Datong

A few coughs came from inside the house. After a long while, a clean-shaven, thin, middle-aged man finally opened the door and walked out.

He paused at the doorway, squinting to get a clear look at the person before stepping forward to open the half-closed wooden fence.

The wooden fence door only reached a person's waist, and the courtyard wall was also very low. Anyone outside could see the situation inside the courtyard wall with a turn of their head.

The Civil Mail Bureau clerk clearly recognized him. Seeing him approach, the clerk grinned, "Master Pan, you have another letter. This one is from Guangxin Prefecture in Jiangxi."

Pan Hong thanked him and, as he took the letter, tried hard to recall if he had any relatives or friends in Guangxin Prefecture.

As usual, he corrected the clerk, "Just call me by my name from now on. Don't call me Master. If you don't mind, you can call me Uncle Pan."

The clerk replied with a smile, and he would still call him that next time.

Their shopkeeper had explicitly instructed them to be polite to customers, especially those from Exile Village. Although most of them were disgraced officials and their families, as long as they hadn't committed capital offenses, who knew when they might be recalled and reinstated?

Therefore, it was better to smile more and bow more than to offend someone and risk losing business or even their heads in the future.

Pan Hong sent the clerk away and then, as he walked back into the house, carefully examined the envelope in his hand.

His brow furrowed. The handwriting on the envelope looked extremely familiar. It seemed like his youngest daughter's handwriting?

Pan Hong wasn't sure. As he opened the letter, he reassured himself that the handwriting might just be similar; it couldn't be his youngest daughter.

As the letter unfolded, a thin bank draft floated out. He glanced at it; it was for one hundred taels.

He didn't bother to look closely and quickly turned to read the letter.

As the letter unfolded and he saw more words, his heart grew cold. He scanned the beginning of the letter and immediately flipped to the end to see the signature.

His heart sank. It was indeed Yun'er.

After finishing the letter, Pan Hong was almost in tears. "Why did she go to Guangxin Prefecture alone? And she's cultivating the Dao... What about the second son's family? Did my situation still implicate the second son? And Mother..."

Pan Hong couldn't help but stomp his foot and exclaim, "Aiya!" He paced around anxiously.

It was just that his youngest daughter was in a state of feigned death. Otherwise, he could have openly replied to her letter or written to other relatives and friends to inquire.

The child used many metaphors in her letter; was it also out of concern?

He didn't know about the second son's situation. Who should he ask about this matter?

"Cultivating the Dao on Mount Sanqing? Could she have gone with the two Daoists he met back then?" For a moment, all sorts of possibilities flashed through Pan Hong's mind.

Did his situation implicate the second son's family, and his youngest daughter escaped and met two Daoists who took her away?

Or was the second son's family afraid that the youngest daughter's matter would be exposed and gave her to the two Daoists to take away?

It couldn't be that the daughter had a talent for cultivating the Dao, and the two Daoists immediately took her in, could it?

But back then, he only asked them to look after the Pan family and, preferably, escort the Pan family back to Changzhou Prefecture. He didn't ask them to turn his own daughter into a Daoist cultivator.

Pan Hong was tormented. He was worried that his daughter had truly become a Daoist nun, yet he hoped for the third possibility. This would mean that Pan Yun's situation was at least not the worst. At least it meant that the second son's family was backing her up.

He carefully reread her letter and then looked at the bank draft again, thinking even more. Where did a child like her get so much money?

She even said to write to her if she had any difficulties, and she would find a way.

For a moment, Pan Hong's mind was filled with many thoughts.

"Father--Second Uncle sent us a letter and some things." Pan Yu, dressed in short clothes, ran in carrying a bundle, followed by Pan Yue, who was carrying a large parcel on his shoulder.

Pan Hong quickly got up. "Where's the letter?"

Pan Yue put down the burlap sack on his shoulder and took out a letter from his embrace, handing it over.

The moment he touched it, Pan Hong knew the letter had been opened.

His expression changed slightly, but he said nothing.

This was the fate of disgraced officials, especially those like him who had offended the Imperial Guards. They would occasionally inspect letters and items sent to him.

Although they did it discreetly, Pan Hong used to be a Censor himself; he knew how this worked.

Pan Tao had returned to his old home in Changzhou Prefecture.

The first thing he did after settling down was to write a letter to Pan Hong. Omitting Pan Yun, he wrote about the major events that had happened in the past month, not avoiding the Imperial Guards' surveillance.

These matters could be easily investigated. He was merely informing his brother truthfully, and the Imperial Guards couldn't do anything to him.

The letter stated that after Pan Hong's exile, their family could no longer make ends meet in the capital, and they had already decided to return home.

Not long ago, the Imperial Guards, under the pretext of searching for hidden criminals and their families, had stormed their home... They could no longer live in the capital, so Pan Tao decided to return to their ancestral home in Changzhou with their elderly mother.

Pan Tao didn't know how to tell Pan Hong that his niece had disappeared after leaving and that he didn't know if she was alive or dead. He also didn't know how to tell him about his niece's extraordinary abilities.

Fearing that Pan Hong would worry from afar in Datong, he could only lie and tell him that everything at home was fine. Although there had been setbacks, everything was arranged both internally and externally, so there was no need to worry.

After reading the letter, Pan Hong had calmed down. He opened the bank draft and looked at it. Such a large sum of money would not be easy for even the second son to produce.

Where did Yun'er, a child who had left home alone, get so much money?

Pan Hong said to his two sons, "Bring me the brush and ink. I need to write a letter."

Pan Yu's eyes lit up when he saw the bank draft. He leaned over and asked, "Father, which uncle sent this? He's so rich."

Pan Hong, who had intended to keep the bank draft and not use it for the time being, waiting for Pan Yun's reply, looked up and saw his second son's gaunt face. His throat felt as if it were sealed with cement. After a long pause, he found his voice.

"It's... it's from a friend. I'll tell you later. Don't speak carelessly," he handed the bank draft to his eldest son and said, "You and Yu'er go to the bank again later and withdraw the money. Get ninety taels in banknotes, all in small denominations. For the rest, exchange it for silver ingots or copper coins. Bring the money back first, and we'll buy things when we have time later."

Pan Yue agreed, took the remittance slip, and put it away.

"The password for picking up the money is 'Fen Jie Shuang Yun Man Sui Han'. Hurry up before the headman finds you."

Pan Yue was surprised by the password, while Pan Yu exclaimed directly, "Dad, isn't that our sister's name?"

Pan Hong waved his hands at the two, "Stop the nonsense and go."

Pan Yue pulled Pan Yu out. Pan Yu felt something was wrong and grabbed his elder brother, asking, "Who is this? Why did they use our little sister's name as the password?"

"Say less once we're outside."

This Exile Village was a mixed bag, and given their little sister's situation, it was best they didn't mention her.

Pan Yu could only swallow his words.

The two, carrying the remittance slip and the password, went to the money shop to collect the money. This was the largest remittance slip they had received so far.

It was even more than what Uncle sent them the first time.

Alas, they didn't receive that money either; it all went to others. Later, they could only tell their uncle to send things, not money.

Despite this instruction, Pan Tao would still tuck a few small remittance notes or silver notes into his letters and packages, hoping one or two would reach them.

The people who checked the mail seemed to know not to take everything, always leaving one or two behind to entice their acquaintances to keep sending money.

They and their uncle knew full well that the money was "lost" after being inspected by the officials. Although they were angry, they couldn't stop sending things altogether.

The exiled officials had their channels for complaint blocked. If they reported it upwards, they would face severe punishment.

Neither their father nor the two brothers could withstand it in their current physical condition.

It was just a matter of their own interests, something the father and sons could endure.

Pan Yu felt that whoever could send them such a large remittance slip and have it reach them must have considerable influence.

"Dad actually has connections like this, amazing, truly amazing..."

Pan Yue: "You should talk less. Aren't you hungry?"

"I'm hungry, Big Brother. After we get the money, let's buy some steamed buns to eat, and bring some back for Dad, and buy more rice and flour..."

They were escorted all the way to Datong. As soon as they arrived, they fell ill, but they had no time to rest before being immediately taken to the fields and the army to do hard labor.

Pan Yu had never experienced such hardship in his fourteen years of life until this year.

He never knew that farming was so tough, nor that military service was not only difficult but also demeaning.

In less than three months, the once robust and lively young lad was now as thin as a rake. His once chubby face had sharp angles, and when touched, it was all bone.

Pan Yue also felt sorry for his brother. After collecting the money as their father instructed, he led him to buy steamed buns and also purchased a good amount of rice, flour, and oil to take back.

Although their father said they could come again tomorrow, they were now under strict surveillance and were frequently summoned to serve in the army or work in the fields. Their time was not their own, so it was better to buy what they needed while they had the chance.

The two carried their purchases back in large bags. Pan Hong had also written two reply letters.

Pan Yu eagerly stepped forward, "Dad, I'll mail the letters for you."

The lucky number is the one ending in 6, screenshot as proof.