Half a bag of sweet potatoes was divided up, so each person could get one and a half. But for a young and strong man, one and a half sweet potatoes were practically useless.
Besides, camels aren't easy to come by, so it's not fair to give them so little food.
Thinking of this, Song He'er began to persuade Zhang Xiu'e again, "Third Aunt, why don't we give them the cucumbers too? We still have rice, eggs, and other vegetables. After all... buying two camels would cost far more than this!"
Zhang Xiu'e was a sensible person and understood Song He'er's meaning, so she went back to the car and distributed the half bag of cucumbers to the prisoners.
"As you can see, we've given you half of our food. We'll eat the rest ourselves, so you should be content and stop causing us trouble."
The man in the lead grabbed a cucumber and began to wolf it down. He didn't even have time to roast the sweet potato before swallowing it raw.
After they finished eating, they kept their word and, with swollen eyes, walked a short distance away and brought back two camels.
"Girl, thank you for saving us from danger today. Here are these two camels for you, to help your children and adults get around!"
After saying that, he handed the camel's reins to Li Qiang's wife and Zhang Xiu'e.
Before leaving, he reminded them, "There are often caravans coming and going in this desert. You'd better change the camel bells and the things on the humps of these camels to avoid being recognized."
Song He'er knew that the camel was stolen. The old saying "a gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way" meant nothing in the face of death.
Besides, they didn't steal the camel; they got it by trading grain for it, so there was no need to be worried.
Zhang Xiue watched the group of convicts walk further and further away, and couldn't help but sigh. She walked to the camel and carefully examined it.
"It has no injuries, its four legs are strong, and its eyes are bright. It's a good camel."
Qin Xiaoniang smiled and said, "Third Aunt, are you afraid she'll trick you?"
Song He'er chimed in with a laugh, "My third aunt is just worried about her half-bag of sweet potatoes and half-bag of cucumbers!"
"Well, as the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Although we lost some grain, we gained something we needed more in return. We didn't lose out at all in this deal!" Qin Xiaoniang's strength had also recovered a lot, and she could speak with more energy now.
Su Yu's wife lifted the children off the cart. "These little ones can't ride camels; they'll have to walk."
"The grain is all stored on the camel hump. The children can carry it if they can, and if they can't, they can learn to walk a little on their own. It's not good for their health if they never experience any wind or rain."
Song He'er nodded. "Third Aunt is right. The desert roads are indeed difficult to travel. If we get tired, we can rest. Once we get through this, we can find a vehicle and things will be much easier then."
"Yes, everyone is suffering a bit, but maybe if we just bear with it, it will pass."
"Hmm... let's go."
After saying that, Zhang Xiue began to change the camel's appearance, tying red ropes to its four hooves and removing the annoying camel bells.
With preparations complete, the group began their journey, fully equipped.
The desert road is much harder to walk on than the dirt road; there are potholes with every step, and my shoes are filled with yellow sand, making it almost impossible to move.
After walking for several hours, everyone felt parched and wanted to find a place to rest, but there wasn't even a tree in this boundless desert, so they had nowhere to find shade.
"Why don't we open the tent and go inside to rest?" Su Yu's wife suggested from the side. She was the weakest and had two young children to take care of, so it was understandable that she was tired.
Zhang Xiue agreed to her request, took the tent off the camel, set it up, and sent the children inside to rest.
"Hey, cucumbers are supposed to quench thirst, but now that we're out, we have nothing to eat. Let's just have some water!"
After saying that, Zhang Xiue took out a water bottle, and everyone took turns drinking water and resting.
Standing on the yellow sand, Song He'er gazed at the crowd receding into the distance and sighed, "You know, they have nothing. How are they going to get out of this desert?"
While emptying the sand from Nianjie's shoes, Zhang Xiue replied, "That's none of our business. We'll each go our own way. In any case, we're even now."
"That's true, but Auntie, who can guarantee they won't come back to steal our things?"
"What should we do then? Are we just going to give up on crossing this desert?"
Song He'er shook her head. "They are also exiled prisoners, and their destination is also Xinzhou. No matter which way we go, we will run into them sooner or later. I think it's better to follow behind them. Firstly, we can keep track of their movements at any time. Secondly, if we encounter a pack of desert wolves, they will definitely be the first to be attacked, and we can save our lives!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qiang's wife kept praising him, "Yes, yes, that's a great idea! Qin Xiaoniang, you've given birth to a wonderful daughter!"
Qin Xiaoniang smiled and tapped Song He'er's forehead with her finger. "I always taught her that she shouldn't stand out in the General's Mansion, but now that she's left, she's completely forgotten what I said."
“Young lady, you are mistaken. In the past, we hid our talents in the General’s Mansion to protect ourselves and avoid being bullied by that tigress, Madam. Now that we are in the borderlands, being smarter is also for self-preservation. Are we all going to be fed to the wolves?”
Qin Xiaoniang didn't say anything more, but simply carried Huan Ge'er into the tent to rest.
Watching the group of people gradually walk away, Song He'er reminded them, "Let's rest for a little while and not linger for too long, otherwise we might get lost here."
Zhang Xiue combed Nianjie's hair and replied, "We understand, my little darling!"
"hey-hey!"
Sure enough, they were all clever and did not linger there. They rested for only half an incense stick's time before continuing on their way.
Continue walking in the direction the group of people left in...
The wind in the desert grew stronger and stronger, and the direction they were heading happened to be a wind gap, blowing yellow sand everywhere, making it impossible to see the road ahead.
"Mother, my eyes hurt!"
"Good girl, let's close our eyes, and Mother will carry you!"
The children cried because of the sandstorm, and the adults couldn't open their eyes either, tears streaming down their faces.
Zhang Xiue turned her back and shouted to the people, "We don't even have a cap, what are we going to do? We can't even open our eyes!"
Song He'er did have some gauze in her space, but it was inconvenient to take it out, and she couldn't find a suitable excuse for the time being.
In a moment of great difficulty, Song He'er finally came up with a suitable reason...?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
