Chapter 3: The Journey of Tasha

The sky is once again filled with snowflakes, fluttering and dancing in the air. The streets, which had been cleaned by the street sweeper in the morning, are now covered in a blanket of snow.

Luo Jinyan quietly opens a slit in the carriage curtain and watches as Cui Qi rushes ahead.

No, this is completely wrong.

Although Luo Shao, the father, holds a low official position, he is the only son of the third branch of the Luo family, and with the dowry from his mother, Li, their family has never lacked money. From a young age, whether in Jiangxi or in Xingtang, Luo Shao has never treated his daughter poorly in terms of food, clothing, or shelter.

The servants in the house, seeing how much the master cherishes his daughter, dare not neglect her.

Cui Qi said that his father used to drive for the old master, so it wouldn't be surprising if he followed in his father's footsteps and became a coachman.

But the strange thing is that Lin, the steward, would never send only one coachman to pick up Luo Jinyan.

If Luo Shao knew, he would surely scold him.

Moreover, Lin, the steward, is the milk brother of Luo Jinyan's birth mother, Li. When Luo Jinyan gets married in the future, even if Lin cannot accompany her, he will have his son accompany her. If Luo Jinyan is neglected, Lin will lose face.

So, even if he is in a hurry to go to the Ministry of Personnel, Lin would not neglect to send only one coachman to pick up Luo Jinyan.

Luo Jinyan's lips slightly curl up. As a little mute girl, her only use might be to extort money from her father.

The Luo family is wealthy, and although not many people outside know about it, the people in Changping Zhuangzi must know.

Since Cui Qi can speak so eloquently, he must be someone from Changping Zhuangzi.

Luo Jinyan turns to look at Xia Zhi and realizes that Xia Zhi is tightly clenching her fists, her mouth tensed, glaring at Cui Qi's back.

Xia Zhi should be alert by now.

But Xia Zhi is only a twelve-year-old girl, what can she do?

In the eyes of many, a twelve-year-old maid and a seven-year-old mute girl might just be like fish on the chopping block.

Luo Jinyan reaches out and grabs Xia Zhi's wrist, shaking her head to indicate that she should not be anxious.

Three years ago, when Luo Shao was still serving in Pengze County, Jiujang Prefecture, Jiangxi, on a snowy winter day, four-year-old Luo Jinyan caught a cold and had a high fever that wouldn't go away. There were countless young children who died from colds at the age of three or four, and the doctor thought that the young lady of the county magistrate might not make it.

Luo Shao lost his beloved wife first, and now he was about to lose his beloved daughter. He was distraught and ran to the mountain temple in the snow like a woman, praying for his daughter. It's not clear whether his prayers moved the mountain god or if it was just not her time to go, but the next morning, Luo Jinyan's fever subsided. However, from that time on, she could no longer speak as she used to.

She was not mute, but she was no different from a mute person.

Because Luo Jinyan was not good with words, the maids chosen by Luo Shao for his daughter were all clever and articulate. He hired a tutor for Luo Jinyan, and the maids also learned to read and write with her.

Xia Zhi finally loosened her clenched fist, but Luo Jinyan still held her wrist, quickly writing the word "official" in her palm.

The snowflakes grew larger, fluttering in the air like copper coins, not melting on their eyelashes. Cui Qi brushed the snowflakes off his face with his sleeve, cursing in his heart: "Damn, the weather is not cooperating. It's impossible to hurry in such heavy snow."

Suddenly, he heard a scream from the carriage behind him, followed by the sharp cries of the young girl: "Miss, Miss, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me, wake up!"

This is a mess!

Cui Qi cursed angrily, with the image of that doll-like little girl in his mind.

The mute girl must not have an accident, otherwise the money in his hands would be lost.

The girl's crying inside the carriage grew louder. Through the carriage curtain, Cui Qi asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

"It's the pastry, it must be the pastry. Miss only ate half a piece and then fainted. You must call for a doctor quickly," the girl's voice was filled with panic.

Call for a doctor? How could that be!

Cui Qi looked around, only to see a few poorly dressed laborers trudging through the snow. Their footprints were quickly covered by the falling snowflakes. The road leading to the city gate was desolate and cold.

Cui Qi breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was snowing and there were few people on the road. Otherwise, the girl's crying and shouting would surely attract attention.

But no matter what, that mute girl must not be in danger.

He put down the whip in his hand and let the mule cart move slowly. He turned around, pulled back the carriage curtain, and looked into the narrow carriage.

Perhaps because of the snowy weather and the oilcloth covering the ceiling, the interior of the carriage appeared even darker.

Cui Qi's eyes had just seen the bright and dazzling snow, so he couldn't adapt to the darkness in front of him for a moment. He felt a sudden darkness in his eyes and couldn't see anything.

He asked, "What's wrong with the miss?"

The girl sobbed and said, "Brother Cui, please call for a doctor quickly. Miss has a delicate body and can't eat ordinary food. The Luo family must have ill intentions. It's hard for the master to have spent fifty taels of silver to give them gifts, and yet they harm the miss like this."

Cui Qi frowned. The little girl didn't understand the severity of the situation. Did she really think that the mute girl was a queen or princess? The Luo family had nothing better to do than harm her. It seemed that the pastry was not made properly, and the mute girl was just weak. However, it was not a good thing for her to faint. He had to see for himself.

He said, "Let me take a look first. Maybe she's just choking."

As he spoke, he entered the carriage. The girl exclaimed in shock, "You can't come in. It's not proper."

The darkness in front of Cui Qi grew even deeper, and he couldn't see anything. He could only rely on the sound to discern. It seemed that the girl was right in front of him. He scolded, "Miss is still so young. What's proper or not? If something happens to her, I'll..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a strange fragrance wafted over, and he fell to the ground without a sound.