Chapter 2

Without delay, Song Qiu interfered and resolved the matter. With his authority, the three men cowered and returned the buns. He also wanted them to pay for the buns they 'stole' yesterday but the young girl declined. He tried paying her instead but she declined as well. She just hoped that this kind of people will not take advantage of them anymore in the future. She then thanked their City Lord for his help but also apologised for the disturbance she caused.

Some people watching the show found that the young girl was naive for not taking the money. Others were pleased by her attitude. Jin and Song Qiu belonged to the latter.

If it was others, they would not hesitate to accept the money. Given the current state of the city and the poor livelihood, the residents must be unable to make the ends meet and every free coin or bill was a treasure for them.

The crowd gradually dispersed. Song Qiu and company left too. They did not bother to continue inspecting today as they had gotten more information from the ruckus. Jin threw a last look at the young girl before leaving.

While walking towards the market entrance to get in their cars and return to the City Lord's office, Jin asked his uncle to remove the three people under their employment to not cause further disharmony in the market.

"Uncle, give me a copy of the citizens' information. I think it is best to employ people from within first before hiring outside." Jin calmly stated.

"Hm." Song Qiu nodded in agreement. He already planned to thoroughly check the companies and the people employed by the previous City Lord and end the contract with them if he deemed necessary.

—

The first thing that the H city had built were basic housings for their people. However, they were not permanent as house registrations had not been given to them by the previous City Lord. Hence, the dwellers were still fearful that their houses will be torn down apart and be replaced with establishments.

These people were actually refugees and survivors who fled their homes when a war broke out in D city which was now an unfit place of habitation. Flames engulped the whole place and burnt everything down. Houses, lives, and almost hope.

Fortunately, the government was still humane to relocate them. However, H city and D city were not far away from each other. An hour walk or 20 minutes by car, they can travel from one point to another. Hence, fear still lingered in the hearts of the people. The smell of fire, gunpowder, and blood, the cries for help, the faces of the dead... They were still very clear to them even though three years had already passed.

—

Night—

At the southern part of the city, there stood a line of houses. In one of these, two figures were having their dinner.

"Sister, can we eat something different tomorrow?" The young boy hesitantly asked. Most of the time, they would eat buns. He can only eat something new once every week, sometimes once every two weeks. He understood their situation, but these days, he felt like he will vomit everytime he ate them.

"Of course. I managed to sell half of the buns we made today but tomorrow morning and while on the road, we still need to eat them. During dinner, we will eat something new then, okay?" The young girl patiently explained.

"Okay!" The young boy grinned.

The young girl patted his head and smiled gently, but deep inside she was in despair. It had been three years already but there had been no changes with their current situation.

If one of the people in market saw her, they would instantly be reminded of the young girl who wanted to beat three men today.

Wu Qiuyue, 17 years old

The young boy was named Wu Huan, 7 years old. He was her younger brother. His black hair was also hanging behind his small back reaching his shoulder blade. His big eyes were bright and clear. Still bright and clear. His nose was tall, his lips small. Like Qiuyue, he was also thin clearly due to malnutrition. He wore a pair of worn out grey shirt and pants.

The two were also survivors of the war, the only survivors of the Wu clan in the D city. The Wu clan was one of the biggest and most powerful clans but due to the war, they were reduced to ashes only leaving two young children behind to fend for themselves.

How and why the war started, Qiuyue was not fully aware, but she will never tell what she knew to anybody, let alone to Huan. She still wished to see his eyes, his pure eyes that made her remember her loving father and mother, her older brother and sister. Their family. Her little brother was all she got and she would protect him whatever the cost is for him to live a happy and healthy life.

—

At the same date, night—

The room had tall shelves that almost reached the ceiling filled with books about business, real estates, employee management and more. Books written in English, German, and Japanese were available too. There was a black leather couch in the middle and a low table with a porcelain teapot and teawares on it.

Ceiling lampshades were hanging above, one of which was still lit illuminating a mahogany table. The table was situated by a window and was currently filled with binders neatly piled.

A man wearing black pyjamas was seated on the mahogany chair behind it. After five minutes of reading and flipping of the pages from time to time, he closed the binder and placed it atop the pile. He rested his head back and closed his eyes. An image of a young girl appeared in his mind. He furrowed his brow.

"Uwe." He suddenly called out. A shadow appeared behind him. "The War in D City three years ago. Find everything about it." He said in German. Uwe nodded and disappeared after which.

He retrieved his phone and dialed a number. "Cancel my schedules tomorrow. We will go to D city." He then hung up.

—

Next day—

Around four am, Qiuyue abruptly woke up. She was sweating profusely. The same nightmare woke her up again. She looked to her side and heaved a sigh of relief. Her little brother was still there.

She got off the bed and began heating water in a big stainless steel casserole pan. It was intended for drinking water. After it boiled, she poured some into two cups and let the heat of what remained subsided. After which, she poured them into a few water bottles and covered them.

She boiled water again. This time it was for Huan's bath. While waiting, she reheated the buns from yesterday for their breakfast, lunch and travel. After a short while, she woke up Huan and told him to take his bath. She took one in cold water after him. They ate their breakfast then.

Qiuyue opened the door and pushed a bamboo cart out from the inside. She then asked Huan to go get their food and water for their journey and her sword as well. Both were wearing the same clothes from last night. The only difference was that there was another layer of cloth on Huan. It was still around five and the air was still cold. She would not let Huan catch a cold or get sick in the process.

She locked the door and pushed the cart towards their destination — D city.

D city, when it was still standing, was not as prosperous as W city at all. However, it served as an Ancestral Home for many noble clans that had refused to welcome the technology and advancement of the modern days with open arms. D city was also called 'Ancestral City' because of this reason. Those members of these noble clans who wished to try and live in other cities left and eventually were banished and removed from the clans' family records.

At first, the government still tolerated this. However, many oppositions had arisen, especially various business enterprises, because of business growth and expansions. Hence, the government attempted many times to persuade them but they remained firm of their stand.

The government and the company owners can only choose to expand their businesses and influences to other minor cities. The Ancestral City achieved peace for many years until that day, three years ago.