Chapter 4 Bribery

A large group of people walking on the road were particularly conspicuous.

After leaving the city gate, Qin Xiangnuan quietly took out a few pieces of silver from the space, and then took out a jade hairpin of excellent quality and came to the leading official.

"What are you doing?" The officer looked defensive.

Qin Xiangnuan smiled harmlessly, took out the silver and jade hairpin, and said softly, "Sir, you see, our group is old and young, and we already walk slowly. If we put on shackles, I'm afraid we will be a burden to you."

As she spoke, she stuffed the things into the officer's hands and said, "Could you please be so kind as to let us take off the shackles when we're a little further away?"

The officer weighed the silver and looked at the jade hairpin carefully, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

This hairpin is probably worth three to five hundred taels of silver. When the brothers sell the hairpin, each of them will get more silver than their three-year salary.

Seeing that Qin Xiangnuan was so considerate, and that the Qin family indeed consisted mostly of elderly people, children and women, and that wearing shackles would be a burden, he made the decision and agreed.

The officials kept their word. Ten miles after leaving the capital, they removed their shackles and allowed everyone to rest there for one night before continuing their journey early the next morning.

The dry food distributed to each person was indeed too dry.

Qin Xiangnuan took the dry biscuit and bit it hard, leaving only a tooth mark.

This thing is probably pretty good for cracking walnuts.

The general's mansion has never treated servants harshly. Although the diet of the master and the servants is different, the servants have never eaten such dry cakes, let alone the masters who have always lived a life of luxury.

Qin Xiangnuan looked at Old Lady Qin who was staring at the dry food with worry, and the three women beside her, one was her mother Liu, one was her second aunt Zou, and the other was her third aunt Qi. There was a little girl leaning on her second aunt, the youngest girl in the family, Qin Xiangning, whose nickname was Beibei. Behind her were her second uncle, third uncle, and several brothers and sisters in the family. The rest were servants in the mansion.

After much thought, she found the official again.

When the officer saw her, he was as happy as if he had seen the God of Wealth, and asked her what she wanted with a smile.

Qin Xiangnuan knew very well that money makes the world go round, which was an eternal truth. She took out a jade pendant and pretended that it was a gift from her old acquaintances in the general's mansion, and repeated her thoughts.

"Sir, you've seen that my family members have poor teeth and can't swallow these dry rations. I wanted to discuss with you that if conditions permit, we can find food on our own. If we can catch a rabbit or something while hunting, we will definitely not forget you, Sir."

As soon as these words were spoken, several officers couldn't help but exchange glances.

Getting silver for free and being able to eat meat with them was naturally a good thing. They pondered for a moment and pretended to be embarrassed. Qin Xiangnuan took out some change.

She has plenty of money now, and any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem!

The officers immediately smiled and agreed quickly.

But tonight we can only make do with what we eat.

However, it was the end of summer and the hot weather was bearable for the time being, but they rested under the tent and the mosquitoes kept buzzing in their ears and always looking for opportunities to bite them.

Old Madam Qin was old and had trouble sleeping to begin with, and now she couldn't sleep at all.

The same thing happened to the youngest child, Beibei, who cried loudly because of mosquito bites.

Qin Xiangnuan looked distressed. She calmly took out three small bottles of insect repellent from her space and handed them to her mother, Liu, saying, "Someone gave them to me during the chaos just now. They said they can repel mosquitoes. Mother, please share them with everyone."

Liu distributed it to everyone in the general's mansion. Qin Xiangnuan did not forget the group of officials and also gave them three small bottles. The officials looked even better.

With the anthelmintic, everyone slept much more soundly.

The next morning, Qin Xiangnuan sat on the ground, looked around, and couldn't help but sigh.

The road to exile is remote and not an official road.

Not only are there no vendors on the road, but even finding a village shop where you can rest requires luck.

Looking around, there were only bare mountains, with the occasional wild boar or musk deer running around, scaring the women into screaming.

"Nuannuan, come, have something to eat."

Seeing that she was in a daze, Liu waved to her and took out two hard steamed buns from her arms.

If your teeth collide with each other and you cover your eyes, you might think you are chewing stone.

She had already been chewing dryly all day yesterday, and today she couldn't stand it anymore. Looking at the old and young people in the mansion who were also chewing with difficulty, she felt that she couldn't go on like this.

But how can we get more food for everyone?

Qin Xiangnuan was pondering when she suddenly heard Liu cough twice. Her lips were already cracked due to lack of water.

Qin Xiangnuan hurriedly took out the kettle from her arms, shook it twice, and the water inside had run out.

"Mom, have a drink of water." Qin Xiangnuan turned her back to Liu, took out mineral water from the space and poured it into it, brought it in front of Liu, and urged her to drink a few more sips.

Liu hesitated and wanted to refuse, but Qin Xiangnuan quickly put the water bottle to her lips. "There's a forest ahead. We estimate we can reach it in less than half a day. There will naturally be a stream there. I don't like drinking water, but there's still plenty in this water bottle. You should drink more. If you fall ill, it will delay your life."

Qin Xiangnuan persuaded Liu to drink some, and her complexion improved a lot.

"Mother, I'm going to see grandma."

"good."

Liu has lived in the inner courtyard all year round, and now she walks more often and her body can't bear it.

Qin Xiangnuan took two steps back and came to the front of Madam Qin. The old woman with silver hair was leaning on a cane, panting against a stone. She raised her loving eyes to stare at Qin Xiangnuan, waved at her, and took out two wrinkled pancakes from her bosom. "Nuannuan, are you hungry? Grandma still has some food here. Come and fill your stomach. Look at your little face, it's almost as thin as a palm."

"Grandma, I'm not hungry."

Qin Xiangnuan shook her head to refuse, but Old Madam Qin thought that she was worried that she would not have enough to eat, and she felt even more distressed for her.

Madam Qin had three children, General Qin being the eldest. She had waited until she had achieved success before bringing the second and third children to live temporarily in her mansion. Now that he had been implicated, it was natural that the whole family would be exiled with him.

Qin Xiangnuan's second uncle and third uncle were both honest and kind, and they didn't beat around the bush. When they saw Qin Xiangnuan, they loved her very much and had no complaints.

Qin Xiangnuan was a little uncomfortable with this kind of atmosphere.

"Grandma, I see a forest ahead. There might be some game there. I'll go in and see if I can pick some mushrooms or hunt some game. That would help us improve our meals."

But when Old Lady Qin heard Qin Xiangnuan's words, she felt as if a huge stone was pressing on her heart and was very uncomfortable.

The granddaughter has been taking care of everything for the past two days, but the elders were frightened and at a loss. When they heard Qin Xiangnuan say that she was going hunting, they grabbed Qin Xiangnuan's hand and stopped her from going.

"Even if the Qin family has fallen to this point, there are still men in the family who hold up the sky. My Nuannuan is the most delicate one and cannot be hurt."

Facing Old Madam Qin's worried gaze, Qin Xiangnuan felt warm in her heart and comforted Old Madam Qin, "Grandma, none of the children of the Qin family are those who seek pleasure. For more than ten years, I have been taken care of by my family. Now that I can contribute my part, it is only natural. Don't you believe in your granddaughter?"

After saying this, she pretended to be upset and looked at Old Madam Qin pitifully.

Madam Qin knew her intentions well. She sighed softly and said, "Well, Nuannuan is right. The children of the Qin family can enjoy themselves and endure hardships. But I'm worried about you going alone, so I'll let Feng'er accompany you."

"Okay, I'll go with Nuannuan. Don't worry, grandma. I will protect her."

A silly voice came from behind.

Qin Xiangnuan turned around, smiled and called out, "Cousin Feng, thank you so much!"

The boy, who was a head taller than Qin Xiangnuan, scratched his head. A blush appeared on his dark skin. He grinned, "It's all a small matter. Just wait. Your cousin will definitely catch a wild boar for you! You can have some meat..."