Chapter 7 Birthday Gift
After the caravan set out, the first three to five days were fine. Apart from the fact that Chief Escort Mo sent people to look after the Zhang brothers and sisters three times a day and their meals were richer than those of other porters, the journey was relatively peaceful.
Zhang Qing was worried and asked Tang Ying for advice: "Miss, I feel a little uneasy eating the meal sent by Chief Escort Mo. What should I do?"
"If an enemy comes, we will fight him; if a flood comes, we will block it with earth. You don't have to worry."
There is no free lunch in the world. How could Tang Ying not know this truth?
Zhang Qing was originally a hardworking person. He did what he could with a nervous heart. After two days, he even stopped pulling the cart and followed the other porters in front.
Those porters were all rough men, and they were all familiar with the character of the escort masters in the escort agency, so they laughed at him for not knowing how to enjoy life.
"Brother Zhang, why don't you enjoy the blessing in front of you and come to suffer with us brothers?"
Zhang Qing smiled bitterly: "How can it be a blessing for us two brothers and sisters to be penniless and reduced to this state?" For Tang Ying, having her family broken up and being in a desperate situation was not a blessing at all.
Several porters made faces. One of them saw that the boy was stupid and didn't know what was going on, so he gave him a word of advice: "The chief escort is very kind to women. Your sister is pretty. If the chief escort can marry your sister, you don't have to work so hard. You can ride a tall horse and travel all the way."
Zhang Qing cursed inwardly: Son of a bitch, why would my daughter, a descendant of a loyal and brave family, become a concubine of an old man?
When the porters saw that he didn't respond, they felt that he was so poor that he almost begged for food, yet he was still so ignorant of the current situation, so they were a little unhappy. One of them who was most good at flattering the chief escort and the escort masters said sarcastically: "What woman doesn't serve men? It's better to serve the chief escort than to serve a group of escort masters, right?"
"You--" Zhang Qing became even angrier after hearing this. Veins bulged on his forehead and he clenched his fists, wishing he could have a fight with these rotten people who were speaking foul language. However, Tang Ying's journey was too difficult and he didn't want to cause trouble for her, so he could only swallow his anger and turned around and walked back in a huff.
That’s not all.
The porters' teasing was just the beginning. A day or two later, an escort put his arm around Zhang Qing's shoulders and called him a brother, offering to act as a matchmaker for his sister and help her find a good marriage.
Zhang Qing also knew that it was not easy to offend these people, so he said, "My relative is about to pass away, how can I discuss marriage?"
"In an emergency, one has to make do with the expedient. There are also ways to get married out of filial piety. The eldest brother is like a father. You two siblings can't even get a bite to eat. Do you think starving to death is filial piety? But with your words, Chief Escort Mo will definitely take good care of your sister. It's better than for her to sleep in the open and suffer such hardship?" The escort turned around and glanced at the young lady sitting on the cart. He felt she had a stern look, and his heart was itching.
These people all lived on the edge of a knife, and they might get unlucky one day and lose their heads if they met bandits on the road. Therefore, every time they returned safely, they would always find a prostitute outside to have fun.
Zhang Qing insisted that Xiaozhong was dead and it was inconvenient to discuss marriage, so he sent the escort back.
During the break, Tang Ying took the opportunity when Zhang Qing was guarding for her to ask him, "These days, these people have been circling around you. What did they say?"
Zhang Qing was afraid that she would feel sad, so he refused to tell the truth: "I didn't say anything, just... to establish a good relationship."
"If you and I were as rich as Mr. Jiang, I would believe these people if they came to you to make friends. But what do they want from us now?"
Zhang Qing: “…”
Tang Ying's face was indifferent, and it was hard to tell whether she was happy or angry: "Are they plotting against me?"
Human trafficking is a business with a long history.
"They persuaded me to let you become the concubine of Chief Escort Mo." Zhang Qing could no longer hide the truth, so he cursed, "The young lady of the Tang family wants to be the concubine of an old man. Are they crazy or blind?"
Tang Ying stared at the angry young man in front of her, with mixed feelings in her heart. After such a long time, she rarely smiled: "Brother, don't forget, I am not a girl from the Tang family, I am a girl from the Zhang family."
"Miss!" Zhang Qing was very sad.
"A poor girl with a bit of beauty is someone that anyone can covet." Tang Ying didn't seem to be sad at all: "They are using courtesy first and then force. You will see, this is just the beginning."
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The escort originally thought that this matter could be accomplished, but he did not expect that Zhang Qing was a blockhead who would not think straight. He turned around and reported the matter to Chief Escort Mo.
"His sister is only of average appearance. Could it be that he thinks she is a rare treasure and wants to bring her to Beijing to make more money?"
When Chief Escort Mo first met Tang Ying, he just thought that this little girl had a different temperament. However, after traveling with her for a few days, he came to a different conclusion: "Do you find it strange? These two siblings don't look alike at all."
"Nothing. Maybe one takes after the father and the other after the mother."
Chief Escort Mo shook his head and drank the half bowl of turbid wine in the coarse porcelain bowl. His eyes followed the brother and sister who had just left the camp and returned, and pointed out something: "Look again, what do these brother and sister look like? The sister is walking in front with a calm demeanor, while the brother is walking behind the sister one step behind, and the way he speaks... is he very respectful?"
After his reminder, the several bodyguards sitting around him immediately reacted.
"That's what I said. I always feel something is wrong. These two siblings don't look like real siblings. They look more like master and servant."
"Yes, yes, the chief escort has a sharp eye. From a distance, it really looks like that."
When young ladies from wealthy families go out, they are always accompanied by servants. Zhang Qing has been in the Tang family for more than ten years, and it has become a habit for him to be respectful in front of Tang Ying. Even if they pretend to be brother and sister, they can still fool her at the beginning, but the situation is very different after getting along for a long time.
The matchmaker suddenly realized: "No wonder Zhang Qing resolutely refused the marriage, it turns out he has no say in the matter." He felt a little relieved.
Chief Escort Mo turned the wine bowl in his hand and smiled playfully: "An orphan girl whose parents have both passed away, with a young servant by her side, whether he is loyal or not... is still unclear."
From that day on, from time to time, when the escorts were camping outside, they would talk about the prosperous scenes of the major cities and towns along the way, how the girls were gentle and affectionate, how the officials and wealthy families enjoyed themselves, and many inspirational stories of poor boys who became successful, many of which involved many shameful means.
But Zhang Qing looked very dull. I listened to you when you talked, but if he was allowed to express his opinions, he would become a messenger of justice, pointing out the moral flaws of these poor young men who had made a fortune, and criticizing them harshly: "...The old man had done him a favor, how could he cheat the old man out of his coffin? He is worse than an animal!"
The escort who is responsible for telling the story: “…” I’m so tired!
Which rich family in the border town trained this stupid fool?
The escort said, "That's not the case. If he doesn't get the money from the old man, he, a poor boy, wo n't be able to make a lot of money. Besides, when he becomes rich, won't he go to the old man's grave to apologize in person?"
Zhang Qing: "He has angered people to death. Is it any use to apologize?" After all, he is from the Tang family and has a strong sense of law and order: "Swindlers like this should be sent to the government office, so that they won't cause more trouble when they have money in the future!"
Escort: “…”
Zhang Qing was a stubborn man. Even after several days of brainwashing, the old dirt in his brain could not be washed away. Instead, the escort almost vomited blood several times. However, he advised the escort: "There are gods above your head. You'd better do less bad things, otherwise you will feel uneasy while living, and will be fried in the oil pan by the King of Hell after you die." Although he was influenced by the strict legal system of the Tang Mansion, he would occasionally reveal some of the weird behavior that the children of country hunters had heard of since childhood.
Escort: “…”
If you don't enjoy life enough, who cares about what happens after you die?
This went on for half a month. During this time, Chief Escort Mo remained kind and concerned about Tang Ying's well-being, and provided her with good food and accommodation.
Tang Ying accepted everyone who came to her, but her attitude towards him was still distant and polite, and she treated him as a junior, which made Chief Escort Mo depressed.
The brother and sister really look like they are from the same family, and neither of them seems to be able to come to their senses.
The caravan traveled early in the morning and late at night, often missing their place of residence and having to sleep in the wild for several days. Chief Escort Mo sent someone to give Tang Ying a small tent early on.
Zhang Qing had to guard outside her tent at night, so the other porters dragged him to rest: "With so many of us, can't we protect your sister alone? Can we let her be taken away by wolves?"
"My sister is timid, so she can sleep better if I stay outside."
Several porters pulled and tugged, insisting on pulling Zhang Qing away: "Brother Zhang, look around here. Chief Escort Mo was kind enough to pick the safest place for your sister's tent. There are several tents in front and behind, so don't worry."
Finally, Tang Ying said, "Brother, don't worry about me. Go with them and have some rest. We have to travel again tomorrow morning." Zhang Qing then followed these people.
They travelled together for more than ten days, and although there were undercurrents, Tang Ying calculated with Zhang Qing every day how far they were from the capital, and turned a blind eye to the actions of the escort agency.
We missed our place to stay again that night and had to sleep outdoors.
Tang Ying still lived in the small tent, and Zhang Qing was still dragged away by several porters. Both of them were used to it.
Not far from her tent were the tents of Chief Escort Mo, two other escorts, and Boss Jiang. Further out were the entourage. Even further away, there were people on night patrol walking around the camp. It was the safest place.
Tang Ying has been cultivating his spirit every day recently. Although he has been on the road all the time, his face looks a little more rosy than when Chief Escort Mo first met him.
She dozed off on the cart leaning against the cargo during the day. She had been sleeping too much recently, and couldn't help tossing and turning at night, thinking about the past and not sleeping well. Just as she was falling into a daze, she seemed to hear the sound of footsteps stepping on the grass. Although it was very slight, it woke her up instantly.
People who practice martial arts have better hearing than ordinary people. Moreover, she was also very alert. She listened carefully to the footsteps and found that they were getting closer and closer.
In the darkness, Tang Ying closed her eyes and counted the footsteps in her mind. The person seemed to deliberately lighten his footsteps. If she slept a little more deeply, she would probably only hear the autumn wind rustling outside and the sound of grass leaves, and might not wake up.
She groped in the dark for the dagger tied to her calf . It was a birthday present Tang Yao had given her when she was twelve years old, and she had never left it behind over the years.
