They walked about forty kilometers today until the sun set in the west and the wind started to blow. Tian Qigang had just found a place near a river to set up camp.
Even at this speed, Tian Qigang looked dissatisfied.
Yao Chunnuan didn't care about these things. As soon as he gave the order to set up camp, she found a piece of grass and sat down.
She took off her water bag and drank a big gulp of water before she felt alive again. This was a great show of strength. It was such a hot day, and they set out so late. After walking forty kilometers, what else could he be dissatisfied with?
Then he ordered his men to remove the prisoner's handcuffs and change them to his feet.
Yao Chunnuan understood that this was to prevent them from escaping.
Then, Tian Qigang had people distribute personal supplies to them.
Yao Chunnuan went to get her own bedding and pots and pans. Food was distributed in fixed amounts for each meal. This time, there were dry food, taro grains, and brown rice to choose from.
The Wang and Han families received their money as a family, but Yao Chunnuan wanted to receive it individually. The officials didn't care because there were more people like Yao Chunnuan who received it individually.
In the end, Yao Chunnuan received half a bowl of brown rice and a large spoonful of pickled cabbage, and also a little bit of salt.
Wang Lang called her, "Yao, do you want to come with us?"
Yao Chunnuan glanced at the Wang family and saw that they did not receive any dry food, but brown rice and small taro. They must have had enough dry food these days.
In response to Wang Lang's suggestion, she said calmly, "Are you sure someone in your family can cook?"
Wang Lang was speechless. There should be someone in his family who could do it, right? It shouldn't be difficult.
After interrogating Wang Lang, Yao Chunnuan walked past him and headed towards the resting area where the officials were.
Yao Chunnuan noticed a bamboo forest not far away, so she borrowed a sickle from the official.
The officer took one look at her and gave it to her without making things difficult for her.
Yao Chunnuan weighed the sickle. The blade wasn't very sharp, but it was enough for cutting bamboo.
Before setting off, she chose a relatively sheltered slope as a resting place and washed the brown rice. As she washed, she mentally complained, "This rice is so crumbly! The only good thing is it's not moldy." After washing the brown rice, she soaked it in a clay pot and then set out to cut bamboo.
Yao Chunnuan picked a newly grown bamboo and began to chop it. Then he took the two best sections in the middle, processed them a little, and prepared to go back.
"Hello, can you lend me your sickle?" A pleasant male voice sounded beside him.
Yao Chunnuan turned her head and saw that the person coming was Xiao Jieming.
He was standing about a meter away from her. After he made the request, he looked extremely embarrassed. After he finished speaking, he coughed twice, "Ahem—"
Their escort team was very wary of them and would not easily give them weapons like sickles.
Yao Chunnuan did not refuse and handed the sickle over directly.
Xiao Jieming was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected her to be so straightforward and lend the money without hesitation. He had seen too many women who were always hesitant and indecisive when faced with a situation.
Yao Chunming thought it was no big deal. She was an expert at using public property to do favors. If she didn't use it, it would become invalid after the expiration date. She had borrowed the sickle anyway, so her right to use it for the time being belonged to her. Besides, refusing to lend it wouldn't improve the officials' impression of her.
Xiao Jieming did the same as her, taking two sections of bamboo tube, but instead of cutting a new bamboo tube, he selected two sections from the one she had discarded. This saved a lot of time and effort, and soon he returned the sickle.
On the way back, Yao Chunnuan picked up some purslane crawling on the ground and picked the tender ones.
Xiao Jieming did not pick any more. He did not ask for rice, but for dry food. Many prisoners who were alone chose to eat dry food. After all, they had walked all day and they just wanted to fill their stomachs as soon as possible and then lie down to rest.
When Yao Chunnuan returned to the resting place she had chosen, Luo Suyi came over with the supplies she had received and placed the food in front of her. "Let's go together, okay?"
Yao Chunnuan raised an eyebrow. Did they mean to team up with her? She was also puzzled. Why did they all come to her one by one? But she also knew that two or three people working together would be much more efficient than if she were alone. So she thought about it and agreed.
While Luo Suyi wasn't simple, she wasn't someone to be trifled with. Since he was going to team up with someone, he'd naturally choose someone strong. If he chose someone weak, wouldn't he have to look after her? Mutual care was the essence of teaming up.
After Yao Chunnuan agreed to live with her, he asked her if she knew how to cook.
Luo Suyi shook her head, so she was assigned to collect firewood nearby.
She used a sickle as a tool and dug out two stoves from the ground.
Actually, the best tool for this is the iron spear, which can be done in just a few strokes. The sickle is still a bit awkward, but it's better than nothing, and it's much better than trying to dig it out with your bare hands or using a sharp stone.
Then she brought four or five large stones and built two stoves.
Just as she was done, Luo Suyi came back with a bundle of firewood. Then, she asked Luo Suyi to go to the river to wash the purslane.
She went to return the sickle, while the officials started cooking. A skilled hunter had hunted two pheasants and a rabbit in the woods and was processing them. Yao Chunnuan borrowed a fire from them.
After successfully lighting the fire, she poured the soaked brown rice and clear water into the bamboo tube in the correct proportions. She wanted to make bamboo tube porridge, imitating the recipe of bamboo tube chicken. After all, she could smell that the brown rice had a slightly stale smell. If she used it to make bamboo tube porridge, the fresh fragrance of bamboo would make it taste better.
At this time, Xiao Jieming brought her two fish that were two fingers wide as an adult's, saying that he was thanking her for lending him the sickle just now.
Yao Chunnuan hadn't expected him to have such a skill. She had also seen fish in the river a while ago, but she had no tools to catch them. She wasn't very good at catching them with her bare hands, so she could only watch and sigh. She hadn't expected that she could actually eat fish, which made her very happy.
Looking at the place she chose and the stove she built, Xiao Jieming found that this place was really nice, so he chose a place not far from her as a resting place for tonight.
What Yao Chunnuan didn't expect was that just after she accepted the fish sent by Xiao Jieming, Wang Lang also sent her two.
Their group of prisoners camped there, and many of the men couldn't resist going fishing. Some caught fish, while others didn't. After all, their feet were shackled, which restricted their fishing. Among them, the Han family, with their military backgrounds, had the biggest catch. The Wang brothers also went fishing and collected eight or nine fish.
Yao Chunnuan accepted the fish that Wang Lang sent her, thinking it would be a waste if she didn't accept it.
Wang Lang delivered the fish but did not leave immediately. Instead, he glanced at Xiao Jieming who was not far away and said in a deep voice, "You'd better stay away from Xiao Jieming and Luo Suyi. These two are not good people."
Yao Chunnuan's mind was on the four fish at the moment. She didn't listen to his warning at all and just responded with "hmm" and "ah".
Wang Lang noticed that she was absent-minded and left without saying anything more.
As soon as Wang Lang left, she began to deal with the four small fish.
Without oil, she could only dry-fry the fish in a clay pot over low heat. When she had fried a few fish until they were slightly crispy, she took them out and placed them on the large leaves she had picked up. She did not even leave out the fish residue that stuck to the pan.
She washed the clay pot again, filled it with water, and sat on a stove.
When Luo Suyi came back, she not only brought back the washed purslane, but also brought back a handful of firewood. Together with the firewood she had picked up earlier, it was enough for them to use tonight.
Yao Chunnuan boiled the purslane and mixed it with the pickled cabbage she'd been given. Once that was done, the porridge in the two bamboo tubes came to a boil. When the rice was half-cooked, Yao Chunnuan poured it into the clay pot, added the fried fish and salt, and added another bowl of hot water to continue boiling.
Soon, they were able to start eating. Each of them had a bowl of thick and stomach-warming fish porridge, with a side dish of purslane and pickled cabbage. They both ate with gusto.
Next to him, one person occupied four grilled fish. Xiao Jieming, who was eating grilled fish with bread, suddenly felt that the fish was not fragrant anymore and was a bit dry.
Among these prisoners, except for the police officers, no one else eats better than them.
Compared to Yao Chunnuan's well-organized meal followed by a delicious dinner, some people were in a real state of chaos.
"Aren't you from a farming family? How come you can't even cook? You ruined the good fish!" Madam Han yelled at Wei Qiuyu with disgust.
Wei Qiuyu felt very aggrieved. She was also a delicate young lady before she traveled through time. She had never even washed a bowl and was not good at cooking. She was good at baking snacks!
By the time the Wang and Han families had finished their not-so-appetizing dinner, Yao Chunnuan had already eaten her fill and was resting on a large rock. The earthenware pot on the stove was still boiling, and Luo Suyi had conscientiously taken on the task of washing the dishes after finishing her meal.
Next, those who need to wash up will be divided into two groups, men and women, to wash up separately. The escort officers will guard key positions to prevent them from escaping.
Even washing up? Yao Chunnuan was a little overjoyed. It seemed that Tian Qigang, the escort officer, was really good. Although this was her first time in exile, she could imagine that under other escort officers, the prisoners would probably have a hard time.
Yao Chunnuan and Luo Suyi went together and chose to wash behind a big rock.
After washing up, changing into dry clothes, and washing the clothes they had taken off, the two returned to the resting place.
Yao Chunnuan spread out the bedding and lay down on it. At that moment, she let out a long sigh. This damn day was finally over.
Tomorrow wouldn't be any easier, as she'd just discovered while washing up that her feet were likely to get blisters. This was to be expected, as the road was full of potholes and would wear out both her shoes and her feet.
Her shoes, which normally lasted a month or two at home, would be worn out in at most two weeks if she walked like this. She felt that the shoes of the ancients were somewhat fragile. For such a walk, she needed at least a pair of shock-absorbing shoes, or at least a pair of sneakers, or at the very least, Liberation shoes, which were resistant to falls and beatings.
However, the supplies in the old house are mainly food, and some daily necessities are mostly for her grandmother. She has relatively few things of her own. After all, she has to work in a big city and only goes back to her hometown occasionally. There seems to be no shock-absorbing shoes in the old house, but the latter two are available.
But even if she had it, she wouldn't dare take it out and wear it, because besides her, there was also Wei Qiuyu here. It would be fine if Wei Qiuyu wasn't here. Some things, if you find the right opportunity to take them out, at most make people feel novel, but if Wei Qiuyu sees them, it will definitely be a big trouble.
Therefore, if she wanted to use the materials in the old house as she pleased, she had to deal with Wei Qiuyu. Either she had to separate them and not be together, or she had to... disappear...
But before that, she should try to stay hidden.
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