Hongying's eyes reddened, and she quickly hid the pancake in her sleeve. After they got to the carriage, she handed it to her husband and son, then broke off another piece, soaked it in warm water, and fed it to her youngest son.
The little child's mouth was moving, perhaps because he was very hungry. He quickly started eating when he smelled the aroma of the food, and soon finished the piece of bread!
He Yingyuan quickly looked after his youngest son as he ate the flatbread, took out a bamboo tube from his basket to give him some water, and then spoke to his wife.
"Hongying, eat something quickly, you must be tired from the journey!"
“Why are you talking about hardship between husband and wife? You’re just recovered, so don’t let him go hungry. I’ll watch over Xiaohu’s food.” As she spoke, she held the baby in one arm and used the other hand to feed him water.
Xiao Hu was the nickname of their second son, given to them by his father-in-law, who said he hoped his grandson would be like a strong little tiger. Thinking of her father-in-law, Hongying felt a pang of sadness. She secretly glanced at her husband, and seeing that he didn't seem to mind, she quickly took Xiao Hu into her arms and gently coaxed him to drink water and eat some biscuits.
He Yingyuan's eyes were resolute. In his previous life, he had gone through war and displacement, and eventually rose to the highest position in the government. However, his wife and children had already died on the way to escape.
In the dead of night, countless times he longed for his virtuous wife and adorable son. Fate had brought him back to the path of escape, and though he thought he could turn the tide, he had fallen ill again. He cursed the heavens in his heart; was this fate? Was he to watch his wife and son die again?! He couldn't accept it!
That's why they had no choice but to agree to let Hongying beg and stop cars. Unexpectedly, it was because of this thought that things took a turn for the better, and they received grain from Qin San Niang, and their wife and children did not die!
This made him realize that he couldn't protect his wife and children on his own during the escape; he needed companions! Strong companions! And Qin San Niang, who was still riding in a carriage and had some food on hand, was the best candidate!
Thinking of the banditry outside Huozhou City in his previous life, perhaps he could offer a reminder and then seize the opportunity to strike up a conversation!
To this day, he still remembers the horror of that time.
Countless refugees fell under the blades of those so-called bandits. These so-called bandits were actually soldiers in disguise ordered by the city's governor to achieve political success. They killed refugees outside the city under the guise of bandits, and then organized forces to suppress them. It was a two-birds-with-one-stone scheme, which was extremely ruthless!
In return, He Yingyuan planned to stop Qin Sanniang and her group from venturing into the lion's den, but the other refugees were beyond his control.
Having faced life and death on the road and tasted all the bitterness of life, He Yingyuan also knew that everything was predestined, and that one general's success was built on the bones of ten thousand!
In this life, he lives only to protect those he should protect.
Liu was indignant. "These officials are all blinded by greed. They don't care about our lives at all, just for their own credit!"
Wu Chunhua sighed. It was fortunate that she met San Niang and the others; otherwise, she and her daughter would have been dead long ago.
The carriage hadn't gone far when a shout came from afar: "The bandits are here! The bandits are here!"
What?! These bandits arrived way too fast!
"Auntie, what do we do?! There are too many people ahead, we might not be able to get through!"
Fatty exclaimed in alarm. Although they were on the outskirts, the sudden riot had thrown many of the refugees into disarray, with carts and wheelbarrows scattering wildly...
Qin San Niang looked closely and saw a group of people riding horses galloping towards them from not far away. The bandits on horseback were dressed in black, their faces covered, and they held gleaming broadswords in their hands. There were no foul words or sinister smiles, only cold eyes and a single goal: to kill!
"These aren't bandits! Let's go!"
He Yingyuan was terrified. In his previous life, the bandits' attack occurred during the distribution of porridge the next day. Could it be that something had changed because of his intervention? He didn't have time to think about it. At this moment, he wished he could get off the carriage and run away. However, things were different now. In his previous life, he was alone and, relying on his agility, he was not burdened by luggage or family members and quickly broke through the encirclement. Now, he was a husband and wife with two sons, so naturally, things wouldn't go so smoothly!
In what seemed like an instant, the thief was right in front of them.
Qin San Niang wanted to leave, but she couldn't! They were riding fine horses, and what was she? Though she was also a horse, it was just an ordinary old horse for transportation. Their synchronized movements and the strong, well-fed horses were not something any bandit from a mountain stronghold could possess; they were soldiers!
Seeing this scene, He Yingyuan looked up to the sky and sighed. Although his fate had taken a turn for the worse in this life, was this really the result? What a useless scholar he was!
Several horses charged straight at them. Perhaps they were too conspicuous, or perhaps they saw the refugees fleeing the area. The masked men on horseback were furious. With swift strokes of their knives, many refugees who couldn't dodge in time were killed. Some simply collapsed and never got up again...
Just when He Yingyuan felt that this calamity was inevitable, but was fortunate to be able to share life and death with his wife and children in this life, and was prepared to face death calmly.
A tall figure loomed over him. Gu Qingshan picked up his bow and arrow, and with a fluid and graceful movement, he fired two arrows simultaneously. The two bandits in front of him fell from their horses and were trampled underfoot by the refugees, with no chance of survival whatsoever.
Seeing their companion thwarted, the two thieves brandished their long knives and headed towards Qin Sanniang. To deal with Gu Qingshan, they had to get past Qin Sanniang.
Qin San Niang glared at him, showing no sign of fear. The bandits on horseback thought the woman was scared out of her wits, otherwise why wouldn't she run away?
But then he saw the woman smile wickedly, her long hair flying like a vengeful ghost, and then he felt an arrow pierce his left chest. What was that weapon on her arm? Could it be the legendary crossbow?!
Seeing that these bandits had been killed, some of the more spirited men among the refugees suddenly felt a surge of fighting spirit. Many of them grabbed hoes, sickles, and clubs and began to fight back. These mounted bandits, who had the advantage of being on horseback, could have easily killed them.
"Attack the horse's legs and pull the thief off the horse!" Qin Sanniang shouted.
Upon hearing this, the crowd hurriedly grabbed their weapons and attacked the horses' legs. The horses were suddenly struck, and they all reared up and neighed, falling to their knees. The bandits on horseback were also thrown off. Before they could even get back up, the refugees swarmed around them and began to fight them with all their might.
They had assumed the bandits were actually government soldiers in disguise. So no matter how much the bandits wailed, no one listened to what they were saying!
The well-trained soldiers never imagined they would die like this.
Gu Qingshan shot and killed several more bandits. The victorious refugees took the bandits' horses and were so happy they didn't know what to say. Even if they couldn't get the government's porridge tomorrow, they could still kill the horses and eat the meat, which would be enough for them to have a big meal!
Seeing this, the other refugees stopped fleeing, and many men shouted, "Kill the bandits and eat the horse meat!"
This was completely unexpected by the bandits. They never imagined that Tan San Niang and her group would turn the tables and take the lead. The refugees who had just been terrified and scattered were now shouting that they wanted to kill them!
The bandits, already in disarray, saw their companions falling one after another in the distance. They didn't care about anything else and quickly tightened their reins to retreat, fearing that they would be pulled off their horses if they were too late.
"Thank you for your righteousness, heroine!" Seeing the thieves slink away, some of the refugees who had gotten horses came over to express their gratitude to Qin San Niang. They knew how to be grateful!
Qin San Niang turned her head and saw that it was someone she knew. Fatty blurted out, "Isn't this the uncle who robbed us last night?"
When the fat girl recognized them, the men were a little embarrassed. The leader of the men no longer had the red cloth on his head and looked much more normal.
Qin Sanniang waved her hand and said, "Fellow villagers, there's no need to be so polite. We are all refugees and should help each other out. But brother, you should leave now!"
The man was initially somewhat embarrassed; if he had known this woman was so fierce, he wouldn't have dared to rob her even if he had ten lives! Hearing her say she wanted to leave, he was puzzled.
“Heroine, we’ve all been starving for days. It’s so rare to find a city willing to provide porridge. We all want to see what this place is like. If we can settle down here, that would be the best.”
Everyone says the South is prosperous, but who knows what it will be like then? Anyway, their ancestors for three generations were all genuine northern men. If they could settle down here, they planned to go back home once their hometown was stable!
There's no place like home!
Qin San Niang couldn't very well say that tomorrow's porridge distribution was probably a trap, since everything requires evidence! If she said that, people would probably think she was a monster!
The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits! To be placed on a bonfire and burned is the least of one's worries!
"We plan to head south. I think it's not very safe here, and we don't know if the bandits will come tomorrow, so we plan to leave quickly and then make further plans. As for distributing porridge? Our family consists of the elderly, women, and children, so we won't be able to get many bowls."
The man fell silent. The elderly, the weak, women, and children? Who was it that fought three against one just now? A ruthless killer!
The short man next to her was perceptive and quickly signaled to the villagers to make way so that Qin San Niang and her group could pass.
"Brother, are we really going to wait here for the porridge distribution?" It is said that the smaller the better, and this is true. The short man clearly felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
"Hey, let's wait a bit longer. Let's wait on the outskirts and see how things go tomorrow!" The man who had just thanked Qin San Niang said after watching the departing carriage. Anyway, they had horses now, so they could kill them and eat them, or sell them in the next city to get some food. In any case, the children wouldn't go hungry.
Gu Qingshan and He Xiucai had taken advantage of the chaos to fetch a horse, turning the mule cart into a horse-drawn carriage. He Yingyuan rode the other horse, and the mule, which was free, was tied to the back of the carriage with a rope and followed closely behind.
Overnight, the sudden increase in livestock turned Liu's initial shock into delight. Wu Chunhua and Da Wa'er even mustered their courage to go down and retrieve a few large knives, which were quite sharp and could be used to scare away petty thieves on the road.
Of course, Qin San Niang carefully packed them away, as they were all people who didn't know how to use knives, lest they hurt themselves.
Qin San Niang also found a small piece of jade pendant attached to her necklace on the leader of the thieves, and quickly put it into her spatial storage.
He Yingyuan rode on his horse with mixed feelings, pondering the cause and effect of the matter. A lot had happened in one night, making it difficult for him to control. Obviously, some things were beyond his understanding, such as the martial arts skills of Qin Sanniang and Gu Qingshan!
"Daddy, ride a big horse! Ride a big horse!" He Mingzhe shouted to his father with his hands raised, looking as happy as a four or five-year-old should!
Liao Hongying smiled broadly. Her eldest son hadn't been this happy in a long time. At such a young age, he was still struggling to adapt to the changes in their family's circumstances. She had worried that her son might undergo a drastic personality change. Now, she could finally relax!
But my husband can ride a horse? Didn't he used to hate all this tinkering with guns?
Seeing the fleeting look of confusion on his wife's face, He Yingyuan smiled faintly. In his previous life, he indeed disliked riding horses and couldn't ride them. Later, he had no choice but to brave the wind and snow to travel to the capital for the imperial examination, and he rode horses the entire way. How could he not know how to ride a horse! Not only could he ride, but he rode extremely well.
"Zhe'er, sit up straight, Daddy will take you horseback riding tomorrow!"
"Alright, Daddy, I'll take you horseback riding tomorrow! You have to keep your word!"
...
Seeing the envious looks in her two boys' eyes, Qin San Niang felt a headache coming on. She hurriedly promised to take them horseback riding the next day, as she could also ride horses, although she wasn't very good at it.
Having received their mother's assurance, Da Wa'er and Xiao Er looked at each other and smiled.
After traveling at a brisk pace for an hour, and estimating the distance traveled, Gu Qingshan called for the carriage to stop ahead.
"Madam Qin, we're about thirty li from Huozhou. Should we stop and rest?"
Looking at the sky, Qin San Niang nodded in agreement and told everyone to rest where they were. Except for the children and the elderly who slept in the carriage, everyone else had to camp out in the open, using the sky as their blanket and the ground as their mat!
Qin San Niang quickly took out the tents and told them how to set them up. Soon, the two tents were ready. The adults rested in the tents, while Liu Shi and her children, and Liao Hongying and her sons, rested in the carriage.
The tent appears to be made of waterproof material, but I wonder what it's made of that makes it so lightweight? In my previous life, I accompanied the late emperor on his military campaigns and used tents along the way. They were all made of heavy felt, and although they were waterproof, they were too heavy; just transporting the felt alone required a whole cart.
Seeing his probing gaze, alarm bells rang in Qin Sanniang's heart, but then she thought that all cultured people were like this, and she let it go. After all, not many people recognized this tarpaulin these days, so she might as well just say that it was purchased in Guocheng.
No one had much doubt about this answer. Guocheng was a prosperous city, and as the sages said, true hermits often live in the city; perhaps there were skilled craftsmen there! As for asking her to explore? He would never do that. He would never sell his talents to the imperial family in this lifetime!
It was cold, so Wu Chunhua boiled water. Qin Sanniang took out milk powder and brewed a large pot. Since everyone was entitled to some, everyone enjoyed a warm glass of milk.
"This is actually cow's milk?" He Yingyuan exclaimed in surprise. "This cow's milk doesn't have any goaty smell at all, which is really strange. It also has a sweet taste, which is very delicious." In his previous life, as a key minister, how could he have never drunk cow's milk? The cow's milk that was presented as tribute from foreign countries was made into cheese, and it didn't taste like this.
"Brother He, do you know this is cow's milk? This is something babies can drink. Your little Tiger doesn't have breast milk, right? He can drink a cup every day to increase his nutrition." The child is already one year old, but he looks like a six-month-old. He can eat complementary foods now, and it would be even better if he drank some formula.
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