Chu Yan spent at the inn for one night. The next day, he went out to hire a carriage driver for his travel. The carriage driver is a young man at the age of 17 called Xiao Gao. He planned to go to Luoyang first, then to Xiapi. After that, he would take a boat to Wu.

Apart from not knowing how to ride a horse, he has another problem at this age. He does not know how to wear the hanfu. The ancient people wear too many layers of clothes. It is really hard for him and the sleeves of the clothes are really wide.

Anyway, after hiring a carriage, they went out of the city through the east door. The roads of ancient China are quite harsh. Chu Yan feels uncomfortable because he is not really used to travelling with a horse carriage. After going for three days, they finally reached Luoyang.

Luoyang is a bustling city. You can see many people coming in and out of the city. There are many shops and restaurants in Luoyang. Even though Luoyang is not as big as the capital, Chu Yan thinks that it would probably the second largest city in this day and age. Chu Yan also saw the gathering of poets who were reciting their own poems. So, he remembered that Luoyang is also regarded as the “Capital of Poets”.

After having his meal at the inn, he went out to stroll around the city. Then, in the bazaar, he saw an interesting scene. There was a young girl asking for money to bury her mom by selling herself. There was a crowd around her. She is quite a beauty. She has a calm and cool demeanour even though she is in this terrible situation. She is like a beautiful lotus flower on the top of the clear water surface. Chu Yan saw her and felt some pity so he gave her some money received from Dong Ming. The girl looked at him and said.

“Young Master, my name is Qin Ruo. May I know your name?”

“I’m Chu Yan. You don’t need to repay me for this.”

Chu Yan just turned around and left. After walking for some time, he realized that someone is following him. When he turned back, he saw that young girl.

“Why are you still following me? You don’t need to do this. Just use the money to bury your mom properly.”

“T-then, where does young master live? Is young master a local here?”

“I’m not a local here. I’m going to Wu.”

“I see.”

Chu Yan walked away. Qin Ruo was just standing there looking at Chu Yan without blinking an eye. Perhaps, she was trying to memorize the face of the young man who did a favour to her.

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Chu Yan planned to stay for two days in Luoyang. He wanted to buy a dagger for himself because from Luoyang onwards, the terrain would be rough and there might be lots of bandits and thieves in places where the power of government could not reach. So, the next day, he went to the weaponsmith and bought a dagger. Even though he is not very proficient in martial arts, he learnt a few martial arts when he was young. So, even if he encounters some danger, he believes that he could protect himself.

The next day, he went to Luo River. Luoyang is actually named after the Luo River because the city is located at the northern bank of the river. He then took a boat ride and enjoyed the scenery of the river. He saw a large number of gulls in the sky. He was on the boat till the dusk arrives. The sunset on Luo River is a beautiful scene that he would never forget in his life.

He went back to his inn and Xiao Gao asked him.

“Young Master, did you enjoy riding the boat?”

“Yeah, it was an awesome experience. Let’s continue our journey tomorrow.”

“Yes, young master.”

The next day, they got up at the hour of Mao (5 to 7 am) and bought some baozi. Then Chu Yan rid the carriage and continued his journey. They got out of the city and travelled for three hours. At that time, they heard crying of a baby. Chu Yan looked around and he saw a wrapped cloth underneath a big tree. The cry is coming from there. So, he went to take a look.

There he found a baby wrapped in a cloth. The baby is a boy and maybe about a couple of months old. For some reason, the parents cruelly abandoned their child here. There is also a wooden plate in the cloth. There are two characters on wooden plate, which are “Deng Yu”. It is probably the name of the baby, Chu Yan pondered.

“Young Master, are you going to take the baby?”

“Yes, he might die if we just leave him like this. Please drive to the nearest village.”

They then went to the closest village to buy some milk for the baby. Chu Yan took the child and then went around the village to ask where he could get the milk. Then, he went to the house of a lady who owns a cow. There was a middle-aged lady at the front of the house, so he asked, “Excuse me, can I get some cow milk?”

The lady looked at the child and smiled.

“Is it your child? He is such a cute baby.”

Chu Yan tried to explain.

“No, I just found a baby on the road and took him with me. I’m not his real father. I…..”

The lady gave a all-knowing smile and said, “It’s ok, you don’t need to explain. I understand.”

Chu Yan smiled bitterly and complained in his heart.

‘She obviously misunderstood. I’m not married yet and now people think that I’m a father. Can I still return the baby under 30-day return policy?’

After that, Chu Yan resumed his journey to Xiapi.