“Brother, you and your second sister go to your maternal grandfather’s house right now. Ask someone to go to An Sheng Ji’s to fetch grain and charcoal. Set up a few sheds near the east gate, burn some charcoal, and cook a few pots of porridge. Do not tell them where I went, and especially do not tell them about your third uncle. Keep it from your maternal grandfather for as long as possible.”
After Jiang Wei left those words, Xiao Zhan rode away.
"Miss Jiang, hold on tight to the saddle in front of you." Xiao Zhan's voice rang in Jiang Wei's ears.
In the wind and snow, the two rode together on a single horse, their white robes and red steed disappearing at the end of the road.
"General Xiao, how long will our journey take?" Jiang Wei gripped the saddle tightly with both hands, her dark hair falling in strands in front of Xiao Zhan and onto his face.
"We should arrive in about an hour and a half." Xiao Zhan gripped the saddle in front of Jiang Wei with one hand and whipped the horse with the other. A faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils from the cold air.
Every breath Xiao Zhan took carried her scent. He felt that wherever Jiang Wei was, the air was different, making him feel refreshed and relaxed.
Although they were traveling on the official road, the snow on the road had been unevenly deep due to the trampling of passing carriages.
There were many muddy puddles on the road, as high as a child's knees, which Xiao Zhan spurred his horse to leap over steadily time and time again.
As they got closer to Lingchuan, the road became increasingly difficult. Jiang Wei had already been traveling on horseback for quite some time.
Her body was delicate, and with the horse's jolting, she gradually felt tired, and her hands gripping the saddle became red and raw.
Despite the pain, Jiang Wei maintained her original sitting posture, sitting quietly without uttering a sound.
Xiao Zhan pressed his chest against Jiang Wei's back, a warm current flowing into his body. It felt like he was holding a small heater, and he didn't feel cold at all. On the contrary, he felt hot all over, as if he were in the middle of a hot summer day.
"You can move your body a little, so that you don't get too uncomfortable from being hard for too long. Or should I stop and rest for a while before I go?"
"We're very close to Lingchuan now." Xiao Zhan sensed that Jiang Wei looked a little tired and asked her with concern.
Jiang Wei shook her head, "I'm fine. It's not too late to rest after we get to Lingchuan and find my third uncle. Don't worry, General Xiao, I won't hold you back."
Jiang Wei said firmly that she insisted on coming herself, and there was no reason for her to delay the journey after only an hour or two.
People walked by one after another from the opposite side, men carrying children and women wiping away tears as they walked.
"Let's go up and ask what's going on," Jiang Wei said, pointing to the crowd.
"Hmm." Xiao Zhan replied simply, slowed down his horse, and rode towards the crowd.
The horse stopped in front of the crowd, and Jiang Wei spoke first to confirm, "Sister-in-law, is it because of the earthquake that you're not at home in this cold weather and are carrying your child out? Where are you planning to go?"
The woman wiped away her tears and saw that Jiang Wei was gentle and beautiful. "We are all from Lanyu in Lingchuan County. Last night, in the middle of the night, several mountain ranges in Lanyu suddenly collapsed, and our homes were destroyed. We had no choice but to leave our homes and go to the capital to make a living."
As the woman spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again. Her face was wet with tears, and the cold wind made it even colder, so she quickly raised her hand to wipe them away.
"Why are you going to the even more distant capital city instead of Lingchuan County?" Xiao Zhan asked the man holding the child beside him.
"My lord, you may not know this, but although our Lanyu belongs to Lingchuan County, it is not very close to Lingchuan. The capital city is only about half an hour away from it. In the capital city, under the emperor's nose, it is always easier to find a meal, and it is much easier to find a job than in Lingchuan."
"It's too cold. We need to go back and find a warm place and a meal first. We'll come back and rebuild our homes when it gets warmer," the man replied with a sigh.
“Sister-in-law, brother, go through the east gate of the city from here. There should already be a porridge stall set up there. You can go there first.” Jiang Wei wanted to reassure them after hearing what the man said.
"Really?" They were overjoyed. Ever since the earthquake, they had been worried and had been standing in the cold wind without a place to warm up. They had been busy searching under the collapsed houses for anything that could be used or made.
They were already starving and extremely hungry.
"Yes, it was already set up when I arrived, so it must be done." If nothing unexpected happens.
The woman and the man holding the child exchanged a glance, and a smile appeared on their faces. "Honey, let's hurry up, or we won't be able to get any porridge."
Jiang Wei reached out and touched the child's cheek. It was rosy, soft, and plump, and it was wrapped up so well that not a wisp of cold wind could reach it.
"There will be plenty of porridge, and the imperial court will definitely take action when it finds out."
After asking a few questions, the two left together. As they passed by the crowd, they never forgot to mention that a porridge stall had been set up near the East Gate, and that they should go and have some porridge to fill their stomachs.
As Jiang Wei walked closer to Lan Yu, she became increasingly anxious, for among so many people, she couldn't find her third uncle.
Perhaps he was unlucky and got trapped under the collapsed house.
Or is he injured and unable to move around?
Jiang Wei looked around the crowd, searching carefully.
"The group of people who came out of the city with us should have arrived by now. I told them to find your third uncle and the others as soon as possible, so don't worry," Xiao Zhan comforted her.
"So it was because of me that they were slow?" Jiang Wei said that they disappeared after leaving the city. She thought they had different missions from Xiao Zhan.
"No, we need to gather information and investigate people's lives along the way. They're just rushing to the earthquake site, so they'll definitely be faster than us," Xiao Zhan explained gently.
Xiao Zhan deliberately rode a little slower. Jiang Wei had never ridden a horse before, and her body was weak and her skin was delicate. If she had ridden as fast as he usually did, it would have been much worse.
He was afraid that Jiang Wei wouldn't be able to walk after dismounting.
"Look, we're here." Xiao Zhan looked at the collapsed houses and the crowd standing to the side in the distance.
Reaching the crowd, Xin Si stepped forward and took the reins from Xiao Zhan's horse, saying, "Master."
"How is it? Are there many people trapped underneath? How is Master Chen? Is he injured?" Xiao Zhan asked Xin Si after helping Jiang Wei off the horse.
"Reporting to Master, only a few elderly people and some livestock were trapped underneath. A few people were seriously injured, but almost everyone else is fine," Xin Si replied.
When Jiang Wei heard him say that someone was seriously injured, but he didn't explicitly say whether her third uncle was among them, she asked, "Where's my third uncle? How is he?"
She stared intently at Xin Si and asked him.
Xin Si: "???" Didn't he say anything?
“Several people were seriously injured. They are all in that makeshift shed. Master Chen is surrounded by people.” He answered again.
"Where?" Jiang Wei asked him eagerly.
"Take us there," came Xiao Zhan's voice, leaving no room for argument.
“Yes.” Xin Si led the way.
It wasn't far, and we soon arrived at the shed he had mentioned.
Jiang Wei jogged over, lifted the curtain, and slipped inside.
Qingfeng, seeing his master and Miss Jiang arrive, hurried over.
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