Chapter 24 Arriving in Yongzhou and meeting the main branch of the Su family
Two rabbits are not big.
I guess the rabbit was so thin that it was almost skin and bones because it couldn't find anything to eat during the winter.
But no matter how thin it is, it is still meat and game.
The Su family enjoyed the delicious food.
We set out again on the bumpy and difficult snowy ancient road, and faced the gloomy-looking mountains, but we were not so scared anymore.
At this time, Su Da and Su Er were closer to Zi Yi. If it weren't for their status, they would have treated each other as brothers.
Zi Yi wore a mask and didn't talk much. He would only speak when the Su family took the initiative to talk to him. His voice sounded light, but not cold or arrogant.
Therefore, the two sides got along quite harmoniously throughout the rest of the journey.
It took the Su family nearly three days to get out of the Thirty-Three Peaks Ancient Road.
When they stood at the exit of the ancient road and looked up to see the village at the foot of the mountain ahead, the Su family finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They are safe.
Just as Zi Yi said, they didn't encounter any bandits again along the way.
After passing the ancient road, they passed a small town and walked ten miles forward to reach Yongzhou.
It also means it's time to say goodbye.
"Knight, thank you for your escort along the way. I wonder if you could tell us your name so that we can pray to the Buddha in the future and have someone to be grateful to." Old Lady Su said sincerely while holding Tianbao.
Zi Yi glanced at the baby in her arms, and the baby also tilted its head to look at him, its black eyes dark and clear, like an ancient well without ripples.
Zi Yi was silent for a moment, then said, "My master's surname is Wei."
After a pause, he continued, "When you arrive at the exile area, I hope you will continue to be cautious and refrain from speaking out. The Yongzhou exile area is in disarray, and even the imperial court is unable to regulate it. Fengyun City, located next to the exile area, is especially troubled. It is a place of evil. Remember this. Farewell."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Su family felt a flash before their eyes, and the man in purple disappeared.
The wind was cold and bleak at the exit of the ancient road, and only their family was still standing there.
After a while, Old Lady Su exhaled lightly and said, "Let's go. We should continue on our journey."
"That lady is a very kind-hearted person. Good deeds will be rewarded. Let's go, let's go." Old man Su also spoke, with a slight smile on his face, but a closer look showed that his eyes were not relaxed.
If the Yudu Ancient Road is a wolf's den, the place of exile is a tiger's lair.
This time, whether the Su family can stay safe in Huxue depends entirely on fate.
In order to avoid complications, the Su family did not stay to rest, but went straight through the town to Yongzhou.
At the end of February in the border town of Yongzhou, the sky was gloomy and the sun was not visible, and there was unmelted snow everywhere along the way.
After entering the inner city through the city gate, a sense of desolation and bleakness hits you.
The shops on both sides of the main road look old and dilapidated, and the shop signs hanging in the air are swaying in the cold wind.
Nearly half of the shops were closed, and only a few pedestrians were walking hurriedly on the streets.
Here, you can't feel the hustle and bustle that a state capital should have.
lifeless.
After entering the city, the Su family did not dare to look around any longer and went straight to the government office to sign in for the exchange of residence and then followed the arrangements.
The two stone lions guarding the yamen gate were stained and their bodies were covered with scratches and potholes of various sizes.
The gatekeeper looked lazy, his eyes unable to open as if he had not yet woken up, and he led the Su family to go through the formalities.
The Su family was assigned the task of going to Tubei Mountain, thirty miles west of the border town, to reclaim wasteland.
After getting this result, the Su family felt relieved.
After they walked out of the yamen, without the yamen runners around, both Su Da and Su Er couldn't help but smile, "Dad, Mom, this is a good result. We were born into a peasant family and have been rolling around in the fields since we were young. We may not be good at other things, but clearing wasteland and farming is not a problem for us!"
"Isn't it? I heard that many of the exiled people were assigned to be slaves and do hard labor, such as opening mountains and mining. In comparison, opening up wasteland is considered good. At least they don't have to suffer beatings or humiliation." Su Er said happily.
Old Man Su raised his hand and tapped each of them on the forehead, not feeling optimistic. "What good can come of exile? They say it's about reclaiming wasteland, but it's just letting us fend for ourselves. Besides, we don't know what the situation is like in Tubei Mountain yet, so we should be more cautious."
The old man did not forget Zi Yi's reminder before leaving.
That evil town, Fengyun City, has always been a big stone hanging in his heart.
Old Lady Su sighed, "Now that things have come to this, we can only take things one step at a time and look on the bright side. At least our family is still together. Let's go, don't delay. It's thirty miles away, and it will be dark by the time we get there."
The three young women had no opinion on this matter and just followed whatever their parents said.
However, the three little guys, who had been frightened by the bandits for several days, regained some spirits after listening to the adults' words.
Su An squatted on the wooden cart, holding onto the back of the cart with his little hands. His face was slightly bright, and his eyes were filled with anticipation. "Grandpa, Grandma, when we get there, do we not have to keep traveling? Can we stay here?"
Su Wen and Su Wu were also eagerly waiting for the answer.
Old Lady Su raised the corner of her mouth and forced a smile. "Yes, we can stay here when we get there. We won't have to travel like this anymore. From now on, our home will be in Tubei Mountain."
After rushing and hurrying, the family finally arrived at the destination before dark.
As soon as I saw it, my heart sank.
Tubei Mountain, the mountain range stretches for dozens of miles, and it is a barren land as far as the eye can see.
The entire mountaintop, the valley, and the gentle slope at the foot of the mountain... apart from the piled white snow, there are strange protruding rocks, interspersed with weeds and thorns that have been frozen to death and rot.
Apart from that, there is nothing superfluous.
Not even slightly tall shrubs grow.
Su Er sat down on the snow, looking at the desolate scene with a twitching face. "This... even if we clear the land, can we still grow crops?"
The Su family was silent.
The howling mountain wind blew down from above, making people feel cold all over.
"Hurry up! Are you looking for trouble by dawdling? You're a bunch of bastards! You won't cry until you see the coffin!"
"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! Sir, spare my life! Ah!"
"Shut up! Why are you howling?! If it weren't for you bastards, I'd already be drinking and eating at Fuyuelou right now! It's so damn unlucky that it's my turn to be on duty today!"
At this moment, a burst of cursing accompanied by the sound of whipping came from behind, accompanied by men and women crying and begging for mercy, interrupting the Su family's sorrow.
The whole family looked back and their faces tightened.
At the other end of the road they had just come from, they saw a group of ragged, skinny convicts being whipped by yamen runners and walking towards them.
Everyone had disheveled hair and staggered, with heavy shackles on their hands and feet, making harsh noises as they dragged on the ground.
In the dim light of the evening, one could still see bloodstains from the shackles on the prisoners' exposed ankles. In many wounds, the bones were exposed and the blood had turned into pus.
There were dozens of people, including the old, the weak, women and children. The older ones had heads full of silver hair, while the younger ones were still children.
Old Man Su stared at those people closely, and after a long while, he squeezed out a sound from between his teeth, "It's the wealthy Su family!"
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