Chapter 286 - 285: Family Letter from the Northwest

Words : 1377 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 286: Chapter 285: Family Letter from the Northwest Old Master Qin’s letter was thick. First, it brought news of the family’s safety; although they faced hardships on the road and everyone fell ill, they all safely arrived at their destination and settled down in the northwest Flowing Camp Area. Only Old Master rested at home temporarily, tended by the two younger children, while his three sons sought out various jobs to earn patterned silver to support themselves. Qin Bohong knew that sharing only good news and hiding the hardships would only lead to Old Mrs. Qin and the others worrying even more. Thus, they didn’t only share the good news but also the difficulties they faced along the way. However, these were all manageable, and with the help of some benefactors, even when ill, they had some money left to see the doctor and buy medicine. Regarding their life in the northwest, they mentioned a little—that their current accommodations were not very good and food mostly consisted of coarse grains, with the priority given to Old Master and the two younger children. As for seeking work, in that place, there were officers who had been exiled and criminals charged with serious crimes. The criminals were often made to do heavy labor by the officials, like mining. Hence, the work they sought was different from those criminals, unless they voluntarily went to higher-paying jobs or were reassigned to such. Currently, they could only find odd jobs, since they had just arrived and needed time to get acquainted with the local conditions. In the continuation of the letter, they asked about everyone at home and mentioned Qin Liuxi. Qin Mingqing particularly noted her merits in saving Mrs. Gu and her family, and Old Master Qin also praised her cleverness and wisdom which exemplified the demeanor of an elder sister, entrusting her with the care of the women and children of the Gu Family. The content of their journey was narrated in detail in the letter, bringing tears to those listening. After the family letter was read, there were also individual letters from the brothers. Mrs. Wang only kept the ones from the main branch, while handing out the letters from the second and third branches to Mrs. Xie and Mrs. Gu respectively. Mrs. Xie was alright, but Mrs. Gu, as soon as she unfolded her letter and saw Qin Boqing’s handwriting, her tears dropped onto the paper. She hurriedly wiped them off, but reading his written words, "You have suffered," made her tears fall like broken pearls. As for Mrs. Wang, Qin Bohong’s letter was formal, simply a reminder to take care of her mother-in-law, raise the children well, manage household affairs, and to take care of herself amidst the hardships. Her heart also wavered slightly. It was only at the end of the letter, seeing her son Qin Mingyan’s handwriting, that she began to feel a sourness in her nose, and upon reading his words, "Mother, I miss you," tears streamed down nonstop. She turned around quickly, pressed the letter against her chest, took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and then turned back to face Old Mrs. Qin. "Mother, now that father and the others have safely arrived and settled down, things will be easier. It’s cold now; I will quickly prepare some things and find an escort agency to send them over." Old Mrs. Qin’s handkerchief was already wet, she nodded and said, "That’s right, prepare quickly. It’s cold there, pack plenty of winter clothes for warmth, no need to worry about the style. If possible, also arrange for some medicine to be sent. They only report good news and not the bad, but the long journey and the harsh conditions are enough to weaken anyone. The elderly and the young can’t recover quickly, and the northwest is impoverished, so it’s good to prepare more medicine." Mrs. Wang agreed and said to the two sisters-in-law, "If you have things you want to send over, such as family letters, prepare them as well." "Big sister, I have something," Mrs. Gu hastily said. Seeing they clearly could no longer sit still, Old Mrs. Qin said, "You all may leave now." The sisters-in-law bowed and were about to leave, but Mrs. Wang was asked to stay. Old Mrs. Qin had Nanny Ding bring over a box and handed it over: "Now we are preparing to open a preserved fruit shop at home, and also need to send things over to them, besides leaving some silver for them to use in case of immediate need. There isn’t much silver here; take it all." "Mother, I still have a little at home; keep it for your personal use," Mrs. Wang offered. Old Mrs. Qin said, "The Qin family is now in a humble state, and I, an old lady with a sick body, rarely step outside the threshold or meet people, all expenditures are already planned for, what would I do with this personal allowance? It’s better used on essentials. Once we’re more comfortable financially, you can save something for me, just something for them to remember me by when I’m gone." Seeing her face marked more deeply with wrinkles and appearing older, Mrs. Wang, remembering Qin Liuxi’s words, pursed her lips and said, "Mother, please take heart, things will improve. I will take this silver to tide us over until the shop is up and making money, then I will refill this box for you." Old Mrs. Qin smiled and nodded, then allowed her to leave. After Mrs. Wang left, she picked up the family letter and read it back and forth several times, with tears streaming down her face, saying, "I don’t know if I will live to see the day they come back." Nanny Ding wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Have peace of mind, you will." Old Mrs. Qin sighed and looked at the letter again. When Mrs. Wang returned to the courtyard and found Qin Liuxi there, she smiled and said, "It’s good you’re here too. There’s a letter from the northwest, your father has written a family letter, come have a look. Aunt Wan, come and listen too." Aunt Wan could not wish for more, but timidly glanced at Qin Liuxi. Qin Liuxi gave her a look: "This character ’virtue’, copy it fifty times later." "Ah." "A hundred times!" "Fifty, I just yawned, I wasn’t pleading!" Aunt Wan almost cried, why does she have to suffer through learning and recognizing characters, why can’t she just be a pretty but simple-minded concubine? Qin Liuxi then hummed and walked over to Mrs. Wang. Qin Mingchun sympathetically looked at Aunt Wan and tugged at her clothes, saying, "Auntie, you have to show some spirit, I’m going to the academy tomorrow, you stay home and write well, I will check when I come back from school." Aunt Wan: "!" Why isn’t a demonic daughter enough, there has to be a son who torments his mother too! By now Qin Liuxi had already taken the letter from Mrs. Wang and skimmed through it rapidly, soon handing it to Qin Mingchun: "Read it!" Qin Mingchun hurriedly took it and began to read the letter, but soon he was crying, and said to Mrs. Wang, "Mother, I miss father and elder brother too." "Then you should write a family letter to them yourself." "Alright." Qin Liuxi pursed her lips, looked at Aunt Wan, who looked utterly despairing, still worrying about her fifty characters of ’virtue’, and couldn’t help but shake her head! Mrs. Wang said to Qin Liuxi, "Now that they have a place to stay, I want to send some winter clothes and medicine over. Xixi, I’m not asking for much, but could you send them a few Peace Talismans to wear?" Qin Liuxi was surprised: "Do you believe those things work?" "Seeking the gods, it’s just for peace of mind, I feel the same," Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "I believe more in your words." Qin Liuxi’s previous divinations had all been accurate, so her talismans must also be effective. She could ignore other people, but for her son, she must procure one for him! This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om

Chapter 286 - 285: Family Letter from the Northwest

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