Leaving

After breakfast the next day, the people who had been stranded here for nearly half a month finally started moving. Unlike in the past, this time everyone felt much lighter and their steps were much more brisk. They were the last people to leave Panshan.

The yamen runners and hired laborers who were responsible for cleaning up the mess had already left before dusk yesterday. Nearly half of the entire mountain road, several hundred meters long, was blocked. No wonder it took so long to clear it.

Gulan, who was driving the cart, sighed as she looked at the bumpy road.

Even if everyone walked slowly, they could still pass this section of the road quickly and finally got one step closer to Jiaocheng. With a dozen more horses, the rest of the journey went much faster. In the past, it took two or three days to reach Jiaocheng. At their current speed, they would probably arrive there by tomorrow.

In fact, it has been decided that there is no need to pass through Jiaocheng to go to Yunzhou City. The reason why they still went there was that they wanted to get all the necessary things at once, especially the carriage.

With a clear goal, everyone seemed to have endless energy and walked very fast. The journey was smooth until sunset, and before dark we stopped at a place that was obviously a grain drying ground. There was a village not far away, and it seemed that they had also discovered them. At this moment, several people were walking towards them.

When they walked in, there was an old man and several middle-aged men. Upon seeing this, Village Chief Li hurried forward.

"Who are you? How come you are in our grain drying yard?" The old man frowned as he looked at the group of people who suddenly appeared in the yard of his own village.

There are too many people, and it makes people worried. They were dressed in tattered clothes and had a family with them, looking like refugees, but the several carts and a dozen horses made the old man unsure. Therefore, in the end, no one asked whether he was a refugee.

"I'm sorry, it's our fault. We should have said hello to your village. We are just passers-by who are visiting relatives. We plan to rest here for a night. Don't worry, brother. We will leave early tomorrow morning and will definitely not disturb you."

"Are all of you going to live with your relatives?" The old man felt a little relieved when he saw the visitor was polite, but he obviously didn't believe what Village Chief Li said. How could so many people go to live with their relatives?

"Yes, we are a big family. We have been in trouble, so we brought our family with us. Don't worry, brother. We are not bad people and we have enough food. We will stay here and won't wander around."

Village chief Li quickly made an assurance, saying that he understood these people's feelings very well. If it were him, he would also be worried about so many people suddenly appearing outside his village.

Although the old man was still worried, looking at them and those fat and strong horses, he began to believe what the people in front of him said a little bit. These people were indeed different from the refugees and disaster victims he had seen before. Their clothes were worn but clean. And unlike the refugees and disaster victims who had red eyes from hunger and were skin and bones, they looked at people in a terrifying way.

Although they are thin, they are not too thin and their eyes are bright. The children among them seem to be in better condition. There are even a few chubby ones. At least they are not short of food. As long as there is no shortage of food, the old man will feel more at ease. He doesn't have to worry that they will come to the village to steal food. Besides, these people have already stopped here, and they can't drive them away just by a few people. Fortunately, the grain drying ground is outside the village, which is still some distance away, so they can still be on guard.

"Village chief, are you really going to let them stay here?" The few people who came with the old man were also worried and whispered in their village chief's ear.

"What else can we do? Don't forget that there are not many more people in our village than them. I think these people have clear eyes and don't look like bad people. Let's just spend one night there." They are just a small village, and they don't have much confidence in a head-on fight.

He immediately said, "It's really not easy to be away from home. In this case, we will let you rest here for a night. I just hope that you won't disturb us as you said. There is a stream in the northwest corner of here. You can go there if you want to get water."

"Of course, I keep my word. You are so kind, brother. Thank you for telling me the source of the water." Village chief Li bowed.

"You're welcome," the old man nodded, glanced at the people in the grain drying yard, suppressed the uneasiness in his heart, turned around and left with a few younger generations.

The people of Lijia Village did not pay too much attention to the arrival and departure of these people. They saw so many cold stares along the way, and if they took it to heart, they would be exhausted. Xenophobia is a very normal phenomenon. It is all for the sake of protecting oneself, and everyone understands it. Knowing where there is water source, young and middle-aged people go together to fetch water.

In fact, the tanks were fully filled with water when we left, and people didn't use much water in a single day. But since there was a water source, there was no need to waste the stored water.

Originally Gulan was about to go, but was stopped by Xiang Yunjin.

Xiang Yunjin: "You have traveled all day. Take a break. I will go get some water."

"But the injuries on your body..." Gulan glanced at the injured part. Although the wound had almost healed, Gulan was still a little worried about the weight of the bucket of water.bThis is a half-person-high wooden barrel, which can easily hold an adult.

"You underestimate me. It's just a bucket of water. Besides, there's no problem with my arm." Xiang Yunjin moved his hand holding the bucket.

"Okay, just take care of yourself." Gulan thought about it and didn't insist.

Since he said there was no problem, then there must be no problem. This guy really takes good care of his body. Besides, it's rare for someone to take the initiative to work, so we should support him, right?

She no longer paid attention to Xiang Yunjin, and quickly took down the bamboo tied outside the carriage to set up the tent. Daya and Erya followed to help. AnAn knew that he was too young, so he stayed aside with Dahei obediently and did not pull his mother's legs.

When Xiang Yunjin came back with a large bucket of water, Gulan's tent was almost set up.

Not only Gulan, but everyone else was setting up tents or simple sheds. The grain drying ground was spacious enough to accommodate all of them even if they set up tents. Everybody was busy. We were used to sleeping under the shed during those days when we were stuck in Panshan Mountain. Now it was unbearable to sleep in the open air without even a place to shelter from the wind. After all, it was really cold at night now.

All the things in Gulan were ready, and with Xiang Yunjin's return, the tents in Gulan were set up very quickly. By the time Gulan started to prepare dinner, others had finished setting up their tents. There are braised meat and pre-made pancakes, and all you need to do is cook some porridge and some wild vegetables. She didn't plan to do anything too complicated. She wasn't an iron man, and she was indeed a little tired after driving the carriage for a whole day.

After eating and cleaning up, it was already dusk. Apart from the fires burning all around, even the crescent moon was hidden in the thick black fog. The whole world was in darkness. Except for the night watchman, everyone soon fell asleep.

Gulan was the same. She thought that after eating and resting for a while, her physical discomfort should be much better. But somehow she still felt weak, especially her waist and stomach, which were very uncomfortable. So Gulan hugged her son and lay down in the tent to rest early.

Xiang Yunjin still slept in the carriage. These days, the carriage had become his exclusive room. Although the space was limited, he had a good sleeping position and did not feel crowded.