frightfiction Chapter 658 Safely Arriving at Col 8
Chapter 658 Safely Arriving at Col 8
It took them another quarter of an hour to climb the mountain. They found everything was fine. Except for two guards who were so exhausted they were dozing off while standing, the rest of the people were still asleep.
After finding the tree house, Jing Changjiang wanted to climb up. He was so sleepy that he had to sleep for an hour or two, otherwise he would not be able to walk the rest of the way.
Taking advantage of his uncle's unpreparedness, Jing Chunxi gently touched his messy clothes and said softly, "Uncle, go in and have a good sleep. I'll be guarding outside." Before Jing Changjiang could respond, he was sent into the space.
Pink walls, pink curtains, pink pillows and bedding, and a set of clothes that fit him on the bed.
Jing Changjiang was really not used to the little girl's room, but he also knew that his niece was doing this for his own good, so that he would have the energy to do the next thing.
He looked at his dirty clothes, then at the clean and tidy pink bed, and hesitated. He couldn't bear to lie down on it. If he made the bed dirty, would Xijie still want to sleep on it?
He grabbed the clothes on the bed and walked out. He needed to take a shower with well water to get rid of the stinky man smell on him.
Two buckets of well water were poured over him from head to toe, and Jing Changjiang felt a little cool, but more comfortable.
Suddenly I felt a little itchy on the wounds on my face and calves. I touched my face with one hand and felt that the bloodstains on my face seemed to be slowly disappearing.
He looked down at the wound on his calf. The larger cut didn't show any obvious abnormalities, just that the blood had been washed away. The shallow wound was actually healing slowly. He was overjoyed and couldn't help but grin.
He licked the water drops dripping from his hair, put on clean clothes, and thought to himself: After flushing with this well water, maybe he will no longer be a smelly man for the rest of his life.
……
It took them six full days to walk from Damuding to Shibaao, a distance of less than 500 miles.
The day and a half of trekking took them along a rugged, thorny path, each step akin to a struggle against nature. They climbed mountains, crossed streams, and traversed dense forests, their feet blistered and their clothes torn by branches. But no one complained, only silently gritted their teeth and pressed on.
After walking for most of the day, they finally encountered a hunter. He wore coarse cloth, carried a homemade bow and arrow, and had a few hares slung around his waist. Seeing they looked tired and didn't look like bad people, he stopped and looked at them curiously. They asked the hunter for directions, and he pointed to a nearby valley, saying there was a small town there.
So they followed the direction pointed by the hunter and walked for a long time before they saw the outline of the town looming in the mountains.
In the local town, they took a car and a horse, and walked for half a day before reaching the official road.
Along the way, except for Jing Changjiang, everyone else was confused and realized that the prince might have arranged people to follow them again.
Otherwise, how could the carriages and horses that had been left in Cangwu County and halfway up the mountain all be waiting for them in this small town? As they recalled every detail along the way, there seemed to be some inadvertent details that suggested someone was secretly watching.
The strangest thing was, even they themselves had no idea they were leaving town, so how did those people know? After much thought, no one asked. They all assumed that the young lady and the prince had been in constant contact, probably sending pigeons to keep track of their whereabouts.
They walked non-stop for more than three days. When they arrived at Shibaao in the evening, the only people who greeted them in the village were Ling Bo, another family of original villagers, and Qi Er Ge's wife and two children.
Ling Bo was an elderly man. Seeing them return, a relieved smile appeared on his face. He came forward and said, "You are finally back. Everyone was worried about you."
The seventh brother's wife was holding Cuifang, with Ah Kuan standing beside them, as well as Big Cow, Second Cow, and Third Cow. The child was overjoyed to see them.
Xu Zize, who followed later, said, "Originally, Uncle Four-Nine was worried that you weren't familiar with the conditions on the mountain, so he wanted to bring Brother Seven-Second along, but I sent him away."
Xu Zize was waiting here as promised, and he also transferred all the people who were familiar with the conditions on the mountain to Leizhou to clear the obstacles for Jing Chunxi in advance.
Because they all walked on mountain roads, the troops evacuated from Shibaao have not yet arrived here.
Xu Zize, "You have worked hard. You must have suffered a lot on the way. Let's go into the village quickly."
It was too long to describe the situation in just a few words. Jing Changjiang smiled and said, "Fortunately, everyone made it through." But he still reminded, "More than 4,000 people will arrive tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."
These words stunned Xu Zize. He didn't understand what was happening over there, but seeing that Ling Bo and the children were there, he didn't want to ask too much.
He said to Jing Chunxi, "I didn't expect you to come back early. It's only been four days since Chuntao and the others set out. It will probably take another three days for them to arrive."
"It's okay, we're not in a hurry now that we're here." The time was advanced, but Jing Chunxi was not in a hurry to go back.
Everyone was very tired, and after dinner, they went back to the courtyard to rest. Although the meal was simple, everyone ate it with gusto, because they had been traveling for the past few days and were greedy.
An oil lamp was lit in the room, and Xu Zize and Jing Changjiang sat facing each other, drinking tea. The room was filled with the faint fragrance of tea, and the two sat quietly, enjoying this rare tranquility.
Xu Zize put down the teacup in his hand and said, "The first batch of ships has already set out to sea. Sanlang and a captain of a thousand households are leading the team. I have selected eight people for them, and two red-haired foreigners will go back with them." He was also the one who found the red-haired foreigners, for he was afraid that when they got there, they would be unfamiliar with the place and would not be able to understand the local dialect.
Jing Changjiang nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Prince, for making such thorough arrangements." Xu Zize smiled and said, "It's all for everyone, there's no such thing as hard work or no hardship."
Jing Changjiang also gave a detailed account of what he had done at the Cangwu County Office and his future plans. He also outlined how the soldiers would be accommodated upon their return. The two chatted back and forth, as if they were close friends regardless of age, and their conversation was quite harmonious.
"Over at Yamen Village," Xu Zize hesitated to speak, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
Jing Changjiang thought he was asking about his parents' condition, so he quickly bowed and thanked them, saying, "My parents are in good health, and so is our family. They were very happy to see us and even mentioned the prince."
Xu Zize nodded, but seemed to want to ask something, but he never opened his mouth.
Jing Changjiang racked his brains for a long time, trying to explain more to him, and then said, "The dried goods such as sweet potato flour and dried bamboo shoots have been unloaded. Before leaving, Sister Xi filled the two wells in the courtyard with water. Your Highness, there is no need to worry."