Chapter 450 Huo Qinglin is going to Bashu

The Huo family didn't rest after they returned.

First, they selected those who were going to Bashu. The eldest, Huo Qingsong, and the third, Huo Qingyang, had one hand disabled and one leg crippled. They could barely make the long journey, but it was too much suffering.

Huo Qinglin volunteered. In the past, when five older brothers finally had a younger sister, they would naturally be pampered and brought up with all the dirty work. Her parents and brothers would take care of her, and they would not let her suffer even a little bit of wind, frost, rain or snow.

The reason why she chose Song Shu, a scholar, as her husband was also based on this mentality. Firstly, she did not want to marry a military officer, so as not to make the emperor even more wary.

Secondly, scholars no longer have to go to the battlefield and can return home every day, so couples don’t have to spend too much time apart and live in fear.

But the series of events that happened later were enough to prove that scholars were also annoyed at home every day. They didn't have to worry about going to the battlefield, but they were mixed up with maids, and they were all scheming against their original wives!

On the road to exile, everyone was busy taking care of themselves, so how could they care about others? The Huo family's parents only regretted not teaching their daughter more skills - no one in this world can protect anyone forever, and in the end, you still have to rely on yourself.

If you rely on mountains, they will fall; if you rely on people, they will run away. Only being able to stand on your own is a real ability. You may not be able to use it, but you must know how to do it.

If Huo Qinglin had been weak-willed along the way, she would have died long ago. Even so, she had suffered the hardships of an ordinary person's lifetime and barely survived.

Fortunately, I made it through. As long as I'm alive, there's hope.

General Huo looked at his three remaining sons and one daughter for a long time, then sighed and said, "Alright."

Huo Qingbai was unwilling and frowned, saying, "Dad, if my eldest brother and third brother don't want to go, don't I still have you? Bashu is so far away, why should I let my sister go?"

He is neither dead nor disabled, so why does he need his sister to take his place?

General Huo looked at his second son and reminded him, "Xiao Bing needs to learn martial arts. She has a weak foundation and needs someone to teach her all the time. You are the most suitable person."

Huo Qingbai gritted his teeth and finally said nothing.

Indeed, there are too few people available at home nowadays.

Huo Qingsong and Huo Qingyang were about to speak when Huo Qinglin intervened, saying, "Brother, I can ride a horse. I have the route to Bashu memorized. I won't go astray.

Besides, compared to the time of exile, this time I have horses, food, money, and a group of trusted guards. How hard is it?"

Compared with the lack of food and clothing and the uncertainty of one's future during exile, life now is incredibly good.

Huo Qingsong and the other man knew this, but they were men after all, so how could they let a girl run so far!

If something happens on the road, how can they face their mother in the underworld after they die!

"You are a girl..."

Huo Qinglin interrupted: "What do you mean by 'girly' or not? Look at Xiaobing. Shen Qing also agreed with her going to Bashu. If she had the same idea as you, we would still be living in the village, eating coarse food and working hard, right?"

The two were speechless and instantly thought of Shen Qing's actions.

She was also worried about Xiaobing going to Bashu, thousands of miles away, but she did not stop her from going. Instead, she arranged everything properly: worried that Xiaobing would worry about the two children, so she arranged for someone to take care of the children around the clock;

Fearing that the journey might be unsafe, he asked Xiangdong to accompany him and also selected several trusted aides to follow him;

Worried about not knowing the way and not being able to find the place, I paid money to hire someone from the escort agency to escort me...

Huo Qinglin took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire: "The villagers are very kind to our family. I don't feel safe letting my servants go. Besides, I'm thinking that just buying the peppercorns won't work. How can I solve the problem of transportation?

So I thought I should ask Shen Qing for advice. Since we're both women, it would be more convenient for me to ask her questions, right?"

The Huo family sincerely wants to help the people there live a good life and help them to the end. Some things need to be planned in advance.

Huo Qingsong and Huo Qingyang were completely silent.

My younger sister has grown up and can consider other things in advance, and she really needs to consult Shen Qing more. My younger sister and she are in-laws, and both of them are women, so it is naturally much more convenient.

"Okay, I'll go pick out a horse for you."

"I'll go pick out guards for you."

"I'll go prepare the silver and supplies we'll need for the journey."

.......

In addition to the ninety taels of silver from selling the peppercorns, they also prepared a thank-you gift, but they were still undecided about the total amount, how much each household would get, and whether to distribute it per household or per person.

It’s a good opportunity to ask Shen Qing for his opinion.

*

After a busy day, Shen Qing returned to the farm and saw the tall Huo Qinglin standing in the yard waiting.

She was shocked and said, "Qinglin, why didn't you go to the hot pot shop or let someone know? I would have come back earlier and you wouldn't have to wait so late."

The city gates are closed, the wind is blowing, and it's so cold staying in the yard.

Huo Qinglin said apologetically, "I have so many things I want to ask you, and I can't finish them all at once. I know you're busy at the shop during the day and can't let them interfere with your work, but I'm afraid I'll have to interrupt your rest time at night."

"Well, it's okay. There's plenty of time at night. It doesn't matter if you sleep one or two hours less." Shen Qing said indifferently.

The city gates close at seven o'clock, and they rushed to leave the city before seven o'clock. It was just after seven o'clock now. The city gates would not open until seven o'clock in the morning. It was close to the city, so why did she need to sleep for twelve hours?

There is plenty of time, and chatting will not affect your rest at all.

She took a few steps forward and naturally took Huo Qinglin's arm as they walked into the house: "Come on, let's go inside and talk! What's going on with the boss and the others? How can we let you wait in the yard!"

The night was cold, and Huo Qinglin's clothes felt cold. Shen Qing instinctively rubbed them with her hands.

Huo Qinglin felt a little embarrassed by this familiarity, his ears reddening as he explained in a low voice, "Xiangdong and the others were very polite and even prepared a guest room for me to stay in at night. It was just that I was anxious staying in the house, so I came out to wait in the yard.

It didn’t take long, so don’t blame the kids.”

Shen Qing gave up after hearing this and took Huo Qinglin to the main house and sat cross-legged on the kang - it was already October and the kang had to be heated. Unlike Hulu Village where they didn't have to worry about firewood, firewood in the village had to be bought or collected from the distant mountains, so the previous owner only built a kang to save firewood.

Shen Qing didn't care. Having a ground heating system was good, but having a kang wasn't bad either.

As for Huo Qinglin, he didn't care at all.

Although Bashu is located in the south and the winter is not as severe as in the north, it is damp and cold there, and the cold air seems to penetrate through the skin and into the bones!

The worst thing is that there is no kang. She missed it so much over the past ten years. Now that it is back, she finally got what she wanted, so it is impossible for her to dislike it.

Liu Cuihua brought two bowls of red bean soup and placed them on the kang table. Knowing that the two had important matters to discuss, she came quietly and left quietly.

Huo Qinglin held the hot ceramic bowl to keep warm and talked about the business of this trip: "I'm going to Bashu."