Chapter 19
The next few days continued to be hot, and prisoners from Teams 2 and 3 began to faint. The leaders, Zhang Heimian and Gao Daxiong, were not merciful people. They immediately poured two buckets of cold water on the prisoners, waking them up. Without even giving them time to breathe, they whipped them and urged them on their way.
When they were camping at night, they came to a place full of rocks. As usual, Yao Chunnuan chose a slightly higher slope as a resting place. She built a stove to boil water, and Luo Suyi went to collect firewood as usual.
The Han family was very strange this time, having chosen a flat area not far from her as their resting place. They were constantly seeing each other. Even more outrageous was the fact that Wei Qiuyu didn't have to work at all, but was sitting on a rock nearby, watching her work and chattering non-stop.
"Ah Nuan, I really admire you. You can make a big pot of summer-relief tea just by picking some herbs."
No, no, I admire you even more. I admire your thick skin! I admire how you can use such sarcastic words to compliment me. Just picked some herbs at random? Why don't you pick one and try it?
If there was one quality of Wei Qiuyu that had impressed Yao Chunnuan over the years, it was her knack for hooking men. But in ancient times, especially after she got married and during her exile, she hadn't really put this knack to good use.
Besides this, there was another point that Yao Chunnuan admired the most: her thick skin. Wei Qiuyu was someone who could act as if nothing had happened, no matter how much they had quarreled or how embarrassing the situation had been. Her mental fortitude was excellent.
She couldn't do that. She came from the countryside and had to bend and stretch to survive, but that was done with gritted teeth. If anyone treated her as a nobody and trampled on her, she would definitely deal with him if she had the chance, unless she had no other choice!
"Look at the people who got heat stroke today. They almost died. How pitiful."
Yao Chunnuan: ...
They weren't pitiful, so she felt even more pitiful, okay? After walking all day, she finally had a chance to sit down and rest, but she still made her feel disgusted. What a sin.
"It would be great if they could all drink some cooling tea. Ah Nuan, could you pick more herbs next time and make more herbal tea, and share some with them?"
Wei Qiuyu's voice was quite loud, and all the prisoners around saw it, especially those in Teams 2 and 3, who all looked towards them with burning eyes.
"cannot!"
"A Nuan, they are so pitiful. You can't just watch more people collapse from the heat. This is not difficult for you."
No, she can. One should not meddle in matters that are not one's business. Who is she, but a female prisoner?
Why would she care about something that Tian Qigang doesn't care about?
Everyone had seen the effects of the cooling tea, and she didn't believe Zhang Heimian and Gao Daxiong weren't tempted. Since they were tempted, yet didn't survive, it meant the three parties hadn't reached an agreement. She was getting involved in this situation? She really thought she was a piece of cake.
Besides, she had to pick herbs while she was on the road. She had promised to make sure everyone in the team could drink the summer tea while ensuring that she was not too tired. This was already very difficult. After all, she was a person with two bodies. If she finished taking care of all the prisoners, she would be exhausted.
Wei Qiuyu is morally blackmailing her!
Before Yao Chunnuan could figure out how to slap Wei Qiuyu back, she heard Han Yao's mocking voice.
"Some people are just cold-blooded. They can help many people just by raising their hands, but they are unwilling to do so."
Yao Chunnuan glanced at them and said, "If you can do it, go ahead. If you can't, don't complain."
"You——" Han Yao was furious.
"Actually, good-for-nothings like you are not without use. Look, don't you feel sorry for them? Then you can just give them your share of summer-cooling tea. You are so kind, I'm sure you will be happy to do so, right?" This is how moral kidnapping should be used correctly.
Wei Qiuyu and Han Yao choked.
While speaking, Yao Chunnuan also glanced at Team 2 and Team 3. She had created an opportunity for them, and it depended on whether anyone smart enough would seize it.
There was an old woman in the second team who was very clever. She immediately ran over to them and knelt down before them. "Two kind-hearted fairies, could you please share a cup of summer tea? I thank you on behalf of my granddaughter. She's weak, and I'm afraid she'll faint from the heat any minute..."
The old woman kowtowed as she spoke.
The two women were silent. They really didn't know what to say. This old woman only wanted a cup of cooling tea. She took it all without being greedy and even left one portion for each of them. How could they refuse? To refuse would be cold-blooded and unkind.
"Why, you're all talking without any hesitation. You take the benefits and the good reputation when others make sacrifices and concessions, but when it's your turn to make some contributions and sacrifices, you keep quiet? You're not even good at getting something for nothing."
Wei Qiuyu's aunt and sister-in-law were scolded by Yao Chunnuan until their faces turned pale and blue.
"Alright, stop being silent and at least express your opinion. This old lady is kneeling before you, so just say it or not!"
All eyes were on them. The prisoners in Teams Two and Three wanted to know the outcome. The escorting officers, on the other hand, were mostly just watching the show. The journey was tedious, and it was a rare amusement to watch, so why would they stop them? The verbal battles between the female prisoners were quite entertaining.
Han Yao couldn't bear the desire anymore and was stopped by Wei Qiuyu, "Okay then, we'll give you a share. There won't be any more. After all, we're not rich." She said the last sentence in a louder voice, as if silently stopping something.
Han Yao was surprised to hear that she had given away a bowl of cooling tea. She was about to ask her if she was crazy when she saw her gently shaking her head at her.
Finally, Han Yao turned her head away. It was her sister-in-law who decided to give away one portion. She gave it to her. If she insisted that the portion she gave away was hers, she would not acknowledge it.
After giving Wei Qiuyu's sister-in-law a little lesson, Yao Chunnuan was happy and looked much better. At least she was smiling when she spoke to the Han family. "I say, Madam Han, can you guys go somewhere else? I thought there were some things we both understood. Life is already so hard, there's no need to disgust each other at this time, don't you think?"
No, the Han family didn't understand why things had turned out like this. They hadn't intended for Wei Qiuyu to offend her. They weren't crazy enough to offend her at this time.
Yao Chunnuan's value was fully demonstrated in the past few days when none of the prisoners suffered from heatstroke. Aren't they just trying to ease the relationship between the two sides?
They'd only covered six or seven hundred kilometers, with more than half that distance still to go. After summer, autumn arrived, and the further north they went, the colder it got. No one could guarantee they wouldn't get sick on the road, right? Life was paramount; all other grudges could be put aside.
Yao Chunnuan's skill in picking and applying herbs was enough to warrant a friendly relationship, regardless of whether she was just a superficial expert. That was why they planned to camp near her and gradually ease the relationship.
They really didn't know that Wei Qiuyu and her sister-in-law could mess things up like this.
If Yao Chunnuan knew that the original intention of this was to make friends with her, she would definitely say, no, you want to disgust me to death and then inherit my Huabei!
In response to Yao Chunnuan's expulsion, Han Yao said angrily, "This place is not yours. Why do you ask us to move?"
"Alright then, if you guys don't want to move, I will!" To avoid being disgusted, Yao Chunnuan decided to move to another spot. There were plenty of good spots on this rocky patch anyway.
There is still a long way to go, there is no need to get involved in such a small matter. The benefits are not great, and there is no benefit in getting involved. Can't she just save her energy?
Besides, the other side was outnumbered, and she was alone. If they really rushed, she would probably suffer. She always thought of herself as a precious porcelain, and would not go head-to-head with such rubble.
When Yao Chunnuan was about to move, Luo Suyi followed her and neatly packed up all their belongings.
When passing by the Han family, Yao Chunnuan paused and said, "Remember, if conditions permit, Wei Qiuyu and the dog are not allowed to get within ten feet of me. The same applies to you Han family. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that nothing will happen." It just so happened that she had picked up a few special herbs in the past two days, but no one had tried them.
"What does she mean?!" The Han family was confused and angry. Although they had never heard of the story, Yao Chun compared them to dogs. How could that be a good thing?
Wei Qiuyu bit her lip, her eyes red with anger and hatred.
Xiao Jieyi came back with a big leaf and a handful of clams and snails, looking at the Han family with a smile. The wealthy families were so arrogant that they would act in a high and mighty manner when making friends with someone, as if they were bestowing favors.
He looked at his gains today and followed the direction the two men were heading. This was how one should make friends with someone.
Madam Han had never been so despised before. She couldn't do anything to Yao Chunnuan, but she couldn't help but scold the culprit, "You can't even make friends with someone, you useless thing!"
Wei Qiuyu's eyes were filled with tears. Didn't Yao Chunnuan only have a little knowledge of herbs? What was the point? In later generations, who would still drink this kind of Chinese medicine made from pure herbs? If there was something wrong, they would go to a big hospital, get an IV drip and some medicine, and they would be almost cured.
Han Jinan, who had gone out to look for food, came back with the men of the Han family. When he learned what had just happened, he couldn't help but wipe his face and said, "Since she said so, our family should stay away from her in the future." Yao Chunnuan was in a good position and had some influence in Tian Qigang's eyes. They just had to not provoke her again. As for other things, they would wait until something really happened before dealing with them.
The scene just now was also seen by the women of the Wang family, and the men all went to the river to fish.
When the men came back, they couldn't help but talk about it.
"Second brother, your wife is cold-blooded, and that's true. Look at her, she only cares about herself, cold and unfeeling. She even willingly associates with those two murderers from Team 2 and 3, and disdains us. We in the Wang family don't think we've done anything wrong to her, right? After all, we are also relatives of the child in her belly. She knows a little bit about identifying medicine now, and she's tough. When she gives birth, won't she rely on us? She's really ignorant."
Wang Lang gave the most tender part of the fish belly to his mother, gnawing on the fish head and bones himself. "She can do whatever she wants. She doesn't eat or drink from our family, so why are you so upset with her? If you have the energy, can't you find more food?"
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