The daily struggles of divorced women in ancient times

Zhou Chengze smiled and said, "There is a dilapidated temple in the town. There is a group of beggars in the temple. They are not bad people. If you need any errands, you can ask them for help."

"You are a kind child, Brother Zhou. I have something I want to ask you to do." Xia Mianwan nodded with a smile.

Zhou Chengze asked, "Excuse me, Sister Xia, what's the matter?"

"Beggars should be well-informed about news, right? I have one or two taels of silver here, take it, and you can decide how to divide it. I want to know some news in the town, even the gossip about the family. It would be best if I could find out about Qianling. There is a war in Qianling, and many people have come to the town to seek refuge. With so many people needing food, drink and accommodation, the prices in the town are bound to go up. There is only one grain store in the town, so please help me keep track of the grain prices. If there are beggars with good skills, you can bring them to me." Xia Mianwan said carefully.

"Sister Xia, my mother and I live alone. Do you think I should store more food now?" Zhou Chengze asked.

Xia Mianwan nodded and said, "Of course it is necessary. As long as the war in Qianling continues, more and more people will seek refuge in our towns."

Zhou Chengze thanked Xia Mianwan and left.

……

That night, Xia Mianwan had just coaxed her two children to sleep when she heard some noise at the side door. She quietly walked to the door with a wooden stick.

At this time, there was a slight knock on the door. Xia Mianwan hesitated and asked, "Who is it?"

"Sister Xia, it's me, Zhou Chengze."

When Xia Mianwan heard Zhou Chengze's voice, she opened the door. Zhou Chengze was standing at the door awkwardly.

"What's going on?" Xia Mianwan couldn't help but ask.

"Sister Xia, didn't you ask me to get some information? I have something to tell you. Xiaowu, a little beggar in the temple, went to get some information today and met an injured person near your shop. He was asking about the news of this shop."

"The injured people? Where are they now?" Xia Mianwan asked.

"Xiao Wu didn't know what was going on and didn't dare to say much. Later, the man fainted in the alley. Xiao Wu saw that the man was very friendly and didn't seem like a bad person, so he took him to the temple." Zhou Chengze said.

"How is he now?" Xia Mianwan asked.

Zhou Chengze said: "I used to be an apprentice in a medical clinic. It seems that it was caused by an injury."

Xia Mianwan hesitated for a while and then asked, "Can you treat him?"

Zhou Chengze shook his head and said, "I'm not sure."

"Does this person have any token of trust or something like that?" Xia Mianwan asked after hesitating for a while.

Zhou Chengze suddenly remembered, "Sister Xia, this is the jade pendant that person carried with him."

Xia Mianwan was surprised when she saw the jade pendant Zhou Chengze handed over. This jade pendant was a pair, and she had the other half. It was given by Mrs. Zheng when the original owner married Zheng Xiaoyun.

Could it be that Zheng Xiaoyun is not dead?

"Young man from the Zhou family, wait for me here, I'll go with you soon." Xia Mianwan said as he went to the inner room and took out some anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs, as well as some food.

Zhou Chengze took Xia Mianwan across the town and arrived at the ruined temple.

The temple was still bright at this time, and the beggars were still awake. Seeing Zhou Chengze coming, the beggars came up to him and said, "Brother Zhou, you are here!"

"This is Sister Xia." Zhou Chengze introduced Xia Mianwan.

"Hello, Sister Xia!" the beggars said in unison.

Xia Mianwan greeted them and went to see the man. The man was not Zheng Xiaoyun. She gave the man the medicine she brought and stood up and said, "I'll wait here for a while."

"Brother Zhou, I brought a lot of food. Please help me distribute it to everyone." Xia Mianwan handed the food box to Zhou Chengze and instructed.

Zhou Chengze nodded and went outside with the food.

Not long after, the sleeping man slowly woke up. Xia Mianwan walked up to him and asked, "Are you okay?"

The man's eyes gradually became clear. After seeing Xia Mianwan, he quickly stood up and said, "Young Madam, I am General Xiao Zheng's secret guard. My name is Bai Xiao."

Xia Mianwan was not unfamiliar with the name Bai Xiao. She had heard both Old Lady Zheng and Mrs. Zhou mention it.

"Why are you here?" Xia Mianwan asked.

It turned out that on the battlefield, Zheng Xiaoyun knew that this time was dangerous, so he gave the jade pendant to Bai Xiao and asked Bai Xiao to return to Beijing to wait for Zhou's orders. But who knew that Bai Xiao was intercepted and killed by the crowd when he returned to Beijing. When he returned to Beijing, the Zheng family had been exiled for more than several months. So Bai Xiao rushed to the north day and night. On the way, Bai Xiao changed his name several times and avoided several pursuits before he arrived in the north.

Because he didn't dare to reveal his identity, Bai Xiao could only search secretly.

That’s why it took until now to find Xia Mianwan.

"Is it possible that my husband is still alive?" Xia Mianwan asked.

Bai Xiao hesitated for a moment and shook his head, "I'm afraid it's difficult."

Xia Mianwan was silent for a while and then asked, "What plans does Brother Bai have?"

"The last order General Xiao Zheng gave me was to return to Beijing to protect you. It is still the same now." Bai Xiao said firmly.

Xia Mianwan nodded and said, "I understand. Don't call me Madam in the future. You are younger than your husband. You can call me sister-in-law or Master. Don't refuse."

Bai Xiao was well aware of the risks involved and nodded in agreement.