Chapter 7
The reason why Chief Liu came to find her at this time was naturally to escort her, an exiled female relative, to Minzhou.
Last time, Gu Ran used money and pity to persuade Liu Yichang, and Liu Yichang had already sent people to chase Chen Jieguan and his group. He probably also explained clearly why Qin Si's grandmother survived. What remained was to arrange for people to escort Gu to Minzhou.
It just so happened that the group led by Li Jieguan from Zhengzhou was also going to Minzhou, so Liu Yichang decided to entrust the people to Li Jieguan and others.
When Liu Yichang introduced Li Jieguan and Adjutant Feng to Gu Ran, Gu Ran knew that her guess when she met Aunt Mai and her daughter yesterday was correct, and she would have to set off with Li Jieguan and others in the future.
Li Jie Guan was an official in his early thirties, with a burly build and a serious demeanor. Gu Ran had heard from Aunt Mai that Li Jie Guan was an excellent martial artist, which was why he was able to subdue the prisoners along the way. Now that he had seen him in person, Gu Ran realized that what she said was true; he was obviously a martial artist.
As for Adjutant Feng, Master Feng, Gu Ran had seen him since he brought the female prisoner into the prison. She inexplicably disliked this man, and now when she saw him again, she still felt the same aversion.
"Oh, it turns out to be the exile from the capital. I didn't expect that." Mr. Feng said, squinting his eyes and looking at Gu Ranlai.
Gu Ran felt a pair of malicious eyes on her and wanted to lower her head in embarrassment, but then she remembered the original owner's temperament and bravely met Master Feng's gaze. It soon fell on Li Jieguan and ordered him arrogantly: "Thank you for your help, gentlemen. When I am free again, I will ask my father to reward you handsomely."
Li Jieguan casually glanced at Gu Ran, then ignored him, grabbed his sword and left the meeting room. As for Master Feng, he chuckled twice, and said intriguingly, "Gu, do you think that day will come again?"
"My father has always been highly regarded by the emperor. I disobeyed him the other day and disappointed him. Today I have changed my mind. My father only asked the emperor to show mercy and release an innocent woman who was implicated. The emperor is kind-hearted and compassionate, and he will not refuse." Gu Ran said arrogantly.
Mr. Feng's expression changed slightly. Gu Ran didn't want to say more. He bowed to Liu Yichang and was taken out of the meeting hall by the postman.
She had dealt with the family letter that Dou Po wrote to the capital before. Postmaster Liu must have had a purpose. He must have known that she was full of remorse and wept for the original owner's father, Ningyuan Hou, who was the main person in charge of divorcing Qin Silang. Even if she didn't tell the two officials, Postmaster Liu would have explained it to them.
She wanted to let these officials know that she had someone backing her up and that there was a possibility that she could regain her freedom and return to the capital. Regardless of whether they believed it or not, she had to make a strong gesture.
The meeting hall of the post station is on the side of the post station entrance. Anyone who wants to enter the post station must complete the paperwork here before entering.
Gu Ran walked out of the meeting hall, feeling the biting winter wind. This was her first time walking out of the prison and breathing the fresh but cold air. The air penetrated into her clothes with a chill, making her legs shiver.
She shrank her neck and huddled herself in her loose cotton coat.
When walking eastwards towards the prison in a corner, he happened to see Li Jieguan and several subordinates leaving the post station on horseback, apparently to explore the way. Gu Ran didn't pay much attention to them.
Outside, the mountains and fields were covered with snow, a vast expanse of white, a blanket of silver. Although it looked beautiful, it was too cold. She would rather go back to the prison and continue to warm herself by the fire.
As a result, when she passed by the kitchen, Mrs. Dou called her with a smile.
It turned out that starting tomorrow, Mrs. Dou would be taking a day off and going back to her own home to celebrate the New Year, so she specifically told her about it today.
"It's already the 26th year!" Gu Ran couldn't help but sigh. He had just spent his first year in the Great Sheng Dynasty in exile.
"Yes, Madam Gu, I could have left on the winter solstice. The reason I stayed here was to earn more money."
In the Dasheng Dynasty, there was a post station every forty miles and a pavilion every twenty miles. The nearest town to Qingyi in the south was Sui County. There were three villages on the way. Dou Pozi was from the nearest Lianhua Village, so she was able to stay at the post station to work even in the snow.
Mrs. Dou had three sons, all of whom were married and had children. There were more than twenty people in her family, and they lived on the few acres of land inherited from their ancestors. They were so poor that they could only eat one meal a day. Mrs. Dou was able to work in the kitchen of Qingyi thanks to the blessing of her brother from her mother's family.
Dou's elder brother was an old groom in charge of taking care of horses in the post station. His younger sister's family was poor, and Mrs. Dou had some cooking skills, so she used her connections to get her younger sister to work as a handyman and cook in the post station, so that she could get a job as an official and help Mrs. Dou support the family.
Therefore, Gu Ran made the right move when he wanted to report Dou Pozi for framing him but had some reservations and gave up this step.
Otherwise, if something happens to Mrs. Dou, this old groom will not let me go easily.
"By the time I come back, it will probably be the sixth day of the New Year. By then, you should be leaving."
Mrs. Dou looked at Gu Ran as if he were a huge ingot, and was quite reluctant to let him go.
During these days, she has earned more than one or two taels of silver from Madam Gu's fingers. She is really the one who can make money just by keeping her around!
Besides, she still owed him twenty taels of silver, and he was looking forward to her parents coming to pay her back soon.
If she didn't leave and stayed at the post station, she might even get a chance to meet the famous Marquis of Some Mansion and get the reward money directly. If she left, she would have to trouble the officials in Fujian to get the reward money!
Gu Ran looked at Mrs. Dou. How could he not understand why she felt so reluctant?
Thinking that Mrs. Dou was about to leave the kitchen, it would be inconvenient for her to order anything in the future. Moreover, if she was leaving in two days, she had to make preparations early in such a cold day. It would be better to use Mrs. Dou one last time.
"Grandma Dou, don't worry. When I see my father in the future, I will definitely ask him to bring silver and a thank-you gift to Lianhua Village for you!" Gu Ran vowed.
"Hey hey!" Gu Ran's words touched Mrs. Dou's heart, and she nodded repeatedly with a smile.
"By the way, Grandma Dou, if you leave, I'm afraid I won't be able to find anyone to help me. Before you leave, could you please find me some things that I might need on the road? I have a few copper coins left, and I'll give them all to you."
Of course, those copper coins were earned from Aunt Mai and her daughter these days.
"Yes, of course." Grandma Dou smiled widely, her attitude extremely respectful. "What does Second Madam Gu want? Just tell me, and I'll get it for you right away."
Gu Ran didn't dare ask for too many things from Grandma Dou. If she did, Grandma Dou would think that she had too much money. Besides, the money in the post station was tight, and Grandma Dou couldn't get some of the daily necessities she wanted. Grandma Dou worked in the kitchen, and all she could get was some food.
In the end, Mrs. Dou only gave six large white flour steamed buns, which were usually only eaten by the postmaster and the chief clerk, five coarse grain steamed buns, and some pickled vegetables and salt. The surprise was that she also sent a ten-day supply of broken charcoal.
So Gu Ran expressed his gratitude to Mrs. Dou again and gave her all the copper coins he earned from Aunt Mai. Mrs. Dou took the copper coins and happily sent Gu Ran back to the prison. Except for the charcoal, the big steamed buns and salt were hidden in her cotton coat and secretly put into the workshop before entering the cell.
She asked Mrs. Dou for more food because she was afraid that she would be treated harshly in the future. If she was short of food, she had some extra food as a precaution.
However, after Mrs. Dou left, the prisoners did not leave the post station as quickly as she had said.
Because after Li Jieguan and his subordinates investigated the road ahead, they found that although the snow had stopped, a thick layer of ice and snow had formed on the official road ahead. The several mountains they had to pass on the way were covered with snow, and the passes in and out were probably still blocked by snow, making it difficult to move forward. If they insisted on heading south, they would have to clear the snow along the way before they could move forward.
After all, it is the most unbearable season of wind and snow. Not only is it difficult to travel, but it is also very easy to get sick and freeze to death. You may have to camp in the snow on the way, which makes it even more likely for accidents to happen.
Although they were criminals sentenced to exile, they were also to be taken to develop the human resources of Fujian Province. If more than half of them died on the way, the government would also hold the leading officer accountable.
Besides, it was almost the end of the year, and if they rushed to Sui County, the government would be closed, making it inconvenient to accommodate them. So they decided to stay in Qingyi for the time being to recuperate, and wait for the snow to melt after the New Year to see how the situation would be.
Hearing that they had to stay at the post station, Gu Ran thought it was good news.
By staying in the post station cell and not catching a cold outside, she can use this time to recuperate!
Gu Ran wished it would continue snowing outside, the heavier the better.
Because of the New Year, they were the only ones staying at the post station. Except for those on duty, most of the clerks and servants at Qingyi had gone home to celebrate the festival. Without the coming and going of guests and servants, the post station suddenly became deserted.
But there were people around, and work had to be done. Since there were not enough people, prisoners were naturally used.
Li Jie quickly assigned tasks to the prisoners:
To prepare food for the prisoners every day, the cooks originally from the detainee team were transferred to the kitchen, and a few prisoners were assigned to help.
The firewood they were given to last until the New Year was insufficient, so the prisoners were sent outside to collect firewood.
People had to be sent every day to clear the snow inside and outside the post station, and so on.
Gu Ran and other female prisoners were naturally assigned tasks, and they all took turns washing clothes, shoveling snow, collecting firewood, etc.
It was the twenty-eighth day of the lunar year when it was the turn of Gu Ran and four other female prisoners to shovel snow outside the post station.
Wearing anklets and holding a bamboo broom, Gu Ran stood in the snow and cold wind blowing from all directions. He huddled up in his prison uniform and felt that his face and limbs were frozen.
Without the solar thermal pads, this weather is really unbearable.
Although I was wearing cotton shoes, the soles were thin. After walking a few more steps on the snow, a chill rushed up from the soles of my feet. The frostbite that had just been cured by applying orange peel paste seemed to be showing signs of coming back.
She was just an exile, but she didn't expect that she would have to undergo labor reform in such a cold winter.
But what can we do?
Gu Ran obediently followed Aunt Mai and Mai Xiang, clearing the snow diligently, but the progress was very slow. It was not until a few male prisoners who were also responsible for shoveling snow came over to help that things started to improve.
"Pei Liuniang, you haven't eaten yet, right? Look at you, how are you sweeping the snow?"
Gu Ran heard a scolding from the front and looked up.
Adjutant Feng was standing next to Pei Liuniang, who was holding a broom. His eyes seemed to be fixed on her, but he scolded her without any hesitation, "If everyone were like you, how long would it take to sweep the snow? Work harder."
Pei Liuniang was weak and frail, and she lowered her head helplessly in front of everyone.
Gu Ran pursed his lips, feeling a trace of sympathy in his heart.
Aunt Mai and Mai Xiang in front saw it. Mai Xiang nervously reached out and tugged at the hem of her cotton-padded jacket: "Mother?"
"It's okay, Xiangxiang, don't worry, Mom is here."
Hearing Aunt Mai comforting her daughter, and then seeing the other prisoners lowering their heads even lower, and some of them looking angry but not daring to speak, Gu Ran felt a tightness in his heart.
There is something wrong with this Adjutant Feng!
Just as Gu Ran was thinking this, Adjutant Feng, who was in front of him, had finished scolding Pei Liuniang and was supervising the prisoners' work. He slowly walked over to Gu Ran and called out in a strange tone, "Hey, Grandma Qin Si?"
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