Chapter 71 Learning Martial Arts!
"Han Niang, you didn't do it on purpose. We used to drink well water at home all the time, and we would just draw it from the well and drink it without any problems!"
"Yes, it must be because the water in Moon Lake is too dirty."
"My God! Han Niang only drank a few sips and she's like this. If the people living near Moon Lake drink raw water every day, won't they get seriously ill!"
People who were previously complaining about rushing around are now looking away.
No one dared to ignore the issue of drinking water safety any longer, and at the same time, they began to subtly target the women of Liuzhao Village.
Just after lunch was served to the women of Liuzhao Village, someone took advantage of the constables' inattention to rob them.
The robbers didn't dare to be too obvious; they only robbed a few people. After the robbery, they fiercely threatened the women of Liuzhao Village, forbidding them from telling anyone.
Today's lunch was mixed grain steamed buns, which were a bit better than black steamed buns.
As before, those who participated in the battle received an extra portion of meat, two servings of pickled vegetables, and half a bowl more water than prisoners who did not participate.
After receiving the dried meat, the children of the eldest branch of the Shen family ate it while staying by the constable's side before leaving. The constable had always instructed them to do the same, and they hadn't thought anything was wrong with it.
The other members of the Shen family all looked at them with jealous eyes. Unlike before, they no longer asked the eldest son's family to give them the food.
“Mother, I heard from my eldest brother that children who practice martial arts can get some food every time they go to Lanxi’s place.” Shen Congyi’s eyes were shrewd as he made his plans.
Grandma Shen's eyebrows twitched; her son's words had reminded her.
"Call your eldest brother over here!"
Shen Congyi: "Second brother, you go!"
Shen Conglian didn't want to move, so he was glared at by Old Madam Shen and reluctantly went.
"Mother, would you like some pickled vegetables?" Shen Congwen handed over the remaining half of the cornbread and some pickled vegetables.
Madam Shen frowned subconsciously; she had no interest in such coarse food.
"If Mother won't eat, I will!" Shen Conglian reached out to grab it. Each meal consisted of only one cornbread, barely enough to fill his stomach, and he was starving every day!
When Madam Shen saw her second son snatching food from her eldest son, she remembered the incident when they bought steamed buns in Yicheng and immediately scolded him with a cold look.
"Second brother, give your food back to your eldest brother. You stole your eldest brother's food; are you trying to starve him to death?"
Shen Conglian had never heard his mother speak to him so coldly before. He immediately lowered his eyes and reluctantly stuffed the cornbread and pickled vegetables to his elder brother.
"What are you saying, Mother? I thought Lanxi was bringing food to my older brother and didn't think much of the cornbread and pickled vegetables," Shen Conglian muttered, trying to explain.
Madam Shen knew that her second son was concerned about his reputation, so she didn't point it out.
"Congwen, the journey is fraught with danger; this can't go on!"
Shen Congwen nodded: "I just heard Liu Laohu say that even if there is no shortage of water, the road ahead will not be peaceful!"
Madam Shen said, "The men in the family must have the ability to protect themselves. I think Yuanjing and the others are quite good. They can fight with others and they are already quite skilled."
Shen Congwen was also very pleased to hear this, and a smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.
"My son doesn't want them to develop the ability to fight a hundred people; he only hopes they can protect themselves!"
Originally, Madam Shen was only after the food she got from Shen Lanxi, but after hearing her eldest son say this, she had some other thoughts in her mind.
"When Yuan Jing and the others go to Lan Xi to practice martial arts again, tell them to bring the children from your three younger brothers' rooms. We're family, and we're all in this together. If anything happens, we should always help each other out!"
Shen Congwen felt that his mother made a lot of sense. If they encountered attackers again in the future, having someone who knew martial arts would be a great help.
"I'll go tell Yuan Jing and the others right away!"
No sooner had Shen Congwen left than Shen Conglian became restless.
"Mother, the children are practicing martial arts below, and I think I can do it too!"
When Shen Yuanjing and his sister stood in front of Shen Lanxi again, a large group of people had appeared behind them.
"Big brother, they also want to practice martial arts!" Shen Yuanjing was so embarrassed that he didn't even lift his head.
Shen Lanxi looked at her second uncle hiding far behind, and at the little child standing in front, who was unsteady on his feet and needed someone to hold his hand.
"Okay, they don't have a foundation yet. Let them learn from Chunxue and Qiushuang!"
Shen Yuanjing secretly glanced at his older sister, remaining silent. After everyone had left, he secretly ran back.
"Big brother, I'm sorry!"
Shen Lanxi looked at her younger brother and patted him on the shoulder.
“Yuan Jing, don’t take all the responsibility on your own shoulders. You’re still just a kid yourself.”
Shen Yuanjing frowned: "I am the eldest male member of the main branch of the family, and I have the responsibility to revitalize our Shen family!"
Shen Lanxi looked at him and said softly, "Alright, you, the man, will distribute the pastries today! You'll supervise them later. Those who work hard will get more, and those who try to cheat will get nothing! If they cause trouble, you can handle it yourself!"
Shen Yuanjing suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier, but a sense of responsibility welled up from the bottom of his heart.
His eyes were bright and clear, and he said earnestly, "Don't worry, big brother, I will definitely keep a close eye on them!"
Shen Lanxi smiled faintly and went to arrange for Wang's mother and her family to prepare pastries in the future.
After just one day of practice, Liu Yan came looking for him the next day.
"Young Master..." Liu Yan Hui hesitated, looking embarrassed!
Shen Lanxi: "Speak!"
Having gained a better understanding of her temperament, Liu Yanhui dared not waste any more time and asked directly, "Can my sister and I practice martial arts together?"
After he finished speaking, he immediately explained, "We don't want the pastries, we just want to practice so that we'll have the ability to protect ourselves if we encounter anything again!"
I thought I'd have to explain a lot, and she might not even agree, but to my surprise...
"Sure, I'll give pastries to whoever practices with me. If your mother is free, she can help Wang Mama's family make pastries!"
A strange light immediately flashed in Liu Yanhui's eyes. He quickly thanked her and went to inform his family.
Just as she had said before, the closer they got to Tianjin, the more lush the vegetation became. After a day's journey, everyone knew that they no longer needed to worry about water!
After traveling for two more days, the exile caravan could see smoke rising from dozens of chimneys in the distance. It was noon, just the time to prepare lunch.
"The village ahead should be Gulan Village."
The constables rode off to investigate and quickly returned with news.
"It is indeed Gulan Village."
Because of their previous experience in Liuzhao Village, the constable added a special explanation: "They are all people who came back from farming in the fields!"
Everyone in the team smiled.
With land to cultivate, there won't be any trouble, and they can finally take a break!
"Let's go to Gulan Village to exchange for some vegetables."
Since leaving the capital, they have only eaten a few meals, so few that you could count them on one hand.
To put it bluntly, if they don't eat some vegetables to help with bowel movements, they won't be able to use the toilet anymore!
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