The father and son, having received their money, found a small stall nearby. Together, they ate six bowls of plain noodles, which greatly soothed their hunger and restored some of their strength.
After a short rest, they supported each other and found a doctor's clinic. After asking the attendant to fetch a basin of water to wipe their faces clean, they then requested the doctor to examine them.
"You both have only superficial wounds; two doses of medicine and some rest will have you recovered. However, the scar on this young master's face is certain to remain."
"Doctor, I beg you to find a way. My son is to participate in the imperial examinations next spring. With a scar on his face, how will he ever become an official in the future?"
"Alas, your pleas are of no use to me. Your son's wound is deep, reaching to the bone, and he was beaten again just now. To heal and scar is already a great fortune," the doctor said, shaking his head and sighing.
Upon hearing the doctor's words, the two instantly deflated like punctured balloons. They took their two doses of medicine as dusk began to fall. With no other options, they bought over a dozen steamed buns and hurried back to the dilapidated temple.
Upon their return, they found Zheng Wan'er lying on a pile of straw, her clothes in disarray and her body covered in wounds.
"Wan'er, what happened to you? Who bullied you?"
Hearing Tao Qianmian's voice, Zheng Wan'er burst into tears.
"Qianmian Gege, Qianmian Gege, you're finally back. Those beggars bullied Wan'er. Can you kill them for me? Wuwuwu, I want them all to die."
"Enough, do you think I am still the mighty general father I once was? Murdering indiscriminately leads to jail. It's not your first time either. Stop pretending to be some chaste woman," Tao Chuzhuo said sarcastically.
"Qianmian Gege, how dare Tao Chuzhuo speak to me like that? Does he still have you, his father, in his eyes?"
"Wan'er, this..."
"Tsk, calling him 'Gege' all day. Is this person before you your godfather?"
"Wuwuwu~"
"Alright Wan'er, stop crying. Chuzhuo didn't say anything wrong?" As he spoke, he took a steamed bun from the paper package and tossed it to Zheng Wan'er.
Zheng Wan'er's eyes lit up at the sight of the bun. She picked it up and stuffed it into her mouth. In the past, she wouldn't have even deigned to look at such food. But times had changed; she had been starving for two days and a night.
After finishing, she looked expectantly at Tao Qianmian, "Qianmian Gege, I want another one, just one is fine."
Jiang Chuzhuo rolled his eyes at her. "It's good enough to have one. Don't be greedy. We only have this much food left."
Tao Qianmian clutched the paper package tightly to his chest, no longer looking at Zheng Wan'er.
Knowing that crying would be useless, Zheng Wan'er could only curl up and try to sleep, believing that sleep would make her hunger disappear.
At night, it began to rain outside, waking the three of them. Shivering from the cold, they huddled together for warmth.
The next day, they found that the remaining steamed buns were frozen hard, but they bit their teeth and ate them anyway. The father and son declared that the dilapidated temple was no longer livable, as they would freeze to death if it snowed in the next couple of days.
They took Zheng Wan'er with them to find a new place to shelter, and Zheng Wan'er was overjoyed. This time, she wouldn't be abandoned.
However, the further they walked, the more she realized something was wrong. By the time she understood, she couldn't escape. This pair of insane father and son intended to sell her, and into a brothel at that.
The father and son had discussed this plan the previous night. Tao Qianmian now harbored no feelings for Zheng Wan'er other than disdain. He was willing to exchange her for some silver to help the father and son survive the winter.
Thus, with the money they received, they found a clothing shop and bought two sets of thick, inexpensive clothes. They then stealthily inquired about Jun Jiuli's residence in the vicinity.
Recently, the capital had been abuzz with gossip about Jun Jiuli divorcing her husband. They found a teahouse and listened for a while, thereby obtaining Jun Jiuli's address. The two then rushed there without delay.
Looking at the vermilion gate before them, with the plaque bearing the characters "Jiang Mansion" crafted in pure gold, the two felt a sense of intimidation.
The two house guards at the entrance also noticed them. "Move along, move along. Don't stand in front of our mansion."
"How dare you! Open your dog eyes and see who we are."
"Who are you? We don't recognize you. If you have business with our master, then present a calling card. If not, hurry along."
"I am your master's... former husband, and this young master is your master's own son. If you drive us away, be careful not to bring trouble upon yourselves."
"I wondered who it was. So it's the shameless old man bringing the shameless young one to the Jiang Mansion to ask for money. Do you really think our young lady is easily bullied? Be sensible and leave quickly, or beware of our fists."
"You... you dare."
"Who in this capital doesn't know that you have already been divorced by our young lady? Young Master Tao voluntarily left with you back then. Now that you've parted ways, the two of you should stop clinging to us."
"I don't care, you two dog servants. I want to see my mother."
"Mother, mother, come out! It's Chuzhuo. Mother, I know I was wrong. I didn't know Father did so many things that wronged you. All the mistakes are this child's fault. I beg you to forgive me. Mother, if you don't come out, I will kneel to death before your mansion."
People passing by pointed and whispered. However, no matter how they caused a scene, Jun Jiuli did not come out to see them. When the servants reported the commotion, she simply said, "If he wants to kneel, let him kneel. Don't bother with him."
As dusk approached again, the two were freezing. Tao Chuzhuo's legs had lost all sensation. Tao Qianmian supported him as they found an alley nearby to spend the night.
The next day was New Year's Eve. The streets were bustling with people. Even families who were not well-off would buy good wine and dishes today to celebrate joyously, with the family spending time together harmoniously. Only Tao Qianmian and his son wandered around like stray dogs.
Around noon, the father and son finally managed to wait for Jun Jiuli. She was going out to play with Jiang Zhici when the father and son blocked their carriage.
Jun Jiuli and Jiang Zhici paid no attention to their tearful pleas, their cold words leaving no room for mercy. The two felt lost and realized that approaching the Jiang Mansion was a futile endeavor.
They bought a small jar of wine and a few small dishes, returning to the dilapidated temple to eat. Tao Qianmian felt as if he had returned to the days of fleeing from famine, when they were unclothed and starving.
Recalling it now, the Jiang family had shown him great kindness. The way he had treated Jiang Li back then was now his retribution, his karma.
Tao Chuzhuo stole all the silver and fled while Tao Qianmian was asleep. Now, the affairs of the Tao family were known throughout the capital, and everyone was laughing at the father and son, making it impossible for them to find work or earn money to live.
He intended to move to another city, to a place where no one knew him, and live a good life. Only then would he have the chance to seek revenge on those who had insulted him.
On this New Year's Eve, the capital experienced the heaviest snowfall in ten years. The heavy snow collapsed the roof of the dilapidated temple, and Tao Qianmian was crushed to death that very night.
Tao Chuzhuo also froze to death on the road, his small body buried by the wind and snow. It was not until the fifteenth day, when the snow melted, that their bodies were discovered. They were, after all, Jiang Zhici's relatives. Jun Jiuli, finding it difficult to ignore, had them hastily buried in a desolate plot of land.
On that day, Jiang Zhici's small face and eyes were red from crying. "Mother, if we hadn't insisted on driving Brother and Father away that day, they wouldn't have died, would they?"
Although the little one claimed not to care about these two, he was still very sad that they had died.
Jun Jiuli stroked his small head and said, "Aci, this is not our fault. They wronged us first. Everyone has different choices to make, and they must bear the consequences of those choices."
"Mother, I understand. I'm not sad at all."
With the help of Shui Wa, Jun Jiuli was quite adept at educating her child. Jiang Zhici passed the examination to become a scholar at the age of seventeen and was later appointed an official in a region.
He empathized with the hardships of the common people and improved agricultural techniques, gaining considerable fame throughout the Zhao Kingdom. He lived a peaceful and respected life, and the descendants of the Jiang family were also diligent, prospering through generations.
After Jiang Zhici achieved success, Jun Jiuli chose to depart from this world.
Zheng Wan'er had always longed for a patron to buy her freedom, even willing to be a concubine. However, that day never came for her.
Zheng Wan'er died in the year she turned twenty, the year she was most renowned. After her death, the brothel madam rolled her up in a tattered mat and discarded her in a mass grave.