When Xue Shi saw Su Nuan wake up, she quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and forced a faint smile.
“You’re awake. Tuan Tuan has a slight fever.”
Su Nuan hurried over to check on Tuan Tuan. The child was too young and had developed a fever from fright.
She said with some regret, “I actually forgot Little Aunt would be frightened. Later, we should check along the way for any heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs.”
She had ready-made pills in her Space, but she couldn’t openly take them out. Fortunately, fever-reducing herbs were as common as weeds. She could find some to use as cover before giving medicine to Tuan Tuan.
Su Nuan said, “I’m going out for a moment to see if Cheng Feng found me a donkey cart.”
Xue Shi nodded. Though anxious beyond measure, the overwhelming sense of helplessness had aged her noticeably.
Su Nuan tidied herself up briefly. She didn’t dare wash her face—having not yet found anything to conceal her appearance—so she had to remain dirty for now.
As she stepped outside, she saw Cheng Feng standing in the yard, relentlessly cracking his whip. The exiled prisoners were sent stumbling and crying out in pain.
Cheng Feng barked, “Get up! Lazier than pigs, all of you. Listen carefully—if you want to live, buy your own carts and bring food. If you’re hiding silver now, think about whether you’ll live to spend it.”
Su Nuan kept her head down, hoping to slip past and check if there was a cart at the gate.
But Cheng Feng spotted her and called out, “Sister Su, I couldn’t find the donkey cart you asked for. Considering your group has many elderly, weak, and sick, I bought a carriage instead. Go check at the gate and see what else you need to get—do it quickly.”
Su Nuan raised an eyebrow inwardly. Cheng Feng calling her “sister” in front of everyone was blatant favoritism that would invite jealousy. But was she afraid? Of course not.
She replied loudly, “Ah, I understand. Brother Cheng, you carry on. I’ll make preparations, and we can set off soon.”
Seeing that Su Nuan was tactful and didn’t reject his goodwill, Cheng Feng felt an inexplicable happiness, though he couldn’t quite explain why.
He snapped his whip and shouted, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—after leaving this place, you won’t find anywhere else to buy things. If you don’t want to starve or exhaust yourselves to death, figure it out on your own.”
Su Nuan knew this town was designed to squeeze the exiled prisoners dry. Though items were expensive, silver couldn’t be eaten or drunk—it was better to buy practical goods to make the journey easier.
As she mulled this over, she reached the main gate. Just outside, she saw a Nanmu carriage. The compartment was quite old but sturdy and undamaged.
Li Shitou, standing at the gate, grinned at the sight of Su Nuan. “Sis, this is the best carriage available, though the horse is a bit old.”
Su Nuan smiled. “Thank you, Brother Shitou.”
Li Shitou blushed and pointed to a rack at the back of the carriage. “I stuffed a box there for luggage. That way, one more person can fit inside.”
Su Nuan nodded happily. “Thank you, Brother Shitou. This carriage is perfect.”
Li Shitou grinned sheepishly, scratching his head to hide his embarrassment.
Su Nuan truly hadn’t expected to get a carriage. The compartment was spacious—enough for her mother-in-law and grandmother to lie down at night, with Little Aunt squeezed in between.
She hurried back inside, and as she entered, Xue Shi pressed two buns into her hands—still warm.
Xue Shi smiled. “The buns were a bit cold, so I warmed them against my chest.”
Her eyes were full of earnest hope and a trace of unease, as if afraid Su Nuan would find them unappealing.
Su Nuan gave a grateful smile, took the bun, and ate it in large bites. After finishing, she said, “Mother smells sweet.”
Xue Shi was taken aback, then her cheeks flushed red, feeling as though she had been teased by her daughter-in-law—yet she didn’t dislike it at all.
Old Madam watched her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law getting along harmoniously, and a rare smile appeared on her face.
“Let’s pack up and get moving.”
Su Nuan immediately nodded. “Yes, the carriage outside is the one I bought. Grandmother, please take Younger Sister and ride in the carriage first.”
“Mother, please keep an eye on Younger Uncle. I’ll help my husband onto the carriage first.”
After a pause, she added, “Cui Yi, take good care of Grandmother. Don’t worry, you won’t go hungry on this journey.”
Cui Yi looked at Su Nuan in surprise, then nodded somewhat awkwardly. “Yes, this servant will definitely take good care of Old Madam.”
Old Madam sighed and said, “Cui Yi, you’re like my own daughter to me. From now on, don’t refer to yourself as a servant. They should address you as Aunt.”
Cui Yi shook her head in panic. “No… this servant…”
Old Madam glared, looking rather fierce. “If I say you are, then you are. Otherwise, leave right now and don’t follow me.”
Cui Yi immediately lowered her head and said, “Yes, Old… Mother.”
Old Madam patted her hand affectionately. “Good child, you’ve suffered.”
Su Nuan felt a pang of sadness in her heart. The people of the General’s Mansion were all good souls. In her past life, she had not only been blind and foolish but also utterly stupid. She could have lived a comfortable life, yet she had turned herself into a fool.
Without saying anything more, she carried Ling Cang on her back and headed to the carriage to settle him in.
The carriage had seating on three sides, with just enough space in the center for one person to lie down.
Su Nuan took out a slightly worn quilt from her Space, spread it out, and made Ling Cang as comfortable as possible.
After settling both people and belongings, Su Nuan sat on the carriage shaft, ready to drive. Ling Yun sat on the other side, playing with a blade of foxtail grass.
A quarter of an hour later, the group stopped at the town’s exit.
Cheng Feng announced, “From now on, we’ll exit one by one. We’ll verify each household registration and identity. If anyone is missing, three generations of their family will face Beheading.”
Mention of Beheading reminded Su Nuan of her past life, when someone abandoned his elderly mother, wife, and children and fled. In the end, he was captured, and his entire family was publicly executed by decapitation.
She shrank her neck slightly. Even though she could now address Cheng Feng as a brother or sister, if anyone crossed the line, the blade in his hand would show no mercy.
As they waited to exit the town, someone suddenly shouted, “Someone’s running away!”
Su Nuan tensely shielded her family behind her. Six soldiers armed with steel blades rushed past them, swiftly capturing the escaped convict and hacking him to death on the spot.
Blood… pooled on the ground. Everyone was terrified by the gruesome scene, their screams stifled in their throats, too afraid to make a sound.
Fortunately, the Ling family had seen their share of the world. They only felt pity, not fear.
Ling Yun clapped her hands and laughed, “Hehehe… Ran away and got chopped to death…”
Cheng Feng was furious, the veins on his forehead bulging as he glared coldly at the crowd. “Dare to run? This is what happens!”
Some had thought the town’s control was lax and that there was a chance to escape, but now they realized they were nothing but turtles in a jar, waiting to be slaughtered.
Cheng Feng sneered and kicked the corpse. “Lian Zuo!”
In the next moment, the deceased’s family members—men, women, young, and old—were dragged out of the line. They clung to each other, weeping and wailing, begging incessantly.
“Please spare us, Officer. We didn’t run away.”
“Begging you, Officer, I’ll do anything.”
“Wah… Mother, I’m scared…”
Yet the soldiers remained like unfeeling stone statues, raising their broadswords despite the desperate pleas.
Su Nuan turned and embraced Xue Shi, not wanting her to witness this, fearing she might soften and rush out to beg for mercy.
Fortunately, Little Aunt remained unconscious with fever and did not see this cruel scene.
Xue Shi struggled slightly, “Will they truly be killed?”
Su Nuan tightened her embrace, her tone firm, “Mother, don’t interfere. Even if you go out, you can change nothing. You’ll only exhaust our resources and make your own family suffer.”