Chapter 20: Good Thoughts, Accumulating Virtue

The beautiful woman had tasted countless delicacies from land and sea, but as soon as she put the pear in her mouth, she knew that it was no ordinary delicacy.

If an ordinary person ate this pear, they might just say it was delicious, but she was ill and had a serious illness that was difficult to cure, so the feedback from her body after eating the pear was particularly obvious.

Being able to suppress the itch in her throat and make her feel relaxed is something that many medical experts cannot do!

The nanny and two maids were worried about their master's health. When she ate the pear, the three of them kept watching her closely, fearing that she would feel unwell.

Seeing their master's reaction with their own eyes, the three of them were confused and asked, "Master?"

"Mammy, let Li'er eat one of the three remaining pears, and keep the other two for later." The beautiful woman said with a smile, "A pear swallow is more effective than a cough pill."

The nanny understood everything. Her hands trembled with joy as she nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay! I'll put the pears away and put them in the jade box the master gave me. It keeps them fresher longer!"

The little boy sat on his mother's lap, the fragrance of the pear filling his nose, and he was already drooling with greed. But when he heard his mother wanted to share a pear with him, he shook his head and said, "Mother, I won't eat it. I'll leave it all for you."

Hearing this, the beautiful woman smiled lightly, her eyes softening, "But mother wants to eat with Li'er, that way mother will be happier."

The little boy thought about it, then took a bite of the uneaten pear in the beautiful woman's hand and said, "This way, Li'er and mother can eat the pear together."

"..." The beautiful woman was helpless. "You, I don't know who you inherited this stubborn personality from."

The maid and the others laughed heartily, "The young master is a filial son to his wife. When he first accepted the pear, I thought nothing of it. But now it seems that the young master's return gift of the jade pendant was truly well-deserved."

If the lady can say that a bite of pear is more useful than a cough pill, then the pear is worth the price.

You know, the cough pills specially developed for the lady by the imperial physician in the palace are worth at least ten taels each.

"Madam, since you like these pears, I will send someone to bring that family back! We will buy all the pears they have so that they won't suffer any loss!" The nanny suddenly remembered this and spoke up immediately.

The beautiful woman was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "No need. Since they were on their way to exile, they must have been walking for quite some time. But look at these pears, they're as fresh as if they were just plucked from the tree. They couldn't have brought them from home as they claim, nor could they have just picked them by chance on the way."

The beautiful woman raised her eyes, a gleam of light flashing in them. "It's the coldest time of winter, and the pear season has long passed. That family must be hiding a secret."

"..." The nanny slapped her head. She had never thought of this.

Of course, where would you get pears in December?

Even if the palace wanted to eat pears, they couldn't eat them at this time and could only wait until early autumn!

"That family!——"

"Let's be merciful when we can. I sensed the harmonious and happy atmosphere in their family, so I decided to help them out, and so I got a few more pears from them. As I said before, it's fate that brings us together, so don't force it." The beautiful woman lowered her head, her bare hands gently caressing the little boy's head. "Think of it as accumulating merit for Li'er."

The nanny and the two maids bowed their heads and said, "Yes."

"This is the border of Yuzhou. If we want to reach Yongzhou, we must first pass through Xiangzhou and Xizhou, and then cross the Yudu Ancient Road..." The beautiful woman continued, "The ancient road is full of fierce bandits who burn, kill, rob, and commit all kinds of atrocities. It will be difficult for this family to pass safely, and the casualties are unpredictable."

"lady?"

The beautiful woman glanced at the child in her arms again, and said softly, "Let Ziyi go and escort them across the Yudu Ancient Road. They won't have to hide. She'll come back after the mission is completed. What happens next will depend on their own luck."

"Yes, I will give the order right away."

At the border post in December, the view was covered with snow. The cold wind blew through the dead woods, still biting hard, and it hurt people's faces.

The wind blew through the window, and the little boy in the beautiful woman's arms shrank, then was immediately held tightly by a pair of gentle arms.

"Mom." The boy was only four years old, and his voice was childish. When he looked up at his mother, his eyes were full of attachment.

The beautiful woman kissed his forehead and smiled softly.

Her child.

I hope that the kindness she has can be given back to her child in the future, and help him turn misfortune into good fortune and live a peaceful life.

In the following time, the Su family focused on their journey. When they needed to rest, they tried to avoid the busy roadsides and continued on their way after replenishing their strength.

Along the way, they stayed in desolate forests and caves. During the New Year, ordinary families had reunion dinners in a lively atmosphere, but this family could only stay in the mountains with cold winds on all sides and eat dried vegetables. It was really hard.

When the three ignorant kids couldn't bear it any longer, they would cry for a while, wipe their tears, and pat their little chests loudly. As real men, they also had to stand tall and upright.

The best behaved one is Tianbao.

Although she was the youngest, she didn't cry or make a fuss the whole time. Thanks to her good health, she didn't get sick from the cold even though she was sleeping in the open air, which made the Su family feel a lot more relieved.

By the evening of that day, it was getting dark. Ahead was a winding and steep mountain road, and it was too dangerous to walk at night.

The family decided to rest at the intersection for one night and continue their journey after daybreak.

After finding a natural earth pit that was slightly sheltered from the wind, the three women, Liu Yuelan, He Daxiang and Su Xiuer, went to collect dry firewood that could be used for burning. As usual, Su Da and Su Er built the stove and lit the pot to prepare dinner for the family.

"Mom," Su Da whispered to the old woman after setting up the stove, "the food on the wooden cart has been eaten up. There's only a handful of cassava flour left. It won't last us until Yongzhou."

Old Mrs. Su frowned, looking embarrassed.

No matter how much the gifts from the villagers on the bus were, they were limited. One family along the way also spent some money to buy some more food so that we could barely survive until now, and this was even though we were trying our best to save on food.

"Mom, how about we just eat some fish?" Su Da said bravely, "We're running out of food. We adults can still endure a few more meals, but I'm afraid the three little ones won't be able to hold on..."

Old Mrs. Su looked up at the three boys who were warming themselves around the earthen stove.

When they left home, the three of them still had some flesh on their faces, but now they have become so thin that their faces are sunken and their chins are pointed.

How could she not feel distressed?

Old Mrs. Su lowered her head again, looking at her little granddaughter who was quietly wrapped in a blanket in her arms, with a fierce struggle in her eyes.

The little granddaughter can conjure up fish.

She knew that everyone in the Su family knew about it except the three little kids.

They even found an opportunity to tell Su Xiuer about the situation.

But we are not at home now. If my granddaughter throws the pears and fish out to play with them again, there is a risk of being discovered at any time.

Ever since what happened at the border post, Old Lady Su has become more cautious and no longer allows her granddaughter to play around.

"Let me think about it again." Although she said she would think about it, how could Old Lady Su think of any solution?

On the one hand, she couldn't bear to see the children go hungry, and on the other hand, she was worried that her granddaughter would be exposed. She was in a dilemma.

Tianbao's eyes moved in a certain direction, then retracted indifferently. Then he moved his little hands, and the shriveled empty bags on the wooden cart quietly bulged.