After eating and drinking their fill, Tao Wanniang and her group rested on the spot. After spending the night there, they packed up and set off again. They continued to take the small paths, and as they walked through the mountains, forests and fields, they could see more and more that the hot summer had passed and autumn had arrived.
They had no shortage of rice and grain, and occasionally they could even hunt for wild produce. After a month of travel, the whole family had gained weight.
"We've been traveling for a month now, so we shouldn't run into any soldiers from the Mountain and Sea Prefecture. After enduring wind and rain for so long, and seeing your faces every day, I'm getting tired of it!" Tao Wanniang said with disdain, looking at the houses in the distance.
"Sister Tao, I think you're tired of the same old thing and want to try something different!" Bai Yumei teased. Although she had been homeless for the past month, staying in the woods and sleeping in a dilapidated temple, she had eaten quite a lot!
Tao Wan's mother could always come up with ways to cook for them, and what was amazing was how she always had so many seasonings on her.
"Grandma Tao, look at my sleeves!" Little Qiao'er stretched out her hand in distress. "I feel like I've grown up."
“Summer clothes are too thin, we should buy some thicker ones. Little Qiao’er, you’ve grown taller!” Tao Wan’s mother had a good reason. “Autumn is coming, and if it rains a few times, it will get cool quickly. The children need to prepare more clothes. Besides, we don’t know the way to the capital, so we should ask for directions!”
“Mother is right. Then hold on tight, I’ll go check out the village ahead right away,” Ling Dahu, the driver, shouted immediately.
Ling Dahu drove the cart into the village. The villagers, who were still working, hurriedly packed their things and rushed home. They all looked at Tao Wanniang and her group with surprise.
"Mother, we just asked for directions and are on our way. Why are these people acting like we've seen a plague god?" Ling Dapeng asked, puzzled.
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Just grab someone and ask them. Remember, be polite!" Tao Wanniang said irritably.
"Oh, okay, Mother!" Ling Dapeng immediately responded in a much more obedient tone.
Tao Wanniang felt heartbroken. Ever since she started trying different ways to prepare food, her two sons have become more and more like they've never been weaned. They call her "Empress" for everything, even though her two sons are already fathers themselves!
"Fellow villagers, why are you running away!" Ling Dahu shouted as the carriage caught up with a villager who hadn't yet escaped home.
"We're asking for directions. We're going to the capital. How long will it take to get to the next town?"
"Go, go, hurry up and leave! We thought you were bandits from the mountains." The villagers breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Tao Wanniang and her group. They had several children with them; they couldn't possibly be bandits.
"Bandits again!" Tao Wanniang's heart skipped a beat. The scene of killing the scarred bandit came back to her mind. Those people were not the most vicious. If they really encountered murder and robbery, they would not be able to withstand it!
"Fellow villager, where is the nearest town? Is it safe there?" Tao Wanniang leaned out and asked.
“There are militiamen in the town, so the bandits won’t dare to go there. If you take the main road, it will take about four hours. Hurry up and go.”
"What are we waiting for?" Tao Wan's mother immediately urged Ling Dahu to drive there quickly.
"Sister Tao, you don't need to worry too much. It's broad daylight, you won't run into them," Bai Yumei comforted Tao Wanniang, noticing the worry on her face.
“You don’t know, we’ve encountered this before!” Tao Wanniang exclaimed. “If it really happened, we wouldn’t even have time to run for our lives.”
"My grandmother was killed by bandits," Xiao Qiao'er said angrily. "Bandits are all vicious monsters who eat people without spitting out the bones!"
"Little Qiao'er's grandmother died saving me at the hands of bandits. We ordinary people are truly helpless when we encounter those vicious and ruthless people," Tao Wan's mother sighed. "I hope I won't be that unlucky!"
Ling Dahu quickly drove the carriage onto the official road.
"Mother, if it's four hours, we should be in town by evening!" Ling Dahu looked up at the sky, feeling a little worried.
Tao Wanniang was also a little worried. It was already afternoon, and four hours was not enough to get to the town. She would have to find a place to stay when the time came.
Let's get going first!
The Ling family members all thought about what had happened before, and each of them was somewhat preoccupied. Bai Yumei grew up in Shanhai Prefecture and, apart from the incident of being disfigured and stuffed into a well, had never seen the perpetrators. However, seeing the Ling family members' expressions, she remained silent.
The sky gradually darkened, and the wind carried a drizzle. Tao Wanniang's heart sank. It seemed that they would not be able to make it on their way. Looking ahead, the clouds were extremely dark.
"Mother, there seems to be a temple ahead. Should we take shelter there for a while?" Ling Dahu said, seeing that it was about to rain heavily.
"Go ahead, but don't get caught in the rain, or you'll easily get sick!" Tao Wan's mother immediately said.
Ling Dahu's men exerted their strength, urging the horse to hurry towards the temple. Finally, before the rain intensified, the family arrived at the temple.
After tying the horse to the eaves, the Ling brothers carried the two boxes down. Looking at the increasingly heavy rain outside, Tao Wanniang sighed.
The rain was falling as if God didn't want them to go to town.
"Find something to burn and start a fire, don't let the cold get into your body," Tao Wan's mother instructed. "Also boil some hot water and throw a few sweet potatoes in."
It was raining outside, but the grandson and granddaughter were very happy. They were talking incoherently and kept reaching out to catch water.
The little grandson fell asleep in Zhou Xiaoyun's arms, listening to the splashing water.
Tao Wanniang and her group sat in front of the fire, feeling somewhat sleepy.
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves approached, startling Tao Wanniang so much that her heart skipped a beat.
"Boss, there's a dilapidated temple up ahead. The rain is too heavy, let's take shelter there!"
"Boss, someone's here!"
With the sound of several men's rough voices, Tao Wanniang saw several people walking out of the rain.
"Gouwa, Huani, come here quickly!" Tao Wan's mother immediately pulled the two children to Ling Dahu's side.
At this moment, the three men led their horses to the front of the dilapidated temple and saw Tao Wanniang and her family.
"Move a little to the side, let's take shelter from the rain!" one of the men said, wiping the water from their faces.
"Could they be bandits?" Tao Wan's mother worried. "Move a little further in!" she whispered to her son and daughter-in-law.
Three large men suddenly rushed in, making the dilapidated temple feel crowded. Tao Wanniang was able to see what they looked like. All three men were tall and strong, and they were all carrying knives. Her intuition told her that these three men might really be bandits.
"What smells so good?" One of the men suddenly sniffed and looked towards Tao Wanniang.
As Tao Wanniang watched the sweet potatoes they threw into the fire, her heart sank.
Whose fault is it? It's her own fault for being greedy and insisting on roasting sweet potatoes.
"We roasted sweet potatoes, um... do you want some?" Tao Wanniang tentatively asked, looking up at the three of them.
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