it strange, she didn't ask and just nodded, telling the nanny to prepare them.

Three generations of the family said their reluctant goodbyes.

Dali was a silent type, pushing the cart full of goods at the front. The other prisoners stared at the cart, letting out gasps of surprise one after another.

The mother and daughter, facing various gazes of envy, greed, jealousy, and disdain, followed behind Dali.

The old guard rubbed his hands and came forward with a smile. "Congratulations to the Fourth Madam and the Sixth Miss."

This cart of goods was a grand gesture; it was more useful than gold on the road of exile!

Moreover, the Minister's wife had even sent a maid to accompany the mistress on the road. Discerning people saw this special treatment clearly.

Someone snorted in disdain, half-jealous and half-envious. "Some people, even in exile, don't forget to put on the airs of a young lady or a madam. They might as well have come in a sedan chair!"

The mother and daughter couldn't be bothered to deal with these short-sighted strangers. After thanking the old guard with a few polite words, they left.

"Daughter, I finally understand why the old guard was so polite to us earlier. It turns out it was all for the sake of your grandfather."