Chapter 35: In the end, he was ill.
After the rain, the sun became scorching again, as if it would bake the ground until it cracked, and the exiles' steps grew heavier and heavier.
Jiang Yutang clutched the hem of her clothes, her vision blurring intermittently. She could only barely steady her swaying body by holding onto the cart.
There were more and more pebbles on the road, but luckily she had already put insoles on her shoes.
“Little sister, why don’t you go rest on the cart for a while?” Jiang Songzhi turned back from the front, slowed down and followed beside her, his voice full of heartache. “Jiu Ze and I will take turns pulling it, so we won’t get tired. It’s not a good idea for you to keep pushing yourself like this.”
Jiang Yutang slowly raised her head and asked half-jokingly, "Can't I just ask Fourth Brother to pull me?"
Jiang Sumin turned around and glared at her, then walked forward without looking back, saying, "I can pull you too."
"Haha." Jiang Yutang laughed at Jiang Sumin's arrogant look and waved her hand to explain, "No need, I haven't reached that point yet. Everyone is tired from traveling, how can I be the only one to slack off?"
As she spoke, she took two more steps forward to prove that she could still walk, but her steps were noticeably unsteady.
After enduring until the sun began to set, the group finally stopped at the foot of a sheltered earthen slope.
The team members were already exhausted and collapsed on the ground.
Without taking a break, Jiang Jiuze picked up his water bottle and headed into the nearby woods to find some clean water.
Jiang Yutang leaned against the cart and slowly slid down to sit on the ground. The cool wooden board against her back provided some relief from the heat.
Dinner was as simple as yesterday. Jiang Yutang took out some instant porridge and poured it into a pot of boiling water. She then took out the steamer she had brought with her and placed it on top, along with the flatbreads distributed by the yamen runners.
When the porridge was ready, the lid was lifted, and the flatbread on top had also steamed until it was fluffy and not so hard anymore.
The group found it strange that Jiang Yutang could produce such unusual items from the cart every few days as if by magic.
Jiang Songzhi picked up the stainless steel steamer with curiosity: "Little sister, did you also buy this from that merchant?"
After finishing the last mouthful of porridge, Jiang Yutang pursed her lips and shook her head: "I picked this up by the river yesterday."
"Found it?"
Jiang Huaiyu looked at it repeatedly in disbelief, muttering to herself, "We wander around everywhere, how come we don't have such good luck?"
Jiang Yutang just chuckled as he looked at the fire. It seemed they had become suspicious, and he needed to find an opportunity to put on a show.
After finishing their meal quickly, the group found places to rest.
Seeing that Jiang Yutang was still listless, Madam Yun took her hand after dinner and said softly, "Tang'er, come on, let's find a secluded place and I'll give you a gua sha treatment. You'll feel better after that."
Jiang Yutang nodded, letting Yun Shi lead him, and followed her to a secluded spot behind the earthen slope.
Jiang Shengan watched the two walk away to a side, and said to Jiang Songzhi beside him, "You and Lao San go and keep an eye on the surroundings, so that no one else can see us."
"yes."
The two brothers exchanged a glance and then left together.
As night deepened, the chirping of insects drifted from afar. Madam Yun found a clean rock for her to sit on, took out a copper coin from her bundle, brought over a bowl of water, and said softly, "Bear with it, it might hurt a little, but it will be fine after you're done scraping."
"I'm fine, Mother, please come."
Jiang Yutang exhaled and closed her eyes, turning her back to Yun Shi. The moment the copper coin landed on her back, she couldn't help but hum.
"Mother...Mother, be gentle, ouch..."
Yun chuckled and patted her shoulder: "You were just saying 'Come on,' how come you surrendered after only two moves?"
After a dozen or so blows, a purple bruise soon appeared on Jiang Yutang's back, dark and heavy, like a shadow pressing down on her.
"It's quite serious. I haven't seen such severe bruising in a long time." Madam Yun frowned and continued to exert force.
After an incense stick had burned, Jiang Yutang groaned as she put on her clothes and stood up. She stretched and almost tripped over herself, but Yun Shi quickly helped her up.
"You silly child, if you feel unwell in the future, just say so sooner rather than later. Don't try to tough it out, okay?"
Jiang Yutang followed Yun Shi back. Just as they turned the corner of the earthen slope, they saw two familiar figures standing under the shadow of a tree not far away.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was Jiang Songzhi and Jiang Huaiyu. The two were looking around, and Jiang Huaiyu was holding a wooden stick in her hand, clearly acting as a lookout.
"Mother, how is my little sister?" Seeing them come over, Jiang Huaiyu immediately went to greet them, her eyes fixed on Jiang Yutang with concern.
Jiang Songzhi also came closer and stared at her face: "Do you feel better after the scraping? Your face is frighteningly pale today."
Madam Yun sighed, reached out and ruffled Jiang Yutang's hair, her voice full of heartache: "This child, I'm afraid he caught a chill from being caught in the rain a few days ago, and he's been too tired from traveling lately, his body couldn't take it anymore."
Jiang Yutang quickly straightened her back, waved to her two older brothers with a grin, and deliberately raised her voice: "Don't worry, I feel much better after the scraping! My back feels warm, and I felt much lighter when I walked just now. If I get a good night's sleep tonight, I'll definitely be full of energy tomorrow!"
As she spoke, she deliberately bounced around a couple of times, trying her best to appear energetic, even though the movements were small.
"Take it easy, don't fall," Jiang Songzhi reminded him.
Seeing that she was smiling easily and was indeed not as listless as before, the three men's worries were slightly relieved.
After returning home, they tidied up briefly and then wrapped themselves in thick woolen blankets to lie down and rest.
Jiang Yutang was exhausted after a long day. She fell into a deep sleep soon after touching the straw mat, and even in her dreams she saw a soft bed, without any sharp stones or biting cold wind.
But in the middle of the night, as she turned over, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her back, as if something had scraped across the most painful spot. Jiang Yutang was instantly awakened by the pain, gasped, and sat bolt upright.
She touched her back, and her fingertips seemed to touch a rough spot, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Could it be that he got hurt by a pebble under him?
She turned to look at her sleeping family members beside her. Yun was breathing evenly, Mu was sleeping soundly with Xiaoxiao in her arms, and Zhu was also sleeping soundly with her head turned to one side.
She originally wanted to wake up Yun Shi to help her take a look, but she swallowed the words back. Everyone was tired from traveling, and if she woke them up at this time, wouldn't that just cause trouble?
After hesitating for a moment, she gently moved the thick woolen cloth off her body, took out a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide and cotton swabs from her close-fitting bundle, and quietly got up by the dim moonlight, trying to walk as quietly as possible towards a secluded spot on the back slope.
The night wind was a bit chilly, and it crept into her collar, making her shiver. She needed to treat her wound quickly to prevent it from getting infected.
She stood on the slope and looked around. Only when she found no suspicious people or animals did she turn around and go down the slope with peace of mind.
Shortly after she descended the slope, a red light appeared on the open space where the refugees were resting, and it was slowly walking towards her.
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