"Xiao Changqing, are you called Xiao Changqing?"
Outside the door, a man saw another man sitting at the entrance threading a needle and was surprised for a moment, then realized: exiled people can not only thread needles, but even embroider without being questioned.
They are doing everything they can to survive.
"Yes, I am Xiao Changqing, but I don’t know which Xiao Changqing you are looking for?"
"Are you the family of Doctor Xiao from the Capital, and are called Xiao Changqing?"
"That’s me." Xiao Changqing replied straightforwardly; regardless of who they are or their intentions, as long as they mentioned his father’s name, whether it was good fortune or disaster, he must stand up and face it.
The Xiao Family should not be looked down upon.
"Xiao Changqing, you have a letter from home."
At this moment, the Xiao Family couldn’t stay calm.
"Is the letter from Shu City?"
Receiving the letter with trembling hands, Xiao Changqing said, "Thank you, brother, please come inside and have a seat, have some water..."
The etiquette for guests... had he forgotten it?
"No need, we are from the business trade, your family has sent some winter clothes for you; as long as we’ve found you, that’s good. Tomorrow they will be delivered to your door."
"Thank you very much."
It seems that Mother and the others were taken care of by the clan when they returned to Shu City. Although life is hard, it is not unbearable; otherwise, how would they have the means to send winter clothes for us?
"Don’t mention it. I’ll come tomorrow at this time to deliver the clothes."
"Alright."
Once the person left, Xiao Changqing tore open the letter, his hands trembling with excitement.
"Good, good, really good."
Xiao Changqing read as tears flowed down his face.
"The Xiao Family has a new addition; Mrs. Zhu has given birth to a son named Muyang."
This news was the most uplifting.
"Everything is well at home. The family has made winter clothes for us."
After reading the letter, there was no mention of silver; perhaps the person who delivered it didn’t tell him and kept it for themselves.
After all, delivering goods and letters usually involves sending a bit of silver, right?
It’s known that silver is most lacking here.
"Uncle, let me see the letter."
Xiao Chunquan took the letter from his uncle, and after reading it, felt very pleased: As expected, sister Chun Nuan used a code in the letter, which he had deciphered; the corners of the winter clothes would contain pieces of silver, and within the winter clothes was a bamboo tube, containing several pills.
The pills were life-saving!
Last time, Father fell ill and nearly didn’t make it.
The doctors here had poor medical practices and charged exorbitant fees; exiled people don’t have much wealth, and illness often means death.
Nuannuan sent medicines for flu, fever, cough, and bleeding; they are regular medications but highly effective.
Chunquan clearly knows his sister’s skills: she is the true heir of their grandfather’s teachings in the Xiao Family.
He had once joked with his grandfather, asking if he planned to pass on his lifelong skills to Nuannuan, and then pass it down through the generations.
Chunquan turned the letter over repeatedly, but didn’t see any everyday details about life in Shu City written by Nuannuan, nor much about their eldest sister in the Capital: elder sister had a daughter, both are safe and sound, not to be worried about.
After reading about the family’s situation, Chunquan felt an inner unease.
The fewer words, the bigger the matter; indicating that Nuannuan and their eldest sister’s lives weren’t that easy.
With this realization, Chun An decided to have a good chat with the leader of the trade caravan tomorrow.
The next day, the leader, Master Ma, drove a carriage to deliver the winter clothes to Chunquan.
"We will now verify the quantities one by one, and then you sign off; this receipt still needs to be taken back to Shu City for your family to see."
"Sir, could you help us send a letter back?"
"Of course."
"Okay, please wait a moment. I’ll ask the family what to write back."
Chunquan ran a few steps before recalling a serious problem: this is the Northern Desert, not the Capital; there aren’t any available pens, ink, paper, or inkstones here to write even a letter.
"You could borrow the steward’s stationery."
Manager Ma specifically reminded them.
"We..."
Oncoming here, they hadn’t asked for help or borrowed anything from others, mainly for fear of being refused due to lack of money.
"Alright, I’ll borrow it for you."
"Perhaps I should go with you, Sir, to write it there at the steward’s house."
"Sure."
Chunquan quickly followed Manager Ma towards the steward’s room at the quarry.
On the way, Chunquan tried to gather information about the family’s situation in Shu City.
"Do you know how my family is doing, Manager Ma?"
"Are you talking about your grandmother in Shu City?"
"Yes."
"It’s somewhat okay. For ordinary families, if they were exiled entirely, it’s hard for a child to survive, but your Xiao Family is quite good; there’s a girl who is holding things together, and life is getting by."
"Exiled?" Chunquan asked in shock, "May I ask, Sir, are you saying that we Capital dwellers of the Xiao Family have been exiled by the Xiao Family in Shu City?"
"Yes, didn’t it mention in your letter?"
"No, it didn’t."
"Oh, that’s normal; after all, home letters tend to report the good and not the bad," Manager Ma said, "I heard your Xiao Family rented the Niu Family’s thatched house and the next day burnt down the kitchen; they then leased a field from Old Master Zhang, learned farming, and even managed to harvest grains; it’s said that the Xiao Family’s womenfolk are excellent at embroidery, those women earn money by stitching dowries..."
Chunquan... these are not the words he wanted to hear!
But every sentence hit deep.
At the steward’s door, Manager Ma shouted to the people inside, "Brother, big brother, come here, I have something to ask."
"Oh, Brother Ma, what’s the matter?"
"He wants to write a family letter, could we borrow your stationery?" Manager Ma voluntarily said, "Don’t worry, I’ll cover the cost."
"What are you saying, are you trying to distance yourself from me?" the steward replied, "You folks from Shu City have great bacon and sausages."
"Next time I come, I’ll definitely bring some for you."
"Ha-ha, it’s a pleasure."
The two chatted casually while Chunquan picked up the pen to write the letter.
The pen weighed like a thousand pounds!
Thinking about the difficulties his family faced in Shu City, he unconsciously concealed the harsh realities of the labor camp in the letter.
After finishing, he let the ink dry and slipped the letter into the envelope, pondering that elder sister and Nuannuan, along with himself—all three letters likely contained scarcely any true words.
Life feels bitter like a Coptis, but they can still manage to get by.
This is the character of the Xiao Family, when united they are a flame, and when scattered, they are stars across the sky.
A group of womenfolk can farm, and these men shouldn’t be beaten down daily; they must work hard, striving for the day to reunite with family.
Meanwhile, Chun Nuan sneezed several times.
She didn’t think it was an allergy to the medicine; most likely someone was thinking of her.
The winter clothes sent to the Northern Desert might have arrived, with them thinking of her.