Chapter 39: Rushing through the night to avoid danger

Meng Yunqiao nodded like a little chicken pecking at rice, and said with a flattering smile:

"Yes, of course he is willing. You are his great benefactor. He is very happy to ride in the same carriage with the benefactor's husband."

Su Yuan came close to Nan Chu and whispered:

"You go in the same carriage with Master Meng. If you are not used to it, tell me at the next stop. At worst, you can change back."

Nan Chu nodded obediently upon hearing this and said very seriously:

"My dear wife, I will get along well with Master Meng, you don't have to worry about me."

Mr. Meng is such a refined person, he will definitely treat me with courtesy. There is no way they can’t get along well.

Seeing how well behaved he was, Su Yuan stroked his little head and praised him:

"Yeah, okay, don't worry."

The carriage swayed along the way and soon met up with Meng Yunlan and the others.

As agreed before, Nan Chu got on the middle carriage and sat with Meng Yunlan and his servant.

The other side.

Meng Yunqiao waited for Nan Chu to leave, then he relaxed all over. With a "pop", he fell onto the soft carpet and sighed:

"Ah, it's comfortable. Sister, don't sit up straight anymore. Come, lie down like me. It's so comfortable, hehe!"

Seeing this, Su Yuan curled his lips and smiled, without any pretense, and imitated Meng Yunqiao and lay down on the car board.

You know what, it’s really comfortable.

Meng Yunqiao turned his head to look at Su Yuan and said lazily:

"Oh, that's right. It will take us two days and two nights to get to Tongcheng. We'll hurt our butts just from sitting!"

Su Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this, and asked thoughtfully:

"How many ways are there to get to Tongcheng?"

Meng Yunqiao tilted his head, thought for a moment and said:

"Hmm..., two. One is the official road, and the other is, tsk tsk, how should I put it, it can be considered a bandit road."

"If you take the official road, it will take two days and two nights, as I said. This road goes around Banshi Mountain, so it's a little farther. If you take the bandit road, it will only take two days and one night, but there are bandits rampant in the mountains, so no one would take this road."

Su Yuan didn't say anything else. He just said "hmm" and closed his eyes.

She seemed to be dozing off, but in fact her brain was working very fast.

Today is March 17th.

Tomorrow afternoon, the bridge on the official road will collapse, and everyone must take the bandit road that Meng Yunqiao mentioned.

The original novel states that Gu Ranran was murdered and tied up on the mountain, where she met her second husband, Ji Qiubai, the son of King Nanyou. The two shared hardships and supported each other until the officers and soldiers came to rescue them.

It seems that she has to cross the bridge quickly tomorrow morning. She has no interest in saving someone else's husband.

Two fists cannot beat four hands, and even a vicious tiger is afraid of a pack of wolves.

Nan Chu and Meng Yunqiao are in the carriage. She can protect herself, but she cannot guarantee that they will be unharmed.

Of course, this would have been a piece of cake for her in her prime, but unfortunately it’s not possible for her now.

After making up his mind, Su Yuan opened his eyes, pushed his friend next to him, and said in a low and serious tone:

"Yun Qiao, don't stay at the inn tonight. Let's hurry to Tongcheng overnight."

When Meng Yunqiao heard her friend suddenly speaking to her in such a solemn tone, her heart skipped a beat. She sat up and asked nervously:

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Is there something urgent that needs to be done?

But this is Su Yuan’s first time going to Tongcheng!

Su Yuan supported himself with his arms and sat up, staring at Meng Yunqiao and said seriously:

"My right eye has been twitching non-stop since this morning. Maybe something bad is about to happen."

Meng Yunqiao heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. He glanced at Su Yuan speechlessly, patted his chest and sighed:

"Phew, you scared me to death. I thought you had something serious to say, but this is it? My right eye always twitches a few times a month, but nothing bad has ever happened!"

After saying that, she pursed her lips amusedly and said jokingly:

"You are too superstitious, just like my father, who makes me wear red robes for several months every year for exams."

Su Yuan shook his head deeply and looked at Meng Yunqiao with a look that you didn't understand.

After a while, she seemed to have made up her mind, closed her eyes and said:

"You may not believe this, but from childhood to adulthood, every time my right eye twitches, something bad always happens."

"The last time, my father suddenly fell seriously ill and fainted. The time before that, a child in our village drowned. And the time before that, someone in the village died for no reason. And..."

Meng Yunqiao got goose bumps all over her body as she listened, and suddenly shuddered. She shivered and said:

"Sister, please stop talking. Oh my God, won't I be in trouble? I don't want to die young. I have worked so hard for so many years to pass the exam and become a Tongsheng!"

After that, she looked at Su Yuan with hope and asked in a trembling voice:

"Sister, is there any hope for me? I want to hear the truth."

The corner of Su Yuan's mouth twitched, and he said secretly in his heart.

How come Meng Yunqiao's imagination is even bigger than hers?

She hadn't even said anything yet, but the man started crying.

Su Yuan shook his head pretending to be profound and sighed:

"Alas, it has nothing to do with anyone. My eyelids started twitching after we left Qinghe Town, so I guess something bad might have happened on the way."

Meng Yunqiao stopped wailing after hearing this. She felt mixed emotions of joy and sorrow. She sat there restlessly and said:

"Then let's do as you say. We'll travel overnight and have the coachmen take turns driving the carriage. We must get to Tongcheng as soon as possible, otherwise I will always feel uneasy."

Meng Yunqiao finished speaking and sighed:

"Oh, what is going on? Why do I always encounter bad luck wherever I go?"

As soon as she left Baichuan Academy, the academy returned to its former glory as it had been three years ago. Her brother's marriage was cruelly broken off as soon as she was involved.

Now, even the journey home is uneasy.

Meng Yunqiao finished recalling the sad history.

Regardless of the fact that the carriage was still moving, he lifted the curtain and told the driver to stop the carriage. Then he gave instructions to the team as he had just discussed with Su Yuan.

After finishing the work, everyone rode as fast as they could and rushed back to Tongcheng overnight.

The night is deep and everything is silent.

The sound of horse hooves hitting the ground was particularly loud.

Nan Chu and Meng Yunlan spent a whole day together. They had a great time talking and chatting about family matters, and the time passed very quickly.

But most of them talked about Su Yuan, after all, he was the only person they agreed on.

Meng Yunlan sat at the table making tea, and the tea dripped down the spout of the purple clay teapot into the cup.

He held the cup with his delicate hands, handed it to Nan Chu, and said softly:

"Brother Nan, try the tea I made."

Nan Chu raised his eyes slightly and thanked him crisply:

"Thank you, Brother Meng. I'll drink it right away."

After Nan Chu finished speaking, he carefully picked up the still hot teacup, put it to his lips and took a sip, and said in surprise:

“It’s delicious. Very delicious.”

In fact, all kinds of tea taste the same in his mouth.

Nan Chu couldn't say anything to praise it. To avoid embarrassment, he kept repeating the word "delicious".

Hearing this, Meng Yunlan smiled faintly on his pale face, and coughed a few times as he spoke:

"Then put this pot of tea here, and refill it after Brother Nan finishes drinking it. Ahem, if you need anything, just tell Wenqing and the others, don't be shy, ahem."