Chapter 22 She fell while heavily pregnant.

Chapter 22 She fell while heavily pregnant.

The heavy rain continued intermittently for half an hour, turning the muddy roads into waterways before finally showing signs of stopping.

The yamen runner jumped off the carriage, stomped into a mud puddle, cursed, and turned to vent his anger on the exile.

"Who are you all trying to impress with that deathly look on your faces? Get out of here!"

Ignoring the drenched refugees, he got back on the carriage and pointed at them with his whip, yelling at them like shepherds herding sheep.

The exiles, who dared not speak out against their anger, could only stare helplessly and continue on their way.

Jiang Yutang put away the oilcloth and came to the carriage. Fortunately, she had the foresight to cover all the things that were easily affected by moisture with a pot, otherwise she would have suffered a huge loss this time.

The team set off again. The temperature had dropped sharply after the rain, and those who were soaked to the bone were so cold that their lips turned purple.

Adding to the difficulty of walking on the muddy ground after the rain, their feet were also bound with chains, making each step three times harder than usual.

By evening, people's pace had noticeably slowed down, and some had even started coughing.

Jiang Yutang observed the people around her, her expression gradually becoming serious.

At this time of day, the wind is at its strongest in the evening. People who have been exposed to cold for a long time will experience an imbalance in their body temperature. If it is just a simple cold, then you are lucky.

She looked worriedly at her family behind her, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she found that they were alright.

The constables also noticed something was wrong and, unusually, agreed to stop the operation.

"You'll settle down here today. Don't say we're being unrighteous. If you rest early today and dare to slack off on your journey tomorrow, I'll make sure you suffer!" He then cracked his whip menacingly.

Jiang Yutang stared speechlessly at the constable, her mind filled with the phrase, "Call me Your Majesty."

She rubbed her face and turned to Jiang Huaiyu, saying, "Third Brother, go and see if there's any water around here."

“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” Jiang Huaiyu patted the fruit knife hidden at his waist. “And while we’re at it, let’s see if we can find any wild game.”

The refugees around them rushed to gather branches and quickly started a fire to keep warm.

Her brothers and sisters-in-law were also busy, so she admitted that she had been rummaging through the medicine in the carriage when she wasn't looking.

If Jiang Huaiyu finds a water source, not only can they have hot pot today, but they can also take their cold medicine in advance, just in case.

Full of anticipation, they waited for Jiang Huaiyu to return, only to find that he had returned empty-handed.

Jiang Huaiyu spread his hands and shook his head: "There is no water source nearby, only muddy water in the pit, and not even wild fruits and vegetables."

That makes sense. This is the only way for exiles to pass through. Countless people have traveled this route before, and the wild vegetables and fruits must have long since disappeared.

What I feared most came to pass. After a heavy rain, I couldn't find a water source. If I had known, I would have used bamboo tubes to collect the rainwater when it rained.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yutang felt a little annoyed. She hurriedly went to check how much water was left in the bamboo tubes. Of the eight bamboo tubes prepared on the carriage, four still had water.

If this little bit of water is used to make cold medicine, it means they can only eat flatbread that's as hard as a brick tonight. If it's used to make instant porridge, then they won't be able to take their medicine.

Just as I was thinking this, some of the passersby started coughing.

After thinking it over, Jiang Yutang decided that taking medicine as a preventative measure was important, so she would just eat something light to tide her over today.

But when they received the rations from the yamen runners, they discovered that some of the cakes were moldy.

Some people broke off the moldy part and continued eating, but Jiang Yutang quickly stopped them.

"This pancake is no longer edible. Even though only one corner is spoiled, the whole thing is actually unclean. Eating it will make you sick."

The man ignored her well-intentioned reminder and cursed, "What nonsense are you talking about? If you don't want to eat, don't bother others!"

He impatiently pushed Jiang Yutang away and wolfed down the pancake.

Jiang Yutang stumbled as the man pushed her, but was caught by Jiang Sumin behind her. However, she also took a kick, which dealt another blow to her already injured leg.

"hiss--"

Startled, Jiang Yutang jumped back hastily: "Fourth Brother, are you alright? Does your foot hurt?"

"It's nothing." Jiang Sumin waved his hand, looking at the pancake in his hand and asking, "Is this pancake really inedible?"

"It's best not to eat any of them. If all the bread is piled together, even if it's not moldy, it's not clean."

Jiang Sumin looked troubled, crumbling the pancake little by little in his hands: "What should we do tonight? Xiaoxiao keeps saying she's hungry, and I'm worried about my parents and second sister-in-law..."

She was no different. After thinking for a long time, she nodded and said, "It's alright, I have a way. I'll go back and boil all the remaining water first."

"Can we eat the flatbread after boiling it?" Jiang Sumin asked.

Jiang Yutang shook her head: "We'll have porridge tonight."

She went to a quieter place and took out the newly bought pot. Fortunately, she had washed it before bringing it with her. She wiped the dust inside with a handkerchief and poured in all the remaining water from the four bamboo tubes.

After the water boiled, she took out the instant porridge, poured in half a cup of water, and set it aside to seal and wait.

After the porridge has soaked, I divide it among my family members and then give half of my portion to Xiaoxiao.

Mu looked at her guiltily and said worriedly, "I'll share a bowl with Xiaoxiao, you can keep your portion for yourself."

Jiang Yutang smiled, revealing her pearly teeth: "It's alright, I have a small appetite and can't eat that much."

"This..." Mu looked at Jiang Songzhi with a conflicted expression, and only dared to accept it after seeing the other party nod.

Compared to others, their family was already quite well off. They sat around the fire drinking instant meat porridge, which looked bland but tasted quite good.

After finishing his drink, Jiang Shengan pursed his lips and said with relief, "Thanks to Tang'er, otherwise we would have gone hungry tonight."

"It's all I should do," Jiang Yutang said with a smile, taking small sips of her porridge.

After everyone finished eating, she collected all the paper cups and burned them in the fire. The paper cups twisted and burned quickly in the flames, leaving no trace.

When resting at night, Yun lent her thick woolen cloth to Lin, which was half-dry. She put it by the fire to dry it along with other soaked clothes, but it was clear that it wouldn't dry anytime soon. So, she could only sleep with Jiang Yutang tonight.

The two lay back to back on the open ground, huddled together, just as they were about to fall asleep when they heard Zhu's voice from beside them.

"mother."

Yun was startled and sat up, asking, "What's wrong?"

Zhu stammered, embarrassed, "I need to pee. Could you come with me? It's too dark over there, I'm scared to go alone..."

"Second sister-in-law, I'll go with you." Jiang Yutang said, preparing to get up, but was stopped by Yun Shi.

“You have no experience in taking care of people, so lie down and continue to rest. Your mother will go with her and be right back.”

Yun quickly got up and helped Zhu walk towards the bushes in the distance.

Jiang Yutang lay down and wrapped herself tightly in the thick woolen cloth. Her gaze fell on the Mu family in the distance. The other woman held Xiaoxiao in her arms and looked at the child's sleeping face with eyes full of doting affection.

The faint sound of snoring could be heard coming from their father, Jiang Shengan's, side. Their four older brothers stood not far away, seemingly discussing something.

She turned her gaze back to the fire, the leaping flames like a hypnotic animation, accompanied by the crackling sound of burning branches, and sleepiness crept in.

Just as Jiang Yutang closed her eyes and was on the verge of falling asleep, she heard Yun's panicked shouts from afar.

"Oh no! Oh no! Zhu Shi... she fell!"