Chapter 17: Reunion

Huang Yuanchang nodded, "We discovered a secret passage leading out of the city, located in a dried‑up riverbed not far from Denggu Alley. Yesterday's flood caused the riverbed to collapse, so we can exit there. When it gets dark, I'll send someone out of the city back to the village to inform father, so he won't worry."

"That's wonderful!"

Huang was overjoyed, and the heavy stone in her heart was temporarily set down!

Now that we've found Chang Er, as long as we can get through this crisis, the family can reunite.

But the plague… is it really that easy to get through?

Just then, someone rushed in from outside, "Bad news! Uncle Ding! There's a fight outside!"

"What? Could it be the Corrupt Official's men?"

"No, not the Corrupt Official's men… it's Brother Ding! Brother Ding got into a fight!"

"Why is it that stinky kid again!"

Just mentioning Brother Ding gave both of them a headache.

"Go take a look!"

Then Uncle Ding, the middle‑aged man who had brought them here, hesitated and looked at Huang Yuanchang. Huang Yuanchang understood, "You go ahead; I'll handle this. Let everyone disperse, and later we'll go to the main shed."

"Then thank you, Doctor Xiao Huang." He quickly nodded at the few of them before leaving.

"Grandfather, you all go out first; we can't stay here long."

Shen Qingquan and the others left the shed and stepped outside, where Ning Shi met them, "Are you all right?"

Shen Juancheng's expression turned solemn, "Perhaps… there's a plague."

"What?"

The words made Ning Shi and Shen Qingci's faces turn pale!

"Little brother, you take mother and sister, and remember not to wander. Father, let's first find a place to settle."

The father and daughter exchanged a glance, understanding that they wouldn't leave Xiangcheng for a while; to look for their grandmother, they would have to stay here for some time.

"Benefactor, why not come to my place?"

At that moment, Huang Yuanchang also stepped out, "I have a temporary lodging near Denggu Alley, about half a tea‑cup's walk from here. It's just a makeshift spot, but enough for a few of us to rest briefly. If you don't mind, then…"

Her eyes lit up, and she nodded at her father.

Shen Juancheng clasped his hands, "How could we refuse? Then thank you, Doctor Xiao Huang."

"You may call me Yuanchang; your family are Grandfather's lifesaving benefactors, and also my benefactors, Huang Yuanchang."

As he spoke, he took several face towels from the medicine box, "Everyone, the air here is foul, better take a towel with you."

Shen Qingquan admired his thoughtfulness.

Actually, even if he hadn't mentioned it, she would later fetch clean cloth from the warehouse for the family to cover their mouths and noses. Since a plague is already present, the air could easily be laden with pathogens, and direct contact like this remains dangerous.

"Everyone, this way, please."

With the towels in hand, Huang Yuanchang led them away.

They hadn't gone far before they heard a commotion.

Not far away, a crowd had gathered, with vague shoving and angry shouts; Shen Qingquan looked and saw it was Uncle Ding and his group who had just left.

"It's Uncle Ding."

Huang Yuanchang said.

Uncle Ding was pulling hard on a burly, broad‑shouldered man. Around the man stood several sturdy youths, each in coarse cloth rags, dark skin, and worn straw sandals.

The man seemed to be arguing about something.

"This kid injured Sanhu; we can't just let him off!"

Uncle Ding turned to a boy with a tiger‑like face and asked, "Sanhu, what exactly happened?"

"That kid stole my wowo head; my mother gave me half of it yesterday, I hid it under the jar, and this morning it was gone! When I was hiding it, that kid happened to pass by, surely saw it, so he stole it!"

……

The chatter and uproar filled the air.

In a few words, Shen Qingquan roughly grasped the whole story and was about to leave when a hoarse voice, like that of a boy going through voice change, suddenly sounded.

"I didn't steal.

"

Shen Qingquan's foot halted, her heart leapt.

"You're saying you didn't steal? Then who else could it be?"

"I told you, it wasn't me."

The embarrassed teenage voice replied, "I had no idea you hid something there! Even if I knew, I wouldn't steal!"

"Who would believe you! Your family has been starving so badly they can't even walk? Who knows if you were just too hungry and took it out on us?" The boy named Sanhu stamped his foot.

"I said it's not there, so it's not!"

"Then will you let me in to search?"

"There are women inside; how can we let you just walk in? You… *cough cough*! Don't bully us too much!"

……

Listening to the quarrel, Shen Qingquan's hand began to tremble.

She whirled around, and without a word took a huge stride toward the crowd!

"Sister?"

Seeing her sudden change of expression, Shen Yuhuan looked surprised!

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know, Sister suddenly went over there."

"Go take a look."

……

The family hurriedly chased after, and Shen Qingquan took three steps in the time of two, parting the crowd.

At this moment, it was already in chaos inside.

In the shoving, another woman rushed out of the dilapidated shed.

The woman was in tattered clothes, so thin she was barely human-shaped, and seemed to bear wounds… She looked about thirty to forty, but appeared far older than normal.

"Stop, stop hitting… Baier, let them go in to search…"

"Mother!"

The familiar voice suddenly took Shen Qingquan back to her previous life!

Although the woman's body was filthy and her features indistinct, she recognized her at a glance!

It was—Second Aunt!

And standing beside her, the one who had just argued with those people, was Second Aunt's son, her fourth younger brother, Shen Yubai.

The youngest son of the Shen Family.

He is twelve years old, died a tragic death on the exile road in his previous life, shy and bashful, but he loved to follow after her and his younger brother the most, and he is the youngest among all the Shen Family's grandchildren generation.

"Second Aunt! Fourth younger brother!"

Her eyes grew watery, and without thinking she shouted loudly.

Shen Yubai, who had been shoving, was startled, and in a daze it seemed as if he heard his elder sister calling him?

But… how could that be?

They were scattered during exile, the elder sister's family vanished without a trace; everyone said the elder sister had died, but he didn't believe it.

But in this vast world, where could they go to find her?

Could they truly reunite?

Could it be that he misses his elder sister so much that he's now hallucinating?

"Ah!"

He froze, accidentally being pushed to the ground; the three Sanhu lifted their feet to kick, but were blocked by two people at once!

Shen Qingquan sprang forward in a single arrow step, blocking them!

And the burly man surnamed Ding grabbed the three Sanhu…

"Ding Ge, let me go! I will punish them!"

"The road's rules forbid bullying the old, weak, women and children; that's enough."

A gruff voice came, and Shen Qingquan finally saw Ding Ge's true face.

His skin was dark, his face covered in a beard, a typical northern Han man. A pair of tiger eyes, fierce and imposing; his exposed chest was solid and strong, exuding a ferocious aura.

He was a stark contrast to the emaciated, sallow‑skinned people of the slums.

At this moment, Ding Ge also noticed her, "Who are you… what person?"

"Qinger? Are you… Qinger?"

From behind came Second Aunt's incredulous trembling voice.? This book's first release is from 17K Novel Network, view the official content immediately!