EBE Chapter 464 Ancient Natural Disasters 4
Chapter 464 Ancient Natural Disasters 4
"Okay, go and get ready." Du Yulan thought about how these past few days, all they had done was rinse their mouths with salt.
She walked outside, found a secluded spot, went into her space to wash up, and had breakfast.
When she came out, only a dozen seconds had passed outside. She went straight back to join everyone else, packed their bags, and went out to meet up.
As soon as everyone arrived, the officials came to check the number of people. If they found any deserters, they had to chase after them immediately.
The leader of this group of officials was probably in his thirties, and I heard his name was Hou Ming. He said that as long as everyone knew their place and didn't cause trouble, he generally wouldn't make things difficult for them.
The remaining dozen or so officials were a mixed bag: lecherous, greedy, perverted, and of course, a few normal ones as well.
Looking over there, the officials who would grope women even when checking the number of people were quite perverted; they even preyed on good-looking children.
A few days ago, these officials weren't so arrogant, but now, after only a few days, they've started to lose their temper. I estimate that many people will suffer terribly in the future.
Du Yulan shifted her gaze to the female lead, Ye Baiwei, and noticed that although Ye Baiwei had tried her best to hide it, her expression still looked somewhat uneasy.
This is normal. In the 21st century, with the arrival of a world where everyone is equal, it's natural to feel uncomfortable to see such blatant behavior.
"What are you doing! Trying to rebel!" A commotion came from the crowd, and Du Yulan looked over.
A young man, protecting his wife and children behind him, was whipped several times by the perverted official, his cotton-padded coat torn in several places.
Just as the officers were about to lash him a few more times to vent their anger, the woman behind the man, her eyes red, stepped forward, apologized, and after much pleading and giving him money, she was finally let go.
Seeing this, when the officials came to check the number of people, Situ Xiu kept a close eye on Du Yulan, afraid that she would be bullied.
Du Yulan wasn't afraid. If anyone dared to touch her, they could forget about getting their hand. She would have someone's hand cut off for no reason, and they would suffer excruciating pain.
Fortunately, the official who came here was normal and did not do anything wrong, so Situ Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing everyone dawdling, Hou Ming gave the restless officers a warning look and urged them, "Hurry up, all of you! Checking the number of people is taking so long!"
If things are delayed, everyone will be in big trouble. He can pretend not to see minor issues, but he can't let important matters be delayed.
With the leader giving the order, the others naturally dared not delay, and soon everyone set off.
Fortunately, the snowfall during the day is lighter and stops occasionally, but the temperature continues to drop, and many places are starting to freeze.
There was no lunch break, so everyone could only eat some frozen, hard dry rations and continue on their way.
Hou Ming would only order a short rest when the horses were too tired to walk any further. The roads were slippery in the snow, and the travel speed was already slow, so he naturally wouldn't let everyone stop for long.
Du Yulan placed the bundle on the oilcloth that Situ Xiu had laid out, and sat directly on it. There were only a few clothes inside, so it was still a place to sit.
She reached out and placed her hand on her ankle, using her spiritual power to relieve the soreness in her foot.
Seeing her rubbing her ankle, Situ Xiu asked worriedly, "Does your foot hurt? How about I carry you for a while?"
Du Yulan glanced at the shackles on his feet and pondered the possibility of this.
She really didn't want to walk all the time, but he was already carrying a heavy load and it wasn't easy for him to walk with his shackles on. She was worried that they might both fall.
So she shook her head: "No need."
"Don't worry, I've practiced martial arts since I was a child, and I can carry you even with shackles on my back."
He's been practicing martial arts since childhood? Du Yulan's eyes couldn't help but scrutinize his physique; he didn't look particularly muscular, just slender.
Her gaze was so intense that Situ Xiu coughed and explained, "Although I may not look that strong, I still have strength."
After hearing this, Du Yulan reached out and pinched his arm; it was quite firm and must have muscle.
By the time the others realized what was happening, she had already withdrawn her hand.
Situ Xiu felt the spot where she had pinched him start to burn. He opened his mouth again and again, but finally managed to stammer out, "There are so many people around now, we still need to be careful."
He originally wanted to say that they shouldn't do that, but then he remembered that they were husband and wife, and that he had held her while sleeping last night, so he changed his mind and told her to be more careful.
"You mean it's okay when no one's around?" Du Yulan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Situ Xiu seemed to have done some mental preparation, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I... if you really want to pinch me in private, then go ahead!"
Du Yulan turned her head away from him, afraid that she would laugh out loud. The young man was really funny.
Seeing her turn her head, Situ Xiu was still a little confused, but unfortunately he didn't have time to ask her clearly.
The official's urging voice came over: "Have you rested enough? Then let's continue on our way."
They had to find a place to shelter from the wind and rain before dark, otherwise, who knows how many people would die in the wilderness in one night. If too many people died, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves.
Du Yulan stood up with her bundle in her hands. Situ Xiu tied the bundle to his front and came over, bending down slightly in front of her: "Come on up, I'll carry you."
Seeing that he insisted on carrying her on his back, she had no choice but to lean down and climb onto his back, then hug his neck tightly: "That's enough!"
Situ Xiu reached out and supported her legs, then straightened up and walked forward.
Du Yulan rested her head on his shoulder: "Is it heavy?"
"Not heavy, very light." As he spoke, he gently bounced her body with his hand to ease the discomfort he felt from her breathing being so close to his ear.
"Second brother, Mother asked me to check if your wife is alright?" Situ Cheng asked as he walked over.
They had just seen their second brother suddenly carry his wife on his back, and they thought something had happened to Du Yulan, so their mother asked him to come over and ask her.
"It's alright, brother. Yu Lan's foot hurts, I'll carry her for a while."
Upon hearing this, Situ Cheng smiled knowingly. He had also been a loving husband and wife, so he naturally understood: "I see. Then you must carry her steadily, so she doesn't fall."
"Don't worry, brother."
Situ Cheng walked away with a smile, but the other prisoners who were nearby felt that the two were still so affectionate on the way to exile, and it was really unbearable to watch.
Some people thought Du Yulan was being pretentious, insisting on carrying him just because her foot hurt, while others felt that Situ Xiu, a grown man, lacked backbone and shouldn't let a woman stand above him.
The two people involved don't care what others think; they just care about their own happiness and well-being.
Xia Wenxiu listened to Situ Cheng's words but didn't say anything.
She had no objection to this; the couple was loving, and the husband was considerate and caring towards his wife—wasn't that normal?
After Situ Cheng finished speaking with his mother, he walked over to Xu Qingyu and asked, "Does your foot hurt? Should I carry you on my back?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Qingyu blushed slightly: "What are you saying? If you're not tired, just keep carrying Xiaoqing." After saying that, she put Situ Qing on his lap.