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At this moment, a group of ragged refugees approached them.

“Madam, Miss, young master, please, we haven’t eaten for three days.”

With a kind heart, Old Mistress Wang asked, “Are you all refugees from the south?”

“Yes, there was a major flood. We lost our homes, and our loved ones are all missing.”

Old Mistress Wang pitied them.

Qiao Mai saw this and quickly said, “Old Mistress Wang, I’m here. You go inside and sit down. I’ll handle this.”

“Alright, thank you. I’m not in good shape anymore.”

Qiao Mai gestured to them, “Come with me.”

She led them to a steamed bun shop. “Boss, give each of them ten steamed buns. I’ll pay later.”

The shopkeeper looked her up and down, then nodded.

“Alright.”

At this point, the refugees in the small town immediately gathered around.

Qiao Mai shouted at them, “If you want steamed buns, you need to line up properly. Everyone gets a share. Don’t rush.”

Some people wanted to take advantage and grab more, but after Qiao Mai kicked one of them to the ground, they dared not cause any more trouble.

Qiao Mai watched over the steamer, giving each person ten steamed buns and a silver coin. She hoped they would cherish this opportunity and find a suitable place to settle down rather than continue to wander.

The small town had dozens of refugees, and the steamed bun shop had never done such good business.

They sold thousands of steamed buns, and Qiao Mai paid over a hundred taels of silver, but it was still a drop in the bucket.

After finishing this, she finally returned to the restaurant.

Old Mistress Wang had already finished her meal and was waiting for her.

“Have they all had their meal?” “Each person got ten steamed buns and a silver coin. Is that okay?”

“You’ve spent much money today.”

“But we’ve also avoided a disaster.”

After finishing their meal, everyone got back into the carriage. Old Mistress Wang was still leaning out, looking outside, but she finally relaxed when she saw that each refugee had a snow-white steamed bun in their hands.

Such incidents happened along the way, with the old lady showing her compassionate heart and Qiao Mai providing money and assistance.

Finally, the old lady ceased her compassion. If she continued in her stubborn ways, they wouldn’t arrive in the Capital without spending thousands of taels.

Not to mention Qiao Mai, even she couldn’t bear it.

She sat in the carriage and stopped leaning out. Qiao Mai tried to keep her from getting bored by occasionally conjuring up some snacks.

If they stayed in an inn at night, she would also prepare some soup to help them relax.

Thirteen days later, they finally arrived in the Capital on the first day of September.

The children were amazed by the grand city gates. When they entered the city, they all leaned out of the carriage windows, staring in awe at the towering walls and the soldiers standing straight.

Even Ling’er, usually focused on eating, forgot about her food and stared outside with wide eyes.

Once they entered the city, the children’s eyes couldn’t take in everything fast enough. There were so many people, so many carriages, so many vendors This was what a bustling city looked like.

After about a quarter of an hour’s drive through the Capital, they stopped in front of a mansion.

“Bichun Garden?”

“Yes, this is my dowry and personal property.”

The carriage entered through a side gate. As Old Mistress Wang had sent someone ahead to instruct the maids, the mansion was clean and tidy.

All the necessities were in place. As soon as they entered, they could have a hot meal.

Qiao Mai finally got to experience the classical architectural style of ancient times. She had enjoyed the scenery here, even studying the clothes and accessories they wore carefully.

It wasn’t that she envied or was jealous, but she liked this classical style. After everyone had a meal, looking exhausted, Qiao Mai led her group to stay in the elegant Haitang Courtyard.

After freshening up, she instructed them all to rest promptly. The long and arduous journey had taken its toll on their bodies and minds, even if they didn’t do any work.

She looked up at the moon in the sky. After being here for so long, her heart still didn’t warm up. She didn’t feel a strong sense of belonging.

She felt like a drifting duckweed, going wherever the current took her, able to make a home anywhere, unlike some people who had a strong attachment to their homes.

She sighed. With a thought, a tea set appeared on the table. Qiao Mai filled the teapot with water with a touch of her hand, brought it to a boil, added tea leaves, covered it, and poured herself a cup of tea.

She took a sip. The tea leaves were from the bushes she had purchased on the platform and grown herself.

There were many good things in her space that she hadn’t taken out. Fruits, vegetables, and other foods she consumed daily were only a few.

She had never taken out things that were too special.

When others were resting, she couldn’t fall asleep. She wanted to see Jiaru but didn’t know where the Wang family lived.

The children were new here, and she didn’t want them to roam around aimlessly.

After drinking her tea, she waved her hand, and the tea set disappeared.

Qiao Mai returned to her room and began to meditate.

Since this wasn’t her home, she couldn’t sleep well. During the time from arriving in the Capital to returning home, she must protect the children well and not make any mistakes.

The next morning, she opened her eyes and got out of bed as soon as the sun rose.

The children were still sleeping, but Yue Hong and Yue Xia heard her and immediately got up.

“You two get ready and watch them. I don’t need your help here.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Fortunately, there was a small kitchen in the courtyard. She went to the kitchen, pulled a yam from her space, and picked two tomatoes and three eggs from the refrigerator, a small bag of flour, two heads of lettuce, a box of sweet bean paste, and fresh spring onions.

She planned to make a yam, tomato, and egg drop soup for the children for breakfast and then fry some pancakes to roll up.

She wasn’t good at making pancakes, so Qiao Mai threw the flour into her space after thinking for a moment and directly traded fifty spring pancakes on the platform.

This was perfect for making rolled pancakes. After making the soup, she rolled some green onions into each pancake and arranged them neatly on a plate.

She then asked Yue Hong to wake the others up. At this point, Old Master and Mistress Wang came over. They had wanted to invite them to have breakfast in the main hall.

But when they saw the meal, they immediately changed their mind.

It was neither hot nor cold that day, so the dining table was set up in the courtyard. Qiao Mai had made plenty of pancakes, enough for everyone to eat.

“Shall we visit Ruler today?”

“I’m not going. I don’t want to see the Wang family’s faces. We’ve already split up, and my granddaughter is getting married. Why should I go to their house and give their family face?”

Old Master Wang glared at her but didn’t say anything. In fact, according to common folk customs, what the old lady said was not wrong.

“But after all, that’s the main branch. After you and Old Master Wang return to the Capital, you should visit them as soon as possible.”

“I won’t go. If Ruler doesn’t come today, I’ll return to my mother’s house and see my brothers. I’m telling you, old man, you must come too.”

“If you don’t go to my house, I won’t go to yours.”

“You!”

Seeing the old couple squabbling like children, Qiao Mai said, “I’ve eaten, so I’m taking the children out for a walk.”

“Stay in the carriage and look around. If you like something, you can buy it later. There are many pickpockets in the Capital.”

“I know.”

Not long after, Wang Jiaru sent a message saying she would visit them tomorrow.

So, Qiao Mai took the children and left in a carriage. Old Mistress Wang prepared gifts and took the old man back to her mother’s house..