“With so many of us going to fetch water, shouldn’t we inform the bailiffs first? What if they think we’re trying to escape and end up hurting someone?” someone suddenly said.
The person beside her looked around as if searching for a scapegoat. When she spotted Liu Qingyu, her eyes lit up.
With a smile, she said, “Miss Liu, you’re so capable and can even talk to the head bailiff. Why don’t you help us speak to them? We’re all rather timid.”
Liu Qingyu immediately shot back,
“Auntie, even children know that they should handle their own affairs. You’re already a grown woman, so how can you be worse than a child?
And why don’t you ask around the capital to see who thinks your family is timid? Didn’t you make plenty of money from usury loans?”
The woman hadn’t expected such a soft yet sharp rebuke.
Her cell had been farther away from Liu Qingyu’s, so she had no idea how Liu Qingyu had put the entire Liu family in their place.
She had only seen Liu Qingyu’s family generously distribute their grain and assumed she was easy to push around.
The woman was angry after being rebuked and had just opened her mouth to argue when someone else started scolding her.
“Third Brother’s wife, you always loved taking advantage of others back at the estate. And now that you’ve left the mansion, you’ve even thrown away your sense of shame and started bullying a young girl?
Miss Liu kindly told everyone where the stream is, and you’re actually trying to take advantage of her? How can you have the nerve?”
It was the gentle-looking woman who had first asked Liu Qingyu about the water source. She pointed at the other woman and berated her without stopping.
Appearances truly were deceiving.
Then she turned and smiled warmly at Liu Qingyu.
“Miss Liu, I’m from the Zhang family. Just call me Aunt Zhang from now on. If anyone bullies you, come find me, and I’ll scold them for you.”
Liu Qingyu thanked her with a smile and returned to the shade where her family was resting.
“Xiaoyu, did something happen just now?” Tian Chunzhu asked.
The spot where they were resting was some distance away from the commotion, so she only knew that someone had been arguing, not who was involved.
Liu Qingyu briefly explained what had happened.
“Has that woman’s conscience been eaten by a dog? No matter what, we even gave her family a share of our grain!” Tian Chunzhu said indignantly.
Liu Hongyi comforted his wife.
“Don’t be angry. Didn’t we already expect something like this when we decided to distribute the grain?
Now we’ve simply seen more clearly who is human and who is a wolf. Besides, didn’t our daughter say someone stood up for her? That proves there are still good people around.”
“Father, Mother, forget about that for now. What I have to say is much more important.”
Liu Qingyu lowered her voice, her expression serious.
Liu Hongyi looked at his daughter curiously.
“What else is there?”
“I already told Mother before that we’ve transmigrated into a novel. In that book, everyone in the Liu family is arrested, their property confiscated, and they’re exiled. Along the journey, they’ll encounter various natural disasters. The drought is about to begin.”
Liu Qingyu looked up at the sky, gazing at the still-blazing sun through the gaps in the tree branches.
Her words startled Liu Hongyi, but he quickly calmed down.
“Daughter, then we need to stockpile water as quickly as possible. I should look for suitable jars, and we actually don’t have that much food left. Later, I’ll see if there are any wild vegetables nearby. Those things can fill your stomach in a pinch.”
After thinking for a moment, he began listing all the things he needed to do.
Tian Chunzhu burst out laughing.
“Xiaoyu, stop teasing your father and show him your treasure already.”
Liu Qingyu nodded.
She had her father shift his position to block the view of others. Then she reached into a cloth bag and, using it as cover, performed a little disappearing act.
“Daughter, this…”
Liu Hongyi stared in shock at the waterskin that had vanished from the bag.
Liu Qingyu then explained everything about the space to him and even reported on the progress of her stockpiling efforts.
“Haha! As expected of my daughter! You managed to do all of this by yourself!” Liu Hongyi said proudly, feeling honored.
Tian Chunzhu couldn’t stand seeing him so pleased with himself and poured a bucket of cold water over his enthusiasm.
“Even though our daughter has food stored away, we still need to gather more wild vegetables and stockpile more water along the way. Otherwise, people will definitely notice something strange.”
Liu Hongyi slapped his forehead.
“Look at me, I got too excited. Leave those things to me. Those years of field missions weren’t for nothing. Finding water sources and wild vegetables is child’s play.”
After only being serious for a short while, Liu Hongyi’s gossip-loving side emerged again.
“Daughter, who’s the protagonist of this novel? Is it our family?”
“No. It’s Liu Jinyao.” Liu Qingyu shook her head.
Liu Hongyi looked utterly incredulous.
“Liu Jinyao? She’s the protagonist?”
“That’s what the book says. But I’ve already taken away her cheat ability. As long as nothing unexpected happens, she won’t be able to stir up any trouble during this exile.” Liu Qingyu explained softly.
While the Liu family was chatting, the people who had gone to fetch water began returning.
Some carried water in lotus leaves, some used jars, and others had waterskins. In order to bring back water, everyone had used every trick imaginable.
“Everyone, pack up. We need to get moving.” the bailiffs reminded them.
And so, the entire group once again set out beneath the scorching sun, walking for several more hours.
Suddenly, a cry rang out from the crowd.
“Mother, I’m so dizzy…”
“Pei’er! Wake up! Don’t scare Mother! Sir! Sir, please save my daughter!”
Liu Qingyu looked ahead and saw a little girl of about ten lying on the ground while her mother cried anxiously beside her.
Lu Youguang arrived just then.
He first had the crowd spread out a bit and then checked the little girl’s complexion.
“She was probably overcome by the heat. Give her more water to drink. We’ll rest here for a while.”
The first sentence was directed at the girl’s mother; the second, at the bailiffs.
One of the bailiffs hesitated.
“Sir, if we rest now, we won’t reach the relay station before nightfall. We’ll have to spend the night in the forest.”
“I know. But we can’t have someone die right at the beginning of the exile journey, can we? Enough. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility.” Lu Youguang waved his hand.
Seeing how firm he was, the bailiffs stopped trying to persuade him.
Inwardly, however, they lamented their bad luck.
Why did it have to be Lord Lu accompanying this exile convoy?
This should have been an easy, profitable assignment where they could make plenty of silver along the way.
But with Lord Lu here, they hadn’t even swung their whips once.
How were they supposed to make any money?
This trip was a complete loss.
Liu Qingyu and her parents found a shady spot and sat down.
Coincidentally, the little girl who had suffered heatstroke was resting beneath the tree next to them.
She had already awakened and was sipping water in small mouthfuls.
Perhaps noticing someone looking at her, the girl raised her head and met Liu Qingyu’s gaze.
Then she smiled shyly.
Liu Qingyu smiled back and was about to look away when her eyes suddenly froze on something behind the tree.
She hadn’t expected to find that here.
It seemed her father’s cangue could be removed very soon.