A simple meal to fill their bellies.
Everyone did not set off immediately. After all, the horses and mules were exhausted. They had to rest for an hour before continuing their journey.
With something in their stomachs, everyone also felt drowsy. The earlier scare and fright, coupled with the rough bumps in the carriage, left those who suffered from motion sickness feeling like the world was spinning. They spread out oilcloths and lay down for a while.
Master Cheng felt a pang of heartache over the provisions, thinking about how much food the entire group would consume. It was agonizing, but his son was right.
He lay comfortably, enjoying the servants who busied themselves serving him. Thinking this, he felt a little more at ease. The food could be used.
He would find a way to replenish it later.
Mother Cheng, meanwhile, chatted with her niece Jiang Xiyue. Seeing the young girl with messy hair following along in their escape, she felt great pity.
“Good child, you’ve truly suffered. Do you still feel unwell?”
“Aunt, I’m much better. Please don’t worry about me.”
Jiang Xiyue looked delicate and spoke in a soft voice. Her eyes held a hint of sorrow, making one pity her even more.
Mother Cheng couldn’t bear it. She reached out to tidy her hair, then asked a maid to comb it for her, and ordered someone to make some brown sugar water.
The passing servants were stunned. Just the day before, the master had lost his temper, and it was only because the eldest young master intervened that they, the servants, were spared. Otherwise, they wouldn’t know what punishment they would have received from the master.
Now, even with Mother Cheng’s request, they dared not casually use any more provisions.
Xiao Liuzi kept glancing at Master Cheng, who was resting, trying to gauge his thoughts. Unexpectedly, Mother Cheng became angry. She exclaimed with mock fury, “What? Am I not even allowed to order you, a mere lowly servant?!”
Mother Cheng, being the second wife, although holding the principal position, always felt the presence of the first wife and was extremely sensitive about such matters. She had just run into trouble.
Xiao Liuzi hurriedly and submissively said, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”
The young lad seemed to shrink into a tiny shrimp.
As the commotion grew.
Master Cheng finally opened his eyes, as if just waking from a nap, and asked, “What’s going on?” His tone was unfriendly and accusatory.
Xiao Liuzi, being a servant, didn’t dare to speak. He regretted his bad luck, having been caught by the mistress in her fit of rage.
Mother Cheng indeed launched into a tearful complaint, tears flowing as readily as a pear blossom in the rain. “Husband! Although I am the second wife, I am still the daughter of a respectable family! My family may not be exceptionally influential, but we are at least wealthy in our region. Why, after marrying you, am I looked down upon by the servants simply because I am the second wife?!”
Seeing his beloved wife crying, Master Cheng sobered up. He quickly got up and hugged her, trying to console her. “Why would my dear wife think this way? What has happened?”
Mother Cheng then recounted the story, saying she couldn’t get the servants to obey her and that they were too arrogant, only listening to his eldest son.
She naturally wouldn’t bring up Master Cheng directly, but rather spoke of Cheng’s legitimate son. She had sensed a premonition earlier. This legitimate son of Cheng was not to be trifled with. In just a short time, he had made everyone heed his every word.
Mother Cheng was terrified. She had to ensure her husband remained firmly in charge. Thus, she seized the excuse of Xiao Liuzi’s disobedience to raise the issue.
Her intention was to sow discord.
Master Cheng found it both amusing and exasperating upon hearing this. He felt it was a trivial matter, just a woman’s petty thoughts, feeling she had lost face.
He loved this act of appeasement and said, “What do you mean ‘your family’ and ‘my family’? Aren’t we all one family? Look at how angry you are. I will certainly hold someone accountable!”
With that said.
He also began to berate Xiao Liuzi, raising his voice and questioning, “What? Have you been out for only a few days and already disregarded your mother’s words? Will you soon ignore me as well? This is outrageous!”
Master Cheng first scolded Xiao Liuzi severely, then ordered him to slap himself to appease the mistress. If she remained unhappy, he was to be kicked out of the caravan immediately.
He would not tolerate such an ungrateful wretch.
Xiao Liuzi was not a fool. He had initially wanted to explain himself, but it was clear Master Cheng did not care about right or wrong. As long as it offended his beloved wife, it was wrong. He was still so young, and in this wilderness, if he were driven away, what hope would he have?
Despite feeling insulted and lamenting the unfairness of fate that made them noble while he was as lowly as mud, he could only bow his head and slap himself.
The sound of "slap!" "slap!" "slap!" echoed continuously, his small face immediately turning red.
But Xiao Liuzi’s back remained straight.
When other young servants saw this, they hurried to find Ji Bo to plead for him.
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao were unaware of this. Having learned that the mountain was rich in produce, they took a small team to gather supplies while the horses rested. This included wild vegetables, medicinal herbs, and even firewood. They even gathered grass for the horses.
The livestock in their caravan, both horses and mules, were not allowed to graze freely on outside grass. They were fed fodder or what they gathered themselves.
After all, horses and mules were crucial; without them, escaping would be even more difficult. Therefore, even if it was more trouble, it could prevent many misfortunes.
It didn’t matter if the firewood was wet; it could be stored and dried when the weather cleared.
Sometimes, when they stopped to rest on their journey, there wasn’t always time to collect firewood.
Medicinal herbs were even more important.
Xiao Wuzi closely followed his young master and young mistress. He was already utterly impressed by the two. They recognized an abundance of plants and had sharp eyes, immediately knowing what was usable with a glance.
They only needed to listen and gather what they were told to collect.
They would also teach them how to identify the plants. In a short time, they had gathered quite a bit.
Su Miaomiao, with Cheng Hao by her side, was particularly energetic, climbing trees to search for bird nests, picking nuts, and gathering berries.
Xiao Wuzi watched her, light on her feet, climb a tree with just a few moves and was dumbfounded, exclaiming that their young mistress was truly a heroine.
She was too wild.
Cheng Hao only sighed inwardly when he heard this. This girl dared to jump around in tall buildings, so this little height was trivial to her.
He could only call out to her to be careful, as she was truly carefree when she was having fun.
Su Miaomiao felt overjoyed by her regained agility. Her nimbleness and extraordinary stamina from before her transmigration had indeed come with her. Now, she was truly light as a swallow. Initially, she was a bit clumsy, but after a few tries, there was no more awkwardness, and she could climb trees with her eyes closed.
Back when she was at her grandparents’ home in the countryside, she and Cheng Hao had climbed trees often. They were used to being wild back then, making it convenient to gather things now.
Many fruits on high branches could be easily picked and then tossed down.
This way, everyone could supplement their vitamins, ensuring nutritional balance and preventing illness. She enjoyed picking, and those picking up the fruits below were also happy.