"Grandma, please take a look! Why does the young man look so pale?! Could he have a fever?" The woman speaking seemed about to cry.
"Don't panic, let me see." The old woman's steps were also a little unsteady, so this young man must be someone she valued highly.
Qin San Niang was awakened and saw the child lying on the straw, covered with a layer of clothes. However, it was still a bit cold in this weather, so they probably didn't have many clothes to keep warm.
"Young man is weak, and the cold weather these past few days has caused him to catch a chill," the old lady said slowly, carefully examining the child's complexion and tongue coating before taking his pulse. At least they had some fine grains, sugar, and salt; the chances of her grandson's survival were much better. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance in the direction of Qin San Niang.
The middle-aged woman named Ran Niang quickly stuffed candy into the child's mouth, and then took the medicinal herbs given by her mother-in-law to the stove to boil medicine. She would personally take care of everything that her grandson ate.
It wasn't that she didn't trust these servants; they were all personally selected by her mother-in-law, and their parents, husbands, and children were all household slaves. It was just that her family was no longer what it used to be. Ran Niang herself was no longer the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, so she still had to learn what to do, otherwise how could the other wives in the family not follow suit?
Having spent half her life in the Sima family, Ran Niang, as a daughter-in-law, both respected and feared the old lady. Others might not know, but she, as the eldest daughter-in-law, did. The old lady also had businesses in the southern region, which she had secretly acquired a long time ago. Not only in the southern region, but also in the northern and southwestern regions, she had businesses. Although the income from these shops could not compare to the glory of the Sima family before the family was raided, it was enough for her family to live a life of comfort and security.
However, for safety reasons, no one else knew about this except for the couple and the matriarch. The stewards sent to the border to manage the assets were all trusted secret guards from the manor.
They were not allowed to carry valuables on the journey, and the few silver coins they had hidden were almost entirely taken by the constables.
As she brewed the medicine, Ran Niang pondered, wondering how her husband and sons were doing. Were they suffering greatly? Where were they now?
An old woman saw her mistress brewing medicine and hurried over to help, but Ran Niang urged her to rest, saying, "Granny, you're getting old, and you still have to cook during the day. Go and rest. I can still do this little bit of work."
"Madam, you're making this old servant feel terrible. How could you do such rough work? You've hurt your hands for no reason." The old woman looked at her young mistress with heartache. This was the delicate and precious mistress she had watched grow up. How could she bear to see her suffer like this?
"It's nothing, just brewing some medicine for the young master. I won't be able to sleep well if he's not feeling well. Go quickly, and tomorrow, Granny, you can take extra care of him so I can get some rest." Ran Niang's words were gentle and soothing.
Qin San Niang exclaimed in admiration, "This is the demeanor of a lady from a prominent family!"
Unexpectedly, the constables standing not far away against the wall were disturbed from their sleep and began shouting angrily at them.
"You wretched women, what are you shouting about in the middle of the night?! Aren't you tired from working during the day? If so, you'll have to walk an extra twenty miles tomorrow! I'm dreaming of eating meat buns! If you keep making noise, I'll whip you!"
The old woman dared not say more and quickly went back to rest. They were walking sixty li a day, and it would take them three months to reach their destination. If they were late, they would be beheaded! This was already their limit. If they had to walk another twenty li, none of the women could bear it, let alone the children among them!
Qin San Niang felt a surge of anger. Eating steamed buns?! Why don't you go eat dog poop?! You're the epitome of someone who bullies others!
Looking up, the man's head was directly above the temple's beam, which was already in ruins, covered with dense cobwebs and insect damage. If it collapsed, probably no one would think much of it.
Qin San Niang hid behind the mule cart and quietly pulled out her crossbow. Of course, she couldn't use crossbow bolts, so she used pebbles instead; it would be just as good.
In the darkness, a pebble shot out at lightning speed, striking a dilapidated beam with a creaking sound—the beam had broken! Everything happened in an instant; outside, the wind and rain were fierce, and no one heard the unusual sound.
"Ah!" A pig-like scream rang out.
"Get out of the way!"
The head constable shouted, and several constables jumped up to avoid the attack from the beam.
Seeing that both of his brothers were injured, one of whom was the burly man who had been shouting loudly earlier, and the other was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
The injured constable had a gash on his head, and blood was gushing out. Even with one hand covering the wound, he couldn't stop the bleeding. Soon, he saw a bright red blur before his eyes and collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.
Wow, he's so easily frightened! It just looks serious, does this guy faint at the sight of blood?!
Qin San Niang was speechless!
After this incident, no one was sleepy anymore.
The constables inspected the site carefully and discovered that a beam from the dilapidated temple had fallen down. They were relieved that they hadn't rested there earlier, otherwise they would have been the ones with their heads split open. Just looking at it made them feel the pain.
The head constable quickly sent men to bandage the injured brother, then carefully examined the broken beam and surveyed the surrounding area, trying to find clues on everyone's faces.
However, Qin San Niang was not afraid. The wood was already rotten and no one but an expert could find any traces of being struck by an external object. This matter could not be accomplished by mere suspicion.
The head constable was also clueless. After all, among the refugees, only the scarred man had some martial arts skills. However, this man had been sleeping near him, and although he was drowsy, he was alert. The man had no chance to do anything.
As for the other refugees, they were all genuine farmers; women like Qin Sanniang were not within his consideration. Could it really be that his soldiers were just unlucky? Had they stumbled upon an old, moldy roof beam? That wasn't impossible!
After eliminating the surrounding dangers and ensuring their personal safety, the head constable quickly told his men to rest.
As for Ah Huang, who was knocked unconscious? He'll probably wake up soon. The journey was arduous; even for them, as constables, it's normal for one or two to die on the road, especially in these chaotic times where there's nowhere to seek justice. If they didn't lack connections, who would willingly take this job?!
Little Sun walked up to her grandmother and whispered something in her ear. Both grandmother and granddaughter looked towards Qin San Niang, who smiled generously. This Little Sun was no simple woman!
Hearing that the one who made the move was the woman on the other side, the old lady was a little surprised. She had seen countless people in her life, and this woman didn't seem to know martial arts, so she was still a bit puzzled.
Madam Sun was quite pleased to meet such a woman, but considering her current status as a prisoner, she refrained from going over to say anything further. She was forthright and spirited; a woman from a family of military generals, she was as swift as a rabbit and exceptionally skilled, a perfect match for her husband. Although her husband's family was now in trouble, she declined her family's offer to take her back, stating that she would live and die with the Sima family, deeply moving her mother-in-law, Ran Niang, and the old matriarch.
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