bookrebus Chapter 71 The Person Seeking Help
Chapter 71 The Person Seeking Help
This family consists of four people: a couple, a boy who is fourteen or fifteen years old, and an eight or nine-year-old girl who is being carried by the husband in the middle.
They looked very anxious, seemingly because the girl was sick.
The husband among the four asked Meng Linlang, who was feeding hay to the donkey, "Girl, is there a doctor among your group who can cure my daughter? She has a high fever, and we really have no other choice!"
The wife also said urgently, "We will definitely repay you handsomely if you can save my daughter!"
The husband was well-mannered and handsome, while the wife was generous and dignified, with a touch of heroism in her eyes. Unlike other refugees who wore coarse linen, the family of four wore cotton clothes, and even during their escape, they were relatively clean.
When questioned, Meng Linlang stared blankly at the fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy for a long time without saying a word.
The boy had a pair of phoenix eyes, a faint mole on his straight nose, and clear, bright eyes, but his lips unconsciously pursed up because of Meng Linlang's long-term gaze.
He couldn't help but repeat, "May I ask, young lady, is there a doctor among your group?"
Meng Linlang's face flushed red, but fortunately it was dark so that no one could see her clearly.
The scenes from her dream appeared before her eyes one by one. She was certain that the young man was the person in her dreams, her future husband, Shen Lianxing.
However, when she met Shen Lianxing in her dream, Shen's parents and younger sister were killed by Hu people while fleeing. Only the seriously injured Shen Lianxing was saved by her. She took good care of him with spiritual spring water and saved his life.
To her surprise, the Shen family members were all alive and well, and Shen Lianxing was unharmed. Meng Linlang felt both fortunate and relieved.
She was initially very worried that the journey would be so far ahead of schedule that she would never see Shen Lianxing again, but it seems that her luck has not been completely taken away.
"Yes, yes." She glanced at the boy before quickly lowering her eyes again. "I'll take you there right away..."
The Shen family was surprised that Meng Linlang agreed so easily, and they thanked her repeatedly after realizing what had happened.
Many people were watching Meng Linlang's movements. Seeing that Meng Linlang had brought people to their territory without making a sound, they couldn't help but ask, "Linlang, who are they? Why did you bring them here?"
Meng Linlang naturally knew who they were, but the villagers did not. She thought for a moment, then turned to the Shen family and said, "My name is Meng Linlang. May I ask your names and where you are from?"
Hearing the commotion, Meng Bochang came over, and Meng Linlang quickly introduced him: "This is our village chief, who also shares the surname Meng."
Meng Bochang felt quite helpless. He had said more than once that when traveling, one should not talk to strangers, and should not have too much sympathy for refugees, but it seemed that this had little effect.
"I need to know where you are from and where you are going before I can decide whether or not to help your family. Please forgive me."
Mr. Shen nodded understandingly, “Village Chief, you’re too kind. You can never be too careful when you’re out and about. If my Yue’er hadn’t had a high fever, we wouldn’t have wanted to bother you all.”
"We are from the Shen family of Qingzhou. My name is Shen Yuan. We came to Changping Prefecture with my wife and children to visit relatives. We never expected to encounter such a calamity on our way back. My daughter has fallen ill due to the stress and fright of the journey. The nearest county town is still a day's journey away. We simply couldn't wait any longer..."
Meng Bochang thought for a moment and asked, "Did you bring your household registration documents?"
Knowing that he was there to confirm their identities, Shen Lianxing hurriedly took out her family's household registration from her bundle and handed it to Meng Bochang.
After examining the child, Meng Bochang said, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Although we don't want to cause trouble, since you've come here, we can't just stand by and watch a child have an accident. Come with me, I'll take you to see Doctor Zheng."
The Shen family of four followed Meng Bochang away. Meng Linlang hesitated for a moment, but still followed.
She's already suffered enough; she absolutely cannot lose him too.
Xie Jin and Meng Fuqing, who were not far away, both witnessed this scene.
After Xie Jin heard that the family's surname was Shen, he learned that the young man among them was named Shen Lianxing, who was also the one who joined forces with others in Meng Linlang's dream to bring down this 'tyrant'.
He lifted the carriage curtain and snapped his fingers, and Mu Feng walked over and asked, "What are your orders, young master?"
"Keep the Shen family here and have someone keep an eye on them."
"Yes."
Meng Fuqing, on the other side, was unaware of the details, but he also noticed Meng Linlang's strange behavior.
These past few days, Meng Linlang has been keeping a low profile and becoming much quieter. Why is she now interested in getting involved in the affairs of strangers?
Unless she recognizes that family.
The thought flashed through her mind and she didn't dwell on it.
Meng Linlang is more valuable to Xie Jin. In Meng Linlang's dream, the crisis of the original owner's family has been resolved, and she is confident that she will not repeat the same mistakes.
Doctor Zheng hadn't really seen a patient for many days, but now that a patient had come, he was in high spirits. While performing acupuncture on Shen Lianyue, he explained the various acupoints to Meng Ranran. Meng Ranran listened very attentively.
Even on the road of fleeing from disaster, there is no reason to treat the illness for nothing. The Shen family took out a ten-tael silver ingot from their bundle as a consultation fee, and their gratitude was beyond words.
Mu Feng whispered a few words in Meng Bochang's ear before turning and leaving, leaving Meng Bochang wondering how to broach the subject.
He had previously worried that the Shen family had some ulterior motives, but now that they had suddenly offered ten taels of silver, it seemed as if they were the ones with ulterior motives.
He walked up to Shen Yuan and said, "Young friend, you have a refined and scholarly air about you. You are clearly a well-educated person. May I ask if you have studied?"
Shen Yuan nodded, "I am not talented. I have studied hard for more than ten years and only passed the county-level exam."
Meng Bochang was filled with respect and quickly bowed, saying, "It was my poor judgment..."
Shen Yuan quickly raised his hand to stop him, "Village chief, there's no need for that. You have done my Shen family a great favor. May I ask where you are headed? If you pass through Qingzhou, my wife and I will certainly present you with a gift of gratitude."
Meng Bochang immediately said, "There's no need for a thank-you gift. We're heading to Jing'an Prefecture. By the time we reach Qingzhou, we'll be almost out of food. We plan to buy some more in Qingzhou, but we're worried we won't be able to get through the city gates. Why don't you come with us, sir? You can help us out when we get to Qingzhou."
Families like the Shen family, consisting of only one member and dressed well, are the first to be targeted by refugees for robbery.
As expected, Shen Yuan was very grateful. "The village chief's words have truly saved my wife and children's lives. If I can travel with the villagers and reach Qingzhou, I will definitely help them achieve their wishes."
In a few words, the two agreed to travel together. Meng Linlang, who was listening from the side, couldn't help but smile.
The arrival of the strangers didn't attract much attention from the villagers. Instead, it was Shen Yuan's status as a scholar that made the villagers talk about it, and they became even more respectful towards the scholar's family.
As if feeling proud, Meng Linlang's smile broadened.
The hustle and bustle here didn't affect Meng Fuqing's family. They gathered firewood, lit a fire, and cooked, just like always.
Dan Qiyu was worried that the meat would spoil if left out for too long, so since there was enough water, she would cook a pot of chicken soup that evening, without considering anything else.
After dinner, everyone went back to sleep.
Meng Fuqing was not asleep yet when she was gently shaken. She opened her eyes and looked at the person who came in. It was Meng Ranran.
Meng Ranran said somewhat shyly, "Sister, I need to go to the toilet."
Meng Fuqing got up and stayed with her.
The two arrived behind a small earthen mound. Meng Fuqing stood aside and looked at the official road in the distance. The refugees had already rested, and there were few people on the official road.
In the woods on the other side of the official road, figures occasionally flashed by.
At first, she thought they were just refugees resting there. But a cold glint flashed in her eyes under the moonlight, and the weariness and languor on her face vanished instantly. She slipped behind the hillside, leaving only her eyes fixed on the opposite forest.