“Yes, Mother.” As soon as Zhao took the bowl out, she saw the dress there and said, “This is a dress for Xiao Qi, right? Mother’s craftsmanship is still so good.”
She knew that her mother-in-law's embroidery skills were famous in the village. She used to embroider large pieces to sell, but she stopped because it was too stressful.
"Then I'll go and call Xiao Qi over." Zhao hurriedly got out of the carriage and told Xiao Qi to go into the carriage while she and Wu packed up and prepared lunch for tomorrow.
"Mom, my sister-in-law said you called me?" Xiao Qi hurriedly ran to the side of the carriage, reached out and grabbed the carriage to climb up, but was pulled up by An Shuyi.
"That's right, I'm calling you. Your mother made you a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and I want you to come in and try it on." An Shuyi said, taking the dress over and helping her change.
"Wow, Mom, Huahua loves you the most! You're the best mom in the world!" Xiaoqi exclaimed happily.
An Shuyi found her exaggerated expression amusing; this little devil was quite the character. "Does it mean it's bad if your mother doesn't make you clothes?"
“Of course not,” Xiaoqi shook her head. “Even if Mother doesn’t make clothes for Huahua, she’s still the best mother in the world. I love you the most.”
“Mom likes you too,” An Shuyi nodded, straightening her skirt. “It fits perfectly, no need to alter it.”
"Mother, can I wear this out so Sixth Brother and the others can see it?" Xiao Qi asked.
My mother had made clothes for her before, but she had never made a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) before. She said she would make one when she was a little older, and she really did.
“Okay, you can go by yourself, but it’s about time, so you should come back to sleep.” An Shuyi said, continuing to work on the clothes she had just finished.
"I understand, Mother." Xiao Qi ran out of the carriage, lifted her skirt and jumped down. "Sixth Brother, look at my skirt, isn't it pretty?" She even twirled around as she spoke.
Xiao Liu was reading a book when she heard her younger sister speak. She turned around and said, "Hmm, it's very pretty. Mom made you a dress. It's so beautiful."
"Huahua is of course the most beautiful. Sixth Brother, can you please stop reading? You'll ruin your eyes."
"It's alright, I haven't been reading for long. Come here, let Sixth Brother read to you."
"No," Xiao Qi shook her head desperately. "Sixth Brother, I'm going to find Gou Dan and the others. I'll come back later. You can read to me by yourself. Read to me when I go to sleep, so I can sleep better then."
Xiao Liu nodded helplessly, "Okay, then I'll go with you." He just didn't understand why his sister would fall asleep every time he read to her.
Xiao Qi grabbed his hand, "Okay, Sixth Brother, let's hurry up, otherwise it'll be late and we'll have to go to sleep."
Let's go!
Zhao and Wu, who were standing nearby, found their conversation amusing, but they also told them to come back after playing for a while and not to go anywhere else.
These are all their people, so there's no danger, but you can't just wander around.
After An Shuyi finished making the clothes, Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi also returned, but they were brought back by Xiao Wu because they were so engrossed in playing that they forgot to go home. Xiao Wu found them when he came back and brought them back.
"Mother, we were wrong." Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi admitted their mistake as soon as they boarded the carriage.
An Shuyi patted the clothes on the two of them, "It's good that you know you're wrong. Next time you play, remember the time, otherwise your mother, your brother, and your sisters-in-law will worry."
“Okay, we’ll remember the time next time and won’t play for too long,” Xiaoqi nestled in her arms. “Mom, who did you make this dress for?”
“This was made for your sixth brother,” An Shuyi handed the clothes to Xiao Liu. “Xiao Liu, do you want to change yourself or should I help you?”
Xiao Liu took it and said, "I can do it myself, thank you, Mother. But can you make me a long robe in the future? My brothers say that only scholars wear them. I am a scholar, so I should wear a long robe."
“Okay,” An Shuyi looked at her son and asked, “Little Six, do you like reading?”
Xiao Liu nodded, "I like it. I can read a lot of characters now. I can understand Fifth Brother's medical books, but I don't understand their meaning. I've read the Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, and the Standards for Being a Good Student and Child."
"Mom, once we've settled in, could you buy me some books? I haven't read any of them yet."
An Shuyi nodded, "Okay, as long as you like it, Mom will buy it for you. Not only will I buy you books, but I'll also send you to school. Do you want to go?"
“I’m willing,” Xiao Liu excitedly grabbed her. “Mother, I’m willing, very willing. Mother, as long as you can let your son go to the private school, I will earn you an imperial title in the future. You can just enjoy your life, and your son can support you.”
An Shuyi smiled and said, "Alright, then Mother will wait for Xiao Liu to earn a title for Mother. It's getting late, let's go to sleep first. Without good health, you won't be able to earn a title."
"Okay, Mom, I'm going to sleep now. I'll wear my clothes tomorrow morning. Now I'm going to sleep," Xiao Liu folded up her clothes and lay down, telling her younger sister to go to sleep quickly.
Xiao Qi could only lie down and quickly fell asleep to her brother's reading. Zhao and Wu also coaxed the children to sleep and carried them into the carriage. Looking at the four sleeping children, An Shuyi also lay down.
Before dawn, An Shuyi woke up to the sound of voices outside, presumably the night watchmen. After yesterday's robbery by the refugees, this was no longer a small path but a main road, so Village Chief Lin had arranged for five people to keep watch every night, all of them men, taking turns.
After getting off the carriage, I took care of this important matter somewhere, then returned to the carriage, put my toiletries inside, and started washing up. Anyway, there was everything in the warehouse. After washing up, I sat bored in the carriage.
Not long after, a commotion arose outside, indicating that the tribespeople had woken up. Shortly after, Village Chief Lin counted the number of people and they set off.
After what Village Chief Lin said yesterday, no one in the clan looked at the refugees with pity today. Sometimes, when they saw someone approaching, they would pick up the knife and hoe at hand, trying to threaten the approaching refugees and scare them away.
Seeing them like this, Village Chief Lin felt as refreshed as drinking cool water on a sweltering summer day. He believed that as long as the people of the village were united, they would surely find a place to settle down and live a good life.
After a few days, An Shuyi's head injury had finally healed a lot and no longer needed to be changed. She just needed to wait for it to heal. As they continued walking, the weather became hotter and hotter, and their water supply began to decrease rapidly. Their water was stored in buckets and carried on oxcarts or on their backs, and they only used it when cooking. They also tried to drink as little water as possible.
But no matter how much you try to save water, it will eventually run out. These past few days, Village Chief Lin has been so anxious he's practically bubbling with worry. An Shuyi is also anxious, but not because she's worried about running out of water. It's because she hasn't washed her hair in almost ten days since she arrived here. She only wipes herself down briefly, and she can feel the oil dripping from her hair.
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