Su Qinghe pulled Qin Anmin to a large rock to sit down, and they chatted idly, with people occasionally trying to get close to them.
It was almost 7:45 AM, and people were still coming up from the foot of the mountain. Everyone waited a while longer, and thankfully, everyone arrived.
Su Qinghe glanced around and saw that there were many more people than she had attended the banquet that day.
"Everyone!" At this moment, Luo Pinzheng stood at the front and shouted loudly.
Everyone stopped talking and waited quietly for her to continue.
"Now that everyone's here, and it's getting late, shall we set off?"
"Hurry, hurry, everyone pack your things. If we walk fast, we can rest in the pavilion ahead."
She seemed to be speaking to everyone in a consultative tone, but in reality, she had already called the people she brought with her, and they took food and supplies and headed up the mountain, showing no intention of waiting for everyone.
Those who had arrived earlier were fine, but those who had just arrived, even if they were unwilling and wanted to rest, could only follow the main group.
They had already agreed, so naturally they wouldn't go down the mountain halfway. Their food and drinks were all with Luo Pinzheng, so they couldn't be left alone.
Although everyone was dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do. Su Qinghe and Qin Anmin exchanged a glance and hurriedly packed their things to catch up with the group.
Lingyan Mountain is part of Ziyun Ridge, and this road, built with government funds, is the only way to get up the mountain.
These officials and wealthy businessmen had only ever visited Lingyan Temple to offer incense before, and had never actually climbed up there, so they were all quite curious when they first started climbing.
Because there were many people, we chatted and laughed along the way, which made it quite comfortable.
However, this good condition did not last long. The mountain road was rugged, and after only an hour, sighs and groans gradually began to appear in the group.
Gradually, the overall speed slowed down, becoming sluggish, and the original long queue split into several smaller groups, hanging sparsely at the back.
Qin Anmin was still full of energy, but she didn't rush to the front. Instead, Su Qinghe pulled her along and she mingled in the middle of the group, strolling slowly all the way.
Luo Pinzheng was always at the front, occasionally stopping to wait for the people behind him.
She kept saying encouraging and comforting words, but she still urged everyone to quicken their pace, showing no intention of stopping to rest.
She wasn't afraid of those who came down the mountain halfway, because there were also soldiers at the end.
Another half hour passed, and finally we saw a large, square pavilion in the distance.
Luo Pin shouted to the people behind him.
"Gentlemen, keep up the good work! The pavilion for resting is not far ahead. The sooner we get there, the longer we can rest!"
Because the line was sparse, her message didn't travel far, so she asked the people in front to pass it on.
The news spread through the crowd, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they could rest early, so they quickened their pace.
However, when they arrived at the pavilion, they found that some people were already sitting inside, and there was even a stove set up in front of them.
"What's going on here?" Looking at the steaming pot, someone couldn't help but swallow hard.
Luo Pinzheng explained with a smile, "Don't worry, everyone. This was arranged in advance. I figured we weren't far from the foot of the mountain, so I could cook some hot food for everyone."
"Because the mountain road was treacherous, everything was kept simple in order to save time, so we didn't get to eat hot food later on."
"Everyone, hurry up and finish eating and get some rest. We'll set off again in half an hour."
Hearing this, everyone felt much better, and their resentment from the climb subsided.
"Lord Luo is so thoughtful! He even cares so much about us."
The group was very satisfied with Luo Pinzheng's arrangement and took the opportunity to flatter him a couple of times.
Luo Pinzheng smiled and exchanged a few polite words, then instructed the person who cooked the soup to serve soup to everyone.
The bowls were distributed one by one, and because of the limited space, everyone took their bowls and sat down wherever they could find a spot around the pavilion.
Su Qinghe and Qin Anmin also found a corner to rest, waiting for the person carrying the soup pot to come over to them.
At this moment, several soldiers came over with tea and snacks and distributed them to everyone.
"That's more like it."
Looking at the food they had received, the group of plump, aged women looked much better.
Luo Pinzheng was still a good person; he prepared the best food and drinks for them.
After a brief trial, the group of people became engrossed in drinking the soup.
Most of them are pampered people and have never experienced such hardship.
After climbing for a while, I was already starving and too tired to say another word.
Meat soup, along with snacks and dried meat, is a meal eaten in one quiet moment.
Since the broth was cooked in advance, it had already been cooked and cooled down for a while by the time they came up.
So now the temperature in everyone's bowls is just right, and everyone is drinking it without any pressure.
Seeing everyone eating so heartily, Qin Anmin eagerly awaited her arrival, his gaze following the person carrying the pot.
"If we had known, we should have been at the front. If we were there, we would have finished a whole bowl of soup by now!"
Qin Anmin was filled with regret. He slapped Su Qinghe's thigh, blaming her for insisting on dragging her into the middle.
She was full of energy, but she also got hungry quickly; she couldn't stand being hungry!
Su Qinghe chuckled and shook her head, untying the bundle on her back. "I have some pears here, would you like to have some?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Anmin immediately turned his head. "Yes, yes! I'm starving!"
She snatched the large pear from Su Qinghe's hand, but stopped abruptly just as she was about to put it to her mouth.
She hesitated, then looked at Su Qinghe. "Sister-in-law, do you have any left? How about we split it in half?"
Because Luo Pinzheng said he would bring them food, she didn't bring much of her own. The little food in her attendant's bag had already been eaten halfway up the mountain. At this point, she was relying entirely on Luo Pinzheng for food.
Seeing her hesitant expression, Su Qinghe smiled slightly and took out a pear from her bundle. "Don't worry, I brought a lot."
Upon hearing this, Qin Anmin immediately grinned, thanked him, and began to gnaw on the food.
After she had eaten all the pear except for the core, she finally carried the pot to Su Qinghe and Qin Anmin.
"Your Excellencies have been waiting for a long time."
The soldiers clearly knew Qin Anmin's identity. They scooped up a large spoonful of meat with the ladle, and then served the soup with the second spoonful.
Su Qinghe also benefited and received a large bowl full of meat.
"Hehe, following my older sister means you'll get what you deserve."
Qin Anmin smiled smugly, picked up his chopsticks, and began to boast about the meat in his bowl.
"Yes, yes, yes, following Sister Qin means you'll get to eat meat!"
Su Qinghe complimented her, then picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.
But she realized something was wrong after only chewing a couple of times.
They poisoned me...
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