Chapter 4 Changing Perspectives

Chapter 4 Changing Perspectives

Since the backpack was too conspicuous, Jiang Yutang simply took out the medicine and food and put them in the pack, while keeping the fruit knife close to her body.

Exiles are not allowed to bring gold, silver, or valuables, but they can bring some old clothes to change into.

Each team is allowed to bring one small package.

Although it hurts, I have no choice but to throw away the backpack.

It cannot be given to anyone, especially government officials; otherwise, if they see an empty package, they will definitely be questioned about where the contents went.

She's not the type to cause trouble for herself.

To prevent her backpack from being picked up again, she deliberately threw it a long way away.

After everything was packed up, the yamen runners banged gongs, urging everyone to continue their journey.

Jiang Songzhi and Jiang Huaiyu pushed the cart, Jiang Jiuze carried Jiang Sumin on his back, and the others walked.

Noon has passed.

But the sun was still very strong, and the people there, accustomed to a life of luxury, slowed down after walking only a short distance.

Jiang Yutang could still hold on, but the three members of the Yun family could not.

Yun was old, Mu was holding a child, and Zhu was pregnant. All three of them had sweat on their foreheads and their faces were pale. They had to stop and rest every now and then.

The yamen runners urged them on loudly from behind.

"Hurry up, all of you! We must get to Pengcheng by noon tomorrow!"

"Mother, I really can't walk anymore." Zhu's lips were cracked, and she was panting heavily.

"Mother will help you." Madam Yun supported her arm and walked forward step by step.

She felt deeply grateful to her two daughters-in-law.

The two could have left with the divorce papers, but they both stayed.

But she was all alone, and seeing Mu Shi struggling to hold on, she wished she could be split in two.

Just then, Jiang Yutang stepped forward and said, "Sister-in-law, give me the child. I'll hold him for a while, and you can rest."

"This..." Mu was somewhat worried.

For the first three days, she did consider asking Jiang Yutang for help, but when she did, she was met with a barrage of curses.

"This child isn't mine. If you dare to try anything with me again, I'll kill her!"

From that point on, she never dared to do it again.

"Sister-in-law, I only said those things in anger that time, please don't take them to heart," Jiang Yutang said earnestly. "We're family, and family should help each other, right?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt several incredulous gazes fall upon her.

Sweating profusely, could I have gone out of character?

"Let Tang'er carry him; it'll still be a two-hour walk." Madam Yun sighed softly. If there was a better way, she wouldn't want to gamble.

The road was difficult to walk on, and it took two people to push the cart steadily. The bumps would only make things worse, and she was really worried that her husband wouldn't make it.

Jiang Sumin's expression was serious as he warned, "Jiang Yutang, if you dare to have any improper thoughts, I will make you pay the price."

"Fourth brother, don't say that." Jiang Songzhi looked at Jiang Yutang and smiled. "Big brother believes you."

With her husband speaking, Madam Mu didn't hesitate any longer. She handed the child to Jiang Yutang and whispered, "Tang'er, if you get tired, I'll take over. If you don't want to hold him anymore, I'll take over too..."

"I understand, sister-in-law." Jiang Yutang looked down at the little person in her arms, and carefully reached out her finger to poke her cheek.

The baby girl in her arms squinted her bright black eyes, stuck out her little tongue, and looked at her, then let out a happy hum.

"So cute," she couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing that her expression didn't seem fake, Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Sumin's gaze darkened. For some reason, he felt that Jiang Yutang seemed like a completely different person today.

Was it just his imagination?

They walked until sunset before finally stopping at a clean dirt road.

All the exiled prisoners collapsed to the ground one after another, as if all their strength had been drained.

Those with money went to the yamen runners to buy water, while those without money had to find their own way.

There was a lake not far away, so finding water wasn't difficult. The problem was that they didn't have the money to buy a water bag and a bowl, so they couldn't bring the water back to feed the injured.

Jiang Yutang had a headache.

Originally, there was an opportunity for relatives to send travel expenses after leaving the capital, but the Jiang and Cheng families had committed the serious crime of treason, so it was already a favor if they didn't take the opportunity to kick them while they were down. No one would lend them a helping hand at this time.

The Cheng family also knew to hide some gold, silver, and valuables.

But the Jiang family has been a scholarly family for generations, and they would never do such a thing. Now, they are the poorest family in the entire exile group.

"What should we do?"

Yun said with concern, "How about we go and borrow some money from the Cheng family?"

“They won’t lend it,” Jiang Songzhi said coldly.

"Mother, elder brother, don't worry, I have a plan."

Jiang Yutang finally uttered the word "Mother," and it didn't sound as awkward as she had imagined.

Her gaze fell on the bamboo grove not far away: "We can use stones to saw bamboo and make water cups. It's a bit troublesome, but we can use them in the future."

On the road to exile, they only had rice porridge for breakfast. After finishing the porridge, they had to hand it over immediately, and they could only stay if they were paid.

The road ahead is long, so we must build a water storage facility to prepare for the future; otherwise, people will go crazy with thirst.

“That’s a great idea.” Jiang Songzhi’s eyes lit up. “I’ll go saw it.”

“Big brother, I’ll go with you.” Jiang Yutang stood up.

"Alright, let's go."

The two greeted the constables and then headed towards the bamboo grove.

"What's wrong with my little sister today?" Jiang Huaiyu scratched his head.

Every day at this time, she would sit down on the ground and not do any work. Not only would she not do anything, but she would also keep complaining.

She blames heaven and earth, but never herself, even though she herself is the one who caused all of this.

"Perhaps she's figured it out," said Mrs. Mu, holding her daughter and smiling.

Without Jiang Yutang's help, she probably wouldn't have been able to make it through today.

"I hope she can come to her senses eventually," Jiang Sumin said indifferently.

"Second brother, you stay here, I'll go gather firewood."

Everyone was busy with their own tasks.

In the bamboo forest.

Jiang Yutang squatted down and picked through the stones on the ground. He chose two stones with relatively sharp edges, kept one for himself, and gave the other to Jiang Songzhi.

“The bamboo outside is too old, let’s go inside and take a look,” Jiang Yutang said.

The two searched high and low in the woods and finally found a relatively fresh bamboo stalk, about the thickness of an adult's arm.

Bamboo has a lot of fiber, so you can't kick it down by brute force. Jiang Songzhi was well-read and knew this.

Looking at the bamboo that was twice as tall as two people, Jiang Songzhi was troubled.

Jiang Yutang suggested, "Brother, let's use a stone to grind it first, and then fold it together after we've made some marks."

Jiang Songzhi nodded.

While grinding the bamboo, Jiang Yutang took out a fruit knife and cut it little by little.

"Little sister, where did you get this dagger?" Jiang Songzhi asked in a low voice.

Moreover, this dagger looks unusual; I've never seen one like it before. It's sharp yet thin, and the blade pops out with a light press—it's quite rare.