Wu Chunhua and Liu were both simple peasant women who were terrified of these constables. Ever since they came to the dilapidated temple, they had been walking and talking very carefully, for fear of displeasing them.
The villagers of Lujia Village were the same. If it weren't for this escape, they would have had virtually no interaction with the yamen runners. Apart from collecting grain every year, there were never so many runners, and they were all armed with knives with gleaming, sharp blades!
Qin San Niang woke up to the smell of porridge. She wasn't particularly tired; she had just checked out the supermarket. There weren't many live animals in the supermarket. The chicken and duck cages were in the warehouse at the back, and there weren't many waiting to be slaughtered. The rest were some daily necessities, snacks, grains and oils, fruits and vegetables, and a small prepared food section.
She usually frequents the areas mentioned above, but now she's discovered a small corner selling books. The bookshelves are quite well-stocked, covering various aspects of agriculture, industry, and commerce. There are a few books about planting, as well as books on brewing, making various skincare products, and cooking. There are also books on farmland irrigation, which she doesn't quite understand yet.
"There are golden houses in books," Qin San Niang thought with great joy. If things were settled, she could make a name for herself with these books. Otherwise, she would really be letting herself down!
After finishing breakfast, Qin San Niang glanced outside the temple gate. The rain was drizzling and showed no signs of stopping. It was flowing down the dilapidated eaves of the temple, quickly forming a small stream on the ground.
One autumn rain brings a chill, and it's getting even colder today!
The old lady and her entourage changed into slightly thicker coats. Presumably, these clothes were neither food nor worth much money, so they were not taken away by the constables.
Qin San Niang and her group also changed into thicker clothes, except for Gu Qingshan, who was still wearing a single-layered jacket. It wasn't that he didn't have winter clothes; he was probably just too strong to wear them.
Not long after the meal, Lu Dingtian walked over with a pigeon-toed gait and said that the weather didn't look like it was going to clear up, so he guessed that the trip wouldn't be possible today.
An old man like him would naturally know how to read the sky; his question was simply a sign of his inner turmoil and lack of someone to confide in.
Anyone who's with a group of yamen runners would feel the same way; he couldn't wait for the rain to stop so he could get going.
Liu agreed with this; she didn't like these yamen runners either, as they didn't look easy to get along with. Besides, Liu noticed that a yamen runner with triangular eyes kept glancing in their direction, which frightened her so much that she shielded her children in the middle.
At noon, Liu took out some black flour cakes and cooked a pot of rice porridge that looked clear to the bottom. This was the family's lunch.
Old Mrs. Chen understood what was going on. She quietly took out her own coarse grain cakes, which were made with rice bran, and cooked them into a thin rice porridge.
Other households were doing the same. Zhao Juhua thought to herself, "You all clearly have wheat cakes and cornbread, why don't you take them out and eat them?"
She had long since finished the pancakes in her hand. A few days ago, she had someone who came to the city sell the chestnuts she had, and exchanged them for some grain. She had originally planned to cook a thick rice porridge to drink, because she had been craving the rice porridge from Qin San Niang's house for a long time.
Zhao Juhua wasn't stupid; she knew why everyone was doing this—it was because they were afraid the constables would steal their grain! But her family didn't have that old woman Chen's showmanship, and she didn't have any rice bran cakes. What could she do?!
With a quick glance, he saw the girl next to him. She was just a freeloader, looking exactly like her dead father. She was clearly a good-for-nothing!
"Zhao Di'er, we have no food at home. Quickly help your mother get dressed and go out to find some wild vegetables to eat!"
Hearing her mother call out like that, Zhao Di, still dazed, pulled her thin clothes tighter around herself and quickly answered. She rummaged through her basket for a raincoat and went out, shivering.
Old Mrs. Chen, seeing this, initially wanted to curse her out, but remembering the temple servants, she ultimately kept quiet. This Zhao Juhua was a reckless brat; if they really started arguing, who knew what kind of dog shit she'd spew! If it revealed that her family or the villagers had grain, it would be a case of losing more than she gained; she'd deal with it after they passed this place.
Seeing Zhao Di leave on her own, Liu felt a pang of pity, but dared not say anything. Besides, even without the constables present, her mother was no good, and no one dared to associate with her. She could only sigh and gather the firewood around her.
"Oh dear, when will this rain stop? If it doesn't clear up by tomorrow, we'll run out of firewood!" Luckily, there was plenty of wood in the collapsed part of the dilapidated temple that could be used for firewood, but with so many of them, the wood wouldn't burn for long.
Many hands make light work, but a fire that's easily burned by many people can't burn fast enough!
"It's alright, Mother, it might stop tomorrow. We can take advantage of the rainy weather to rest!"
Qin San Niang kept an eye on the situation on the other side. These constables each had their own thoughts. The leader, known as Brother Xing, was a man of few words and a ruthless character. Most of the time, he turned a blind eye to his subordinates' bullying of female prisoners. It was nothing more than beatings and scoldings, but there were no other acts of bullying. The old lady, on the other hand, treated Brother Xing with respect.
The old lady's entourage consisted of more than twenty people, only half of whom were masters.
Aside from the matriarch herself, Ran Niang was the highest-ranking woman, followed by a second wife, and then their respective daughters-in-law.
There weren't many young ladies, but there was one girl who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old. She was dressed in plain clothes and I hadn't noticed her at night, but now that I saw her, I was amazed by her beauty and her exquisite features.
This made Qin San Niang exclaim in amazement, and the phrase "beautiful women often have tragic fates" came to mind.
Being born into a wealthy family is certainly a blessing, and if the family is at its peak, it's even better. But now that the family has fallen from grace, such beauty could be a disaster. Even someone as discerning as the matriarch had her granddaughter dress in plain clothes to minimize her presence, but even so, her allure was still undeniable! ...
I'm so envious, aren't I?!
As for the three- or four-year-old boy, although he was the only male in the family, he was too young to be separated from his mother, which is why he was allowed to travel with the women.
The constables were running low on food. Their journey had been delayed by some unforeseen circumstances, and in their haste to travel along mountain paths, they hadn't stopped at the post station or the city to replenish their supplies. They had planned to reach the next post station in two days, but a heavy rain had stranded them in this dilapidated temple. Furthermore, these constables had eaten a lot, and their food bags were nearly empty.
"Boss, there aren't many pancakes left. Are we going to share them with the women tonight?"
The one who spoke was the yamen runner with triangular eyes and slanted eyebrows. Just now, Liu had seen him sneaking glances at their house.
The leader, Xing Ge, narrowed his eyes and glanced at the grain sacks. "Qi Hu, you've emptied these sacks pretty quickly. They were full just the other day. Alright, let's take it one day at a time. Distribute them to them tonight, and if the weather clears up tomorrow, we'll set off immediately. Let them dig up some wild vegetables to eat along the way. If we're quick, we'll reach the post station by this afternoon!"
Hearing his boss say that, Qi Hu's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected his boss to even know how many pancakes there were. He quickly straightened up and explained.
"Hehe, listen to your Xing-ge. You know men have big appetites, this one pancake isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap!"
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