"Thank you, Mother!" After thanking her, a hint of disappointment appeared in the little child's eyes: "Mother, are you leaving soon?"
"Which way?"
The little boy looked up at his mother and said, "My second aunt divorced my second uncle and went back to her parents' home. I'm sure you'll go back to your parents' home too, right? You can go now, I'll be fine."
Ning Yan sighed, "Don't listen to other people's nonsense. Mother won't leave. She will stay with you all the way to the North."
"Really? Mother's really not leaving?"
Ning Yan nodded: "Mother won't leave. I'll stay with you, with my precious son."
The little boy's eyes instantly filled with stars. He snuggled closer to his mother, then sat in her lap, wrapping his arms around Ning Yan's neck. "Mother, I have a mother again."
Ning Yan laughed, "Nonsense, Mother was only gone for a short while, she'll be back soon, won't she?"
"Yes, Mother isn't leaving!"
I'm going to tell Chu Hao that he said Mom doesn't want me anymore, that I'm a pitiful little thing, but I'm not a pitiful little thing at all!
He was just arriving and was still affectionately hugging his mother, but in the blink of an eye he's rubbing against her like a pupa.
Ning Yan quickly stopped her, "Wait, take this bag with you and bring it back for your grandmother and cousins to eat."
The little one deftly hung the bag around his neck, had the maid put on his shoes, then quietly got off the carriage and headed towards where his grandmother was resting.
Yu Zhu personally escorted the person back to where the Chu family lived before returning home.
Ning Yan lifted the car curtain and looked at the child's back through the window. Soon, a group of people surrounded him, and the bags of snacks were all gone in the blink of an eye.
The chattering of children carried on the wind to Ning Yan's ears.
"Grandmother, my mother said she will stay with her grandson all the way to the north. I have a mother to love me again!" As he spoke, he took out some snacks and stuffed them into his grandmother's mouth.
He took out two more pieces and gave them to his aunt, saying, "Aunt, eat quickly."
"Big brother, second brother, my mother said she's not leaving. I have a mother too. Here, this is what my mother asked me to share with you. Eat up."
After saying that, she took out two more pieces and handed them to Sister Yan from the eldest son's family, saying, "Sister Yan, eat quickly, I can hear your stomach growling."
He only gave each of the two older children one piece, but when it came to his cousin, he gave her two pieces. The little guy even distinguishes between different grades when distributing snacks.
His little bag wasn't very big to begin with, and after all that, only one piece was left. He frowned and gave it to his father, saying, "Dad, here you go."
His tone was full of reluctance.
Chu Jingxuan was amused and annoyed. This brat wouldn't even give him a bite to eat. "You eat, Dad isn't hungry."
The little guy immediately perked up, "If Dad isn't hungry, I'll give it to Sister Fei'er."
After saying that, he ran over to Chu Feier's side.
He gave it to his father, but his father refused it. His father can't say he's unfilial!
Fei'er is the legitimate daughter of the third wife. She is eight years old this year, and is beautiful, cute, well-behaved and sensible.
"Sister Fei'er, eat up! My mother said that eating more will give you the strength to walk." After saying that, she stuffed the snacks into Chu Fei's hands.
Chu Fei: "...Thank you, little brother."
Chu Lin'er waved her hand, "You're welcome, sister, please eat."
Madam Chu looked in the direction of the carriages, which were still parked there. So, she really wasn't planning on leaving?
Soon it was time to rest, and Jin Daofei gave a shout, and the group set off again.
Little Chulin looked in the direction of his mother's carriage, and sure enough, the carriage was moving forward. Little Chulin was very happy; his mother hadn't lied to him.
As soon as I turned around, someone grabbed my arm, and when I looked up, I saw Yu Zhu.
"Young master, let me carry you on my back. You are too young to walk too much and it will hurt your health."
After Yu Zhu finished speaking, he carried Chu Lin on his back and then slowly walked forward with the group.
The old lady glared at her stunned second son, not wanting to say a word. He had ruined his perfectly good wife, and all he could think about was the concubine who had abandoned him.
In the exile group, children and younger children were carried on the backs of adults. Chu Lin's situation did not attract attention, and Jin Daofei turned a blind eye after taking the silver. Therefore, Yu Zhu did not put the child down until they rested again.
Ning Yan knew he had worked hard, so she gave him a fifty-tael silver note.
Yu Zhu was overjoyed and knelt down to express his gratitude. Ning Yan said, "I don't lack money. As long as you work hard, I will definitely not treat you unfairly."
Everyone else was watching, including the twenty guards, but they were wearing the uniforms of the prefectural guards and were not suitable to be mixed in with the exiles. Even though they were ambitious, they could only suppress their ambitions for the time being.
However, Yu Zhu and the other three lined up in order, and the master's reward was divided equally among them, which was fair to everyone.
Ning Yan didn't care what their plans were; she just wanted the child to be alright.
"Quick, have some hot water, are you cold?"
Chu Lin shook his head. "Mother, don't worry, I'm fine. I'm not cold at all." He then took the water glass and drank it sip by sip.
At this moment, only the mother and child were in the carriage. Ning Yan took out a handful of dried meat, stuffed it into the child's mouth, and filled his small purse.
Outside, Yu Zhu brought hot water to Old Madam Chu, and she quickly thanked him.
"Please don't be so polite, Madam. This was all ordered by our master."
After delivering the water cups and kettle, Yu Zhu stepped back. The old lady didn't stand on ceremony and quickly poured water for her eldest daughter-in-law and several grandchildren.
The Crown Prince's wife looked in Ning Yan's direction with gratitude in her eyes. If her sister-in-law could really follow them all the way, their chances of safely reaching the North would greatly increase.
The convicts only had two meals a day and rested for about fifteen minutes before the group continued on their way. This time, the little guy insisted on walking by himself, leaving the servants to follow his young master. As a result, the boy went up to his older cousins, grabbed a handful of dried meat, and stuffed it into their hands. After distributing it, he winked at them and then automatically went to the servants to wait to be carried...
This time, we walked all the way to the post station before stopping, just as it was getting completely dark.
The convicts were sent to communal dormitories, where a dozen or twenty people were crammed into one room. The constables were in better accommodations, but they were still only in four- or six-person rooms.
If you want to stay in a nicer place, you can just buy the room yourself.
Ning Yan immediately upgraded the rooms for the women of the Chu family, so that the old lady, the heir's wife, Yan'er from the first wife's house, and Fei'er from the third wife's house would no longer have to squeeze into a room with others. Chu Lin was also brought to this room.
Soon the constables gave the prisoners food. Since it was a post station, the food was better. Each person had three cornbread buns, a bowl of hot porridge, and some pickled vegetables.
Those with money could also pay to have water used for bathing.
Ning Yan naturally stayed in the best accommodations. After the yamen runners finished distributing the meals and went back to rest, Ning Yan immediately had Yu Zhu and the nanny deliver the prepared cotton-padded clothes and shoes to Old Madam Chu's room.
"I ordered my servants to buy these clothes. They were in a hurry, so they only managed to get these. Some people may not get any for now. I will have someone buy more when we reach a city."
Madam, First Madam, please change your clothes quickly. The further north we go, the lower the temperature will be. You mustn't catch a cold. (End of Chapter)
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