Qing You and Xiu Miao had been tirelessly working at Daoxiang Garden since their arrival, with hardly any time to rest. Each day started before dawn and ended deep into the night when they finally closed shop. Exhausted after a full day's labor, they couldn't even slouch around. By the time they staggered home under a sky full of stars and sat by their beds, their bodies felt as if they had fallen apart, sore and weak everywhere.
On the eve of their departure from the Provincial City, they finally got a chance to rest well. They slept until the early morning and woke up to check the sky outside the window. Startled by the time, they jumped up, hurriedly washed up, and dashed out of their rooms, thumping down the stairs.
By then, Hua Xiaomai was already feeding little Walnut, sitting with Meng Yuhuai and Old Lady Meng at the breakfast table while Zhou Yunyun, already tidied up, helped Wang Zhanrui load the heavy household goods onto the horse cart.
