Chapter 7 It’s hard to report to the adults
I saw Wang Qing covering his lower body and kneeling on the ground wailing, not knowing what was going on.
Ling Yun hid behind Xue and threw away the stone in his hand.
Xue looked at the pebbles rolling down at her feet, her mind racing. Then she sneered, "It's probably a snake bite."
Now it is located in the suburbs of Beijing, and there are tangled vegetation on both sides of the official road, so it is not surprising to see snakes.
Everyone just took a look and stopped paying attention, continuing on their way with gritted teeth.
There were constant cries, curses, and foul language coming from the team.
Xue's face looked unhappy, and her eyes were looking straight ahead, neither humble nor arrogant.
By noon, the escort showed no intention of letting them stop.
Someone asked, "Sir, it's noon now, won't you let us eat?"
A soldier in the team sneered, "Yo, you still want to eat, do you have anything to eat?"
"I'm telling you, you must reach the posthouse in Sunjia Town before dark, otherwise you'll all have to sleep on the road."
"Not only that, but there's no food to eat until we get there. Why don't you just leave now instead of complaining?"
Su Nuan also heard this. Having been exiled in her previous life, she naturally knew what would happen.
Exiled prisoners had to walk at least thirty miles a day and eat two black-faced steamed buns a day. If they failed to reach their destination within six months, even the escorting officers would be convicted.
Therefore, those who fall behind and slow down the process will be killed and reported as dead from illness.
She wanted to give Mrs. Xue some snacks, but she was afraid that Ling Yun, the fool, would yell at her, so she felt a little embarrassed.
Suddenly Ling Yun yelled, "I need to pee."
The soldier next to him said with disgust: "Go, go, go over there, and come back quickly after you finish peeing. If you run away, you will be killed immediately."
Ling Yun shook off Xue and ran towards the bushes on the side of the road.
Su Nuan took the opportunity to stuff two pieces of red bean cake into Xue's hand, "Mom, eat quickly."
Xue's eyes were full of surprise. She put one piece in her sleeve and stuffed the other into her mouth.
Tuantuan saw their little actions, but was very sensible and said nothing.
Su Nuan handed her a piece and said, "Eat it quickly."
Tuantuan hesitated for a moment, but still caught it and ate it secretly.
The old lady had a loyal servant named Cuiyi, who was the daughter of the maid who came with the old lady as a dowry. After she became a widow, she came to serve the old lady and saved her from being sold by her in-laws.
Cuiyi supported the old lady, and both of them looked tired.
Su Nuan leaned over, stuffed a piece of dessert into each person's mouth, and then stepped back.
The two looked at each other with shock in their eyes. She was able to hide her thoughts in public. She was a brave and careful person.
The old lady looked at Su Nuan carrying her eldest grandson on her back and holding Xiao Tuantuan in her arms. Her expression finally relaxed a lot, and she ate the snacks while covering them with her wide sleeves.
Although the officers and soldiers were not given food, each person was given a water bag, which contained enough water for the day.
The old lady took a sip of water and didn't dare to drink more.
Ling Yun, who had gone to pee, came back and hugged Xue's arm and said coquettishly, "Mom, there are bug bites."
Xue said helplessly: "You are a boy, don't be so delicate."
She quickly stuffed the snack into Lingyun's mouth, and then gave him a sip of water to help him swallow it.
Ling Yun's eyes flickered for a moment, but he quickly said coquettishly, "Mom..."
Xue covered his mouth and said, "If you are a fool, you should act like a fool. Only if you behave well can you have good food."
"Hmm..." Ling Yun nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
As expected, no one knows a son better than his mother. Xue had already noticed Ling Yun's abnormality.
Su Nuan saw the mint on the roadside and grabbed a handful of leaves and handed them to Xue.
"Mom, crush it and apply it to the mosquito bite to relieve it."
Xue asked in surprise, "You also know medicine?"
Su Nuan nodded, "My grandfather is a doctor. I learned a lot from him when I was young. He can treat minor illnesses and pains."
Xue was overwhelmed by this huge surprise. Having a person with medical skills in the team was like having an extra life.
After all, the journey is long, and who can guarantee that they won’t get sick? Even a small cold can be fatal without medicine.
Tuantuan said in a baby voice, "Is my sister-in-law a fairy? Tuantuan is so lucky to have a fairy sister-in-law."
Su Nuan found it funny but did not refute. Children are easier to fool. She would give her more delicious food in the future and let her think of herself as a fairy.
The team continued to move forward. Most people were able to keep up, but a few could not and fell to the side of the road, unable to get up.
The soldiers with swords and guns did not dare to really chop, but the captain did not tolerate them and beat them one by one with a horsewhip, and the wailing was endless.
Su Nuan whispered, "Mom, let's go to Sunjia Town. There should be donkey carts there. We can buy one then."
Sunjia Town is exactly thirty miles away from the capital. The whole town is built in the shape of a U, with high walls on the outside and a post station in the middle, so the prisoners will never be able to escape.
This was their first stop and the only town where exiled prisoners could spend money to buy things.
Because the national treasury had been emptied by incompetent rulers in recent years, confiscation of property and exile occurred frequently, so Sunjia Town became the place where the first money of the exiled people could be recovered.
Xue shook her head. "Although we have banknotes, it's not easy to spend them. Where can you see an exiled prisoner riding in a carriage?"
Su Nuan smiled slightly and said nothing, but this smile gave Xue great encouragement.
Guilt flashed in Xue's eyes. "My dear, I'm so sorry."
Su Nuan quickly shook her head, "No, no, don't worry, I won't let you suffer along the way."
Mrs. Xue chuckled, her eyes full of love. "You little girl, it's your mother who should say this. The wedding itself is an injustice to you, and now you have to go into exile with me and suffer. Don't worry, as long as your mother has something to eat, you will never go hungry."
Su Nuan nodded. She knew Xue's character very well. In her previous life, when she arrived at the place of exile, she encountered a blizzard and everyone was cold and hungry.
Xue gave all the food to herself instead of eating it, but she went hungry for five days and eventually died of starvation.
Thinking of this, Su Nuan felt extremely sad, as if he owed her a life.
After that, everyone stopped talking to save energy.
Before sunset, the team finally arrived at the posthouse in Sunjia Town. However, there were many exiles this time and the posthouse did not have enough rooms.
Everyone was crowded in the courtyard of the inn, and the rich had to bribe with silver to get a place to sleep inside the house.
Su Nuan put Ling Cang and Tuan Tuan down and said, "Mom, please keep an eye on my little sister. I'll be back soon."
She found the captain and the posthouse officials in a door in the south wing.
The captain was a middle-aged man with an unshaven beard, and the official at the post station was an old man with a white, chubby face.
Su Nuan walked in and bowed graciously, "My lords, I have a humble request."
The captain glared at him impatiently, "Want to sleep in the house? One tael of silver per person."
Su Nuan untied her hair in front of the two of them and took out a pearl from it. "This pearl is for you, my lord. Please allow the women of our Ling family to not wear shackles."
The captain took the pearl and played with it for a moment, then said with a half-smile, "I saw you accept a thousand taels of silver."
Su Nuan calmly fixed her hair and said calmly, "We, the direct descendants of the Ling family, have no way to reach the place of exile safely. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you, sir."
The captain's face darkened. There was a threat in the words. He knew that he had met a shrewd little woman.
He chuckled again and asked, "So what are your plans?"
Su Nuan curled her lips and smiled. There were still some blood spots on her face that she hadn't wiped clean yet, so this smile didn't look good at all.
"Sir, I can give you five hundred taels, but I want a donkey cart for our family to take turns resting."
The captain's lips curled up in a playful smile. "Oh, that's easy, but what if I don't agree? What will you do?"
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