Chapter 124 The Road Ahead is Confused
Xu Qingying felt as if the document weighed a thousand pounds.
Although they knew that they would have to part ways with the relief team sooner or later, they didn't expect it to happen so soon.
After fighting all the way, they had already established a deep relationship, from being wary of each other in the beginning to trusting each other later.
"We originally wanted to leave without saying goodbye, but really..." Zhao Qiaonian shook his head, his eyes still slightly red, "I still want to see the girl one last time. The brothers all trust the girl, so we have to tell her where to go so that she can rest assured."
Forget it, after sending you thousands of miles away, we must finally say goodbye. There is no banquet that will last forever.
Xu Qingying helped Zhao Bantou up and sighed deeply. "The fact that you came to tell me proves that you consider me, Xu Qingying, a friend, a sister, and one of your own. We've been through so much together along the way. You were the ones who always charged into battle. You saved me, and I saved you. We've become life-or-death friends. This Jinzhou is such a chaotic place. Any other escort would have abandoned us and run away long ago. But you still escorted us all the way here. I, Xu Qingying, will remember this friendship."
"Miss Xu!"
"Big sister!"
The eyes of the escorts kept turning red. They had thought that Xu Qingying would be angry about their leaving, or even scold them for being disloyal, but they didn't expect Xu Qingying to say such words.
At this moment, they would rather Xu Qingying scolded them harshly.
"All good things must come to an end. Once you reach Qianzhou, you'll still leave. It's safer to leave now. We don't know what lies ahead... We don't know what we'll face. Our destination is Qianzhou, but yours isn't..."
The tip of Xu Qingying's nose was slightly red, perhaps from the cold or sadness. "It's not good for you to leave like this. Tomorrow morning, I'll tell everyone you're going back to Ye County to deliver food. Afterwards, I'll announce that you've encountered bandits and your whereabouts are unknown. Find a safe place to hide first, and then return to Bianjing City in staggered order, one after another, so as not to arouse suspicion."
Even Zhao Qiaonian, who had a heart as cold as iron, couldn't help but shed tears at this moment.
"By the way, you'll be passing through Ye County, right?" Xu Qingying thought about their route back to Bianjing. "When we get to Ye County, please tell the people left behind in the city to go directly to Lan County to find us. Li Datou left behind a group of elderly, weak, and sick people to die. There's no food in the city, and my grandmother and the others are in imminent danger!"
Zhao Qiaonian couldn't help but curse, "That damn Li Datou, if I had known earlier I would have stabbed him a few more times. Don't worry, sister, I will definitely deliver the message. If there is food on the way, I will buy it and send it to Ye County first. I will never let our people freeze to death or starve to death!"
Xu Qingying looked at Ming Xiaoshuang again. Ming Xiaoshuang had no expression on her face. She only said quietly, "Miss, I'm going back too."
Alas, another good and cheap young man has left.
Although Ming Xiaoshuang swore allegiance to follow her, she is now in danger and no one will be loyal to someone with an uncertain future.
Even good birds choose trees to rest in, let alone humans.
Xu Qingying patted Ming Xiaoshuang's shoulder and said earnestly, "Go back and take good care of your mother and sister. If you encounter any difficulties in Bianjing City, write to me. I welcome you to come and seek refuge with me at any time."
Ming Xiaoshuang clasped his fists and stood up: "Thank you, young lady!"
Xu Qingying smiled faintly and said to the others, "The same goes for the other brothers. If I, Xu Qingying, can reach Qianzhou safely, there will definitely be a place for you brothers. If you don't mind, you are all welcome to come anytime!"
After saying that, she looked at Zhao Qiaonian again and weighed their bags. "Did you bring enough money? Don't be wronged when you're out. If you don't have enough, just ask my father for more."
"Enough, enough." Zhao Qiaonian blew his nose, his eyes filled with reluctance. To be honest, his feelings towards Xu Qingying were very complicated, from the initial caution, to the subsequent admiration, and then to the complete trust. Xu Qingying was a brother, a good friend, and a good teacher. Meeting someone like Xu Qingying in this life was worth his life!
He wiped his nose fiercely and said, "The money we made from the soap business was enough to buy a house for my brothers back in Bianjing. Why should we need you to spend money?"
"Okay. So, brothers, are you ready to set off now?"
"It's better to leave early, so as not to reveal our whereabouts in the crowd tomorrow."
"good."
"Girl, we may meet again in the future!" Everyone's eyes were red and they bowed to say goodbye.
Zhao Qiaonian also said, "Sister, if you come to Bianjing City, you must come to me! These two swords belong to Liu Jieshi and Huang Yazi, you can use them for self-defense."
Xu Qingying took it and smiled, "Brother Zhao, you forgot that I am an exiled lowly person. I am afraid I will never be able to go to Bianjing in this lifetime. If you are free, you are welcome to come to Qianzhou to find me."
"I can see that you, girl, are very capable. The mountains and rivers in Qianzhou can't trap a big fish like you." Zhao Qiaonian patted Xu Qingying's shoulder heavily. The thirty-year-old man's eyes were red and full of reluctance.
Parting is always painful.
Xu Qingying knew this truth very well.
But to be fair, Zhao Bantou and the others all had a way out, so there was no need to drag them into facing the unknown future together. Moreover, they were officials after all, with bright futures in Bianjing City, so there was no need to risk their lives for a single escort.
"Everyone, the mountains are high and the waters are long. We will meet again soon. Take care on your journey! If you arrive safely, please write a letter to let me know you're safe!"
"Miss Xu too!"
Zhao Qiaonian led the escort team and walked into the night without looking back. Xu Qingying vaguely saw Zhao Qiaonian wiping away tears.
Xu Qingying stood blankly under the big locust tree, watching their backs until they merged into the night and could no longer be seen.
Xu Qingying stood there for a long time until her shoulders felt a little cold.
When I looked up, I saw a full moon.
The moonlight was hazy, falling on the treetops, on the mountains and forests, and on the girl's slightly furrowed brows.
Xu Qingying suddenly felt very lonely.
The intense feeling of loneliness swept over her like a wave, making her feel as if a piece of her heart was missing.
"They've already gone far away. It's freezing cold, Miss Xu, please go back early."
Xu Qingying was startled and turned her head.
I saw a familiar face under the shadow of the tree.
She had fair skin, deep features, and thin, rosy lips that were always pursed. Her eyebrows were sharp, her eyes were firm and bright, giving her a sharp look.
Jiang Yongkang.
Xu Qingying glared at him, "You walk without making any sound?"
Jiang Yongkang smiled apologetically, "I've been practicing Kung Fu since I was a child. I won't scare Miss Xu next time."
Xu Qingying squatted down, sighed, and then pulled the grass on the ground.
"Miss Xu, do you regret letting them go?" Jiang Yongkang was also beside her, squatting down like her, and squatting side by side with her. "Once Zhao Bantou and the others leave, our team will really be left with the old, weak, and sick."
Xu Qingying sighed, "They're not my people. Whether I let them go or not, they'll leave anyway. Besides, since they've already decided to leave, why should I force them to stay? A gentleman should help others achieve their goals. There's no need for them to risk their lives for us."
Jiang Yongkang also sighed and said quietly, "Miss Xu, being soft-hearted won't accomplish anything great."
Xu Qingying curled her lips, her eyes clear and bright, and asked, "What big things do I, a woman, want to do?"
Jiang Yongkang pursed his lips habitually, then smiled and said nothing.
Two people, one strongly instigated, the other was just trying to fool people.
The other party is a smart guy.
Both of them thought so.
On the second day, Xu Qingying handed over the food to Zhangjia Village, bought a few more kitchen knives from them and gave them to the young and skilled people in the team, and then led the team of more than a thousand people to Lan County.
Many people noticed the disappearance of the escorts, but when they heard that these people were sent by Xu Qingying to Ye County to rescue people, they didn't think much about it.
With the departure of Zhao Bantou and others, Xu Qingying had to think about the deployment of manpower.
Feng'er is now able to stand on her own feet, and Qian Zhenniang is much bolder than before.
Judging from last night's performance, Feng'er, Xu Huiming, Jiang Yongkang, Fang Xun and Xu Yinxi are all good seedlings that can be cultivated.
They must be brought in as soon as possible to fill the vacancies in the escort team.
Especially regarding the fighting power, Xu Qingying thought that she should teach them some close combat skills in the future. Otherwise, with their fighting power, if they encountered bandits, they would have no choice but to risk their lives.
Xu Qingying was also worried about the people in Ye County. Huang and Xu Meixiao were still there. The food and grass in the city were all gone, and there were more than a hundred women and children. How many days could they last?
Furthermore, although the village chief Zhang had tried to describe Lan County's prosperity, his eagerness to send the Buddha away meant he must have exaggerated. They didn't yet know the true state of Lan County, and the thousand-plus men under his command could mutiny at any moment over food shortages.
Xu Qingying rubbed her temples, feeling that there were too many things to think about.
After noon, Xu Qingying gathered everyone together and worked hard to reform their thoughts.
"Everyone, don't hold on to old ideas. Now that Li Datou is dead, I, Xu Zhenying, will take over. We are all refugees, and there is no distinction between high and low. Those who want to leave can leave at any time, and those who want to stay must abide by the rules. We don't kill or rob, and we support and help each other like family. We don't know what the situation will be like in Lan County ahead, and I hope everyone is mentally prepared. The road ahead may not be smooth. But I hope you can give me a little more trust. I said, I will not leave until everyone is settled."
However, the Xu family did not hold out hope for this.
Even Xu Yinxi said, "Sixth sister, I don't think they'll listen to what you're saying. The most urgent thing is to solve the food problem. We only have enough food for one day. Even if we only make porridge every day and have people dig up some wild vegetables, we won't be able to survive for more than three days. After three days, these people may not even remember what you said now."
Xu Qingying sighed, "I know that. I just thought it would be good to have someone listen. How many days are we away from Lan County?"
Fang Xun replied, "At this rate, it will take at least four or five days."
Four or five days.
It's really hard to endure.
The food crisis is of no small importance.
Xu Qingying was facing a mob that could mutiny at any moment due to hunger. She now had to devote all her energy to comforting them. For the past two days, she had cooked a pot of porridge and gathered some wild vegetables from the fields. If there were no wild vegetables, they would just eat leaves. Everyone ate sparingly, but in just two days, they had almost exhausted all their food.
It is more than 30 kilometers away from Lan County.
Xu Qingying led the thousand-plus people, stumbling forward in a daze. Like zombies, the starving people wandered through the mountains and forests, silent and lifeless, like the walking dead.
It was a freezing cold season, with even the weeds dying. It was a rare opportunity to eat wild vegetables. Some people dug up grass roots and boiled them with snow water, which barely made it into a meal.
At night, not only the hungry people, but even the Xu family members could not bear it anymore.
Xu Huiming even proposed a bold idea. "Since Zhao Bantou and the others are missing, why don't we just settle down in Jinzhou? The refugees don't have household registration, so if we blend in with them, we might even be able to earn a good citizenship. If we pass the imperial examination, the Xu family won't be without a chance to improve their status."
Everyone in the Xu family had been hungry for too long and their bodies were swollen. At this moment, they didn't even want to talk.
Xu Qingying curled up under a tree trunk, her mind too hungry to think, her voice weak and frail from hunger. "We'll talk about it when we get to Jinzhou..."
Huang Cui'e still had the energy to complain, "Sixth girl, you are so confused. If we had known earlier, we should have run away. You have so much money on you, you can buy food anywhere..."
After that, she cursed weakly: "Damn Zhao Bantou, he said he was going back to Ye County to look for his mother and the others, I'm afraid he ran away on his own——"
"Don't talk nonsense. How could the escort abandon the prisoner and escape? How are they going to explain this to their superiors when they get back?" Xu Deyuan rarely said something nice. "You haven't eaten yet, so save your energy for complaining."
Xu Qingying also said: "Don't be afraid, we'll be fine once we get to Lan County."
Lan County is wealthy, so there must be food, and they even set up tents to distribute porridge. There aren't many of them in this group, so if they talk things over with the county magistrate and offer some money to smooth things over, maybe they can not only enter the city but also change their identities.
Not only Xu Qingying, everyone in the team thought so.
——Just go to Lan County.
There must be kind people there who give out porridge every day, so we won’t have to go hungry then.
Xu Qingying divided the group into 20 teams, each with a team leader. Every day, Xu Qingying had the team leaders repeatedly tell their subordinates that there was food in Lan County and that they would not starve if they endured for a few more days.
This has become the belief that almost everyone sticks to.
But Xu Qingying was not so optimistic about the truth.
After walking for a few days, supporting each other, Xu Qingying felt that her limbs were no longer under her control, as if her head had separated from her limbs. She could only walk numbly and mechanically in the mountains and forests.
She had money, but it was all in the bank and she couldn't exchange it for the time being.
What's more, the mountains and forests were full of fleeing refugees, and even if she had money, she couldn't exchange it for food.
Now, they finally saw the towering city gate. Everyone cheered and felt refreshed. Their feet felt stronger, as if they finally saw a glimmer of hope.
Xu Qingying asked Jiang Yongkang to lead the team and sent a small team of young and strong men to go to the front to investigate the situation.
But before long, the group returned with despair on their faces. When they saw Xu Qingying, they burst into tears. "It's over! We've been tricked by that old man from Zhangjia Village. There are so many refugees at the gate of Lan County. When I inquired, I found out that the gate of Lan County has been closed for a long time. Forget about giving out porridge. If you get close to the gate, you will be shot to death by the archers on the city wall!"
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