Chapter 95 Where did Xiao Xiuning get the eggs?
We continued on our journey in the afternoon, and more and more people collapsed. In the morning, a group of elderly people and children had already fallen ill.
In the afternoon, it was the ladies and young women who, apart from attending banquets, rarely went out. When they did travel, they would ride in sedan chairs and carriages, walking slower and slower until they finally collapsed from exhaustion and could not get up.
The guards saw that they were barely alive and dared not whip them, fearing that they would kill them and they would not be able to report back if too many people died.
"Crack!" The whip lashed out beside them, threatening, "Get up, get up! If we don't let you rest, keep walking! If you don't move, the whip will fall on you..."
Still no movement. The guards grew angry and raised their whips again, ready to strike.
They were truly exhausted, so tired they couldn't even lift their fingers. They lay on the ground, sobbing, "Ah! I'm so tired, I'm going to die, I really can't walk anymore, waaaaah..."
The escort pointed his whip at the woman's mother beside her, "You stand up and help her walk..."
The lady struggled to her feet but couldn't get up; her arms gave way and she collapsed back down. "Officer," she said, "I can't walk anymore."
"A bunch of useless bastards! It hasn't even been two days yet, and the hard times are yet to come. How can people like you make it to Lingnan? Get up!" the escort shouted angrily.
The women cried even louder, "Waaah..."
Yes, it's better to die early than to work yourself to death, so you can suffer less and be reincarnated sooner.
The escort suggested, "Where are the men in your household? Let them help you."
“They can’t even walk themselves, they have to support their elders and carry their children, how can they care about our life or death?”
The escort had no choice but to send someone to report to Lao Liao.
Upon hearing this, Lao Liao glanced at the line behind him and saw that they had indeed fallen far behind. He called out to the line ahead, "The line in front, stop for a bit and rest for half an hour before continuing."
Everyone in the team was exhausted, their faces flushed and they were panting heavily.
The most comfortable was the Third Prince, who sat on a simple bamboo chair with two bamboo poles running across the armrests and secured with strips of cloth and boards, forming a simple sedan chair, which was carried by two guards.
There was an umbrella overhead; if he weren't wearing prison clothes, one would think he was out for a spring outing.
Everyone looked at him with envy.
The guards turned a blind eye to this; there was nothing they could do, since the Third Prince paid so much—one hundred taels each, enough for their salary for one or two years.
In the afternoon, Xie Wanyun and Song Mingyan each carried a child and a bundle on their backs.
Xiao Xuance told them to put their bundles on the carriage to lighten their load.
Jun'er is a bit older, so he walks on his own. Even when he's too tired to walk and his legs are trembling, he still grits his teeth and keeps going. He almost falls several times along the way.
Yun Zhaoxue helped him up so he didn't fall.
Every time Jun'er was helped up, he would politely thank her, saying, "Thank you, Third Aunt."
Xie Wanyun carried Xian'er, almost unable to walk herself. Her eyes were vacant and numb as she walked, her steps unsteady, completely ignoring her son.
Gu Xuanwu helped Yang Shi up.
Xiao Xuance, who was in charge of pushing the cart, had cold sweat dripping from his forehead, but he still gritted his teeth and continued to walk forward. His legs trembled uncontrollably, as if a dull knife was scraping back and forth in his bones, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Seeing Yun Zhaoxue helping her nephew, she suddenly felt a little envious.
He was startled when he came up with the idea.
He is a man, a husband, and a father of children in the future. He has to support them and provide for them. How can he think of relying on his wife?
Once dependence becomes a habit, it turns you into someone who lives off a woman.
It must be because the injury to my leg is too painful that I have this thought.
Old Liao's call to rest on the spot was like heavenly music to everyone, and they were overjoyed.
Someone was so excited that they cried, "Ah! Finally, I can rest. It's so good, sob sob..."
Someone knelt down on the ground, collapsed, and cried out, "Huff, huff... I'm exhausted."
He was barely holding on by sheer willpower. After stopping, he felt incredibly hungry. He rummaged through his bundle for food, but all he found were cornbread buns. When you're starving, even shit tastes good, so he didn't care about the smell and immediately started eating them.
Yun Zhaoxue was also hungry. Remembering that there were eggs in her bundle, she took a sip of water, peeled an egg, and ate it. She glanced around idly.
She inadvertently caught a glimpse of Xiao Xiuning and Ye Hongying not far away, each holding an egg that looked just like hers and peeling it.
Where did they get their eggs?
Glancing to the left, everyone else was eating eggs, except for Yang Shi and Xiao Xuanwu who were sharing an egg. They were reluctant to eat half of their eggs and were vying to give them to Xiao Xuance.
Then, recalling their reactions before departure, everything became clear.
When Yang saw the look in her eyes, she felt guilty and her hand trembled, causing the egg to fall to the ground. She quickly picked it up and dusted it off.
Xiao Xiuning noticed that she had been discovered. Instead of being coy or dodging, she took a bite of the egg and chewed it forcefully, as if afraid that Xiao Xiuning would not see that she was eating an egg.
Ye Hongying, who was beside her, also ate very slowly, savoring each bite. For someone who hadn't eaten meat for two days, eggs were a delicacy.
The people around them, who were eating cornbread, stared enviously at the eggs in their hands.
Ye Hongying told her that this would provoke Yun Zhaoxue, and she would definitely get angry and scold Yang Shi and her third brother.
If they become alienated, Yun Zhaoxue will leave her family's side.
With the eyesore gone, she can go with her loved ones.
Yun Zhaoxue glanced at it, her face expressionless, and then turned back to continue eating her eggs.
Yang and Xiao Xuanwu were prepared to be scolded by her, but seeing her indifferent attitude, they were even more flustered than if they had been scolded by her.
She handed the egg in her hand to Xiao Xuance, "Ce'er, you take the egg and eat it. I'm going to apologize to Xue'er."
Yun Zhaoxue was also involved in collecting the eggs, but he secretly gave them away behind her back.
The main issue was that she and Xiao Xiuning had a falling out, which strained their relationship.
For Yun Zhaoxue, this was tantamount to a betrayal; she had indeed acted inappropriately due to a lack of consideration.
She had just stood up.
The two sons said in unison, "Mother, I'll go."
Madam Yang placed her hands on her two sons' shoulders and pressed them down to sit. "No need. Each person should take responsibility for their own actions. Ce'er, this matter has nothing to do with you. Don't let this affect your relationship with your husband."
As she spoke, she walked towards Yun Zhaoxue.
Xiao Xuanwu asked in a low voice, "Third brother, do you think third sister-in-law will hit mother? Should I go and see? If they start fighting, I can protect mother."
He had almost been slapped by Yun Zhaoxue before, but luckily he dodged it in time.
Xiao Xuance shook his head, "Don't worry, she won't."
He then handed the half-egg to Xiao Xuanwu, asking him to take it to his mother later.
Xie Wanyun and the others were also somewhat worried, as Yun Zhaoxue had a bad temper and might actually hit people.
Madam Yang leaned close to Yun Zhaoxue and whispered, "Xue'er, your mother owes you an apology. I gave away the eggs when you weren't around. I promise you that I will never hide anything from you again."
Xiao Xiuning was waiting for Yun Zhaoxue to get angry and start cursing, and to fall out with the others.
But seeing Yang apologize to her in a humble manner made her furious.
That was her respected mother; how could she bow down to that wicked woman?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She stood up, stomped her foot, and said to Madam Yang, "Mother, you are her mother-in-law and she is your daughter-in-law. How can you be so subservient to her? Do you have to be subservient to her even when you give your own daughter two eggs? Who is the mother-in-law and who is the daughter-in-law? If she can't stand it, then get out! Get out of our family!"
Then she can go back.
She couldn't wait to go back to her mother's side. Outsiders bullied her, only her family truly cared for her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com