"What...what are you doing?"
Old Lu's eyes widened. Although the needles weren't meant to be used on him, just looking at them made him shudder.
He Jiuniang patiently explained, "In order not to give anyone away, I went to the clinic yesterday and spent money to ask an old doctor to teach me a few tricks, such as needling a few acupoints, so that everyone can really feel the pain."
She was worried about unforeseen circumstances, as this group of "disabled people" were running faster than able-bodied people, so she wanted to restrict their movements.
Upon hearing this, and looking at the thick, long silver needles, the men trembled slightly; it looked painful!
But having learned from yesterday's lesson, no one questioned it this time. Although I was scared, I gritted my teeth and went to get the injection.
After a night, He Jiuniang's anger had long since subsided. She didn't deliberately target anyone, and simply tied the wound as usual, then casually tore off a strip of cloth to bandage it.
Then he applied shadows to everyone's faces and smeared white powder on their lips, making them look instantly emaciated, as if they were about to die.
"My third sister-in-law is amazing!"
Looking at his elder brother, Lu Lao Er could imagine his own current state, and kept praising He Jiu Niang.
"Yes! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!"
The others followed suit, their admiration for He Jiuniang was immense.
He Jiuniang smiled modestly: "It's nothing, just some casual drawing."
"Hey, sister-in-law, no need to be modest. You really are capable! Once we've safely entered the city, we'll definitely repay you!"
"Yes, yes, since Dog's father isn't here, if your sister-in-law has any difficulties, just let us know. We're happy to do all the chores around the house; it's our duty!"
Mrs. Sun curled her lip and whispered to her two daughters-in-law, "Anyone can say nice things, humph!"
Yu and Qin covered their mouths and laughed, but didn't say anything more.
By the time everyone was ready to set off, the sun was already high in the sky.
They should have arrived by noon, but because they brought a group of "disabled people," they didn't reach the gates of Jingzhou City until the afternoon.
The soldiers guarding the city had seen wounded men before, but this was the first time they had seen so many wounded men, and they all looked quite serious.
"What's going on with such a large group of you?"
Seeing that they all looked emaciated, the officers and soldiers dared not approach them, fearing that they might have contracted the disease.
"Sir, our clan encountered bandits on the road. Originally there were over a hundred people, but now only we remain. The men are all seriously injured. We heard that Jingzhou could recruit women, children, and the disabled, so we rushed here! The men in our family are all seriously injured from the journey, and they are in such a state. Please, sir, be lenient!"
As soon as the soldiers arrived, Sun burst into tears, crying as if she wanted everyone to know how miserable they were.
This was what He Jiuniang had taught her before, and not only her, but all the women and children were crying uncontrollably.
Their faces were already made up, making them look incredibly haggard. Coupled with their wailing, the officers and soldiers immediately felt that this family was truly in dire straits.
With this mindset already in mind, when they went to examine the boy's wounds, they found it even more unbearable to look at. They glanced at them briefly, covered their noses, and backed away.
"They're pitiful, their wounds are stinking. Even if they can be healed, they'll be crippled. His Highness Prince Chen is kind-hearted; he even gave them a settlement allowance after they entered the city. Take the money and go see a doctor quickly!"
He Jiuniang had already mentioned the resettlement allowance last night, so no one was surprised. However, they still appeared very excited and praised Prince Chen and the city guards before entering the city with tears of gratitude.
After walking quite a distance into the city and confirming that there were no soldiers around, the group breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the bustling crowd in front of me, surrounded by the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and laughter, it felt like a dream.
They really got into the city so easily? They didn't even need the waist token that Young Master Qin gave them!
"Honey, pinch me! Are we really in Jingzhou City now?"
Qin held Lu Lao Er's hand, her palms sweating nervously. She had never seen such a bustling city before, and there were just too many people!
"It's true, Jingzhou City is truly prosperous!"
Lu Lao Er kept clicking his tongue. Although Sun Shi was also shocked, she didn't show it. She even scolded her second son, "Alright, stop acting like you've never seen the world before. You're just embarrassing yourself!"
Old Lu was in better shape. He had worked as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in his youth and had been to many cities, so he was quite knowledgeable.
Among the crowd, He Jiuniang was the calmest, but everyone assumed she was still shaken from yesterday's events and didn't think much of it.
But in reality, such a scene was nothing to He Jiu Niang. What storms hadn't she seen in her previous life?
"What are you all doing? You're all filthy, aren't you ashamed! Are you refugees fleeing from disaster? Get to the government office and wait for resettlement, don't wander around!"
Suddenly a middle-aged man appeared, his face fierce and menacing, which frightened everyone.
"Yes, yes, we're just country bumpkins, we've never seen much of the world. May I ask, sir, how do we get to the government office?"
Lu Fugui was quick-witted enough to step forward and strike up a conversation, as they were newcomers and it was best to avoid causing trouble.
Seeing that they were being nice, the man kindly gave them directions.
"City people have such bad tempers! But we really need to take better care of ourselves."
Yu muttered to herself, "Don't blame others for looking down on us now; even we ourselves feel ashamed of ourselves."
He Jiuniang said, "We can get things sorted out properly once we settle down at our destination."
"Um!"
Everyone had smiles on their faces; once they entered the city, their hearts were at ease.
Although they were eager to explore the bustling streets, the group suppressed their curiosity and went to the government office to report for duty, hoping to be assigned a good place.
Just like yesterday, there were already many people outside the government office, mostly women, children and the elderly. They were quite surprised to see this large family, but they could understand it when they saw that the eldest brother and the others were injured and barely alive.
The journey of fleeing was difficult for everyone.
He Jiuniang handed over her identity documents on behalf of everyone and waited for the yamen runner to call her name.
The Lu family's documents are all intact, but the others' were lost or damaged during their escape and need to be replaced, which will take a lot of time.
By the time it was finally his turn, the officials and soldiers were about to leave the office.
"Sir, please have mercy and help my family! These injured people in my family are waiting for money to see a doctor!"
Seeing that the yamen runners were packing up their things and clearly didn't want to do it, Sun rushed up to them without saying a word and started crying and complaining.
"Where did this crazy woman come from!"
The constable was startled. He was already in a bad mood after dealing with these smelly refugees all day, and now that he was startled, he became furious.
"Forget it, look at her family, they're all practically dead, they look so pitiful, let's just get it done for them."
Another person kindly tried to dissuade them, simply because they saw that Boss Lu and his group looked like they wouldn't live much longer. If the refugees didn't die on the road but instead died in front of the government, then their responsibility would be enormous!
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