Chapter 303: Snowstorm hits, trapped in Wuchuan County
Now, Ye Chutang and his party are already in Tianshan County.
It takes two days to reach the next county.
If the snowstorm came too quickly, they would probably be stuck halfway on the road.
Qi Shuyan told Qi Yanzhou what Xia Shu said.
Qi Yanzhou looked at the sun above his head, then looked at the gray sky on the horizon. He held the reins with one hand and pushed open the car door with the other.
In order to prevent drafts, the carriage does not use door curtains, but instead uses a wooden mesh door covered with paper.
It not only prevents the wind, but also prevents the carriage from being too dark.
"Atang, the snowstorm is coming soon. It may take one day at the fastest or three days at the slowest. If the snowstorm comes, can you let the 'Ghost Thief' take you to Tianshan County?"
Ye Chutang stuck his head out of the car door and looked toward the sky.
This place is more than a thousand miles away from Tianshan County. At the current speed, it can be arrived in seven or eight days.
If the road is blocked by heavy snow, we will have to stay in the nearest county town for half a year.
"Try to walk, and we'll talk later if you really can't."
Qi Yanzhou saw Ye Chutang's little face turned red by the cold wind as soon as she showed her head, so he quickly let her into the car.
"Atang, Miss Xia said that this year's snowstorm will be much bigger than previous years."
What this meant was that they had to settle down in the nearest county or town.
"Don't worry about me. Just follow the countermeasures you prepared before."
"Okay, I'll try to settle down in the county before the snowstorm comes."
The town is too small, and its facilities and conditions are not perfect.
It can be used for settlement, but it is not convenient for production.
After saying this, Qi Yanzhou obviously increased the speed of the carriage.
Fortunately, Amira blessed the child, and Ye Chutang did not feel uncomfortable at all along the way.
That's why he dared to take the risk and speed up.
After the carriage started moving, the bumpy feeling became noticeably stronger.
But he needed to race against time with the snowstorm and couldn't care less.
Qi Shuyan saw Qi Yanzhou slap the horse's butt hard to make the carriage move.
He followed suit and chased after him.
"A Zhou, the carriage is so fast, can my sister-in-law bear it?"
Not to mention pregnant women, even ordinary people would feel dizzy.
Qi Yanzhou's handsome face was tense, and he shook his head, "Ah Tang can bear it. If she feels uncomfortable, she will tell me."
"Then we won't rest at night. Let's hurry on and try to settle down in Wuchuan County."
"Okay, that's decided."
After a while, both of Qi Qingyu's children were crying.
Then he vomited all over the place.
Fortunately, Qi Jingyao was well prepared and did not dirty the carriage.
Otherwise I won’t be able to rest or sleep.
She didn't know what was going on, and endured the discomfort in her stomach and asked Han Chong who was driving.
"Master Han, what happened?"
Han Chong said without turning his head: "A snowstorm is coming, we need to hurry, just bear with it, and when you can't stand it anymore, tell me."
"Okay, I get it. Good job."
When Qi Jingyao was about to close the door, Qi Qingyu asked, "Master Han, my sister-in-law is pregnant. Can she bear such a hasty journey?"
Han Chong didn't know the answer to this question.
But he was clear about one thing, Qi Yanzhou would do his best to take good care of Ye Chutang.
"Mr. Qi and Mrs. Qi will not take risks with their children. I think they should be able to bear it."
This made the two women feel a little relieved.
Qi Qingyu looked at Qi Jingyao.
"Ayao, I'm worried about my sister-in-law, how about you go and take care of her?"
Qi Jingyao had no objection, after all, her life was saved by Ye Chutang.
"Okay, I'll talk to Lord Han."
Han Chong had excellent hearing and had heard the conversation between the two.
He said, "It's not convenient to stop the car now. Let's ask Mrs. Qi for her opinion later when we have a rest."
Qi Qingyu responded: "Okay."
Ye Chutang, who was worried about by everyone, was now lying on the Simmons bed in the space, eating fruits and humming songs.
Although she couldn't stay in the space for a long time, she could stay there three times a day for half an hour each time.
Whenever I feel a little unwell, I hide inside and take some time off.
This is what she did every day after leaving Tacheng.
In addition to eating, drinking and lying down, she also used the spiritual spring water to grow a lot of crops and collected a lot of optimized seeds.
Although this seed is the same as the seeds sold at Modern Agricultural Station, the best effect is only for one season.
But the effect of planting the harvested seeds is always better than that of planting ordinary seeds.
After staying comfortably in the space for half an hour, I continued to suffer from the bumpy ride of the carriage.
Ye Chutang touched his belly and said in his heart: "Fortunately, the witch tribe has blessed me, otherwise I really wouldn't be able to go through so much trouble."
Perhaps the child sensed what she was thinking and kicked twice in response.
The corners of her mouth turned up and she patted her belly.
"Don't worry, you will be able to come out in two months."
Today, Ye Chutang is eight months pregnant.
Twins are usually born early, but children are blessed and should live to full term.
The carriage sped along and only stopped after dark.
Qi Qingyu's two children were tired from crying and fell asleep.
Of the four women in the carriage, except Ye Chutang, the other three looked pale.
Qi Jingyao walked towards Ye Chutang with unsteady steps.
"Second sister-in-law, are you okay? Let me take care of you from now on, okay?"
Ever since she risked her life to save Qi Qingyu, she returned to the Qi family.
Her current identity is the concubine of the Qi family.
Ye Chutang knew that Qi Jingyao meant well, but she refused.
"I'm fine. This little bump is nothing. Just focus on taking care of your two little nephews."
If she was in the same carriage with Qi Jingyao, she wouldn't be able to enter the space and enjoy it.
Qi Qingyu didn't know Ye Chutang's plan, so he quickly tried to dissuade him.
"Sister-in-law, I can take good care of the two children. Let A Yao take care of you. You are in a heavy body now, so you have to be extra careful."
"Eldest sister, I was lying down to rest in the carriage, so I didn't need any care. But my two little nephews were in pain from the shaking, so they needed more care."
Since Ye Chutang said so, Qi Qingyu didn't insist anymore.
"Okay, if you need someone to take care of you, be sure to ask."
"I will. Let's eat first."
Recently, when eating, Ye Chutang took out hot meals from the space in the name of "Ghost Thief".
And they are all big fish and meat, so that eating them can keep out the cold.
After dinner, everyone continued on their way.
No one knows exactly when the snowstorm will come, so try to travel as fast as possible.
Ye Chutang felt that the inside of the carriage was not soft enough, so he cut a piece of latex pad of suitable size from the space and placed it at the bottom of the carriage.
Lying on it is like lying on a soft cloud, and the bumpy feeling is significantly reduced.
***
The blizzard came at noon the next day.
After traveling for a day and a night, the National Protection Army and the two brothers of the Qi family were exhausted.
Everywhere I looked was white.
The wind and snow made it impossible for people to open their eyes, and the horses were unwilling to run anymore.
It is still half a day's journey from here to Wuchuan County.
Ye Chutang opened the window of the carriage and said, "Azhou, the snow is too strong and we can't see anything clearly. Let's find a place to stop in the wind first."
Qi Yanzhou had already obtained the detailed topographic map drawn by Nan Xiao.
He knew a good place to set up camp nearby.
"Okay, there is a weathered stone forest not far ahead. We can take shelter in it for a while and wait until the wind and snow subside before heading to Wuchuan County."
After saying this, he jumped off the carriage and pulled the horse forward.
Qi Shuyan and the National Protection Army followed.
They walked for about quarter of an hour in the wind and snow and arrived at the stone forest that Qi Yanzhou mentioned.
The area of the Stone Forest is not large and can barely accommodate about fifty people.
The cold, sharp draft made the horses neigh incessantly.
The National Protection Army immediately set up tents.
Ye Chutang got off the warm carriage, looked at the large snowflakes falling towards him, and asked Xia Shu.
"Miss Xia, based on your experience, how long will this snow last?"
"This snowstorm is coming with such force that I'm afraid it will last for three days."
Three days later, all roads were blocked by heavy snow.
Not to mention going to Tianshan County, even going to Wuchuan County is extremely difficult.
Xia Shu caught a snowflake and twisted it with her hands.
Not much moisture.
The snow did not alleviate the drought.
When the weather warms up, the snow will not melt much water and will evaporate.
It seems that the drought will continue next year.
Ye Chutang didn't expect the snow to last so long.
She said, "Let's not set up camp. Let's keep going forward to Wuchuan County."
Although she has everything in her space, she has no worries about food and drink.
But she didn't want to give birth to a child in this remote place.
There was a thick layer of snow on Qi Yanzhou's shoulders, and the tip of his nose was red from the cold.
"Atang, the snow is too strong and the road is not clear. The horses can run, but the carriage cannot move. It is easy to overturn."
"Leave the carriage and ride on horseback."
"But you are not in good health to ride a horse now."
Ye Chutang held the warm hot water bottle and said, "Don't worry about me. Just protect the two children."
If we ride faster, we can reach Wuchuan County in more than half an hour.
However, the heavy snow that lasted for more than half an hour was not enough to block the road.
Qi Yanzhou heard the hidden meaning in Ye Chutang's words.
The "ghost thief" can take her to Wuchuan County.
He took a step to the side and asked in a low voice: "Can you go directly to Tianshan County?"
Ye Chutang nodded affirmatively.
"Yes, let's go to Wuchuan County first and then make plans."
Qi Yanzhou had no objection, "Okay."
He said to the National Protection Army who were busy at work: "Pack up your things and ride as fast as you can to Wuchuan County."
Then he assigned the people in the carriage to different places.
Qi Shuyan brought Xia Shu, Qi Yanzhou brought Qi Qingyu, and Han Chong brought Qi Jingyao.
The two children were handed over to Han Chong's confidant.
Ye Chutang took out fodder and hot water from the space to feed the horses and replenish their strength.
She also fed some spiritual spring water to the horse that needed to carry two people.
Then she went into the carriage, packed her luggage, and put the latex pad into the space.
After finishing all this, she said hello to Qi Yanzhou and disappeared in the blizzard.
Qi Yanzhou was familiar with the route and had a compass to identify the direction, so he braved the wind and snow to head to Wuchuan County.
Ye Chutang's space teleportation is only suitable for small areas and short distances.
Otherwise, flashing in and out is time-consuming and troublesome.
She used the earth escape technique which cost less merit points and arrived at Wuchuan County.
The Northwest is vast and sparsely populated, and the county town is not very large.
Coupled with the sudden snowstorm, there were almost no pedestrians on the streets.
Ye Chutang went to the best inn in Wuchuan County and booked all the empty rooms.
She only paid for one day's room, wanting to decide how long to stay after Qi Yanzhou and the others arrived.
The inn had a charcoal stove burning, and the heat was blocked inside the room by thick curtains, making it as warm as spring.
"Boss, I want to take a bath, please bring me some hot water."
The shopkeeper responded and reminded, "Madam, due to the long drought, the price of water has increased. It costs fifty coins to take a bath. Do you still need water?"
In the past, if you wanted to take a shower while staying in a hotel, you only had to pay a service fee of five cents.
Now it has increased tenfold!
"Yes, just deduct it from the hotel fee and we'll settle it together tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ye Chutang lived in the best room in the inn, which was burned with high-quality charcoal and had no smell.
But compared with silver charcoal, it is not even a little bit worse.
She called the waiter and replaced it with the silver charcoal she took out from the space.
Silver thread charcoal is tribute charcoal, the waiter has never seen it before.
But he could still tell the quality of the charcoal.
"Madam, aren't you a local? I didn't expect you to bring charcoal with you when you go out."
Ye Chutang said casually: "I'm pregnant, so I have to be more careful."
"That's right. Now that a blizzard is coming, the city will be closed soon. It looks like my wife is about to give birth. If you need a midwife, go to the one at the end of South Street."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you."
Ye Chutang had just finished bathing when Qi Yanzhou and his party came to the inn in the snow and wind.
There were not enough rooms in the inn, so Han Chong and twenty National Defense Army soldiers chose another one to stay in.
Qi Yanzhou took out a ten-liang silver ingot and placed it on the counter.
"Good wine and good food, please bring it."
Wuchuan County is an ordinary small county. Although prices will rise in winter, they are not expensive.
More than thirty people could eat it all for less than ten taels of silver.
The shopkeeper took the silver and smiled widely.
"Dear guests, please take a seat. The food will be served shortly."
In the northwest, people like to eat beef and mutton in winter, and drink beef and mutton offal soup to keep out the cold.
The key is that it doesn’t have any fishy smell, and Ye Chutang ate a lot of it.
After dinner, the National Protection Army went to rest.
The Qi family gathered in Ye Chutang's room to discuss the next arrangements.
Qi Yanzhou looked at Ye Chutang, "Atang, this snow is too heavy. Even if it stops in three days, the road will not be passable. I'm afraid we will have to stay in Wuchuan County for the New Year."
After hearing this, Ye Chutang looked at Qi Shuyan.
"Brother, you have already recovered the officials and garrisons of Tianshan County, right?"
Qi Shuyan nodded, "My sister-in-law wants to use their help to dig a road to Tianshan County after the snow stops, right?"
"Yes, that's what I thought."
"This is indeed a solution, but it would require a lot of manpower and the favor is too great to be repaid."
After Qi Yanzhou knew Ye Chutang's thoughts, he understood her plan.
"Atang, do you want to use the cotton clothes and food that were previously shipped to the northwest to exchange for the garrison troops to take action?"
Ye Chutang nodded affirmatively.
"This winter is definitely more difficult than previous years. Cotton clothes and food are life-saving medicine for the garrison troops."
Not to mention asking them to shovel snow, they would be willing to rebel.
Qi Yanzhou felt that this was the best solution at the moment.
He looked at Qi Shuyan and said, "Brother, when the snow is lighter, you can write a letter to the garrison commander, offering two hundred dan of grain as a reward, and ask the soldiers to help shovel the snow and clear the road."
Ye Chutang thought of the two hundred dan of wheat taken from the farm in the country.
"Two hundred dan of wheat, plus one hundred dan of rice."
This amount of food is not much for the 60,000 garrison troops, but it is enough either, enough to last for one or two months.
Shoveling snow is just physical work, and they will definitely be willing to take on the task.
Qi Shuyan looked at the wealthy couple and said with a smile, "Money makes the world go round. I have written the letter."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
