EBE Chapter 277 Departure in the Dead of Night
Chapter 277 Departure in the Dead of Night
Xiaoman waved her hand and urged with a smile, "Hurry up, if you dawdle any longer, Sister Daya and the others will come, and then the two of you won't be able to leave."
Shui'er merely snorted coldly upon hearing this.
Qin Lingxing said, "Then we'll be going now. Please make yourselves at home."
After saying that, he turned to Shui'er and Xiao He and said, "Let's go."
"Mmm!" Shui'er responded, gently squeezing the horse's flanks with her legs, and the red horse slowly moved forward.
As Xiaohe passed by Shizi, she deliberately turned her head and glared at him fiercely from her horse.
His eyes seemed to say: I'll let you off this time, but I'll settle this score with you when I get back!
Seeing her glare at him, Shi Zi was not afraid at all; instead, he deliberately made a face at her.
His winking and making faces made Xiao He, who was standing next to him, burst out laughing.
Qin Lingxing's mount had already gone far ahead, and Shui'er and Xiaohe did not delay any longer, and quickly whipped their horses to catch up.
The three horses quickly separated and headed towards the north gate.
Watching their departing figures, Shi Zi smiled at Xiao Man and said, "This girl's temper is getting worse and worse."
Xiaoman patted him on the shoulder: "Stop joking around, let's get going."
Without further delay, the two mounted their horses, turned them around, and galloped toward the west gate.
The two rode their horses to the west gate, where the guards saw them and quickly stepped forward to salute.
The head guard recognized Xiaoman and said respectfully, "It's Imperial Physician Su! Your subordinate greets Imperial Physician Su and pays respects to Su Ziyu, the valiant warrior!"
Xiaoman nodded slightly: "No need for such formalities."
Then he took out the imperial physician's token from his bosom and showed it to the guards, saying in a deep voice, "I must go to Fengming City immediately to treat the patients there. You must open the city gates at once."
The guard looked troubled, but still remained respectful.
"Please wait a moment, Imperial Physician Su. According to the city's rules, opening the city gates before 5:45 a.m. requires permission from the city gate captain."
"I will go and inform the captain immediately, and wait for him to come and make a decision."
"Go!"
The guard quickly replied "Yes," turned around, and ran towards the back of the guardhouse next to the city gate.
Before long, the guard led a middle-aged man dressed in armor and with a long sword at his waist, rushing over.
The man was presumably the city gate captain, who bowed to Xiaoman from afar and said, "This subordinate greets Imperial Physician Su. May I ask if Imperial Physician Su has any urgent business to attend to at this time?"
Xiaoman looked at Shao Qingtu in front of her and said with a smile, "Brother Tu, why are you still giving me this formality?"
He and Shao Qingtu were old acquaintances, from when the earth dragon turned over.
The two had worked together to treat people in and around the city and were quite familiar with each other.
Shao Qingtu was originally just a guard leader.
He was promoted to city gate captain because of his skillful command and outstanding performance during the earth dragon's reversal.
Shao Qingtu chuckled: "I'm on duty, so I can't break the rules. I have to address people according to their official titles to be proper."
"Alright, alright, stop dawdling," Xiaoman urged. "We're in a hurry to leave, let the brothers open the city gates quickly."
"Alright!" Shao Qingtu replied, then turned and shouted to the four guards at the city gate, "Open the city gate and let Imperial Physician Su and the others out of the city!"
The guards responded in unison, "Yes," and together pushed the heavy city gate, making a creaking sound.
The city gate slowly opened, revealing a passage wide enough for two horses to ride abreast.
Xiaoman waved to Shao Qingtu: "Brother Tu, let's find a place to have a couple of drinks when we get back."
Shao Qingtu cupped his hands and smiled, "Of course! This humble official will wait here for your triumphant return, sir!"
Xiaoman said no more to Shizi, "Let's go."
The two rode their horses through the city gate, and their figures quickly disappeared at the end of the official road outside the city.
Shao Qingtu stood at the city gate and watched them go until they could no longer see each other's backs, then turned around and walked back.
The guard who had been there earlier stepped forward and asked with a curious look, "Captain Shao, you actually know Imperial Physician Su?"
The other three guards also gathered around, their eyes full of curiosity.
Shao Qingtu was easygoing and always got along well with the brothers.
He didn't put on airs at this moment and said with a smile, "When the earth dragon turned over before, we set up medical tents and treated people together outside the city. We were busy for more than a month, so we naturally got to know each other."
"Physician Su looks quite young, but his medical skills are truly remarkable!" one of the guards exclaimed.
“That’s natural,” Shao Qingtu nodded, and then said nothing more.
Everyone knows what happened to Xiaoman and the others.
But while he knew, he never uttered a word about what he could and couldn't say.
After chatting for a few minutes, Shao Qingtu looked up at the sky.
Seeing that it was not far from the time when the city gates would open at dawn, he clapped his hands and said, "Alright, everyone, stay where you are. When the time comes, open the city gates according to the rules. Don't make any mistakes."
The guards responded in unison, "Yes," and returned to their posts, restoring order to the city gate.
They were just waiting for the morning light to completely dispel the thin mist and welcome the pedestrians of a new day.
Not long after Shui'er, Xiaohe, Shizi, and Xiaoman left.
Lights were then lit in the courtyard where the villagers of Sujia Village were temporarily staying.
Inside the hall, the charcoal in the brazier burned brightly, spreading warmth throughout.
Several women bustled about, some adding firewood and boiling water in the kitchen, others tidying up tables and chairs in the main room, preparing porridge and rice for breakfast.
The soft sound of a wooden spoon hitting a ceramic bowl, accompanied by the crackling of firewood, conveyed the tranquility of ordinary days.
Because of the snow, the sky remained dark.
An aunt walked towards Daya's side room.
She arrived at Daya's door and gently knocked, calling out in a soft voice, "Daya, it's time to get up."
A clear voice quickly came from inside the room: "I know, Aunt Xi, I'll get up right away."
Before long, the doors to the other rooms opened one after another.
Xiao Lie, A Fu, and the others came out one after another.
Some carried copper basins to the well in the courtyard to wash up.
Some rubbed their sleepy eyes and walked towards the outhouse.
It was very cold in the crisp morning mist, but the courtyard gradually became lively.
Just then, another auntie rushed out from another place in a panic.
She clutched a piece of paper tightly in her hand and shouted out before even stepping into the hall.
"Oh no! Oh no! Little Stone and Little Man's room is empty, they've disappeared!"
Xiao Lie was wiping his face with a cloth when he heard his aunt exclaim in surprise.
He immediately threw the cloth into the basin and hurried to the hall.
Everyone else in the hall turned their attention to this woman.
Aunt Xi put down her work and went to greet her.
"Little sister, don't rush, tell me slowly." Aunt Xi had just finished speaking.
From the other end of the corridor, a similar series of hurried and disorderly footsteps could be heard.
An auntie ran quickly toward the hall.
She shouted in unison, "Something's wrong! Something's wrong! Shui'er and Xiaohe, those two girls, have disappeared!"
Upon hearing the sound, Daya quickened her pace, tying up her disheveled hair and walking briskly out of the room toward the hall.