At daybreak, everyone started getting ready. On Tian An's side, the wives and mothers prepared breakfast, then hurriedly prepared the dry food they would take with them on the journey, and boiled the water they had fetched and filled it in bamboo tubes.
The same was true for other families. The two families used one pot to quickly prepare the food, and then quickly put everything away after eating.
After packing up everything and doing a final roll call to make sure everyone was there, Zhao Yiming repeated several times the places he would pass by on his way to the capital.
Finally, he emphasized, "If we get separated on the way, we will try to wait there for three days. If no one shows up after three days, we will continue on our journey and will not wait any longer.
So everyone remember, be sure to follow the team closely. If you unfortunately fall behind, come back as soon as possible to catch up with the team.
If you really can't make it back, continue to the capital according to the route I just mentioned."
Everything was ready. Everyone put on their backpacks, dismantled the ox carts and donkey carts and turned them into small carts, and started off.
Tian An was also given a backpack, which contained half a basket of rice, some cakes made by the women, a bamboo tube of water, and her own clothes.
The backpack was covered with oilcloth, and when Zhao Yiming helped her lift it and put it on her back, it was already empty. The backpack suddenly felt lighter, and if Zhao Yiming hadn't reacted quickly, someone would have noticed.
After Zhao Yiming put on his backpack, Tian An passed by him and touched his backpack lightly with his small hand. As the weight suddenly decreased, Zhao Yiming knew that it was empty.
Xiaokang and Xiaoqi didn't have backpacks, so Tian An asked Mangzhong to sew a small backpack for them with oilcloth, which contained their own clothes, cakes, water, and candies that Tian An secretly put in.
Chen Feng led the way in front, while Zhao Yiming and Tian An followed closely behind with empty backpacks on their backs.
The forest Zhao Yiming had chosen was a secluded spot, but not far from the road. Just outside the forest was a small path where oxen and donkey carts could be harnessed to accommodate children.
After walking along the path for more than an hour, they finally reached the official road. As soon as they got on the official road, Tian An saw many refugees who were fleeing like them. However, compared to them, their group was like a breath of fresh air.
This journey was destined to be turbulent, and everyone walked in groups. As soon as they got on the official road, Zhao Yiming reminded everyone, "Watch the children and follow the group closely." He also handed over the task of leading the way to Chen Feng, stepped back from the front and walked to the side of Tian An's three siblings to protect them.
Several other families followed suit, with the children and women walking in the middle and the men guarding the outside.
It was already late August, but the weather had not gotten cooler. The daytime temperature was even higher than in the hottest days of summer. The sun was strong at noon, and it was too painful to travel quickly. So everyone had to travel more in the morning when the sun was still weak so that they could rest a little longer at noon.
We only had two breaks in the morning, each lasting a quarter of an hour. Everyone drank water if they needed it, and those in need could make an appointment to go to the nearby woods to take care of their urgent needs.
At noon, when the sun was at its hottest, Zhao Yiming led everyone off the official road and into the woods to rest. "Everyone, take this time to rest. We'll start our journey in an hour."
Zhao Yiming came to Tian An and raised his hand to help her put down the backpack. The backpack became heavy again when it touched the ground. Tian An also reached out to help his backpack, and the things in the backpack returned to their original state in an instant.
Xiaokang and Xiaoqi saw the two put down their backpacks and hurried over to fan them with their palms, "Sister, you must be exhausted! Are you feeling cooler?"
"Xiaokang, from now on, you have to call me brother." Tian An corrected him. Then he looked at Xiaoqi, "Xiaoqi, the same goes."
The two children looked at Tian An's men's clothing, then looked at Chun Xi and the others, "Is it the same if I call Chun Xi sister?"
Tian An nodded, "Yes, you have to call them all brother. You can call Chunxi, Chunchun brother, Mangzhong, Zhongzhong brother, and Deng Xue can be called Dengdeng brother!"
The two kids immediately drew inferences from their experience, "So, can Sister Dongru call Dongdong brother, and Sister Dengshuang call Shuangshuang brother?"
"Yes, that's it." He looked at Chunxi and the others again, "The same goes for you. From now on, you are all men, so don't call me the wrong name."
Everyone immediately said, "Okay, sir."
After taking a breath, Tian An was about to take out the pancakes he had baked in the morning from his backpack to eat, when he saw Mr. Han coming over with Grandma Qin, who looked a little pale.
"An An, please help me check on my mother. Has the illness she had before relapsed?"
Tian An quickly put down the pancake in his hand, stood up and went to help Granny Qin. He took Granny Qin's pulse and then put his hand down and said, "It's okay. Granny is just too tired. It's hot and she got a bit of heatstroke. Drink some light salt water and rest for a while and she'll be fine."
Everyone else was paying attention to this side. When Chun Xi heard Tian An say that she wanted to drink light salt water, she took out the salt from her backpack and brought it over without waiting for her instructions.
Mr. Han also went back and got the bamboo tube that Grandma Qin used to hold water. Tian An took the bamboo tube, scooped an appropriate amount of salt from the salt jar and added it in, shook it a few times, and gave it to Grandma Qin to drink after the salt and water were mixed.
"Mother-in-law, just take the ox cart in the afternoon! You can't be so stubborn." Tian An advised.
In fact, Grandma Qin's illness had been cured by Tian An a long time ago and would not relapse at all. However, the disease was considered incurable here, and Tian An did not tell them because he did not want to attract attention.
Grandma Qin was old, so Tian An asked her and several children to take turns riding in the ox cart in the morning. However, she felt sorry for the children and refused. She gritted her teeth and followed everyone on the journey for the whole morning, which is why she was so tired.
Granny Qin didn't dare to show off at this moment! If she really exhausted herself, it would cause trouble for everyone. She nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, okay, okay, Granny will take a break this afternoon."
After drinking some light salt water and resting for a while, Grandma Qin felt much better. Mr. Han then took out some pancakes and served them to her.
As for the servants, Chunxi saw that everything was fine with the masters, so she led everyone to eat quickly.
Chen Feng, Deng Yuan and Liu Da unloaded the ox cart, pulled the ox and donkey to the side to graze, and then started their lunch.
Tian An chewed the dry biscuit in her mouth, missing the Lao Gan Ma in her space. Unfortunately, these disasters kept coming one after another, and she couldn't make any preparations at all, not even having a reason to take anything out.
After finally finishing the pancake with water, Zhao Yiming asked everyone to take a rest as it was almost time to start their journey.
Hot weather always makes people sleepy. Tian An sat leaning against a tree. Gradually, his eyelids became heavier and heavier...
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