Mrs. Zhang followed Zhuo Lengping through mountains and rivers, for fear of being arrested by officers and soldiers, so she didn't dare to rest for a moment along the way, only knowing that the farther she ran, the better.

They ate and slept in the open, and they didn't know how many distances they had traveled, how many days and moons they had watched, and finally settled down in a small county town.

The mother and daughter asked a few inns, but they were not allowed to stay here, so they had to walk a little longer to find a place where they could barely stay.

The two of them had dinner in the store, and heard the hunchbacked shopkeeper say that this place was called Taizhou, which was originally quite rich, but because it was robbed two years ago, it is now almost desolate. He also said that since then, the governor of Taizhou has either suffered a catastrophe or his official luck is not good, and it has gradually become an ominous place, where does anyone dare to come here? There are also talkative people who say that being an official here means that his career is in a slump.

Zhuo Lengping was not interested in this, just nodded yes, and forgot about it after hearing it.

"Speaking of which, girl, you'd better be on the list here, and if the government investigates in detail, I can also prevaricate." The shopkeeper took out a ledger and leaned against the table and said.

Zhuo Lengping gave his mother a look, then turned his head and smiled: "We can naturally save this." ”

"Name." The shopkeeper took a pen out of his jacket and said.

"Zhu Qiuguang."

"The old lady?"

"My surname is Li." Mrs. Zhang said with a smile.

"Where?"

"Nanjing ......" Mrs. Zhang suddenly stopped talking halfway through her speech.

Zhuo Lengping hurriedly continued: "Zhenjiang Mansion near Nanjing. ”

"Good...... Zhenjiang Mansion is it......" he wrote slowly.

"That's good. However, it is a little inconvenient for you to live in a woman's hotel, so it's best to note a man's name. ”

"I can be considered a man as a man, right?"

"That's right!" The shopkeeper briskly collected the account and said, "Also, my shop is small, and the place where you live may be shabby, so make do with it." ”

"We have also had a hard time, and we don't care if we are wronged, you can rest assured." Zhuo Lengping said respectfully.

When she and her daughter entered the house, they saw that the walls around them were all made of wooden planks, and there were some scratches on them, and the marks that seemed to have been burned by smoke and fire, which were extremely dirty.

Zhuo Lengping leaned against the wall, and the wall panel also made a 'creaking' sound, which seemed to be not very strong, as if it would collapse in the next moment.

When she approached the bed, she saw that it was made of wood, and that it was covered with a pile of dead grass. It shook and 'creaked'.

"Mother, this bed is unstable......"

Mrs. Zhang walked over slowly, sat down on the wooden bed, and then laughed and said, "You and I have survived those days in the broken temple, what's wrong with sleeping in a bed?" Don't worry! ”

"Then the daughter fell asleep on the ground." Zhuo Lengping saw that his mother didn't care, and he smiled happily.

Zhuo Lengping walked to a wooden table next to him by candlelight, opened the drawer under the table, and saw a rusty knife inside, so he put it on his body.

"Cold screen, what are you doing?" Mrs. Zhang asked while lying on the bed.

"When I saw a knife, I carried it on my body by the way." Zhuo Lengping blew the dust on his hands.

"You're sleeping with this?" Mrs. Zhang was afraid that something would happen to her, and she was a little flustered.

"Mother, don't worry, I think we orphans and widows are easy to be targeted by thieves...... It's best to bring something to be on guard. When she said that, she yawned reassuringly, lay on the ground, and looked at her mother's face by a ray of moonlight outside the window.

Leng Ping hadn't looked at his mother so directly for a long time, and found that her face was getting thinner and yellower. She knew that her mother had been tired physically and mentally since the past few months of travel, but she didn't know how to comfort her. Leng Ping even has a conscience of self-blame, guilt for failing to protect her well, and failing to let her mother enjoy a peaceful life in her old age. I could only look at her innocently with those clear eyes, and said softly:

"Mother, you are so resting, and your daughter will live a good life with you."

Mrs. Zhang's heart was sour, but she just smiled and nodded, without saying a word.

This moment was very silent, even cold, but in the hearts of the mother and daughter, the only thing they could feel was warmth.

Mrs. Zhang shivered, "It's a little cold," she said, tugging at her thin clothes.

"Cold?"

Zhuo Lengping didn't hesitate at all, she stood up for a while, she quickly took off her coat, held it in her hand, approached the bed, and quietly draped her clothes on her mother.

"It's not cold, but?" Zhuo Lengping asked with a grin.

"It's not cold, it's not cold...... "Mrs. Zhang opened a kind and happy smile, and slowly lowered her eyelids, as if she gradually fell asleep.

Zhuo Lengping touched his mother's hand and was still a little cold, so he put his body on his mother's back, used it as a quilt, and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

Zhuo Lengping also became sleepy in the long night, and unconsciously leaned on her mother's side and fell asleep.

As soon as the sky was bright, Zhuo Lengping opened her eyes and looked up to see that her mother was still not awake, so she slowly stood up.

"Daughter......"

Zhuo Lengping was walking to the door, and when he heard the call from behind, he hurriedly turned around again.

"Are you awake?"

Mrs. Zhang nodded in a daze, but suddenly coughed several times.

Leng Ping patted his mother's back and asked, "What's wrong with you?" ”

Mrs. Zhang took a breath and said, "It's okay, it's okay...... Cough cough looks scared you! It's just that the head is a little dizzy, and it doesn't tighten. ”

Leng Ping touched her forehead worriedly, but she was startled, and immediately withdrew her hand: "Mother, you have a little heat on your head...... I'm afraid it was frozen a few days ago......"

"What?" Mrs. Zhang frowned, "It's terrible if you really get caught the wind cold......

"It's fine!" Zhuo Lengping pretended to be calm and shook his head: "I'll go and grab the side medicine for you, as long as you eat it, you'll be fine...... The wind and cold are not a serious illness, and the mother is afraid of what it will do! ”

"It's not big, but it's not small." Mrs. Zhang said and coughed again.

"It's just that you take care of your daughter, and it's troublesome...... Ahem...... Much more. She lay back on the bed, making a weak sound.

Zhuo Lengping went out and searched the blanket, and there were still two taels of silver in total. She regretted that she didn't get more money from the Lu family at the beginning, so that she is where she is today.

She had to take the money to the pharmacy, and had someone prescribe a prescription for one or two pieces of silver, and went back to drink it for her mother immediately. However, the effect of this medicine is not significant, and the condition worsens due to the fact that he lives in this dilapidated house all day long, and is repeatedly disturbed by the autumn wind, and there is no bed quilt.

The old lady was old, but she couldn't stand it, and she couldn't do anything with the cold screen, so she had to beg the shopkeeper: "Look at my mother is sick like this, please reach out and help our mother and daughter call a man and buy a quilt!" ”

The shopkeeper estimated for a while, and pouted in embarrassment: "How much does it cost?" At least three or four taels of silver! Do you have so much on you? ”

Leng Ping was in a hurry, threw the blanket on the counter, and poured out the remaining silver taels.

"I only have these broken silvers, please help!" A few tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, tears rolling in her eyes.

"I have no relationship with you, and I have no responsibility to help you with the money, right? Take good care of your mother, since ancient times, 'life and death are fate', don't think about begging people, it's useless to ask for it. ”

Zhuo Lengping was stunned for a long time, and tears rolled down his face. In the end, she could only reluctantly bite her cuffs and slowly walk back to the house.