Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 117: Departure for Yan City

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Departure for Yan City

Three mule carts lined up one after another. Lin Yicheng drove the foremost cart and led the way, with Chen Qiulan and Doudou sitting inside. Behind him was Lin’s father, inside his cart were Lin’s mother, Sun Cui, and Maomao. Nanzhi and Shen Zhiyu brought up the rear.

"Brother Ercheng, where are we headed?" Nanzhi asked, lifting the curtain and looking at Lin Ercheng sitting on the wagon shaft.

"Father said we’re heading north to Yan City to seek refuge with his old friend."

"An old friend in Yan City? Who does our father know over there?" Nanzhi was curious, Yan City was far from where they were, so how could her father have connections there?

Was the connection established through messages in bottles drifting over the sea?

"Mom said that Uncle Lin wanted to venture out into the world many years ago, but his family was reluctant to provide him with money. Our father secretly gave him a few pancakes, which allowed him to survive until he reached Yan City.

Later, when Lin Uncle’s sister got married and there was no one left to care for his parents, our father felt guilty for having helped him raise funds and looked after them for a few years, until you were born. Then, Uncle Lin came back to fetch his parents. Before leaving, he gave our family a jade pendant and asked us to visit him when you grew up." Lin Ercheng narrated, somewhat pensive. He was only two years old then, how could he remember if Uncle Lin had ever visited their home?

He remembered vaguely that the family ate better the year his sister was born.

Nanzhi reacted skeptically, a few pancakes as travel expenses?

She didn’t believe it.

Maybe her father secretly gave away silvers.

However, recalling their family’s financial situation during her childhood, it didn’t seem like her father could afford to give away silvers.

She decided to get some more details later when they rested. Right now, she focused on observing how Lin Ercheng handled the mules.

After all, their journey fleeing from famine had begun, and it would take a few months to get from Lihua Village to Yan City in a mule cart.

If she ended up separating from them later, she would need some advance knowledge of how to drive a cart and also set a rendezvous point with her family.

Perhaps because this mule was destined to flee famine with Nanzhi, it was exceptionally gentle with the Lin family. In less than an hour, Nanzhi had already learned to drive the cart.

Running her hand over the mule’s coat, Nanzhi’s mood seemed to improve somewhat.

The three mule carts in the Lin family didn’t move fast on the road, especially because there were three kids in the carts. When people occasionally passed by the cart, Nanzhi wanted to greet them, but they all had a bewildered look on their faces.

While she could seek refuge with her father’s old friend, the others had nowhere to go.

Her just-improved mood sank again. Find herself back in the cabin, Nanzhi just stayed there hugging Shen Zhiyu in a daze.

"Mom, we’re leaving, what happens to Dad?" The little one sat on a blanket, cradling Adai in his arms as he looked at Nanzhi.

"Later, Mom will write a letter to Dad, telling him that we have followed Grandpa to Yan City, and he should come there to meet us."

Nanzhi touched the soft hair of the little one, looking at his face, she found herself lost in thought for a moment.

By noon, Lin Yicheng, who led the way, saw an open space and stopped the cart. Lin’s father and Lin Ercheng also pulled their carts over to the side.

Upon getting off the mule-cart, Nanzhi tended to her aching buttocks.

"Chubby girl, come rest for a while. We’ll have lunch before heading out." Lin Yicheng tied the mule to a tree while calling out to her.

"Okay."

Nanzhi nodded her head and then went to the shade carrying Shen Zhiyu.

Meanwhile, Lin Ercheng took some forage from under the mule-cart, fed the mule, and dusted off his hands before going over.

"Father, how come I didn’t know you have an old friend in Yan City?" Nanzhi, holding a pancake in one hand, casually asked.

"Well, you don’t know a lot of things." Lin Fu managed a couple of coughs before carefully glancing at his wife after speaking.

Feeling his gaze, Mother Lin glanced at him but remained silent.

Observing her parents’ actions, Nanzhi guessed something.

Perhaps when Uncle Lin went out to venture years ago, her dad secretly gave away silver. Otherwise, given his nature, how could she only find out now that he had such a friend?

"Eat quickly, eat quickly. After we finish the meal, we need to continue our journey." Father Lin said as he took a few bites of a pancake. Seeing the water pouch next to his wife, he tried to swallow, even though he was already choking.

Seeing her husband turning red from choking, Mother Lin took off the cap of the water pouch and handed it over.

"Your dad was a little ruffian in the village back then." Mother Lin said, looking at the children around her.

"What, that’s not true." Father Lin murmured softly after drinking some water.

Wasn’t this misleading the children?

"Before we got married, he was learning his craft with the village carpenter. At that time, he would run around with the carpenter’s son Lin Fu every day. It was only after our two families started discussing marriage that he settled down."

Mother Lin’s expression softened a bit: "Less than two years after we married, Lin Fu talked about going out to make a difference. His parents didn’t agree and locked him at home, but he managed to run away. Your dad quietly took five taels of silver from home to give him. When I found out, he stubbornly insisted it was only a few pancakes for the journey. I am not a fool. Could he take out a few pancakes as travel money?"

Father Lin’s eyes widened when he heard this.

He had always thought his wife did not know about this, but it turned out she knew everything.

"Five taels?" Lin Yicheng gestured with his hand. Their dad was really brave, daring to secretly give away five taels of silver without mom knowing.

No wonder he’s been under mom’s thumb all these years.

Even Lin Ercheng felt a sense of shock in his heart, thinking about how his usual quiet father had once done such a big thing?

"Alright, alright, all these things are in the past." Fearing that his fool of a son would say something else, Father Lin quickly stopped him.

The whole family, with their pancakes and eggs, had a meal. As they were about to set off again, they heard a shouting from the behind.

"Sister Nanzhi —"

The voice sounded familiar. Looking into the distance, Nanzhi saw a donkey cart wobbling towards them.

Looking at the man leading the donkey, Nanzhi found him vaguely familiar. Just as she was wondering about it, a head popped out of the donkey cart.

"Sister Nanzhi!"

Shen Miaomiao saw the people under the tree and excitedly waved her hand to greet them.

"Miaomiao?" Nanzhi looked puzzled. Because she got up late and had spent some time preparing dry food, she had thought that Shen Miaomiao’s family had already left.

She had not expected that they could be behind them.

As Shen Duotian got closer, he stopped the mule cart and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Sister Nanzhi!" As soon as Shen Miaomiao got off the donkey cart, she started running towards Nanzhi.

"We went to your house to find you before we left, but no one was there." Shen Miaomiao spoke, her small mouth puckered up in dissatisfaction.

"We also set off late, I thought you all had left already."

Nanzhi looked at Shen Miaomiao with some apology.

However, Aunt Guihua had come over and grabbed Shen Miaomiao’s ear, asking Nanzhi and the others, "Girl, which direction are you heading? Our family is planning to go to Yan City. I don’t know whether we are headed in the same direction."