"Yes, yes, yes, my elder sister likes my second elder sister the most, otherwise why would she still compete with me at such an old age?" Mingzhao teased her.
"What did you say?" Jiang Wen jumped up, pointed at Ming Zhao, and asked him with a smile on his face.
Jiang Wei came out from the inner room and saw the two of them bickering. She smiled and said, "Aren't you impatient? Let's go! Or do you want to keep fooling around for a while?"
"Let's go, let's go now." Jiang Wen followed Jiang Wei, and the three siblings walked outside.
As the carriage traveled onto the street, the once bustling street was now almost deserted, with hardly a single pedestrian in sight.
"Why does this snow keep falling endlessly! Are they only satisfied when a few people freeze to death?" Jiang Wen complained, lowering the carriage curtain.
"It's so cold, I wonder if my third uncle and cousin have arrived in Kyoto yet," Mingzhao said worriedly.
Jiang Wei glanced out the car window; everything outside was a blinding white.
"With General Xiao's men here, they should be able to reach the capital safely! They should have arrived yesterday evening, or at the latest by today."
Jiang Wei thought to herself, "Don't worry, they should have arrived by now! Let's go check on them."
"Young lady, young master, don't worry, this old servant will try to get there as quickly as possible." The coachman lightly whipped the horse twice.
The horse started walking slowly and quickened its pace, but it was still much slower than usual.
In this kind of weather, the roads are somewhat icy, and drivers dare not go too fast, as it is unsafe.
After walking for several more streets, they arrived at the fork in the road leading to the Chen family's house. There was a spot that was slightly lower than the others, and water from somewhere had frozen into a thick layer of ice on the road, making it difficult for the carriage to move.
“Young lady, the ice on the road is too thick and must be very slippery. There are signs of people slipping and falling on it. Our carriage probably won’t be able to get through,” the coachman reported to Jiang Wei after stopping the carriage.
Jiang Wen immediately pulled up the car window curtain again. "Let me see. Sure enough, there is a thick ice surface in front of us, and there are many scratches on it where people have fallen and crawled around."
"Sister, how do we get there?" Jiang Wen asked Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei was also in a dilemma; she had already arrived at her maternal grandfather's doorstep, but couldn't get through.
Mingzhao opened the carriage curtain and looked outside. There was a restaurant next door where people were having their meals, and there was also horse feed for the horses. "Sister, wait for me."
He jumped off the carriage and ran towards the haystack, where he pulled out a bundle of straw.
“Sister, we can tie it to our feet and help each other across. That should be fine. That’s how everyone did it when I was in the village.”
Mingzhao picked up a small handful of straw and squatted down in front of Jiang Wei. "Come on, sister, lift your foot up."
Jiang Wei listened to Ming Zhao and did as he said.
Jiang Wen looked at him with curiosity and exclaimed, "Wow... Little brother can do everything! I'll try too!"
She tied straw to her shoes just like Mingzhao had done.
After the three siblings finished getting ready, they sent the carriages and horses back first.
They slowly walked across the ice.
Mingzhao said he had experience and would lead the way, while Jiang Wei let Jiang Wen walk in the middle and she walked at the back.
All three walked very carefully. Mingzhao finally made it across the ice and reached out to help Jiang Wen.
The sound of horses' hooves came from the crossroads, growing louder as they galloped closer, their roar echoing beside Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei turned around in alarm and saw a group of people rushing towards her from another street, already standing in front of her.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she moved with lightning speed.
"Don't get trampled to death here!" Jiang Wei thought anxiously and ran away, completely forgetting that she was on ice.
I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and in a moment of panic, I slipped.
Just as she was about to fall onto the ice, Jiang Wei hurriedly tried to steady herself, but she couldn't maintain her balance.
She thought to herself, 'I'm doomed! My death won't be any pretty one. I still want to live!'
Mingzhao and Jiang Wen exclaimed in alarm almost simultaneously, "Sister!"
She resigned herself to falling, but unexpectedly, Jiang Wei felt light and not in pain as she had imagined. Instead, she felt as if she were floating in the air.
Jiang Wei closed her eyes and waited for a while, but still didn't land. She slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was Xiao Zhan's face.
"General Xiao," Jiang Wei called out to him in confusion.
Xiao Zhan put one arm around Jiang Wei's waist and placed her on the horse in front of him. "Hold on tight."
Xiao Zhan lashed the horse's back with his short whip, and the horse leaped up, easily crossing the icy road.
Xiao Zhan tightened the reins, and it came to a stop instantly, steady as a warrior.
It truly lives up to its reputation as Xiao Zhan's prized horse, which has fought alongside him on the battlefield.
"Are you alright? Shall I take you to the Chen family?" Xiao Zhan asked her, his voice tinged with urgency.
Jiang Wei couldn't help but ask, "General Xiao, is there something urgent? Is there anything I can do to help?"
Although she was somewhat unhappy about the arrangements Xiao Zhan had made for her, she couldn't help but ask a question when she saw his anxiety.
Xiao Zhan hesitated whether to tell her. If she knew that her third uncle's life was still unknown, would she be very worried? And if something really happened to her third uncle, and he knew but didn't tell her, would she be angry with him?
Xiao Zhan hesitated for a few breaths before deciding to tell her.
"When I was discussing important matters with my father in the palace, an official came to report that an earthquake had occurred in Lingchuan. Originally, Master Chen and his group were supposed to arrive in the capital yesterday. They were delayed on the way, and because Master Chen thought the plum blossoms there were more beautiful, they stayed there for the night and planned to enter the city this morning. That's when the earthquake happened."
"An earthquake?" Jiang Wei was stunned. There had been no earthquake in her previous life. What was going on?
I hope nothing bad has happened to my third uncle and the others!
what to do?
"Are you alright? If you are, you should go back to the Chen residence first. I'll go check on the situation. I imagine there are quite a few people who need help. Their homes have been destroyed, and it's so cold outside," Xiao Zhan explained to Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei's mind was just confused, but she quickly cleared up. She looked up at Xiao Zhan with a pleading look in her eyes, "General Xiao, can you take me with you? Those are my third uncle and cousin. I can only feel at ease if I see them safe and sound."
"I will take good care of their safety for you. Listen to me, go back to the Chen family and wait. It's too cold outside, and the journey is very bumpy." Xiao Zhan coaxed Jiang Wei, trying to get her to go back.
"I'm not afraid of anything, I'm just afraid I'll never see my family again." Jiang Wei's eyes were slightly red and her expression was anxious. "Those are my uncle and cousin."
Seeing her like this, Xiao Zhan's heart broke. How could he refuse her? He took off his cloak and wrapped it around Jiang Wei, saying, "This will keep you warm. Sit down."
Jiang Wei smiled and asked, "General, does this mean you agree?"
Seeing that Jiang Wei's eyes were still red, but the faint smile on her face was genuine, Xiao Zhan nodded gently and let out a soft "Mm".
"General Xiao, please wait for me a moment." Although Xiao Zhan didn't understand what she wanted to do, he still nodded and waited for her.
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