Chapter 10, Entering the City

He glanced at the silver ingot on the ground, hesitated for a moment, and then said softly to the coal-selling girl: "Girl, go pick it up"

Li Xin took a deep breath, carried the charcoal seller on his back, and then walked towards the direction of the capital. However, the direction he chose was not the North Gate, which he frequently used, but rather a long detour towards the South Gate of the capital.

Li Xin gritted his teeth, bent down to carry the old man on his back, and with his other hand held the coal-selling girl, trembling as he stood up.

At this time, although the sky had already darkened, there were still quite a few people moving about in the alley. Li Xin walked through the alley, took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions, and began to ask around for the location of the medical clinic

Nowadays, with no house left, they must find a place to settle down. Although they are reluctant to use the money left by that big guy, this is not the time to be overly concerned about appearances. He does not understand the "cost of living" in this capital city, so he must gather as many resources as possible.

At the north gate, someone is specifically watching him and has memorized his appearance, making it difficult for him to leave easily

The little girl cried out: "Grandfather was robbed by a few strong men, he was injured, but he is not ill..."

The little girl nodded emphatically

The reason for not seeking out a more remote inn is that Li Xin is well aware that this era is not safe; rather than being tempted by lower prices, it is better to spend a little more money to buy peace of mind

After giving a few more instructions, Li Xin stuffed all the money from his pocket onto his person, thought for a moment, and then took the silver ingot with him as he pushed open the door.

Li Xin let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, carrying the charcoal seller on his back, and slowly walked into the capital city.

The guard at the gate lazily waved his hand and impatiently said, "Hurry up and go in, the city gate is about to close"

After settling down, Li Xin filled a basin with hot water and wiped the face of the charcoal seller. He then called the charcoal seller's girl to one side and spoke softly: "Girl, you stay here to look after grandpa while I go out to find a doctor for him. When I return, do not move around here, keep the door closed. If I do not call you, do not open the door."

The young girl was quite clever; although she did not understand why Li Xin was doing this, she still nodded her head

The room rate at this inn is at least 200 wen per day, and since the three of them cannot stay in the same room, Li Xin booked two rooms

Speaking, Li Xin pointed to his own mouth and lowered his voice: "Tell them that I am mute"

The reason the people of the Pingnan Marquisate are able to find themselves is that they have placed informants at the gate, who inquire about their names. Nowadays, to evade them, one can only conceal their own name first

Ability is like this; usually, Li Xin did not feel very weak. During this period, he could earn about one guan of money every day and even felt that he was living quite well. However, when the moment came, Li Xin deeply realized how frail and powerless he truly was

Although my father-in-law is not heavy, he has at least walked more than ten miles from Beishan all the way to Nanmen. Although he rested several times along the way, by now, his stamina is almost exhausted

The nights of this era are under a strict curfew, but the curfew does not mean that one cannot go out. The curfew implies that one is not allowed to leave their respective wards. The wards of this era are akin to a residential community, significantly larger than the neighborhoods of later generations. During the night, as long as you do not venture onto the main streets outside the ward, it is permissible to move about within the ward.

There is a saying that goes, "One regrets having too few books only when they are needed"

What do you do

However, there is no other way; the most urgent matter now is to find a place to settle down, to find a doctor for my father-in-law, and then to consider what the next step should be

She is only six years old this year and has no opinions of her own. In the past, her grandfather was her whole world, but now that her grandfather is gone, she can only rely on Li Xin, this "brother".

Because he clearly saw that although the two individuals were not wearing uniforms, they both had knives at their waists

He originally had some "savings," but in this era, money consists of copper coins, and carrying a substantial amount of cash is somewhat burdensome. Therefore, he kept those few strings of coins in his house. At this moment, the entire house was engulfed in flames, and there was no way to retrieve that money.

For instance, at present, he is merely an ordinary official of the Jingzhao Prefecture, and he has no room for resistance

At this time, the medical conditions were extremely backward. In general, large cities, especially places like the capital, absolutely would not allow any "pathogens" to enter the city. Therefore, anyone who appeared to be ill would be questioned.

What she said was authentic Beijing suburban dialect. The guards at the gate were all locals from the capital, so they could naturally tell. Upon hearing this, one of them frowned and said: "The old man hasn't caught any contagious disease, has he?"

Three people stumbled along the way, and by the time they reached the city gate, it was nearing dusk. At that moment, the city gate was about to close. Li Xin turned to the charcoal seller and said, "When we enter the city later, if they ask where we are from, just say that we are local woodcutters."

Two individuals walked towards the city gate, which was about to close. In winter, the days grow dark early, and these people could not clearly see what Li Xinchang looked like; they only noticed that he was carrying an elderly man, which seemed somewhat suspicious. Consequently, one of them reached out a hand to stop them.

The sentinels at the gate do not question everyone; they typically only inquire about strangers, those who appear suspicious, or individuals speaking with a foreign accent. As for locals, they do not pay them any mind

Although this small wooden cabin is simple, it has been painstakingly built by the charcoal seller over the past ten years. Now, as it is engulfed by the raging flames, the sorrow in the old man's heart is unimaginable. While his injuries are merely superficial, his heart feels as if it is bleeding. Just after regaining consciousness, he fainted again.

Fortunately, my father-in-law is quite frail and not very heavy, so it is not too strenuous for Li Xin to carry him on his back

Li Xin was a northerner in his previous life, while this Li Xin is a native of Yongzhou in the south. His way of speaking is quite different from that of the capital, and the charcoal seller is a genuine local from the outskirts of Beijing, making her the most suitable person to handle these gatekeepers

It is fortunate that he has finally entered the capital smoothly. This time, he did not reveal his name, and the guards at the city gate should not recognize him. This means that, at least for a period of time, the people from the Pingnan Marquisate may not discover his presence.

Li Xin took a deep breath, slightly crouched down, continued to carry his father-in-law on his back, and then found a decent inn in a good location on the street and checked in.

As for what that tall person said

Li Xin looked up and called out a few times, indicating that he could not speak. The little girl on the other side, trembling slightly, spoke in a crisp voice: "Sir, this is my elder brother. He is a mute. Our grandfather is injured, and my brother brought him into the city to find a doctor..."

Staying at the inn also requires a guide; in order to prevent his name from being exposed, Li Xin still had the young girl speak while he pretended to be mute