After a night of tension and hard work, everyone felt exhausted once they relaxed.
Sore limbs were normal.
Hoarse voices were even more common.
Many people spoke only a few mumbled words, as long as communication was possible.
Especially the men from Shana’o Village, who had exerted so much effort fighting wolves and traveling, collapsed from exhaustion upon reaching the resting spot.
The women, well-protected, still had their strength, but having not slept much, they were not in high spirits. Nevertheless, they busied themselves with simply making beds.
The temperature dropped further today.
It felt chilly now, definitely not looking like a sunny day.
They couldn't let the men get sick again.
As for the Jin family's convoy.
The Jin family head, his beautiful concubines, and his daughters were still too shocked to recover.
They were also quiet.
Steward Du managed everything, instructing the servants to gather their spirits and set up camp first.
Everyone was busy.
The same was true for the Cheng family's convoy.
The carriage of the family head and his wife was badly shaken. Seemingly in shock, they were dazed, partly due to the high tension.
They actually fell ill.
This worried the maids and servants on the carriage, who kept rubbing their hands.
Su Miaomiao took a glance, estimating it was due to excessive fright, and figured they would recover on their own. She didn't fuss over them, leaving the care to the maids and servants.
She was very busy.
She still needed to check on some injured servants. Li Datou was the most severely wounded.
His hand was bitten very deeply.
Although this big fellow was a bit slow-witted, he was truly brave when it mattered!
Just for that.
Su Miaomiao had to treat him well. As for the useless Cheng family heads, a few more frights would likely make them accustomed to it. There would be many more such incidents in the future; they couldn't afford to fall ill from fright every time. They needed to toughen up.
Li Datou was also a man. He gritted his teeth without a sound while Su Miaomiao cleaned his wound. Afterward, she applied the herbs she had gathered earlier, bandaged it with a strip of cloth, and tied a neat bow.
He carefully moved his hand, feeling that the sensation of flesh being torn apart was gone. The bandage was tight enough, but not too tight, allowing for easy movement. This immediately put him at ease, and he could even smile.
Su Miaomiao tidied up the remaining tools and herbs. Seeing him still able to smile, she said with a grin, "Oh, you have a great attitude! Smiling even when injured? That's good, but you're lucky to have met me, who knows a little about healing. Otherwise, if your wound wasn't treated properly, it would be half useless!"
She looked quite proud of herself.
Li Datou was full of admiration for this young madam. He quickly agreed, "Of course! If I hadn't met you, I might not have even survived!"
He chuckled and instinctively reached out his right hand to scratch his head. But as he moved, it still hurt a little. "Ai!" he cried out, and obediently stopped moving.
Su Miaomiao was happy to be praised, so she gave him a few more instructions: "You know then, take good care of yourself. If your wound breaks open again, I won't be responsible! I don't have much medicine, so use it sparingly. We don't know what the future holds. Recover quickly so you can be useful later!"
After speaking, she waved her hand dismissively and turned to see other servants.
Only Li Datou remained behind, sighing, "The young madam is truly amazing! She knows martial arts and medicine. Hey, Daming, do you think our young madam is some kind of reclusive master? She has extraordinary talent, which is why her family kept her hidden and rarely showed her. I think so."
Wang Daming, who was passing by, stretched his sore muscles. Hearing Li Datou, he couldn't be bothered to respond, suggesting he stop reading those romance novels when he had nothing to do.
Li Datou just mumbled that he didn't understand!
Wang Daming left directly. The injured could rest, but he had to be vigilant.
On the other side.
Cheng Hao was discussing with Cheng Dali and Cheng Dazhuang how to process the wolf meat.
In his past life, wolves were protected animals and could not be eaten. However, there were records that in ancient times, wolf meat could be used as medicine.
He didn't know the medicinal properties, but he guessed his childhood sweetheart would know more.
But regardless of its efficacy.
In this chaotic world, they were simply meat for sustenance.
There was no need to be squeamish.
If they didn't eat it, they would all starve. Eating it to replenish their strength was the priority.
However, they had too much now.
Their side alone had received sixteen wolves, some with better hides than others.
They needed to process them.
To store some for later.
Cheng Dazhuang and his brother, along with Cheng Xiaoxi, lived in more remote villages and often went into the mountains, so they understood game better.
They were also experienced in handling prey.
Cheng Hao left this task to them and gave them a small perk: in addition to the edible parts, they could choose some wolf hides or fangs if they liked. After all, in the peaceful times of his past life, wolf fangs and hides could be sold for money, so the brothers were naturally delighted.
Cheng Xiaoxi also looked eagerly at Cheng Hao, waiting for his task.
Cheng Hao looked at the child and, like an elder brother, smiled and said, "Xiaoxi, you just help out. It's fine if you keep one or two pieces of hide you like. However, you should keep two or three good quality hides..."
These were for "offering" later, to shut his cheap father up.
Although the young couple had good reputation now, the strongest guards in the convoy still obeyed the Cheng family head. The indentures of the servants were also kept by the Cheng family head. To avoid future trouble.
They needed to have a nominal leader for the convoy, so appeasing the Cheng family head was necessary.
Cheng Dali and his brother, along with Cheng Xiaoxi, naturally understood. They said the wolf processing would be handed over to them. Cheng Hao patted their shoulders and thanked them for their hard work. Everyone had worked hard last night; it was indeed not easy.
This remark made the three of them feel much better. It was better than anything to have someone acknowledge their efforts. They naturally said it was nothing.
"We're all just trying to survive, right? What's hard or not hard?"
"Exactly. If anything, you and your wife worked harder!"
Cheng Dali and his brother said this with a smile, then grinned sheepishly, "Is calling your wife 'wife' how you city folk do it? We spoke too naturally and didn't pay attention when it slipped out..."
They hoped they hadn't offended him.
And that they had no ill intentions.
Both of them understood the customs of city people, just like the Cheng family head was very particular.
Cheng Hao was also a young master since childhood.
He had also studied.
He had an air of scholarly refinement about him.
They were afraid they had offended him.
Cheng Hao smiled helplessly, indicating he wasn't that particular; it was just a term.
Only then did they feel at ease.
Cheng Hao finally said he would have Xiao Wuzi and Xiao Liuzi come over to help them as well. The brothers nodded and agreed, then went their separate ways.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi skillfully washed the large iron pots as soon as they got out of the carriage and started boiling water. It was even more important to drink hot water when the weather was cold. In short, boiling water was the first priority when setting up camp.
As long as they decided to camp, with them around, the convoy never lacked hot water.
Everyone praised them.