Xiao An's eyes were full of longing: "Black Gold, I want to ride horses with Brother Abu, and I can also make the spicy rabbit heads that Brother Ashi likes to eat."

My second sister went to the grasslands and never came back; it must be incredibly fun there.

Seeing that Xiao An wasn't reading the letter, Hei Jin became anxious and snatched the letter, pretending to read it as well.

Xiao An jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), ran out of the house, and knocked on Aunt Yun's door.

Aunt Yun was making undershirts for the two brothers when she heard Xiao An knock on the door. She quickly came out to greet him, saying, "Xiao An, what is it?"

Xiao An smiled and said, "Aunt Yun, I'd like to make some more diced rabbit meat for my second sister!"

The weather was dry, and Yunniangzi kept a close eye on the kitchen, not allowing Xiao'an to start cooking whenever he wanted.

Aunt Yun knew that Song Liyun had gone to the grasslands. Ever since Song Liyun left, she had been thinking every day that if her little stone could meet the girl, the girl would definitely bring it back.

Seeing Xiao An excitedly knocking on the door, she immediately asked, "Is the young lady coming back?"

Xiao An shook her head: "My second sister wants to go to the farthest part of the grassland. I want to make her some delicious food so that someone can take it with her later!"

When Yunniangzi heard that Song Liyun had not returned, she was not disappointed, but instead her hopes were even greater: "The farthest grassland... It's snowing now... Xiao An, let's go cook. I wonder how long the flatbread and stewed meat that Miss made the other day will last?"

A month ago, Song Liyun had Yunniangzi make pancakes, steamed buns, and dumplings, weighing several hundred kilograms, as well as stewed meat, cooked vegetables, and grilled skewers. Xiao An would prepare a big pot of these every day.

Yun Niangzi didn't know where these things went, but when she heard that Song Liyun was driving a cart to the grassland, she realized something.

These are all dry rations that can be taken on the road during winter.

The soup dumplings and meat dishes that Yunniangzi made a month ago are now coming in very handy.

Now that supplies were no longer a concern, Lin Qingyuan and Song Liyun discussed whether to bypass the grasslands where the tribes gathered and instead cross the uninhabited area.

“Manager Song, this route will save three days. The biggest danger is the wolf pack, just like the ones we encountered in the last two days.”

Song Liyun called Balin over and asked him what the risks were of traveling like this.

When Bahrain heard that they had to cross the no-man's-land, he waved his hands repeatedly: "Miss Song, the no-man's-land is not because there are no tribes going there, but because there are many rocks, no water or grass, and many wolves. If we go there, we will encounter a pack of wolves."

Upon hearing that it was still a pack of wolves, Song Liyun immediately understood that the only direct threat to humans on the grassland was the wolf pack.

The main reason was that the flock of sheep attracted them, and since we were all fast horses, the horses were not afraid of being surrounded by wolves.

The group encountered wolves every day along the way, but the wolves only followed from a distance and did not approach.

After all, neither humans nor horses are its first choice for diet.

The group decided to cross the no-man's-land; they couldn't afford to wait any longer.

The reason this place is called the no-man's-land is, as Bahrain said, that there are always some arid and barren places on the grassland where nothing grows. The herders believe these are cursed places, and they will avoid them even when moving their tents.

What Song Liyun saw was a desolate Gobi Desert. Although the journey was shorter here, the wooden wheels of the carriage could not travel fast as they rolled over the stones.

The horses of everyone else slowed down as well.

Lin Qingyuan rode on his horse, holding a teapot in his hand, drinking heartily. He hadn't enjoyed such a luxurious experience for three months.

Everyone else was also eating jerky and flatbread heartily, and each person had a bag of water, so there was no need to worry about running out of food.

"Manager Song, just how much stuff are you carrying? You can drink such expensive tea so casually."

Lin Qingyuan put down the teapot and looked at Song Dekui next to him, who was enjoying a rabbit head. He couldn't help but swallow.

He had been curious about how much stuff Song Liyun had in her carriage since the second day, and even wanted to get in and rummage through the tightly covered cardboard boxes.

He noticed that whenever the team needed something, Song Dekui would go inside and get it.

Food, supplies, grain and water jugs, sheepskin rugs, wool felt, hammers for hammering wooden stakes, ropes for securing the prefabricated houses—those few cardboard boxes were like a general store, with everything imaginable.

Song Liyun didn't reply. Song Dekui, who was driving the carriage next to her, rolled his eyes at him and said, "As long as you have food and supplies, why worry about so much? With this kind of energy, you might as well see if you can find a smoother road."

They had been in the Gobi Desert for most of the day. At first, it was just gravel and fine sand, but the further they went, the more stones they encountered, making it more and more difficult to travel.

Fortunately, the old horse was clever enough to run far away to find a way and lead the carriage through.

Lin Qingyuan sighed: "How are we going to find our way? We're already going around to the very end. Do you, a country castrator, know why it's called the No Man's Land or the Cursed Land?"

It's just because the road is difficult to travel, and it's still winter. There's snow on the ground that can melt into water, so it's not hot.

In summer, with the sun blazing down, it's like being roasted from above and steamed from below—a killer zone!

Song Dekui snorted twice: "In the end, it's still your fault."

Lin Qingyuan was so angry that his eyebrows flew up, and his face, which was already chapped by the cold wind, was full of anger: "What do you mean it's my fault? Isn't it because you took a carriage? Would it be this troublesome if you were riding a horse?"

Song Dekui ignored him: "Without a carriage, you'll only be able to drink the wind! Do you even understand what drinking the wind means? But you have a big mouth, you can get full just by opening it."

Lin Qingyuan was most proud of his handsome appearance, but now the snow and wind had withered his face, and as he walked beside Song Liyun, she didn't even glance at him.

It's incredibly frustrating to think that such a handsome young man has fallen to this state.

Now that Song Dekui had said he had a big mouth, Lin Qingyuan couldn't stand it and immediately retorted, "You need to ride in a carriage, otherwise with your straw-like body, you'd break if the horse jolted you!"

Song Dekui was also distressed by his own thinness, and he immediately flew into a rage.

The two men, one in the carriage and the other on horseback, argued incessantly, their long swords clashing against each other.

Seeing this, the others silently spurred their horses to the side and pretended not to have seen anything.

These two have been at odds ever since they met and fought; they're bound to start a fight after just a few words.

At first, everyone tried to mediate, and Lin Qingyuan's guards and Balin and his men who were affiliated with the garrison almost got into a fight over it.

After spending more time together, everyone realized that it was just the two of them being bored on the journey and engaging in some playful bickering; they were both adults and it wasn't a serious fight.

Hearing the two arguing, Song Liyun, who was covering her ears, also felt a little regretful.

If it were just her and Song Dekui, she would put the carriage into her spatial storage and ride over directly.

At this moment, she was thinking about how to avoid being seen by others, or what the consequences would be if her private space were discovered.

She dared not risk exposing such a bizarre matter to others.

After a long day, the carriage was almost shaken to pieces. Just as the sun was beginning to set, Song Liyun called on everyone to set up camp and rest.

This was the fourth time they had set up camp, and no one needed any instructions anymore. All Song Liyun had to do was untie the tarpaulin so that the plank wall could be pulled out from under it.