Depression and dullness enveloped the entire house. Shen Jia sat below his brother Shen Ci, while Shen's mother went to comfort Shen Yue, so she sat opposite him.

It can be seen that children like Chen Ci, who are highly expected by their families, face the most books every day, so it is inevitable that they feel a little overwhelmed when encountering such an emergency.

I just sat in the chair blankly and didn't have much emotional reaction to everyone's behavior.

Now, seeing his mother constantly caring about his cousin, his nerves finally recovered a little.

Looking at Shen Jia beside him, he lowered his head and asked:

"Jia Niang, where were you all yesterday? Speaking of which, I haven't even had time to get to know you. I don't know if my body can last the entire three thousand miles."

Now Chen Ci finally understood the meaning of the saying "a scholar is good for nothing".

Unfortunately, I realized it too late. Before, if I stayed up late at night to study for a long time, I would feel a little uncomfortable the next day.

Finally, he said dejectedly, "I'm afraid I'm going to be a burden to everyone."

Not only can he not protect his loved ones, but he is also a burden to everyone. For a moment, he even wondered if he should just die sooner rather than later.

But Shen Jia's firm words rang in his ears:

"Believe in me, brother. We will all make it to the North alive. You just need to rest well."

Listening to Shen Jia's words of comfort, Shen Ci was worried about his sister in his heart.

She has been living in this kind of environment without much malice, not knowing that once people leave their comfort zone, the consequences are often bad.

Moreover, she had never left Shengjing, so how could she understand the bitter cold and desolation of the northern border?

These words were stuck in Shen Ci’s throat, and he couldn’t utter a single word.

Finally, he just said lightly: "I hope so."

The conversation between the two people did not attract the attention of other people in the house, mainly because everyone was immersed in their own world.

“Knock knock knock!”

Soon there was a knock on the door, and Uncle San took the lead and walked towards the door with firm steps.

When he opened the door, it turned out to be a yamen runner. Uncle Shen Hao asked respectfully, "What can I do for you, sir?"

The other party couldn't stand his literary manner and shouted in a rough voice: "It's time to eat! Can't you see it's already noon!"

After saying that, he waved to the old woman behind him, indicating that she should hand the things to Shen Hao.

A large bowl of multi-grain steamed buns immediately appeared in Shen Hao's eyes. Seeing Shen Hao's lack of reaction, the yamen runner became even more impatient.

"Eat it if you want, or not. There's nothing else. What else do prisoners want to eat?"

Then he pushed the thing directly into Shen Hao's arms, and with a "click", the door was closed again.

Ever since the Shen family became officials, they have never eaten this kind of colorful steamed buns with various grains mixed together.

Shen Hao, who had a son in his old age, had never seen him before, so he was a little confused when he saw him for the first time.

But when my grandfather saw this food, he seemed to have some feeling and said:

"This looks like the multi-grain steamed bun I ate when I was a kid. Most families couldn't afford to buy so much whole grains, so most people would just mix corn and wild vegetables together. It seems today is a day to remember the bitter past and cherish the sweet future."

Shen Jia really admired this character of finding joy in adversity.

But if you have ever been so hungry that your stomach was bleeding and you had nothing to eat, you will not be disgusted by anything you put into your mouth today.

After his grandfather, Shen Jia was the first to pick up a steamed bun that was almost as big as his fist. Amidst everyone's astonishment, he ate it gracefully, bite by bite.

Even Shen's mother felt that the food was a little bit cut in her throat when she ate it, but Shen Jia was able to finish it completely. Everyone suddenly found that they were really beginning to have a strong curiosity about this person who had been pampered for more than ten years.

As for Shen Yue, who had cried so hard that her throat was hoarse and she couldn't speak, she soaked some broken steamed buns in water and drank it along with the running water.

But because everyone was in a bad mood, their appetites were not very good either, and there were still a lot of steamed buns left.

In front of everyone, Shen Jia pressed the remaining steamed buns firmly one by one, and then placed them in a ventilated place to dry.

"Since we can't finish it, it's better not to waste it. We don't know what we'll eat on the way. Drying it and taking it with us as dry food is a good idea."

Once again refreshing everyone's perception of her, even the dispirited Shen Yue raised her head and looked at her.

This time, grandfather even felt a little sorry. Why did Shen Jia have to be born as a girl?

If it wasn't a girl, I wouldn't have picked up the wrong child, and I could have carefully trained an heir who would definitely revitalize the Shen family.

Although Shen Ci is good, he is too obsessed with books and has no idea about the ways of the world. He is not suitable for officialdom at all.

"It's good that you have such an idea. In order to prepare for what's coming, don't eat too much tonight. Save some food for the journey."

Grandfather made the final decision and agreed with Shen Jia's decision, but at the same time he couldn't help but worry about the future.

Because of this sentence, everyone's faces began to be filled with gloom again. In fact, not everyone thought about what kind of life they would live.

Shen Ci also felt a little slapped in the face. He just thought that his sister was ignorant of the world, but now she seemed much more capable than him.

He could still think about the food problem during his exile, but he was still troubled by his own situation.

Father Shen, his second uncle, and his third uncle were also a little ashamed that they didn't think as carefully as a little girl.

Now I am almost penniless, and the attitude of the officers on the road will definitely not be good. It is really a big question whether I can reach the northern border smoothly.

Father Shen also sighed: "Jia Niang, you are such a thoughtful and good child. Dad will reward you when he has the chance in the future."

Then he touched the top of Shen Jia's head lovingly.

For dinner, I still had the familiar multi-grain steamed buns. The advantage was that they could be preserved for a long time after being dried, so at least I didn’t have to worry about being hungry at the beginning.

Everyone's heart was unsettled that night, and only Shen Jia, who knew the plot, fell asleep peacefully.

Because she knew that tomorrow was the real beginning, and if she didn't get enough rest, traveling tomorrow would definitely be a big problem.

The next day, just after dawn, officers came to Songhe Hall and put shackles on everyone. The men were guarded so tightly that even their hands were chained.

Seeing that all the prisoners were tied up, the officer shouted, "Let's go!"

Everyone lined up and walked out of Songhe Hall. Grandfather, Father Shen, and Second Uncle walked in the front, Old Madam Shen, Mother Shen, and Shen Yue walked in the middle, and Shen Jia walked in the last row, standing between Shen Ci and Third Uncle.

The clanking of chains made a sound that covered up the sound of everyone's footsteps.

There were many people outside the Shen Mansion who came to join in the fun, and the originally quiet and spacious street was packed with people.

It was completely different from the day Shen Jia came.

No one expected that there would be so many people blocking the way here so early today, especially my grandfather who still had high hopes for the emperor. He didn't know where to put his face.

He lowered his head, not daring to let others see his face. After serving as an official for decades, how could he have imagined that there would be a time like this today?

The same was true for Shen's father and second uncle. They thought they had done their duty to the people under their command, but they could never go back after returning to Beijing to report on their work.

Others almost didn't dare to raise their heads, only Shen Jia did not shy away from everyone's disgusted looks. Who was right and who was wrong would be clear in the future!

She even kept looking for her target person in the crowd.

If she was still willing to come here and visit me, a worthless person who was about to be exiled, it would prove that what I did that day was right.

The next second she immediately found a person who was particularly bright in the crowd. He was wearing a red suit. Because he couldn't squeeze through the crowd of onlookers, they could only watch her from a distance.

It seems that her vision was correct. Shen Jia smiled in the direction of Xu Yuezhen, as if to comfort her emotions.

Xu Yuezhen hated herself more and more every moment. She knew that the Shen family was innocent, but she was powerless to do anything.

Especially his father, who was a changeable person, strictly forbade him to go out today.

But who is this Miss Xu?

How could he stop me?

I rushed over but could only watch my friend leave from afar.

Xu Yuezhen even thought that the fleeting smile was an illusion.

Until Shen Jia disappeared from her sight, Xu Yuezhen still stood there blankly, unwilling to leave.

Suddenly she felt someone poking her sleeve, and when she looked down she saw a dirty little kid.

She held her little head high and said timidly, "Sister, someone asked me to bring this to you."

She seemed worried that Xu Yuezhen would not want to take something that had been touched by her dirty hands, so she just used her clean nails to hold the envelope tightly between her fingertips.

He raised his hand hard, trying to put the envelope into Xu Yuezhen's hand.

Xu Yuezhen took the letter in one hand, took out a few cakes from her sleeve with the other, squatted down, looked at the little one's face and said:

"Can you tell me who asked you to send this?"

A smile immediately spread across the little one's face. "It was a very beautiful older sister who asked me to hand the things over to you today."

"Oh? Then how did you recognize me?"

"Because my beautiful sister asked me to follow you for a while, I already had your appearance engraved in my mind. I'm really awesome!"

"Is that so? Then when did you receive this mission? How did you know I would definitely show up here today?"

The little one stretched out his hands, trying to count the days, mumbling to himself, "One, two, three..."

I remember it was the day before yesterday. I ate some very sweet pastries that day.

I've only been waiting here for three days. The beautiful sister said I only need to wait here today. If you don't show up, I will burn the envelope directly."

No one knew the shock in Xu Yuezhen's heart. Who would have guessed that she would come here today?

She couldn't help but feel extremely curious about the person who wrote this letter.

The little guy looked at Xu Yuezhen without saying a word, took the cakes he had received, and disappeared from Xu Yuezhen's sight.

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Why are there only clicks but no favorites or comments? Is it really that ugly? (Self-doubt)