I know some people probably don't read the author's note at the end of the chapter, so I'll just say it here:
Thank you for 50k!
(full thanks and a question at the end- I cannot describe how happy I am)

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If life was a game and Jin qing the player, she was confident she was on the path to victory. 

Everything was going so well she was absolutely terrified of herself letting her guard down, which was rather strange for her. 
Nothing ever went this well, but she figured it was the heavens apologizing to her for giving her such a bad life. 

If the gods above allow this plan to succeed and send me back to the Wei, all will be forgiven. The heavens help who helps themselves. I can't be standing around and doing nothing. 

But who knew taking the orphans to the market would be as stressful as war?

Jin qing thought she had enough experience taking people to the markets of the city to shop around- after all, she had done that countless amounts of times with Xi Yan. Granted, Xi Yan did get poisoned by food that was meant to be for her, she didn't realize until now how well behaved she was compared to the two children she was with now. 

Nian Zhen and Xiao Wen, fully dressed and washed, looked adorable in their new clothes... though Jin qing suspected that the cleanliness of both their clothes and themselves wouldn't last very long if they kept running around on the streets. 

The two children had asked if they can go outside for that day as they were exhausted from staying indoors for two days straight... But she was starting to wonder if she should have brought two pieces of rope to restrain the two children from running too far.

"Big sister Jin qing- can we get some candy?" Xiao wen asked, tugging at the cloth of her skirt and looking up at her with his big bright eyes. "Please?"

Jin qing looked down at him, moving her basket to her other hand to ruffle his hair "It's going to spoil your meal. You can have some later."

"But there's so anything things to eat here-"

She sympathized with him on his wanting to eat sweet things, but she wasn't in the Wei anymore where she had the entire treasury to spend if she wanted to. "I know, I know there is." Jin qing said mournfully with a pout. 

 "But I want sweets...


ah, this kid is adorable-

"No."

The boy copied her pout, but didn't seem to mind much and ran to join his sister by the stall selling toys. he pointed to one that had a butterfly made of what looked like dried bamboo "Can I have one?"

"Xiao wen why are you always asking Jin qing to buy you things-" Nian Zheng scolded her brother, but Jin qing looked over at the prices and found it to be rather affordable. 

"It's alright. Why don't you pick one too?" she teased her. 

"But I'm a little too old for these toys-"

"If you say so." Jin qing pressed a copper coin into the hand of the seller and took the butterfly and held it out to Xiao Wen. "If I buy you this, you can't ask for anything else, alright? Promise me."

Xiao wen reached out for the stick happily "I promise I won't ask for anything else!"

"And not to run around the market too much."

"I promise!"

Jin qing gave the stick to Xiao Wen. 

A part of her scolded herself that she was wasting too much time. Jin qing was pretty sure Sheng Feng would return in less than a week if what Tian Xiang told her was correct, and wanted to get as much done as possible before she had to leave. 

But then again... there was another part of her wanted to assume that she would be safe under Tian Xiang's protection even from Shen Feng and his mother... but she was sure there were other ways the two can torture her without even seeing her.

Jin qing snapped away from her thoughts when Xiao wen tugged on her and his older sister's skirt at the same time.

 Xiao wen was pointing to a run-down street by the end of one of the corners. "Sister Nian, do you think auntie is still making food?"

"Auntie?" Jin qing tilted her head, looking at Nian Zhen. 

"Oh... he's talking about a couple who always cooks for all the orphans like us and people who can't afford to eat." Nian Zhen answered "I think the couple is store owners and they bring back the leftover stocks to cook for people like us. Xiao Wen and I didn't go to them very often- we didn't want to rely on them too much. They always had so many people to feed on almost their own expense and seemed never to have enough to feed everyone."

An idea started to form in Jin qing's mind. 

"Do you think she'll be in there at this time of day?" Jin qing asked, looking over at the street corner to see if she can spot the house they were talking about. 

"I mean... it's almost noon." Nian Zhen answered "She would probably be cooking with the girls who sometimes go and help her. Why?"

"Why don't we go and see if we can help?" Jin qing suggested "Our lunch is in our basket, but we can always bring it over to her and see if it can make a difference. You said they never really had enough to pass around, didn't you?"

"I did."

"So? Don't dawdle, come on." Jin qing grabbed onto Xiao Wen's hand and lead them into the streets. 


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The area around the wooden home behind the gloriously sunny streets was dirty and glum-looking from the lack of brightness. However, as soon as Jin qing and the two children walked in the vicinity of the house, they were immediately assaulted by a wave of good smells and the sound of people laughing. 

The people around the house made up for the glum surroundings and actually even managed make it look a little more cheerful. Jin qing counted five children playing in the front and looked over at an elderly man speaking with two young men. 

Inside the house, she can hear the sounds of women chattering and the food cooking, creating a very wholesome picture despite being in such a poor-looking area. 

The children playing seemed to recognize Xiao wen and waved at him to come to join them in a game of ball. The ball looked like it was made of an inflated pig's bladder covered in cloth in some parts, but the children seemed to be pretty happy with it. Xiao wen let go of her hand and went to join the children, waving his new toy high in the air to show it off. 

"Why don't you go and join him?" Jin qing teased Nian Zhen, nudging her a little. 

"No- they're all so little for me." Nian zhen said with a little bit of an attitude. She was almost hiding behind Jin qing, and nodded over at the young men who were looking at Jin qing. "They're staring at you- probably wondering why you're here with me-"

"Then there is nothing to do but to introduce ourselves." Jin qing answered, walking fearlessly to them- only to push Nian Zhen toward the front to show that she had come for a good reason. 

One young man who seemed to stand with a limp spoke first before Jin qing can even start. "Who are you?" He asked stoutly, "Nian Zhen, who is this?"

Another man chuckled "Hey, be nice to the girl."

"Im just asking."

"This is Jin qing..." Nian Zhen said, clearly a little uncomfortable being put in the spotlight "She found Xiao Wen and I and took us in..."

"We were passing by to the market when Xiao wen and Nian Zhen told me about this place." Jin qing answered with a little grin "I heard about what this place was doing and thought I'd come here to help. Nian Zhen and her brother were stuck in my house for a while, so I thought it would be nice if they got to see someone their age again."

"What's in the basket?" The same young man asked. 

"Things that we were planning to take home and eat." Jin qing said truthfully "Random things from the market that should be a nice treat. Is the kitchen inside? Can I go in and help?"

The young men exchanged looks, clearly just as wary about someone as nicely dressed as Jin qing coming all of a sudden to help- much like how Nian Zhen was so careful of her the first time they met. 

The older man has been silent the whole time, seeming to be studying Jin qing and the basket of food in her arms. "I don't see why not." The man said quietly, wheezing a little as he spoke between breaths.

"But-"

"Nian Zhen and Xiao wen brought her here. She can't be bad."

Jin qing smiled "Thank you."

"Being old means having a good judgment of character..." The old man laughed a little bit "I've seen too many people in my day... the kitchen is right in the door. The girls would be happy to have your help."

"Nian Zhen, why don't you go to your brother and make sure his toy doesn't break?" Jin qing suggested, pushing Nian Zhen out a little bit toward the group of children.

"But-"

"Your brother might start crying if it breaks."

"Ah okay..."

Jin qing turned around when Nian Zhen started walking toward her brother and into the house. 

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"Oh? Who are you?"

"mmm, I guess you can say I'm Nian Zhen and Xiao Wen's caretaker?" Jin qing said, setting the basket down on the table. The kitchen was quite crowded even with just three people- including her. "They told me about this place as we were walking by, so I'd thought I'd come here to help a little. They told me how sometimes there isn't enough to pass around, so I'd thought we'll come by with some food to help ease the burden off the shop."

The middle-aged woman who spoke was short and a little bit on the plump side in comparison to the teenaged girl next to her who resembled a stick. 

"Oh! Nian Zhen is back?" The woman said, stepping aside to look out the door "She and her brother doesn't usually drop by... oh well. Happy to see that they're here. There might be more people coming so the food you brought is very appreciated."

"I have a head of cabbage and some carrots if that's alright." 

"Of course! Anything would do. Thank you." The woman smiled, taking the food out of the basket "A fine lady like you shouldn't be in a place like this! We barely see any aside from the fancy carriages that occasionally pass by."

"I don't mind." Jin qing assured her "I'm an illegitimate child, sent to the countryside to live with my grandparents when I was younger. I'm used to all of this."

It's been a while since she had said that to anyone- it was the classic excuse she used back in the Wei. 

"Besides, what are the rich going to do besides sitting still and looking pretty?" Jin qing asked, "I believe I'm a country girl at heart."

"You're from the country?" The woman asked, passing the carrots to the teenaged girl "Oh how your grandparents must worry about you! My husband- he's still in the shop right now- was from the countryside before he moved here. His parents worry about him every day- mostly about not having enough to eat."

Jin qing had to stop herself from smirking. She didn't even need to divert the subject of the conversation to where she wanted it to be. "Especially with the fields burning- have you heard? A millet field burned down two days ago, and everyone is worried that more fires might spring up because of the dry weather!"

"The emperor did say he was doing something about it, but he can't control the rate of which fires spread and grow." The woman said with a heavy sigh "Not as well as he can control the grain and the official things- or as well as that general is taking the land of the Wei."

Jin qing mentally facepalmed. She had been so focused on plotting the fires and thinking of a way to escape she had forgotten about Shen Feng and his progress to the capital. He wasn't due to come back for another week or so to make an official report and lead more men- and perhaps settle for the winter- but she still couldn't help but worry. 
How far has Sheng Feng progressed? Was there any large scale threat?

This lady seems to be pretty knowledgeable...

"General Shen Feng?" She asked, "My- I haven't been listening to the news lately aside from my home in the country- what's going on there?"

"I heard he's just a city or two away from laying siege on the capital of the Wei!" The woman said proudly "With the Wei's Xue Xian gone, they don't stand a chance even if their armies are returning. Maybe the great general won't even come back next week to finally deliver the killing blow- the Wei will fall!"

He's... what?

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A/N

OKAY I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE IS GOING TO END UP SCROLLING TO THE BOTTOM TO READ THIS BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 50K 

I had NO idea how this book exploded so fast and so quickly- I remember staring at the 48k (or 49 i don't remember) last Sunday and think "oh if we get 50 by next week that would be amazing so i can actually say thank you before it gets weird" 

And we hit 50k. 
On Wednesday. 

this is mind-blowing. my brain is in smithereens. 

I can't thank every single one of you readers enough for sitting through with me and enjoying Jin qing's story as much as I enjoy writing it. 

I wonder how long will it take for this book to reach 75k? If that even possible??

I want to do something special for 50k in the next update: drop some ideas? 

Thank you again! See you in two weeks!!