Setting Off

"The County Commandant of Beihe County and I have some acquaintance. I'll write a letter for you. Afterward, you can call your Fourth Brother to accompany you and go ask him for help," Sun Shouren said as he took the deed of sale and scanned the brief text on it.

He himself was originally from Xingyuan Prefecture. Although he had been fighting in the border army for many years, he still had many acquaintances within Xingyuan Prefecture.

Moreover, he was now an official of the fifth rank, overseeing all military affairs within Xingyuan Prefecture.

"Poverty makes a man a stranger in a busy city, while wealth brings distant relatives even to the deep mountains." Nowadays, there were plenty of people who wanted to build a connection with him.

Even acquaintances and old friends whom he had known before but hadn't contacted for many years had come to visit him recently.

"Thank you, Godfather," Chen Mo said, deeply moved, and bowed gratefully.

Even though this matter might be a small one for him, it was a great help to Chen Mo.

Sun Shouren picked up the paper and brush from the desk and, with a few strokes, finished writing a letter. He then sealed it with beeswax, stamped his seal on the envelope, and handed it to Chen Mo.

"Since you're going to redeem someone, you should take some silver with you," Sun Shouren said, taking out three ten-tael silver notes from his怀.

These were all small denomination notes. Anyone could exchange them for silver at a money shop.

Larger denomination notes, however, usually had corresponding secret codes, and some could only be withdrawn from the specific bank where the money was deposited.

"This..." Chen Mo looked at the silver notes, hesitant to take them. Even if he were to redeem someone, it would cost at most twenty taels, and the amount before him was clearly more than that.

"You don't have a room to call your own or land to call your own. It's one thing to live and eat in the barracks alone, but you can't have my future daughter-in-law living with you.

Take this money with you, and you can find a place to settle down.

Besides, even with my letter, you can't go empty-handed when asking for help. You'll need to bring some sort of gift."

Sun Shouren explained carefully. If Chen Mo were going to the County Commandant of Beihe County, he wouldn't need to prepare anything, and the County Commandant and even the County Magistrate would come out of the city to greet him.

However, as his adopted son, Chen Mo going to visit empty-handed would be considered impolite. Others might not say it aloud, but they would remember it.

"This child understands!" Chen Mo said with genuine emotion. Although he had already recognized Sun Shouren as his godfather, he had still treated him as a general.

Now that Sun Shouren had helped him so much, and Chen Mo was not heartless, he naturally felt more grateful and closer to him.

"Hurry up and go. Don't forget to call your Fourth Brother," Sun Shouren said with a smile.

Chen Mo bowed again and then ran off.

Mo Dao was not difficult to find. He was responsible for the entire camp's guard and patrol duties. He usually carried a seven-stone strong bow and stayed in the watchtower.

"Fourth Brother," Chen Mo said as he climbed to the highest point of the watchtower. Mo Dao was the only one there; the other personal guards were on the level below.

That area was more spacious and warmer.

Mo Dao saw him approaching and didn't say much, only nodding.

"I didn't flee from Qing Province alone. My wife also escaped with me to Xingyuan Prefecture. To save my life, she sold herself into slavery to the Liu Family in Beihe County.

I just asked Godfather for help. He wrote a letter to the County Commandant of Beihe County and asked you to accompany me."

Chen Mo knew that Mo Dao didn't like unnecessary talk, so he got straight to the point and explained the situation briefly.

Mo Dao's expression remained as calm as ever, seemingly unfazed by the matter.

"Alright, you go make some other preparations. Meet me at the camp gate in two quarters of an hour," he said, nodding and getting up to walk down the tower.

Chen Mo followed him down the tower and went straight to his barracks. The barracks were simply decorated and laid out. Apart from some snacks, there wasn't much else.

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, then took two boxes of snacks, a clean set of clothes, the reward from Grade A, and the red envelope from his godfather, which added up to two taels of silver.

He had been in the barracks during this time, and the food was very good. He hadn't had a chance to spend this money, and it happened to be with him now.

His godfather had indeed given him thirty taels of silver, but he would try not to touch it if he could.

His godfather was still his godfather, not his biological father.

He would try not to use this money if possible. If there was any left over, he would return it to his godfather.

Chen Mo understood that this money was not for him to spend but to help him redeem Zhao Yu.

If there was any left, he would have to return it to his godfather.

Carrying these items, Chen Mo hurried to the main gate of the camp again.

Mo Dao had already hitched a carriage, and he himself was riding his horse alongside it.

Unlike Mo Hu, the personal guards at the gate simply opened it silently when they saw Mo Dao approach, without daring to say a word.

Chen Mo carefully drove the carriage. He had fed horses for a while, and although he couldn't ride a horse, driving a carriage wasn't difficult.

The old horse knew the way and would avoid potholes and ruts on the road.

They were also on the main road, so Chen Mo only needed to adjust their direction occasionally to keep up with Mo Dao.

"Beihe County is nearly a hundred miles from our camp. We won't make it today. There's a large cart inn ahead, so we'll go there," Mo Dao instructed as evening approached.

"Okay," Chen Mo agreed and headed towards the nearby large cart inn.

These large cart inns were not like city inns. They were places for travelers or merchant caravans to rest.

Their comfort level was naturally incomparable to city inns, but their advantage was their low price.

There weren't many dishes to order in the inn; they only had some fixed meals.

"Two private rooms. Feed the carriage horse the premium feed, and the other horse the standard feed. Bring us whatever meals the inn has today," Mo Dao said as he rode his horse into the inn and instructed the attendant who came to greet them.

"Alright, honored guest, we have steamed buns freshly made today, as well as lamb soup and pickles," the waiter said enthusiastically, tying a knot in the horse's reins with a piece of straw.

By looking at the number of knots tied in the straw, one could tell what kind of feed the horse should be given.

The large cart inn wasn't crowded. It was still the first lunar month, and although the Lantern Festival had passed, there weren't many merchant caravans or escort agencies operating compared to usual.

Two large bowls of lamb soup, generously seasoned with Sichuan peppercorns, along with two heaping plates of lamb buns and a small portion of pickles were served.

"This is an old establishment, no need to worry," Mo Dao said in a low voice.

If this place could operate near the official road and had remained problem-free for many years, then the food and vegetables served here could naturally be trusted.

Chen Mo didn't dare to eat his fill and ended up eating only thirty-three buns and drinking two bowls of lamb soup. Mo Dao ate slightly less, but still managed twenty-five.

Their appetites stunned everyone in the inn. A large appetite meant great strength, indicating that both of them were quite powerful.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the innkeeper came over, rattling his abacus.

Establishments like this typically settled their bills after the meal and before bed, allowing guests to leave directly the next morning. This was to prevent anyone from slipping away unnoticed in the early hours.

"Two honored guests, the total comes to two hundred and twelve cash. You can give me two taels of silver," the innkeeper said, his voice tinged with surprise at the price, but he quickly considered it normal.

The lamb buns at their establishment were each about a fist's size larger than an adult's fist. An ordinary person could eat at most five or six, and eating eight or nine was already remarkable.

Considering Chen Mo and Mo Dao had consumed food equivalent to ten people, the price was understandable.

"Alright," Chen Mo said, reaching for his silver. Mo Dao was helping him on this trip, so Chen Mo certainly wouldn't let him pay for the meal.

Seeing this, Mo Dao reached out and stopped him, then took out silver from his embrace to pay.

"Since you call me Fourth Brother, how can I let you pay when we go out to eat?"

As he said this, a rare smile appeared on his face.