The movements of Su Qi, Gu Beihe and the other two quickly alerted the others. Some of the people in the side branches and the people in Yuezhou Prefecture knew the wonders of reed catkins.
Those who are thick-skinned came over early to rush to pick them.
Others who were shy were too embarrassed to ask Su Qi:
"Su Qi, if we go out of the yard and look around to see if there are any reeds, do you think the officials will agree?"
Su Qi didn't stop, and smiled helplessly:
"Auntie, I'm not an official, so how would I know? Just say something nice and soft, and see if the official agrees."
"Well. I'll try it then." The woman ran away with a smile.
Before it gets completely dark, hurry up and pick some catkins.
The woman was also smart and flexible. She avoided Yao Liu and the bearded man and went to beg the easy-going Yao Wu. With her pleading so hard, and with several young girls and old ladies talking beside him, Yao Wu was completely overwhelmed.
He quickly waved his hand to let them go out, and called Monkey and another young officer to follow him.
While others went out to pick catkins, Su Qi, Gu Beihe, Gu Beijing, and Gu Beiting collected the catkins.
Su Qi gave all the cattail flowers to Gu Beijing and the others.
Gu Beiheng came over and glared at Gu Beihe and the others with a bad look on his face. His tone was a little aggressive:
"Your sister-in-law is still drunk from lunch, why are you letting her get some fresh air?"
After scolding Gu Beihe and the others, he turned to look at Su Qi, and the coldness on his face immediately thawed. He held Su Qi's hand in his palm and said with a little grievance:
"Qiqi. Let's go back and eat."
"Okay. I'm sober now. Stop bringing up things that are not related to the topic." Su Qi then remembered that something seemed to have happened to her after she drank.
When I woke up, my lips felt a little sore. Was it bitten by the dog or did I bite the dog?
There was no dog on the boat, but... glancing at Gu Beiheng's slightly swollen lips, I vaguely remembered that she seemed to have taken the initiative.
Su Qi looked at Gu Beiheng a little guilty, and suddenly felt that she still didn't remember what she looked like after drinking.
Gu Beiheng didn't miss Su Qi's embarrassed look. He chuckled and walked side by side with Su Qi. After walking a few steps, he turned back and told Gu Beijing and the others, "Hurry up and get the steamed bread. Go early and you can have an extra bowl of vegetable soup."
"Hey. Let's go now."
Gu Beijing saw Gu Beiheng smile and thought he had seen a ghost. The cold-faced King of Hell could still smile.
The three men hurriedly tied up the reed flowers and carried them into the house.
When we set out the next morning.
Su Qi saw Gu Beihan being carried to the carriage by Gu Beiyao, and Fang Xiaoya followed beside him, holding Gu Jingru with her eyes swollen like walnuts, and tears still on her face.
Set off again towards Jinyang Prefecture.
Perhaps because the usual troublemakers were killed or injured, it frightened the others and the whole journey was very quiet.
Even Zhang Yunyu, who usually talks the most and does the most, fell silent.
The road became quiet.
Su Qi felt a little lonely for a moment.
Whenever they stopped for lunch along the way, Su Qi and Gu Beiheng would find an excuse to leave for a while.
The two of them were in every forest.
Or in the wasteland.
We've planted a dozen sweet potato seedlings, along with radishes. Hopefully, these can save some lives during these difficult times.
Gu Beiheng didn't ask why.
He just followed Su Qi silently and did things. He remembered his promise and would let Su Qi do what she wanted to do.
After driving for about a month and encountering some setbacks, we finally arrived at Jinyang Prefecture.
Haven’t reached Yun County yet.
I heard that Yun County is going to the border area.
Yun County was close to the Southern Li Dynasty and was located on the border between Dashun and Nanli. However, it was plagued by banditry and the mountains and forests were filled with miasma, so few people exiled here left alive.
Emperor Wu's thoughts were clear.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the boundary marker of Jinyang Prefecture.
All the fear and worry that I had felt along the way was swept away.
Gu Xiuming's mother was lying down all the way, and with Su Qi's constant acupuncture and medication, the injuries on her body had healed long ago.
He was sitting cross-legged on the carriage frame, looking at the scenery on both sides of the road with a happy face.
"We'll arrive in two days, right? I finally saved my life."
Isn’t it like saving a life?
From the capital to Jinyang Prefecture, the journey was marred by heavy rain, mudslides, and later encounters with mountain bandits. After crossing the river, although nothing major happened, there were still a few waves of small-time bandits.
Some people were injured again.
The weather was getting increasingly cold, and they were barely getting through the difficult times by relying on the cattails they picked along the way.
We started our journey in early autumn, and it was already early winter.
The crowd didn't know what was waiting for them.
This moment.
Everyone just wants to settle down.
Even people with the best physical fitness can't stand such a long journey.
Two days later, the group arrived in Yun County.
Peng Laosan and Yao Liu first took the fish tags of the Gu family and those people from Yuezhou Prefecture, and their official certificates to the Yunxian County Government for handover.
Then, under the guidance of an official from Yun County, he went to Mengjiazhuang under Mingfeng Town.
Mengjiazhuang is the most remote place in Yun County.
The land here is barren and not suitable for growing crops.
The villagers were considered inferior mountain dwellers, not as good as the villagers down the mountain. Even though those villagers were also hungry, everyone would look at Mengjiazhuang with contempt when they mentioned it.
Mengjiazhuang?
Isn’t it that mountain people’s nest?
Along the way.
Dabao and Erbao were too tired to speak. The two little guys lay listlessly in the car. Without saying a word, they looked around with a sad look on their faces.
"Mom, how long will it take?"
"It's almost here. It will arrive today." Su Qi coaxed the two little ones gently, "Mommy will tell you a story, okay?"
"Okay. I want to hear the story of the Three Strikes on the White Bone Demon."
"Okay. Let's talk about Monkey King's three fights against the White Bone Demon."
Su Qi whispered the story of the Three Strike against the White Bone Demon to the two little ones.
The carriage was already halfway to Mengjiazhuang. It could go no further because the narrow and steep mountain road was completely impassable.
Everyone had to get off the bus and move forward.
The masters of the Old Locust Tree Carriage Inn unloaded everyone's luggage halfway along the road. Whips were whipped and they left in a hurry, perhaps wanting to leave these unlucky people behind.
Su Qi is holding Dabao.
Gu Beiheng tied Erbao to his chest.
Mu Guang, Mu Chentao and others walked forward with their luggage.
Gu Beihan also walked over with the support of his concubine, but he became even more gloomy after this disaster.
There is always a sinister look on his face, and he likes to look at people with his lower eyelids.
More than half an hour later.
Arrived at the village entrance.
How can this be called a village?
It's clearly a slum, even worse than the slums in Beijing. This is the poorest place I've ever seen.
The houses in the village are all thatched houses made of mud and grass. Each household is a small and low house, and there is not a single brick house here.
Everyone's heart sank to the bottom.
Is it possible to live well in a place like this?
On the road of exile, I could only afford two and a half steamed buns a day, but here I have to find a way to get steamed buns myself.
Peng Laosan walked over and knocked on the door of a house in the village.
A man in his thirties, dressed in tattered clothes, walked out with his neck hunched. He was startled to see several officials standing in the threshing ground with a pile of emaciated corpses. He rubbed his eyes carefully before he could see clearly that they were the exiles.
"Sir, are you looking for the village head?"
The bearded man spitted, "Aren't you going to talk to your village head? Why don't you call the head over here?"
"Okay. I'll go right away." The man was wearing open-toed straw sandals and ran faster than a rabbit.
Halfway through the run, my shoes fell off and I didn't bother to pick them up.
Ran over barefoot.
In a short while.
An old man with white hair and skin like dry, withered bark ran over, panting. "Sir, sir. I am the head of the Mengjia Village. My surname is Meng and my name is Lizheng."
Meng Lizheng ran over, panting heavily, and glanced at the crowd. He thought to himself, there are quite a few people alive. They look more human than those who were sent here before.
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