A ditch, not much wider than a stream, lay on the south side of Wei City, and on the edge of the ditch stood a small slope, not even a hill. At the foot of the slope was found a hut without a fence or a slate roof, not even qualified to be called a house. The rain clouds had dispersed earlier, allowing bright stars to illuminate the ditches, slopes, and huts in a beautiful silvery glow.

Under the starlight, Ning Que trotted forward, but dragged his steps. He slowed down and glanced more at the hut where he and Sangsang had spent most of their time together. But no matter how slow he goes, his destination will always arrive because he's always on the way. The poor fence, which could only defend against dogs, was pushed open. He walked over to the glare of the oil lamp that peeked through the crack in the door. He covered his mouth, coughed a few times, announced his arrival, and said, "How about we move to the capital?"

The door was pushed open and creaked, breaking the silence of the night.

The little maid Sangsang knelt by the door, the shadow of her thin body stretched by the light. She pressed her figure against the wooden frame and replied, "Haven't you always longed for Chang'an?" Well, I need something. When will you be able to steal some gas from the gun camp? The door has been creaking for months and is troublesome.

"Who's still using those hard-to-use guns? If you just want oil, I'll ask for some ...... from the luggage camp tomorrow" Ning Que answered her instinctively and casually, suddenly thinking of something. Wait! This is not a conversation I intend to have with you! If we really want to leave, why bother with this useless door?

Sangsang bent over and knelt on the ground. Her small figure looked extremely thin, and the cool spring night breeze blew on her. She stared at Ning Que and whispered the following words, careful not to show any emotion. "If we leave, there will be other people living here. They still need to use the door.

"Is there really anyone else but us who wants to spend their lives in this remote and broken cabin?" Ning Que thought silently, and suddenly felt a feeling of unwillingness, which hit his heart inexplicably. He sighed softly, squeezed past Sangsang and muttered, "Go pack your bags at night."

Sangsang casually brushed his fingers through the hair at his temples. Looking at his back, she asked, "Ning Que, I don't understand why you're so crazy?"

"No one can resist the temptation to get stronger, and besides, it's really attractive.

Only then did Ning Que realize that his little maid had understood what he was thinking. He looked up and saw her little swan face. He tilted his eyebrows and continued. "Anyway, we can't spend our whole lives in Wei City. The world is big and waiting for us to explore. In addition to the Don Empire, there were many other countries. In addition, when it comes to making more money or getting promoted faster, Chang'an is more of an ideal place to live than Wei City. That's why I had to get accepted and join the college.

Sangsang seemed to be immersed in her thoughts. She is not fully grown up yet, and her age is considered young. However, the sandstorm in the fort blew on her face, darkening and roughening her skin. Her pale yellow hair is the result of child malnutrition. All these things make her face less beautiful, tough.

However, she had eyes as thin as willow leaves, blue as crystal ice, and rarely showed a special expression, all of which gave her the appearance of a mature and mature lady, and not a young maid no more than twelve years old, born from bitterness. The extreme contrast between her real age and eye expressions makes others think she has a cool style.

And in Ning Que's eyes, these were all false illusions. He is well aware that Sangsang usually belongs to the kind of girl who has no thoughts. During this long time, she had become accustomed to listening to him, so her inertia in her thoughts grew, which caused her mind to slow down. So, to hide her sluggishness, she began to say a few fewer words, making her seem even more eccentric.

"No, she's not slow-minded, she's just clumsy." He corrected himself in his mind because of what he thought.

After being silent for a long time, Sang Sang suddenly raised his head and bit his lip, with a rare look of timidity. She muttered, "I've heard... Chang'an is very big and has a lot of people.

"The capital is thriving. It is said that since the third year of Tianqi, the population there has exceeded one million, and of course, the cost of living there is quite high. In any case, it won't be an easy task..."

Ning Que sighed and caught a glimpse of the girl's nervousness. Then he comforted her. "There's nothing to be afraid of, just think of it as a bigger version of Wei Cheng. I'll take care of the external affairs, and you stay inside and take care of the housework, like we've always done. If you're still feeling uneasy, then we can reduce the amount of time you spend out and about.

"How much does a month's groceries cost?"

Her willowy eyes stared in surprise, clutching the hem of her skirt tightly, and asked nervously, "Will it be more than four taels of silver?" This will be twice as much as the cost here.

"If I'm really going to enroll in the college, you'd better make me some good clothes because there will be visitors like my classmates coming to visit us. Moreover, some masters may also come to visit my family, in case they appreciate me, your young master. I've roughly figured it out, and it's going to cost us no less than a dozen taels of silver.

Ning Que replied with a frown, but in fact, he was just talking nonsense cautiously, because he didn't know that in the eyes of the academy disciples, with so much money, he could only buy a not very good dinner at Tianxiang Restaurant. As the famous joke goes, in the imagination of country women, the queen always bakes meat pies as big as the ocean, and the imperial concubines are always peeling onions, as high as mountains.

However, even if it is not as brutal as reality in reality, this answer is far beyond the bottom line of the little maid. She stared at him, frowning, and suggested. "It's too expensive... Ning Que, let's not leave, how about giving up the academy?

"You're so ignorant!" Ning Que scolded: "After I graduate from the academy, I will definitely become an official." You and I need ten taels of silver a month, but I can earn at least seventy or eighty taels from the local government! And, what's going on in Chang'an? They have a wide variety of cosmetics that can be found at Tan Kim Ji Cosmetics Store.

Apparently, the little maid was caught in a fierce mental struggle, as if struck by the word "cosmetics". After a while, she bit her lip lightly and gave the answer in a pig's whisper. "What about your years at the Academy? My needlework is not as good as that of Chang'an. How are we going to feed ourselves?

"This is really a problem, not to mention the fact that hunting is forbidden in the Chang'an area, because the forests there can only be used by the emperor...... How much money do we have now?

The two exchanged meaningful glances, and walked in unison to the two large elm boxes. They opened one of them, fumbled around, and pulled out a tightly packed wooden crate from inside.

There was a small piece of silver in the wooden box, and there was only a large piece in the middle. Obviously, these are their daily savings, and only a small fraction of them.

Neither of them counted the pieces with their hands, and then said in a soft voice: "As usual, I count every five days, and the most recent one was done the night before." The total is seventy-six taels and thirty-four cents.

"It looks like we should be able to make more money in Chang'an." Ning Que replied seriously.

"And, I'm going to try to improve my needlework." Sang Sang also replied thoughtfully.

...

...

As night fell, Sang Sang was kneeling on Ning Que's bed. Her thin knees moved quickly and flexibly. Then she pressed her little palm on his pillow and drew an arc in the middle, allowing Ning Que to enjoy a comfortable sleep. She lifted the quilt, jumped out of bed, and walked over to the two elm boxes in the corner to make her own.

After turning off the lights, Ning Que put a bowl of water on the windowsill and went to bed by starlight. He put his hand on the edge of the quilt and let out a big yawn of comfort. A few minutes later, a familiar rustling sound came from the corner of the room, reaching his ears after he closed his eyes.

This night seemed to be no different from any other night, and they would have slept soundly under the stars of this fortress city. However, both of them had insomnia tonight. The excitement of coming to the new world, seeing the prosperity of Chang'an, all the honor and wealth in front of them, and even the charming makeup style, greatly stirred the two of them. This time, their breathing was far from calm.

After lying down for a while, Ning Que opened his eyes and stared blankly at the faint silver light before he said, "I heard...... The girls of Chang'an are not afraid of the cold. They wore thin clothes with open collars and fair complexions. I'm not sure if that's true or not... I'm too young to remember.

Then he turned over, looked into the dark corner, and asked, "Sangsang, how are you sick these days?" Do you still feel cold?

The little maid seemed to shake her head in the darkness. Through the faint light, he saw her, and saw her clutching the quilt with her eyes closed, despite a rare smile on her lips. She muttered, "Of course it's fair, no one would wear such good makeup!"

Ning Que grinned, and then replied, "Take it easy, after my young master makes a fortune, you can go to Chen Jinji's cosmetics store and buy anything you like."

Sangsang suddenly opened her slender eyes. He could see the bright starlight reflected on them. She asked seriously: "Ning Que, do you agree?"

"I told you; Call me Young Master Chang'an. It's a way of showing respect.

Seven or eight years passed, and Ning Que dug out the cold Sangsang from under a pile of corpses on the side of the road and struggled to come to Wei City. Although Sangsang was registered as a maid in the census and did work as a maid, she never called Ning Queye. It's just a habit. There is no other special reason.

And today, she is forced to abandon this habit.

"Ning Que... Master... I remember you promised to buy cosmetics for me from Chen Jinji's cosmetics store.