Looking at the trees and weeds on both sides of the official road, Xi Qingyue sighed helplessly. It was normal that they couldn't go fast on such a narrow road.
Most of the refugees on the road wouldn't give way to mule - drawn carts or ox - drawn carts, unless it was an official traveling in a hurry by carriage.
Even when officials were galloping on horses, there were still many refugees who couldn't dodge in time and got knocked down.
Everyone was just focused on their own journey. They wished that others would all lag behind them. How could they be kind - hearted enough to give way one by one?
"Miss Yue, what a coincidence! When did you get here? Why didn't we see you last night?"
Hearing the voice, Xi Qingyue turned her head and saw that it was Manager Fang of the caravan, who had lifted the curtain and was looking out.
They had stayed in Yao City for a few days. Manager Fang passed by Yao City without stopping, and it had taken him several days to reach this place.
Xi Qingyue calmly said, "Manager Fang, we took the small path and just arrived here this morning."
Hearing that she took the small path, Manager Fang wasn't surprised. In his opinion, Xi Qingyue knew martial arts, had hidden weapons and could kill bandits. She mustn't be afraid. But he still kindly advised her.
"By the way, Miss Yue, would you like to travel with us? Although you two have skills, others don't know. When people see that you're young and have no companions, they'll definitely have bad intentions. You'll get into a lot of trouble. If you travel with us, there are many people in our team, and no one dares to make trouble. It can save you a lot of trouble."
Xi Qingyue shook her head at him with a smile. "Thank you, Manager Fang, for your kindness, but no. My sisters and I are used to freedom. We can stop or go whenever we want. There are so many people in your team that you certainly can't be so casual. We don't want to be a burden to everyone. Don't worry. We'll be fine."
After hearing this, Manager Fang didn't persuade her anymore. Instead, he carefully looked around, then asked the coachman to drive the carriage closer to their mule - drawn cart. He took out a silver note from the carriage, wrapped a small piece of broken silver together, and threw it into Xi Qingyue's arms.
"Keep this well. Thanks to your reminder that night, we were able to avoid a disaster. I actually forgot to give you a reward at that time. It was my negligence. Please do accept this small gift. When you pass by a town, you can use it to buy some food and water."
Manager Fang later learned that hundreds of officers and soldiers had died on the small path they took that night. He felt a shiver of fear. Their team had almost been wiped out.
Thinking that he had managed to avoid the disaster because of Xi Qingyue's reminder, he felt that he had been impolite. He hadn't even given a reward for saving their lives. This time, he finally met the two of them and quickly gave them a silver note.
Xi Qingyue opened the silver note and was surprised to see that it was a one - thousand - tael silver note. She was stunned for a moment but still accepted it.
"Okay, then I won't be polite. I'll accept your kindness, Manager Fang."
It was quite appropriate to accept the silver note for saving someone's life. She put the things into her sleeve, actually putting them into her space. A kind smile appeared on Manager Fang's face.
After chatting for a while, they heard an old man's sarcastic voice from behind. "Is this a teahouse? What's there to talk about? Blocking the road instead of moving forward. What bad luck!"
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue and Manager Fang turned around in unison. The one who spoke was a thin, dark old man in gray clothes. He was walking behind without anything in his hands. Beside him was a woman pulling a cart. Judging from her age, she should be his daughter - in - law. An old woman was pushing the cart behind, and there were two children about seven or eight years old sitting on the cart.
After just one glance, the two of them turned their heads and ignored the old man. Even if they made way for the old man's family, they still couldn't move fast. The ox - cart in front of them was just as slow. This man was just jealous because he saw the two of them sitting in a cart.
There are all kinds of people in this world, and Xi Qingyue was used to it.
But she and Manager Fang stopped talking. The sun overhead was becoming more and more glaring. Manager Fang put down the curtain and sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, taking a rest.
Xi Qingyue looked at Xi Weilan beside her and smiled, "Lan'er, it's too hot outside. If you're afraid of becoming a little blackie, you can stay inside."
"But if I'm not here, no one will accompany Big Sister to talk. Big Sister will be bored. I want to stay with Big Sister," Xi Weilan said, shaking her head.
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue smiled and stroked her head. "Okay, then you can sit here with Big Sister. We'll find a place to stop in a little while."
She could use her supernatural power to make both of them not feel the heat, but she couldn't prevent the sun from tanning Xi Weilan.
She pretended to reach into the carriage and took out a water bag, then directly handed it to Xi Weilan. "Drink this."
The moment Xi Weilan opened it, her eyes lit up. It was her favorite cola. She took it and took big gulps.
The old man following behind kept scolding all the way. Sometimes he scolded the weather for being too hot, sometimes he scolded the cart for being pulled too slowly, and he even scolded his grandson and granddaughter who were sitting in the cart.
Xi Qingyue found it too annoying, so she stopped the cart at the very edge.
She wanted to let this family go first so that her ears could have some peace.
When they passed by, Xi Weilan curiously glanced at the two children on the cart and met their listless eyes.
The two children, about seven or eight years old, were about the same age as Xi Qingyue. They were wearing tattered coarse - cloth clothes that were dirty. They looked thin and sallow, which was a world of difference from the two sisters.
The two kids also saw what Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan looked like. Envy immediately showed in their eyes.
The old man glared at the two kids and scolded, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen kids before? Good - for - nothing."
The woman pulling the cart also glanced at Xi Qingyue and the other. Seeing their clean and neat brocade clothes and their pink little faces, and then thinking of the emaciated faces of her own children, she sighed in her heart. They were all kids, but their fates were so different.
As the family gradually walked away, looking at their receding figures, Xi Weilan murmured, "Big Sister, this grandpa is so fierce."
Xi Qingyue, however, shook her head. "His arm was broken."
She thought the old man was deliberately not pulling the cart and letting the two women do it. Just now, when they were close, she noticed that the old man's right arm was hanging limply, obviously useless. As for his left arm, she didn't see clearly and didn't use her supernatural power to check. There was no need for that.
An old man with a disabled arm, and one with a sharp tongue who was prone to causing trouble, traveling with two women and two children. It was hard to tell how long he could hold on. If he kept his mouth shut, he might be able to go further.
Hearing her words, Xi Weilan was extremely surprised. "How pitiful he is! No wonder he is so fierce."
In her perception, the old man had a bad temper because his arm was broken, while Xi Qingyue's thought was exactly the opposite.
In troubled times, those without the ability should be cautious in their words and deeds. Otherwise, a single word could bring about a fatal disaster.
The two continued to drive the cart forward. On the way, many people cast different looks at them.
There was simple curiosity, envy, greed. Some people even drooled over the mule pulling the cart. Others whispered to each other, and their eyes would glance at the two of them from time to time, as if they were two walking preys being sized up and calculated by numerous hunters.
Half an hour later, Xi Qingyue saw a dense forest on the right side of the official road. She drove the cart towards the forest.
When the mule cart entered the forest, some people also gradually followed into the forest.
