Hearing the old woman's voice, Qiuju trembled in fright.
If she gets caught, the head of the village will beat her to death.
She looked at Jiang Shuyue, bewildered.
Jiang Shuyue squatted down and pinched her nose with one hand.
"Meow……"
A cat's meow rang out.
The old woman on night duty grumbled and turned over to continue sleeping.
Qiuju was so frightened that her heart jumped into her throat. Seeing that the night watchwoman didn't come out, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Shuyue tossed the copper lock into her spatial storage and quietly opened the ear door.
The two tiptoed out.
Stepping out of the hospital, Jiang Shuyue felt that the air was much fresher.
There was a dog at the front gate, so the master and servant followed the wall from the bamboo grove to the main road.
Under the moonlight, the bamboo forest cast shadows, and the two of them walked lightly, but the bamboo leaves still rustled under their feet.
Qiu Ju walked ahead, and with a thought from Jiang Shuyue, a mule and a mule cart appeared in the clearing by the bamboo forest.
"Qiuju, wait a minute, what's that?"
Qiuju looked back and saw a mule with its head down, grazing, with a mule cart behind it.
Qiuju cautiously took a step back and pulled Jiang Shuyue into the bamboo forest.
"Miss, what's this mule doing here?"
Jiang Shuyue took the bag of steamed buns from Qiuju's hand: "I checked, there's no one here. The servant must have forgotten to take it back to the stable. Look, the mule cart hasn't been harnessed yet."
Qiuju looked around, overjoyed.
“Miss, it must be the Madam protecting you. We need a mule cart.”
Qiuju walked over quickly and skillfully harnessed the mule cart.
"Thankfully, that old hag has been making me feed the mules and harness them to the cart all this time. I didn't know how to harness mules before."
During her time on the estate, whenever the stewardess went to town on business, she would always ask Qiuju to help her hitch up the mule cart.
"You sit down, let me try it." Jiang Shuyue put the bundle and steamed buns into the carriage.
"How can I let Miss drive the carriage? Miss, please get in quickly, I will drive the carriage."
Qiuju was certain that she could drive the mule cart.
Hearing the barking of dogs, Jiang Shuyue, fearing that the head of the manor would find out and chase after her, grabbed the reins and sat on the carriage shaft without saying a word.
She has a modern soul, not a sheltered young lady who never leaves the house, and her practical skills are no less than Qiu Ju's.
Soon, the mule cart steadily made its way onto the official road.
Without a map, and with night falling when they arrived, Jiang Shuyue gritted her teeth and randomly chose a road when she saw the three-way intersection.
"Miss, if we choose the wrong route, will we end up outside the capital by tomorrow morning?"
Jiang Shuyue was also unsure, so she comforted Qiuju, saying, "Don't be afraid. Even if they find out, they will go to the capital to report. They won't have time to chase us. If we see the city gate from afar, we can turn onto the side road and make it in time."
Qiuju took a soft cushion out of the mule cart and handed it to Jiang Shuyue: "Miss, use this. The wooden board is uncomfortable on your bottom."
Jiang Shuyue took the mat and felt much better.
She cracked her whip, and the mule quickened its pace.
The cold night wind blew straight into her neck, so she put down the whip, took off her scarf, and wrapped it around her neck again.
It was wrapped up over her head, leaving only her eyes showing.
"Miss, we've escaped. We're free now."
As she got further and further away from the village, Qiuju was full of energy, and the tension from before had disappeared.
"Yes, we are free. From now on, we can live a carefree life like birds flying in the sky."
Watching the shadows of the trees recede into the distance, Jiang Shuyue felt incredibly happy.
Qiuju couldn't help but laugh out loud at the thought that the head of the manor would be furious when he discovered they had escaped.
Jiang Shuyue used to be afraid to walk at night, but today she felt that the night was particularly beautiful. The vast darkness was like a natural barrier, giving her a sense of security.
Along the way, the sound of dogs barking could be heard from time to time.
Half an hour later, they passed through a small town, but Jiang Shuyue dared not stop.
"Miss, what do you see under the eaves of those shops?"
Jiang Shuyue looked under the eaves of the houses on both sides of the street and saw a dark, curled-up thing that was groaning from time to time.
Suddenly, a dark figure appeared out of nowhere and blocked their mule cart.
"Please, kind sir, have mercy! My child has been hungry for two days."
The voice was male, and the cart shaft was pulled by the newcomer, forcing the mule cart to stop.
Qiu Ju was so frightened that she reached out to pull Jiang Shuyue.
Jiang Shuyue was also startled by the sudden appearance of the person.
She looked closely and, in the cold moonlight, saw a ragged man looking at her with pleading eyes.
The man was hunched over and emaciated.
"Let go of my hand and don't make a sound. I just want to ask you for directions." Seeing that the man didn't seem to be trying to rob her, Jiang Shuyue quietly put the powder in her hand back into her spatial storage.
"Please ask whatever you wish to know, young lady. I only need some food." The man quickly withdrew his hand from the carriage shaft.
The man spoke in a low voice, knowing that if he woke up the other beggars under the eaves, the consequences would be dire.
"Will we reach the capital if we continue forward?"
“If you want to go to the capital, you’ll have to change direction.” The man pointed to the route Jiang Shuyue had taken.
Qiuju had already prepared several steamed buns. Seeing that the young lady had asked for directions, she quickly handed the buns over.
In her panic, Qiuju's hand trembled slightly, and a steamed bun rolled off the plate.
The man hurriedly chased after the steamed bun that had rolled away, while Qiuju urged anxiously, "Miss, hurry up!"
Jiang Shuyue gently whipped the mule, and the mule cart started moving again.
Once outside the town, Jiang Shuyue thought to herself, "That was close!"
"Miss, it seems those rumors are true. The Emperor doesn't allow beggars to enter the capital, so these people are entrenched in a place not far from the capital." Qiu Ju patted her chest with lingering fear.
Her little heart is still pounding.
Jiang Shuyue rubbed her frozen hands and said to Qiuju, "It will be dawn by the time we reach the next town. We must disguise ourselves as men; it's too dangerous this way."
She never imagined that while the capital was filled with song and dance, the scene outside the capital was quite different.
"Miss, I know how to get here now. Please sit in the carriage and warm up."
Qiu Ju noticed Jiang Shuyue rubbing her hands together and reached out to take the reins.
“Okay, wrap your face and neck with a scarf, that will keep you warm.”
Jiang Shuyue did not refuse. It would be too much for one person to drive the whole way. She pulled on the reins and the mule stopped.
"This mule cart is easy to drive. You don't need to worry about it when there are no forks in the road ahead," Jiang Shuyue explained to Qiuju, highlighting the key points of driving the cart.
Although mule carts are slow, the mules are gentle creatures.
The carriage in the space ran fast, but Jiang Shuyue couldn't control it.
The master and servant switched places.
The vast night sky was filled with twinkling stars, and the temperature plummeted.
"Miss, we need to find a place to stay as soon as possible. It should snow in the next few days."
A cold wind howled past, the trees along the roadside were whipped about wildly by the wind, and the sound of the wind cut through the mountain valley, making a sharp sound that sent chills down one's spine.
Suddenly, a dark figure darted out from the woods beside the road.
The mule was so frightened that it reared up on its front hooves.
"ah!"
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