Chapter 03 Chapter 3

It was dark at night. When Jiang Huai was awakened, he first felt a little cold from the evening breeze, and then he noticed the unusual commotion outside the shed.

The lanterns in the hands of the jailers cast a dim light. Someone was walking towards the shed with a lantern in his hand, with his knife already drawn. The other prisoners realized that something big might happen, and they dared not move, for fear of attracting the attention of the jailers.

Jiang Huai curled up, leaned against the wall, and looked outside the shed nervously.

When he first came in, he felt that the shed was a prison that restricted his freedom, but now only the shed could give him a sense of security.

The man walked around the shed, seemingly counting the number of prisoners. Seeing this, several prisoners who were lying down quickly sat up, fearing that the man had not seen them.

Watching the jailer turn around a few times, Jiang Huai became a little nervous. Could it be that a prisoner escaped while he was sleeping?

Jiang Huai couldn't help but glance at the situation inside the shed out of the corner of his eye, but the light was too dim, and he didn't count how many prisoners there were along the way, so he couldn't see anything at a glance.

Fortunately, after a while of commotion outside, a policeman came to report. The policeman holding a lantern cursed him as an idiot. Jiang Huai recognized that the policeman who came to check was Zhang Tou by the voice.

Zhang's face was ashen. He thought someone was attacking the soldiers and suspected that someone wanted to take the opportunity to rescue the prisoners. The whole team of soldiers became alert. Who knew that it was actually a fool who broke his leg in the toilet in the middle of the night.

Let’s forget about the trouble now. The soldier’s leg is broken, and they can’t take him on the road, let alone wait for him to recover. They can only make up for it locally.

However, it is not easy to find the soldiers who have been exiled for such a long distance, so it will take a few days.

Zhangtou spat, looked back at the shed to make sure that there were still prisoners inside. He instructed the guards to be careful and not to be careless before leaving.

Only after Zhangtou left did the other prisoners gradually relax.

After all this tossing and turning, Jiang Huai's sleepiness had long disappeared without a trace. Just looking at the sky, Jiang Huai felt that it was still early for dawn. If he didn't sleep now, he would definitely feel sleepy during the day. But there was no chance for him to sleep during the day, so he could only force himself to sleep. Even if he couldn't sleep, it would be good to close his eyes and rest.

I don’t know how long it took before sleepiness came over me. Jiang Huai lost consciousness when he saw the sky getting light.

…

After a particularly satisfying sleep, Jiang Huai was still a little dazed when he woke up. He didn't know where he was until he saw the prisoners sleeping in all directions around him and looked at the wooden board above his head. Only then did he wake up.

Jiang Huai sighed. If possible, he really hoped that this was a dream. When he woke up, he would be back to the modern era. He missed the school dormitory, cafeteria, roommates and teachers a little.

Jiang Huai was depressed for a while, then he forced himself to cheer up and noticed that the sun was already high in the sky.

According to the experience of the previous few days, they should have been walking on the road at this time, but now they were still lying in the shed, and no police came to urge them to get on the road.

Jiang Huai suddenly thought of something and looked at the other prisoners nervously. Seeing that they had nothing in their hands, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the dry biscuits tasted bad, they were still food. If he fell asleep and didn't get them, he would have to go hungry for the whole day.

"Come here and get some dry food." A guard came in and shouted, and some prisoners who were still sleeping were suddenly awakened.

When Jiang Huai saw the soap soldier coming over with dry food, he went over to him early. The soap soldier glanced at him and stuffed a cake into his hand.

Then the other prisoners rushed over in a swarm. The guards had no patience to wait and threw the cakes over one by one. Those with quick eyes and hands could catch the cakes before they hit the ground, while those who reacted slowly could only pick up the cakes from the ground.

Seeing that other prisoners had started eating the biscuits, Jiang Huai thought about it and started eating too. However, the biscuits were too dry and were really choking without water. After taking two bites, Jiang Huai was struggling over whether to eat it now or later.

After all, he had eaten last night and was not very hungry.

While he was struggling, Jiang Huai noticed a prisoner walking towards him. He subconsciously stood up and looked at the person vigilantly.

The man stared at Jiang Huai without saying a word, and suddenly reached out to grab the pancake in Jiang Huai's hand.

Jiang Huai's nerves were extremely tense. He knew that he could not retreat, nor could he allow the other party to snatch his cake away. If it was snatched away, he would have one day less to eat and would only become weaker and weaker. By then, he might not be able to survive this exile.

Perhaps because the opponent was hungry while he was still full, Jiang Huai found that the opponent's movements were actually a little weak and slow. However, if he fought with the opponent, regardless of winning or losing, he would at least consume the energy in his body. Moreover, if the fight was loud, it might attract the police, who would whip him.

At this critical moment, Jiang Huai's mind worked quickly, his eyes fell on the man's legs, he let go of the hand holding the pancake, held the railing behind him firmly, and then kicked the other person's calf without hesitation.

The man saw Jiang Huai let go and thought that Jiang Huai was cowardly. He was about to pick up the fallen pancake when a sharp pain came from his calf. He lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

Seeing the calf that the person holding him started to wail, Jiang Huai quickly picked up the pancake that fell on the ground, moved a few steps to the side, held the railing, and at the same time did not forget to look at other people vigilantly.

Some people were indeed ready to make a move. When the prisoner attacked just now, they regretted that they did not react quickly enough. However, when they saw Jiang Huai's counterattack and then looked at the man holding his calf and wailing on the ground, the little flames in the hearts of some prisoners were extinguished.

There's no need to take such a big risk just for a piece of cake.

A policeman heard the noise and looked out. Although he saw the prisoner wailing on the ground, he didn't make any more noise, so he didn't bother to do anything.

After howling for a long time, the prisoner got up from the ground and looked at Jiang Huai with resentment, with a strong unwillingness in his eyes. However, the kick just now was too heavy. Even if he had an idea, he had no way to realize it. He could only limp back.

Jiang Huai breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the prisoner give up. If the other party still wanted to fight him, he didn't know if his tricks would still be effective after the other party was on guard. After all, he really had no fighting experience.

However, after this incident, Jiang Huai didn't dare to save the pancakes for later. Now everyone had pancakes, and everyone else wanted to grab them. Then, when everyone else had finished eating, maybe a few people would come and grab them.

Even though it was choking, Jiang Huai still finished the pancake bit by bit.

…

As the sun rose higher and higher, the temperature also became higher and higher, but still no guard came to call people to set off.

Jiang Huai felt surprised but also somewhat relieved. Although he had rested for such a long time at night, the soreness and discomfort in his legs and feet were still not completely relieved. It would be best if he could rest for a while longer.

Although it was hot inside the shed, it was hot and sunny walking on the road.

But how long can they stay in the shed? If they leave too late, they might have to spend the night in the wild.

Jiang Huai was still thinking about this question, but he didn't expect that someone would be able to answer it right away.

Wang Er came over, with dark circles under his eyes. It was obvious that what happened last night had disturbed his rest.

Wang Er came with water and food again this time. The food was still hard to sell, especially since the prisoners had just eaten bread and were reluctant to buy it. However, Wang Er had already prepared for not being able to sell any of the food, so he brought very little, mostly water.

Since they had not set out today, the prisoners who did not buy water yesterday could only buy water from Wang Er. However, some prisoners thought of yesterday's price and still wanted to bargain for a lower price.

"Lower the price? You can't leave today. This water of mine is unique. Drink it or not. If you don't want it, there are plenty of people who do." Wang Er's face turned cold.

The prisoner who tried to bargain was embarrassed and could only buy water at the original price.

But the other prisoners noticed the meaning behind Wang Er's words and immediately became excited.

I don’t know why we don’t have to walk, but who doesn’t want to take a rest?

After Wang Er finished selling the water and food, he saw Jiang Huai sitting on the side. He thought of something and walked over.

"Boy, I'll take care of your water and meals today. You can teach me for another day." Wang Er said.

This morning, a new group of travelers came to the post station. Although they were just passing by, they also sold some food and calculated the bill quickly using the method taught by Jiang Huai.

Now that he knew Jiang Huai had some real skills, he had to learn more quickly. Otherwise, if he missed this opportunity, he would never be able to find a teacher who could teach him with just some water and food.

The prisoners' envious gazes were like thorns in his back, but Jiang Huai didn't care about it at all. Instead, he was glad that he took the risk to speak up yesterday.

Otherwise, I don’t have money to buy water, and I can’t go out to drink water today, so water shortage is a huge problem.

Not to mention a series of chain reactions. If he hadn't drunk water or eaten yesterday, he would have been extremely weak this morning, no better off than the prisoner who robbed him. He might not even be able to get his morning bread, let alone water and food for the day.

In order to get water and food, Jiang Huai taught extra hard. Wang Er could also feel Jiang Huai's attitude and felt that this business was not a loss.

One of them teaches seriously, and the other learns seriously.

The guards at the door were also listening intently. Even though they had not read much, they knew the benefits of being able to do accounting. At least it would prevent them from suffering losses in terms of money.

What's more, Wang Er exchanged water and food for this teaching, and they can listen without paying a penny. Isn't this just taking advantage?

When Zhang Tou led the newly found policemen over, he first heard Jiang Huai's hoarse voice, and then realized that he had come. However, the policeman on guard did not notice him because he was listening to the lecture in the shed, and his face was a little embarrassed.

"Two cowards." Zhangtou cursed and kicked them twice.

When the new guard came over, he told Zhang Tou how to be careful and cautious when escorting prisoners along the way, but the behavior of these two guards was like throwing his words on the ground and trampling on them. How could Zhang Tou not be angry?

"Wang Er, what are you doing here? Is this the place you can come to?" Zhangtou treated the police like this, so he was even more rude to Wang Er.

Wang Er had long developed a thick skin. He smiled a few times and immediately stood up. He had almost learned it anyway.

After scolding Wang Er, Zhang looked at Jiang Huai with a frown. He subconsciously reached for his waist, but found that the whip was left in the house and he didn't take it.

"Behave yourself, everyone, and don't get whipped." Although Zhangtou said this to all the prisoners, his eyes were looking straight at Jiang Huai.

The young soldier beside him suddenly had his pupils shrink when he saw Jiang Huai.

Jiang Huai didn't notice the change in the young soldier's eyes, he only noticed Zhang Tou's movements. He found that the other party didn't bring a whip, and he was relieved but also a little nervous.

He needs to be more careful next time. This whipping must have been remembered by Zhang Tou. He needs to be more honest next time. Zhang Tou may not remember it yet. If he behaves inappropriately, he may get double the punishment.

After giving the warning, Zhangtou continued to talk to the young guard behind him about the details of how to escort the exiled prisoners. The young guard listened silently, behaving very reservedly.

However, Zhangtou was very satisfied with his performance. It is better to be introverted. He will not cause trouble and will work more seriously. The most important thing when escorting prisoners is to be serious.

"Wei Xi, today you will guard the shed and remember the faces of these prisoners." After Zhang Tou finished explaining, he assigned tasks to the young soldier.

The young policeman nodded when he heard this, then he looked at the other two policemen and didn't ask them to leave. Instead, he asked them to teach Wei Xi to recognize the prisoners in the shed, which could be considered as making up for his mistake.

The two soldiers repeatedly assured Wei Xi that they would make sure to identify all the prisoners in the team. Only then did Zhang Tou leave. After all, as the leader of the entire exile team, he had other matters to deal with. Although it was only a one-day delay, he still needed to think carefully about how to make up for the lost day.

The two soldiers breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Zhangtou leave, and their expressions when they looked at Wei Xi were not very good.

After all, they were all soldiers, and they were submissive under Zhang Tou. Why was this newcomer so valued by Zhang Tou? Because of him, they were scolded.

The two of them completely ignored the fact that they had neglected their duties and had been caught twice in a row by Zhangtou, and simply put all the blame on Wei Xi.

Naturally, he didn't teach Wei Xi how to recognize people seriously. He just shouted and asked the other prisoners to stand over to the railing. Then he led Wei Xi forward and called out their names one by one.

Sometimes I would call the wrong prisoner's name, and even after several people had passed by, I would admit that I had called the wrong name, and simply say the name before continuing.

"Look, this is Jiang Huai." The soldier pointed at Jiang Huai lazily.

Although the servant only said Jiang Huai's name, after hearing Jiang Huai's name clearly, Wei Xi, or the deposed Crown Prince Xiao Jingzhao, confirmed Jiang Huai's identity. It was not just a similar appearance, Jiang Huai was indeed the Jiang Huai he knew.

Jiang Taifu's favorite young grandson was originally going to be his close study companion, but he was not selected because of his poor health since childhood.

So, did Jiang Huai recognize him?

Xiao Jingzhao glanced at Jiang Huai casually, but in fact he was paying close attention to Jiang Huai's behavior. If Jiang Huai recognized him, he would not be able to keep him even if he was the grandson of Master Jiang.