After the meal, Li Fugui called over everyone in the village, totaling less than 20 people. Most of them were around 40 or 50 years old on average, with the oldest being over 60. In modern society, 40 or 50 years old would be considered middle-aged, but in this group, they were much thinner and weaker than their actual age, probably due to year-round labor and food scarcity.
Mu Jin sat in the center of Li Fugui's courtyard, her eyes scanning them one by one. Everyone knelt before Mu Jin to greet her, but Mu Jin disliked the custom of kneeling so readily. She told them all to stand up and requested that they not kneel before her in the future.
Mu Jin addressed the people present, saying, "I believe Li Fugui has already told you why I am here. I don't want to ask about the mistakes you made that led to your being sent here. Those are all in the past. I called you here simply to discuss our future plans."
The servants quickly replied, "We dare not, we are all willing to obey Mu Jin's orders."
Mu Jin nodded in satisfaction: "With winter approaching, it will be even more difficult for you all to stay here. I passed through a mountain area these past few days. It has abundant water, fertile land, and plenty of prey, making it a suitable place for everyone to live. I think all of you should move there with me."
Upon hearing Mu Jin's words, everyone present was filled with shock, their expressions a mixture of joy and worry. In their minds, the Prince's residence keeping them here was tantamount to trapping them and leaving them to fend for themselves; if they left, they feared the Prince's residence might hold them accountable and even kill them.
Everyone started talking at once, expressing their own concerns.
Mu Jin understood their concerns and explained to them that she was the princess consort of the Yun Prince's Mansion. Her order for them to leave together was not considered escaping, but rather obedience, and the people of the Yun Prince's Mansion could not hold them accountable.
Everyone's faces lit up with joy upon hearing this.
Mu Jin continued, "I'll give you one night to think it over. That mountain is about three or four days' journey from here. Go back and think it over first, then meet here after breakfast tomorrow and we'll set off together."
After everyone dispersed, Li Fugui approached Mu Jin and said, "Your Highness, my husband and I are willing to go with you to that place you just mentioned to everyone."
Li Fugui and his wife own a two-mu paddy field located about five li away from the village.
The water in the paddy fields, apart from rain, can only be carried from a small stream two miles away. Moreover, the climate here is such that there is very little rain throughout the year. Every day, the couple spends all their time carrying water to irrigate the fields. As they get older, they probably won't be able to carry water for many more years.
The land is barren and can't grow much food. If they could follow Mu Jin to another place to find a chance to survive, they would be willing to go. Anyway, staying here would only lead to death, so they might as well go and take a chance.
Mu Jin nodded, wanting the couple to tidy up, but looking at the bare thatched hut, she said no more.
That night, Li Fugui and his wife made a makeshift bed on the floor next to the kitchen. Mu Jin lay on their bed, fully clothed, thinking about their future plans.
In the original owner's memories, she lived in the capital, had a cheap prince husband, a father who was a great general, and a guard brother. The original owner was a famous socialite in the capital, beautiful, rich, and from a good family. How could she be so incomprehensible as to fall in love with that scumbag prince who couldn't distinguish right from wrong and had a green tea white moonlight?
However, in her memory, the original owner of this body saw through her marriage at the very last moment and thought about going to find her father and brother.
Mu Jin had never been married in the real world, and she certainly wouldn't want a man who was already married and had concubines here. Not for herself, but for the original owner's dying wish, she and her cheap husband, who was a prince, would divorce sooner or later.
But the prerequisite is getting out of these mountains, which is difficult right now. The places she's traveled these past few days don't even have roads. Right now, her priority is to recover her health first, and then find a way back to the capital.
The reason she brought along a bunch of burdensome, sinful people wasn't because she was particularly kind; rather, it was because she needed manpower in that mountainous region to make her life as comfortable and mutually beneficial as possible.
Exhausted from several days of trekking, Mu Jin fell asleep quickly after thinking about it.
Mu Jin was awakened in the morning by the conversation of the group of slaves outside her room.
She opened her eyes, looked at the unfamiliar thatched roof, and sighed. She had been here for several days, but she still couldn't quite accept the fact that she had transmigrated. Every day, the first thing she did when she opened her eyes was to hope that this transmigration was just a dream, and that she could wake up and still be lying on her two-million-dollar Hästens mattress.
She got out of bed and walked out of the thatched hut, and everyone greeted her and paid their respects.
Mu Jin asked if everyone who had arrived would leave together. The reply was that, except for two people who were physically weak and not suitable for long-distance migration, everyone else was willing to go with Mu Jin.
Mu Jin nodded and said, "This trip will only take three or four days. Besides clothes, tools, and necessary food, we will leave the rest of the fields and belongings to the two people who cannot leave with us."
Upon hearing Mu Jin's words, the two who could not leave together had tears in their eyes and immediately knelt down in front of Mu Jin to express their gratitude.
And so, Mu Jin left Hanshan Village with 17 people.
On the first day of their journey, the road was still desolate. The 17 people each carried their own dry rations, eating only two meals a day and conserving water. Mu Jin had only four or five wild fruits left from what she had picked in the mountains, along with two rabbits, which was enough if they ate sparingly. They rested together with the villagers at night after burning firewood, and that was how the first day passed.
The next day, Mu Jin continued leading the 17 people forward. The road was even more desolate, and much of the soil was cracked. She told everyone to drink only three sips of water a day, and that they could reach their destination in two more days.
Due to the lack of water, most people walked very slowly. He had the stronger people carry the luggage on their backs, and the weaker people lie down on the wooden carts, so that everyone could take turns pushing them and walk faster.
By evening on the third day, they finally saw a small grove of trees with many red mushrooms growing under the trees. Mu Jin's eyes lit up when she saw them. There were red pine mushrooms here! She loved eating mushrooms, especially red pine mushrooms, and she loved them even more when they were used to make chicken soup. Just thinking about it made her mouth water. She immediately told everyone to pick some and make soup.
When Granny Lai heard that Mu Jin wanted to pick mushrooms to eat, she immediately stepped forward to stop her: "Your Highness, this is absolutely forbidden. This is a poisonous house. Even if you starve to death, you cannot eat it. It's poisonous."
The people who gathered around chimed in. Mu Jin stepped forward, picked one to look at, and then smelled it. She recognized the mushroom as her favorite red pine mushroom. In the real world, her nanny had told her it cost over a thousand yuan per kilogram. How could it kill someone? She was puzzled.
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