Chapter 14: How to Cope
"From the Qinghe Palace, it's your turn!"
The officers shouted from the river, their gazes fixed on Cheng Weiyao and Wen Liyu. While the Imperial Noble Consort had been well-maintained, she was still a bit older. Wen Chengming, however, was incredibly adorable, delicate and delicate.
"We'll cover the rear!"
Cheng Weiyao was disgusted by the obscene looks of the officers and shouted immediately.
When they encountered petite women and children, the officers would inevitably offer to help carry them. On the surface, they seemed to be helping the needy, but in reality, they were carrying people underwater, and who knows what shameful things they might be doing...
"Okay, everyone else continue."
The officers raised their eyebrows but didn't think much about it. After all, this was not the first or second time that the Qinghe Palace had to cover the retreat.
"What are you doing? Why don't you just cross the river earlier? You have to stay until the end. What if a wild beast suddenly jumps out of the forest..."
Wen Liyu looked at the women crossing the river one after another and complained in a low voice.
"Why didn't you tell us about what happened to us before? Is it because a woman's chastity is paramount? Look carefully at the women who crossed the river. They were angry but dared not speak."
Cheng Wei Yao made a light suggestion, turned around and walked to the edge of the woods, intending to cut some bamboo to make a bamboo raft.
The words were quite straightforward, and if Wen Liyu still didn't understand, she would be really stupid.
Looking at the angry faces on the other side of the river, she turned pale and quickly walked towards Cheng Weiyao, asking softly, "What should we do now?"
"Can you braid hair? Find some long, flexible grass and use your hands or braiding methods to make a rope. The more, the longer the better..."
Cheng Weiyao glanced at Wen Liyu's hands, which were as smooth as jade, and chose to give her a relatively light task.
Expecting her to follow him and cut bamboo? Forget it...
Cheng Weiyao's bamboo-cutting operation soon attracted the participation of a group of female relatives. After all, after so long and so many times, the women were no fools.
If there is a better way than being taken advantage of, it is natural to choose the best one.
"The rest of you, and those from the Qinghe Palace, what are you doing? Can you make it through? But we are leaving now, so just wait to be drowned!"
Seeing that fewer and fewer women were entering the water, the officers began to urge them impatiently, especially when they looked at Cheng Weiyao, their eyes were full of dissatisfaction.
"We can cross the river on our own, so there's no need for the officials to worry."
At this time, Cheng Weiyao and the female family members had already started making the bamboo raft. The thick and short bamboos were placed horizontally at the bottom to increase buoyancy, and the long and thin bamboos were placed on the top. Now they were ready to fix the raft.
"Hmph, I advise you not to be ungrateful. If someone dies later, don't blame us!"
The officers made harsh remarks, but when they saw that the women were turning a deaf ear to them, they became annoyed and crossed the river on their own, intending to watch the show.
"Ayu, are your ropes ready?"
Cheng Weiyao glanced at the officers on the other side of the river, their eyes cold. Wasn't it because they knew the woman was being wronged that she didn't dare to speak? Why was she pretending to be a good person...
"That's all, that's all... Is that enough?"
Wen Liyu's hands were rubbed red. She rubbed and braided her hair with several other female relatives, and she really tried her best to avoid being touched.
"Enough, everyone help to secure the rope and tie it up. It must not fall apart. If it does, the bamboo raft will sink..."
Cheng Weiyao glanced at everyone's red palms, took the lead and began to remind everyone of some precautions for fixing the bamboo raft.
With everyone working together, a small bamboo raft was quickly made, but it was a temporary one after all. Although it successfully floated on the water, no one was the first to get on it.
"I'll go up first. If there are any problems, I can find and correct them immediately. Then I'll take two lighter ones who can swim and test their bearing capacity..."
Cheng Weiyao volunteered and was the first to step onto the bamboo raft. After making sure it was stable, she turned around and invited him.
"Let me give it a try. I accidentally fell into the water before, so I can swim well. Ah Yu, hold Cheng Ming tightly."
Surprisingly, the imperial concubine actually stepped forward on her own initiative. Although her face turned pale the moment she stepped forward, she quickly calmed down.
Cheng Weiyao blinked, and immediately imagined a scene of someone falling into the water in the deep palace. It seemed that this imperial concubine also had a story...
Two people from the Qinghe Palace came up one after another. Their sincere appearance gave the remaining female relatives great confidence, and more people volunteered.
Cheng Weiyao picked two more, and the four-person bamboo raft sailed to the other side of the river using a long bamboo as a pole.
“Success!”
When Cheng Weiyao and the others successfully reached the shore, the women on the other side of the river burst into joyful laughter and even hugged each other excitedly. It was obvious that the bamboo raft was feasible. Although it was small, it was very durable.
"You better hurry up, we don't have much time!"
The officials who didn't get any benefits expressed great disappointment and urged in low voices in annoyance.
Soon, all the women were successfully ferried across on the small bamboo raft. When the officers organized them to line up again, the women's eyes were all filled with vigilance.
"Let's go and reunite with the main force ahead. Some of us are still wearing wet clothes and need to dry them off, otherwise we'll get sick..."
Cheng Weiyao suggested gently. She had played a major role in the bamboo raft incident just now, so the female relatives had unknowingly regarded her as the backbone.
When they arrived at the resting place, the bonfire had already been set up and the women returned to their families. Some were silent, some were sobbing quietly, but almost none of them said a word about the officer's extraordinary behavior.
Cheng Weiyao saw this and felt heavy in her heart.
This is the shackle that the times have given to women. Even when they have a carefree life, they still regard it as more important than their own life. What’s more, when they are on the road of exile, it is better to have less trouble than more.
"Thank you for your hard work, ma'am."
Wen Chengyun's gaze fell gently on Cheng Weiyao. Cutting bamboo was a physical job for her, so it was inevitable that she looked a little messy.
"It's not hard, I'm just hungry. I want to eat breakfast."
Cheng Weiyao dusted herself off, looked at everyone's tired faces, and came up with an idea.
The experience just now had exhausted everyone's physical strength. Now was a good time for Mushroom to change her impression. A sly smile flashed in her eyes.
"Are you tired? Eat something to fill your stomach."
Cheng Weiyao took the initiative to move next to Wen Liyu and handed over her roasted mushrooms. Although they were definitely not as delicious as when they were hot, they were better than nothing when people were hungry.
"Thanks……"
Having just gone through a difficult time together, Wen Liyu still had full trust in Cheng Weiyao. She was exhausted both physically and mentally, so she didn't pay attention and just ate it.
When she swallowed it, the faint aroma of chicken made her realize what had happened. She pointed at Cheng Weiyao's nose, a look of disbelief on her face: "Murder?!"
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