In the following days, Zhulan consciously paid attention to the movements next door and learned that Wang Ru took an ox cart to the county every day. She didn't know how Wang Ru managed to persuade Wang Laosi, but seeing him strolling around the village with his hands clasped behind his back, no longer downtrodden as he had been days before, it seemed likely that Wang Ru had come up with some way to make money.
Zhulan calculated the days, figuring Zhou Shuren should have arrived in Jiangnan by now. The North had donned its silver drapery, and she wondered what sort of scenery the ancient South must be showcasing. She envied Zhou Shuren!
