Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

When Zhang Sanlang came out of the house, the sun was already setting.

He bought three flatbreads from Old Man Wu's stall at the street corner, wrapped them in dried lotus leaves and put them in his pocket. Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into a man carrying a load of food.

The person carrying the load was in a hurry, his steps were quick and hurried, and the bamboo baskets hanging at both ends of the carrying pole swayed violently.

The pears rolled out of the basket and tumbled all over the ground. The woman following behind was carrying half a basket of dates, her face pale and her steps unsteady.

Zhang Sanlang was poked on the shoulder by the wooden carrying pole, and he dodged to the side, reaching out to steady the basket. "Zhou Qing?"

Zhou Qing looked up, his forehead covered in sweat. He was taken aback when he saw it was Zhang Sanlang, then quickly put down his load. "Zhang Qianxing, I'm so sorry, I didn't bump into you, did I?"

Zhou Chenshi stood behind him with her head down, clutching the basket in both hands. She didn't look at Zhang Sanlang, but glanced at the alley entrance before looking away.

Zhang Sanlang bent down to pick up the fallen pears and put them back in the basket. "What happened to you? Were there wolves chasing you?"

Zhou Qingqian chuckled twice but didn't reply.

Zhou Chenshi tugged at his sleeve, and he quickly picked up the load again. "It's alright, it's alright, Zhang Qianxing, we'll go back now."

The two hurried towards the old house, one after the other, their steps much faster than usual. Zhou Chenshi, who usually moved with graceful steps, was now panicked and wished she could grow wings, which made Zhang Sanlang look at her with dismay.

The three of them entered the courtyard one after the other.

Zhou Chenshi rushed into the main room and slammed the door shut.

Zhou Qing put the load on the porch. The pears in the bamboo basket were crooked, and several of them had broken skin and juice was seeping out.

Xi Mei came out from the east wing and took the flatbread from Zhang Sanlang's hand. Qing Ge followed behind, watching longingly. Hu Zi from the carpenter's house squatted by the stove, holding a lump of mud in his hand and muttering something to himself.

Zhou Qing picked out a few unbroken pears from the basket, grabbed a handful of dates, divided them into three portions, and gave them to Xi Mei'er, Qing Ge'er, and Hu Zi, saying, "Here, eat these, they're sweet!"

happy Mei glanced at Zhang Sanlang, and only took it after seeing him nod.

Qingge'er was already gnawing on it, juice dripping down his chin.

Tiger's mouth watered, but he resisted the urge to eat, saying he would take it back to his grandmother, Granny He.

Zhou Qing sat down on the low stool, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, glanced at the tightly closed door of the main room, and then looked at Zhang Sanlang.

Zhang Sanlang sat down opposite him. "Zhou Qing, what's the matter?"

Zhou Qing was silent for a moment, then picked up a pear with a cracked skin from the basket, took a bite, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

"Zhang Qianxing, I have something to tell you. Please don't tell anyone else."

"you say."

Zhou Qing took another bite of the pear, chewing it for a long time before swallowing.

He threw the pear core on the ground, rubbed his knees with both hands, and said, "I'm not from Juancheng. My hometown is Liushugou."

Zhang Sanlang's brow twitched slightly.

Zhou Qing didn't look at him, and continued with her head down, "Six years ago, my father fell ill and it dragged on for more than half a year. The family had no money, and the clan members were also poor, so they couldn't lend us a few hundred coins. My uncle advised my father to mortgage his land and borrow money from the interest on the lambs."

"How much did you borrow?"

"Ten strings of cash. The money lender said he wanted to borrow ten strings, but only gave him nine, deducting one as a deduction. He was supposed to repay thirteen strings on time. My father dragged his feet for more than half a year, but he still died. Not long after, my mother ran away with a peddler."

Zhang Sanlang remained silent.

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

"I couldn't pay back the money, so the lender took all my land. Twelve mu of dry land and four mu of paddy fields, they took it all."

Zhou Qing looked up at the courtyard wall. "I was only fourteen that year, a half-grown boy who ate my father's bread. I wasn't very strong at work, but I was good at eating. Several elders in the clan discussed it for half a month, but in the end, no one was willing to take me in."

"I went to a money lender myself and said I was willing to sell myself to pay off my debts. The money lender looked me up and down and made me sign a five-year contract to work as a servant in his house."

"I ran errands in the front yard, serving tea and water, and delivering messages and documents to the money changer. After four years, I knew everyone, from top to bottom. I knew the steward's temperament, the accountant's habits, and which maids and servants didn't get along with whom."

He paused, then lowered his voice, "Master Xingqian has a third young lady in his household. She has been spoiled since childhood, has a bad temper, and often throws things."

"But she was quite kind to her servants, unlike the eldest and second mistresses who took their anger out on the maids and servants. When I was running errands in the front yard, she often ordered me to buy her snacks."

Zhang Sanlang listened thoughtfully, then slowly asked, "And then?"

Zhou Qing gritted his teeth. "Two years ago, Master Qian wanted to marry his third daughter to the second son of the Ma family in Shucheng. That man was a cripple and loved to drink heavily. When he was drunk, he would beat people."

"However, Old Man Ma is a clerk in the criminal division of Shucheng County, and he and Master Qian are old friends. The third young lady was unwilling and made a scene at home several times."

"On my wedding day, before we even left the county, the third young lady lifted the curtain in her sedan chair and called me over. She said, 'Zhou Qing, if you rescue me, I'll reward you with ten strings of cash!'"

Zhou Qing gave a wry smile. "I didn't think much of it at the time. She was the mistress of the main family and was used to ordering me around. I did whatever she told me to do. I was following next to the bridal sedan chair, and when no one was looking, I cut the rope at the back of the chair."

"When the sedan chair was halfway there, the sedan chair bearers took a break. The third young lady climbed out of the sedan chair and scattered several hundred lucky coins on the ground. While the people were scrambling for them, I ran away with her."

Zhang Sanlang's lips twitched.

"The money lender sent dozens of men to search for us. We dared not take the main road and traveled over the mountains for two days before we reached the county town. Before she left, the third young lady took all the gold and silver jewelry she had saved, worth several hundred strings of cash."

"She said it would be enough for the two of us to live on in the county town for the rest of our lives." Zhou Qing looked up at Zhang Sanlang. "When we got to the county town, we didn't dare stay in an inn, afraid of being recognized."

"After searching for several days, we finally rented a main house in Kujing Lane. We told outsiders that we were a couple running a small business. The Third Young Lady said that we shouldn't be called the Third Young Lady anymore, but rather 'wife.' Actually, we never had a wedding ceremony..."

Zhang Sanlang looked at him and knew that he had been talking for a long time but hadn't gotten to the point yet.

Zhou Qing lowered his voice, "Today, while selling fruit at the market, I saw a person in the distance. He was wearing a gray silk robe, and when he walked, his hands were behind his back, and his chin was held very high."

"That man was the manager of the estate of Master Qian. He managed the land rent and loan sharking of about a dozen villages near Liushugou. When I was a servant in the Chen family, I was often beaten and scolded by him."

"Did he see you?"

"He called out 'Third Young Lady' from half a street away. I don't know if he recognized her or just thought she looked like him and called out casually." Zhou Qing's Adam's apple bobbed. "I panicked and ran with my load on my shoulders. Third Young Lady ran after me."

Zhang Sanlang was silent for a moment, then said, "Zhou Qing, the third young lady you mentioned, could it be that her maiden name is Chen?"

Zhou Qing paused for a moment, "His surname is Chen."

Zhang Sanlang looked at him and asked, "The 'Master Qian' you're talking about, is that Chen Youde?"

Zhou Qing's face paled slightly, and she nodded. "Zhang Qianxing, how did you know?"