The rain that had lasted the entire day finally ceased, and the overcast sky cleared, allowing the scorching sun to cast its harsh rays upon the earth.
Early in the morning, the Yamen runners began urging everyone to get up.
It must be said that the conditions at this post station were relatively decent.
Even if it was dilapidated, each person still received a bowl of coarse rice porridge for breakfast—thin enough to reflect one's shadow—which was far better than the Wo Wo Tou provided by Big Beard.
Shen Wan brought the porridge she had received to Xie Mubai and handed him a bamboo tube: "Use this when you need to urinate from now on. If it's inconvenient for you, just let me know."
Xie Mubai's face flushed red.
How could this ugly woman be so vulgar, talking about piss and shit all the time? Where was the demeanor of a well-bred lady?
He didn't say a word, merely lifting the bowl to hide his embarrassment.
Just as he finished the porridge, the Yamen runners outside began urging them to set off again.
Hearing this, Shen Wan picked him up and carried him outside.
Seeing Xie Mubai lying safely on the cart, Zhou Yiniang and the others were startled.
However, they didn't regret the separation of the family. After all, this cripple would only be a burden to them as long as he lived.
"Why are you still following us?" Zhou Yiniang glanced at Xie Murong with a fake smile. "Haven't you noticed that your fifth brother has woken up?"
With only a little money left on Sun Shi among the entire group, she didn't want another person to share their meager resources.
Moreover, this girl couldn't carry heavy loads or do manual work—aside from holding them back, she seemed to serve no other purpose.
"Aunt!" Xie Murong's eyes reddened as she looked at her pitifully. "But I don't want to leave you."
Sun Shi's eyes shifted cunningly, and she cast a malicious glance toward Shen Wan. "Murong, Aunt is only thinking of what's best for you."
"You'd better keep your distance from us. Otherwise, that ugly woman will never let you off. Don't you know how much she hates us now?"
Hmph, that ugly woman actually dared to hit her!
If she didn't get her revenge, she wouldn't bear the surname Sun!
Before the words faded, Sun Shi took Zhou Yiniang's hand and walked away.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Xie Murong's gaze toward Shen Wan turned venomous.
The weather was unbearably hot. After just a few steps, everyone was drenched in sweat and exhausted.
Although Xie Mubai didn't have to walk, he was still drenched in sweat from the scorching sun.
Noticing Banana trees by the roadside, Shen Wan stopped the cart and walked over.
"Fifth Brother, look! That ugly woman is slacking off again!" Xie Murong seized the opportunity to poison Xie Mubai's mind. "If we fall behind the group, we'll definitely get whipped again!"
She had already received several lashes for moving too slowly.
"Then you push me," Xie Mubai said impassively.
Xie Murong immediately shrieked, "Fifth Brother, how could I possibly push you?"
"If you can't push me, then why say anything?" Xie Mubai's face darkened, his words laced with a distinct chill.
Xie Murong's face turned pale.
She bit her lip, looking aggrieved. "Fifth Brother, are you still angry about what happened last night?"
"You know how timid I am…"
Xie Mubai wasn't angry—he was just disheartened.
His most beloved younger sister had abandoned him at a life-or-death moment.
Aside from that ugly woman, none of his so-called relatives cared whether he lived or died.
Just as Xie Murong was about to explain further, she saw Shen Wan approaching with something resembling a large umbrella.
"What is this?" Xie Mubai asked.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Shen Wan smiled and tied the sun umbrella made of Banana leaves securely to the cart. "It's a sun umbrella!"
"The sun is so strong, what if you get heatstroke?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Mubai felt a warmth in his heart.
Shen Wan didn't even glance at Xie Murong standing to the side and simply pushed the cart forward.
Seeing that this ugly woman dared to treat her as air, Xie Murong turned pale with rage.
When they finally reached the rest stop, she discovered lunch was still the rock-hard Wo Wo Tou that could double as a hidden weapon.
Just like yesterday, Sun Shi didn't eat the Wo Wo Tou and instead bought flatbread with her own money.
Xie Murong redirected all her anger toward Shen Wan: "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Zhou Yiniang wouldn't have separated from the family!"
"We separated from our side, what does it have to do with you?" Shen Wan sneered. "Besides, I never asked you to come with us. Why are you shamelessly following us anyway?"
Xie Murong was so furious she felt smoke coming out of her seven orifices, shrieking: "I'm traveling with Fifth Brother, not following you!"
It was true Shen Wan hadn't invited her to join them, but as a delicate woman, how could Xie Murong dare to travel alone?
Although most of the exiled were from noble families, there was no guarantee some wouldn't be improper.
If something happened to her, she wouldn't even have a place to cry about it later.
"Fine, then don't eat any of my food!" Shen Wan said deliberately.
Xie Murong raised her head proudly with a disdainful expression: "As if I've ever eaten your food before!"
"I, Xie Murong, would rather die of thirst or starvation than eat a single bite of your food!"
Hearing this, Shen Wan happily stood up: "Good, I'll remember that!"
Using the excuse of needing privacy, she went up the mountain. After making a bamboo container for water, she took a lively, plump wild chicken from her Space.
Now that they had separated from the family, she could properly enjoy a good meal.
After returning, Shen Wan borrowed a knife from the Big Beard Yamen runner.
"Sir, you must try my cooking later!" she said with an ingratiating smile.
Sun Shi rolled her eyes and spat viciously: "What a seductress! Fifth Brother isn't even dead yet, and she's already flirting with men!"
"With her cooking skills, could the chicken she makes even be edible?"
No one had any expectations for Shen Wan's culinary abilities.
No matter how lowly this ugly woman was, she was still a daughter of a marquis household. It was questionable whether she had ever even entered a kitchen. What a pity for that plump wild chicken.
"Be careful not to damage the blade," Big Beard said, though he wanted to eat, he also doubted her cooking skills. "Better hurry up, don't delay our departure time."
Shen Wan had studied medicine, and soon had the wild chicken prepared.
"Who did you learn all this from?" Xie Mubai watched coldly and suddenly asked.
Shen Wan turned the chicken over the fire while smiling: "When I was young, I hung around military camps, eating bran and wild vegetables every day.""
"I couldn't bear the hardship, so I often went hunting in the mountains for wild game to improve my meals."
She wasn't lying – the original host had indeed spent time in military camps and picked up the rough manners of soldiers.
But she didn't have these exquisite knife skills, nor her superb cooking abilities.
Xie Mubai couldn't help but look at her a few more times – this ugly woman never failed to surprise him.
Soon, a tantalizing aroma spread through the stifling hot air, making Xie Murong stare with longing eyes.
Da Bao sniffed hard, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth all over the ground.
"Mother, I don't want to eat flatbread! I want meat too!" He pulled on Zhao Shi's hand, beginning to throw a tantrum.
Zhao Shi reached out and pulled him into her arms, casting a wary glance at Shen Wan. "You dare snatch that woman's things?"
She feared Zhou Yiniang, but she feared that ugly woman even more.
Sun Shi's eyes darted, and she immediately pulled Xie Murong aside, whispering mysteriously, "Didn't you want to come with us?"
"As long as you bring back half the chicken to offer to Yiniang, I'll put in a good word for you with her."
"Pheasants aren't common, but my flatbread is available every day."
Zhou Yiniang had long been craving it.
Hearing Sun Shi's words, she pretended to nod thoughtfully. "Rong'er, since your third sister-in-law has spoken, I can hardly refuse."
"If you handle this well, you can eat flatbread with us from now on."
Would that ugly woman give it?
Xie Murong wasn't sure.
After hesitating briefly, she still walked toward Shen Wan.