Chapter 73 A Kind Offering of Shoes Goes Unappreciated

Chapter 73 A Kind Offering of Shoes Goes Unappreciated

“Other doctors avoid cholera like the plague, but you are the only one willing to lend a helping hand. We will remember this kindness. We have nothing to repay you with now, so please consider this money as payment for the meals you have brought us these past few days. Please don’t refuse it.”

Seeing the determination in her eyes, the old doctor knew that there was no point in refusing any longer, so he could only sigh and accept the money.

After leaving the old doctor's house, she strolled around the town again.

Not knowing what the newly assigned escort officer was like, she dared not buy too much and only picked out some dry food that was easy to carry.

When she passed by the cloth shop, she bought twelve more pairs of sturdy cloth shoes. The road to exile was difficult, and the shoes wore out quickly; it was indeed time to get everyone a new pair.

Before leaving, she saw a pastry shop and suddenly remembered that the original owner's mother in the story loved to eat osmanthus cake, so she went in and bought two portions, intending to take them back for Yun Shi to try.

She arrived at the city gate carrying a bunch of things, and the guards at the gate, seeing how much she had bought, kindly reminded her.

"Young lady, you must be careful with all this stuff you've bought. If the escorts who come to see you off tomorrow are petty, they might not let you take so much with you and then throw it away, which would be such a waste."

"Thank you for reminding me, sir. I understand now." Jiang Yutang said with a smile, secretly making a mental note of it.

Tomorrow I must hide the valuables well so the guards don't see them.

As soon as she entered the camp outside the city, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Third Brother! Eldest Brother! I'm back!"

Hearing the noise, Jiang Songzhi and Jiang Huaiyu came out of the tent and saw that she was carrying large and small bags. They quickly stepped forward to help her.

"I haven't seen you since early this morning. Turns out you went into town and bought so much stuff."

"You must be exhausted. Put it down and rest for a while."

Jiang Yutang handed the items to them, smiling as she said, "I bought some things I might need on the way, and also some osmanthus cake for my mother. Take them in quickly, don't keep her waiting."

When Yun saw the osmanthus cake that Jiang Yutang handed her, she was stunned for a moment, then her eyes reddened slightly, and her tone was full of emotion: "It's been so long since I've had this. You're so thoughtful."

She paused, then said to Jiang Yutang, "Send the other copy to the Cheng family. They've been very helpful during this cholera outbreak."

Jiang Yutang nodded, then remembered that she had bought new shoes. She took out three pairs from her bundle, gave the rest to her family, and prepared to send them to the Cheng family together.

Upon reaching the outside of the Cheng family's tent, Jiang Yutang saw Cheng Lanzhou leaning against a tree not far away, gazing into the distance with a detached expression, his emotions unreadable.

Cheng Dai'er and Lin Shi sat under the shade of a tree, their mouths opening and closing as they spoke.

But for some reason, she always felt that Cheng Lanzhou had an unhappy air about him.

She stepped forward and greeted them softly, first handing the osmanthus cake to Cheng Daier, then handing over three pairs of shoes: "These are new shoes I bought for you, you can wear them on the road."

Cheng Daier picked up the largest pair of shoes, glanced at Cheng Lanzhou, then looked at Jiang Yutang, her tone somewhat critical: "These shoes don't fit Lanzhou, they're too small."

Jiang Yutang paused for a moment, then explained, "This is already the largest size I can buy in town. I asked the shopkeeper, and they don't have any larger sizes."

"oh?"

Cheng Daier looked at her with a strange gaze, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "Have you forgotten? Didn't you sew all of Lan Zhou's shoes yourself before? You don't even know what size shoes he wears?"

These words were like a bright light, shining down on Jiang Yutang and exposing her completely.

She had no idea that the original owner of this body had done such a thing! She opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to respond.

Cheng Dai'er, however, had no intention of letting her off the hook, and continued, "At first, I sewed all of Lan Zhou'an's shoes myself. When you found out, you insisted on volunteering to sew them for him, and I couldn't persuade you otherwise. You cared so much back then, how come you can't even remember his shoe size now?"

The barbed questions from the other party made Jiang Yutang break out in a cold sweat. Afraid of giving herself away, she could only stand there blankly, making excuses to cover it up.

The other person suddenly sneered, their tone full of accusation: "It seems that what you could do for Lanzhou, anyone else could have done too. Now that you've surpassed me, you've long forgotten about Lanzhou, haven't you?"

Jiang Yutang had only read these words in novels, and now that he was being criticized by name himself, he felt really bad.

She subconsciously looked up at Cheng Lanzhou, only to see him with his arms crossed, still leaning against the tree, his eyes unfathomable. He merely glanced at her before looking away, as if he hadn't heard their conversation at all.

The atmosphere around them instantly became incredibly oppressive, and Jiang Yutang felt the shoes in her hands become scorching hot.

"If you're not going to wear them, then go barefoot." She said this and quickly left.

Seeing her hurried departure, and then looking at Cheng Lanzhou outside the tent, Lin softened and said, "Dai'er, weren't you a bit too harsh with what you said just now? She did bring us food and shoes, after all."

Cheng Dai'er, however, didn't take it to heart: "What I said was the truth. Can't I mention what she did?"

Cheng Lanzhou remained silent, his gaze following Jiang Yutang's retreating figure until she disappeared around the corner of the tent.

"Tang'er, have the things been delivered?" Madam Yun asked with concern when she saw her return.

"Hmm," she mumbled in response, her voice full of perfunctory attitude, her mood at its lowest point.

Madam Yun could tell at a glance that she had been wronged, probably because of some unpleasantness that had occurred at the Cheng family's place. She pursed her lips and turned to Jiang Songzhi beside her, saying, "From now on, if you need to send anything to the Cheng family, you brothers should do it. Since the two families are already planning to divorce, they should avoid suspicion to prevent any further misunderstandings."

Jiang Songzhi naturally understood his mother's meaning and quickly nodded in agreement: "Mother, don't worry, leave these matters to us from now on."

As Jiang Yutang listened to their conversation, the grievances in her heart gradually dissipated, at least she still had family to protect her.

As evening fell, familiar footsteps sounded outside the tent; the old doctor and his wife had arrived carrying a food box.

"I brought you dinner, and I even stewed a black-boned chicken to nourish your bodies so you'll have the strength to travel tomorrow." The old doctor smiled as he opened the food box, and the rich aroma of chicken soup instantly filled the air.

Jiang Yutang ladled out a bowl of chicken soup, took a sip, and felt the delicious broth slide down her throat, the warmth spreading from her stomach throughout her body.

A group of people sat around the fire, eating and chatting in a very peaceful atmosphere.

As night deepened, the old doctor finished tidying up the dishes and prepared to take his leave.

He looked at Jiang Yutang's family and said sincerely, "You're leaving tomorrow, and I don't have anything to give you. I can only wish you a safe journey and a safe arrival in Danzhou."

"Thank you, Doctor. I'm so grateful for your care these past few days," Madam Yun said hurriedly, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Before dawn, a hurried and rude shout came from outside the tent: "Get up! Get up and assemble! Let's get going!"

People were startled awake from their sleep, rubbing their sleepy eyes, and reluctantly got up from their bamboo mats.

The group of refugees was more than thirty fewer than when they arrived, and the empty spaces exuded an indescribable desolation.

The newly dispatched escorts numbered only three, each with a gloomy face and eyes full of impatience as they looked at the refugees. They probably hadn't expected that such a difficult task would fall to them.

Seeing the escort officer's face, the refugees felt a chill in their hearts, secretly thinking that the days ahead would probably be difficult.