Chapter 27 In chaotic times, humans are more terrifying than wolves!
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow at the young man with a scholarly air. She remembered him; back at the inn, he had held up the sole of a shoe and shouted that whoever grabbed it first got to keep it, and he was the loudest one there!
"You are an exiled criminal, I am a merchant, we are not on the same path!"
The young man clasped his hands respectfully and said, "Before my exile, I had just been promoted to the Ministry of Revenue and served as a secretary. I had the honor of seeing your esteemed presence at Lord Shen's residence!"
This person recognized her!
"What's your name?" she asked, looking down at him.
Liu Yanhui clasped his hands in a salute: "My surname is Liu, the same as the wild goose that always returns. I am Liu Yanhui!"
Shen Lanxi looked at Liu Yanhui, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.
"I've made a mental note of you. Go back and wait for news!"
Liu Yanhui did not rush to defend herself, but respectfully withdrew!
She then sent Qiu Shuang to her father to inquire about the situation.
"Young master, the master said that Liu Yanhui has only been promoted to the Ministry of Revenue for half a year. Before that, he was always sitting on the sidelines, responsible for the management of the Ministry of Revenue's files. Coincidentally, the files on the Northwest Wei family army's provisions and pay that he was in charge of collecting have gone missing. The master said that he was also implicated by the Shen family!"
Liu Yanhui clearly came to seek refuge. If, as her father said, she was implicated, Liu Yanhui should hate the Shen family to death.
He is very smart, and the smarter a person is, the harder they are to control. She will not allow anyone who threatens her to be by her side. Liu Yanhui should be cautious in using him!
The people who purchased the supplies returned and set off immediately.
On the way to Tianjin, you'll pass towering mountains, especially several well-known rocky peaks. Although the vegetation is sparse, there are wolf packs, and more importantly, bandits frequently roam the area. So unless driven to desperation, no one dares to venture into those mountains. People living nearby would rather take a detour of a hundred miles, spending ten days and ten nights on the journey, than take a shortcut.
Unfortunately, Shen Lanxi chose this path, and gave Liu Laohu a heavy yet convincing explanation.
"Brother Liu, in chaotic times, people are more terrifying than wolves!"
Liu Laohu immediately took his whip and went to the front to clear the way. As he walked, he cracked his whip and shouted, "Anyone who doesn't want to take this road should dig a hole and bury themselves in it, so they don't end up as food for the refugees if they take another road!"
The exiled prisoners who had been shouting just moments before all shrank back like little quails, not daring to utter another word!
Walking on the rocky mountain was hard on shoes and feet. Before, they had laughed at the women for taking clothes and shoes off dead people, but now, seeing them taking out their boots one by one, and tearing their clothes and stuffing them into their shoes if they didn't fit, they couldn't laugh anymore.
They all grimaced, enduring the blisters on the soles of their feet, and gritted their teeth as they walked forward.
Compared to the other prisoners, the Shen family was the most comfortable. They wore new shoes with thick soles, new clothes, and the head of the household even wore straw hats to shield themselves from the sun. If it weren't for the constables guarding them, they would have looked like they were going on a spring outing!
But some people are still not satisfied.
Shen Conglian found his elder brother Shen Congwen: "Brother, when Lanxi sends someone to deliver things again, tell her to let Father and Mother ride in the car. It's really not a good way for us to take turns carrying them!" Anyway, he can't carry them!
Shen Congwen bluntly refused: "No way! Others just had no complaints about our Shen family, and now you're stirring up trouble again. What if you get beaten up when you need to use the restroom?!"
My brother really knows how to bring up the most sensitive topics. He was beaten up by some bastard while he was in the toilet, and his ribs still hurt when he breathes!
"Brother, I think Lanxi and Liu Laohu get along well, so no one will dare to harm us again. Although we can carry Father and Mother, it's not as comfortable as traveling by car. Mother has been eating and drinking very little these past two days. I'm afraid that if this goes on for too long, Father and Mother won't be able to take it!"
Shen Congwen thought of his parents' age, sighed, and ultimately did not refuse!
At noon, when Li's mother returned with lunch, she told Shen Congwen what he had said.
Shen Lanxi didn't tolerate them. She personally went to see Liu Laohu and the next day she put the Shen family on a fast!
Shen Congyi immediately approached Shen Congwen and questioned him: "Brother, why hasn't anyone sent food to Lanxi yet?"
Shen Congwen's face turned black with anger.
"It must be because you made Father and Mother ride in the carriage yesterday that angered the constables, that they wouldn't let Lanxi bring us food today. If it weren't for your terrible idea, would this have happened? How dare you question me?"
A look of panic flashed across Shen Congyi's eyes. He anxiously wondered if the yamen runners would stop letting Lanxi deliver food and water to them from now on.
That would be terrible!
"It's not like I insisted that Father and Mother ride in the car. Even if my brother has a grudge, he shouldn't take it out on me!"
Shen Congwen looked coldly at his fourth brother: "Was it you who suggested that the constables push me out?"
Shen Congyi was shocked that his elder brother knew. His eyes darted around, avoiding eye contact, and he offered a flimsy explanation: "Brother, don't wrongly accuse me. It was clearly the illegitimate son of the third brother's family who said it. What does it have to do with me? Even if you're unhappy, don't take it out on me!" After saying this, Shen Congyi quickly turned and left.
As the temperature rises, not only people need to drink water, but the horses pulling the carts also need to drink water. One horse can consume the equivalent of more than a dozen people's water consumption, so the water on the carts is consumed very quickly.
Shen Lanxi decided to ride a horse ahead to scout out the way and find water!
After she left, the Shen family panicked.
Could it be that Lanxi has run away and abandoned them?
They then remembered that they were the ones who should be exiled, not Lanxi. They all anxiously watched the direction Lanxi had left in, hoping for her early return!
After running a short distance, Shen Lanxi first brought out a bucket of water from her spatial storage to feed the horses. She then grabbed a bottle of Vitamin C drink and an energy bar to fill her stomach.
"Angry White, scout ahead!"
"Received, Master!"
"There's nothing within a five-kilometer radius. Beyond this rocky mountain, at its foot, there's a nearly dried-up pool with animal paw prints around it! Any further and it's beyond Nu Bai's exploration range!"
Shen Lanxi: "Is anyone following us?"
On the road at night, she had already dealt with several tails. Just now, when Liu Laohu went to Yongcheng to show his face, he must have had tails hanging behind him!
Nu Bai: "Yes, they just entered the detection range. Master, should we go and take them out?"
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "That goes without saying~" She chose this path so that all the tails following behind her would be buried on the rocky mountain!
Nu Bai locked onto the location, and Shen Lanxi spurred her horse and set off.
An hour later, she found Liu Laohu.
"After crossing the rocky mountain, there is a nearly dried-up pool at the foot of the mountain, which is the only water source in the vicinity!"
Liu Laohu breathed a sigh of relief; at least there was water!
It's good that we haven't encountered any refugees along the way!
"Get up quickly and set off. We need to cross this rocky mountain before dark. There's water at the foot of the mountain."
Hearing that there was water, everyone perked up again. Liu Laohu even untied the rope; in this desolate wilderness, anyone who dared to run would die.
Without the rope, the speed was much faster than before.
Shen Lanxi suggested using horse-drawn carriages to transport the elderly, women, and children in batches, and Liu Laohu agreed.
With the help of the horse-drawn carriage, the speed was even faster, and before it got dark, everyone arrived at the small pond!
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