They tried to minimize their exposure to public view, but this meant they couldn’t carry much food or supplies.
In the earlier days, Fu Xuanchen had constantly complained about the food being unpalatable. Now, when mealtime came around, he was more eager than anyone else.
Meanwhile, two-year-old Fu Zhuoxu had been eating rice paste made from fragrant roasted rice that Jiang Wanwen had prepared in advance.
Of course, it was the kind of rice paste cooked in a small iron pot with boiling water.
Occasionally, when they came across common edible wild plants in the mountains, Jiang Wanwen would tear them up by hand and add them to the paste.
Fortunately, Fu Zhuoxu was an unfussy eater and enjoyed whatever was given to him.
After half a month together, Jiang Wanwen had genuinely grown fond of the little boy.
He would sleep in everyone’s arms in turns after each meal, and when not spoken to, he would simply open his big eyes wide and curiously observe his surroundings.
So, whenever Jiang Wanwen spotted tender wild greens, she would pick some and store them in her carry-on bag. During breaks, she would cook them for Fu Zhuoxu and Jiang Ping’an, the two youngest.
After more than half a month of traveling day and night, everyone had lost their initial composure, and even their horses had grown thinner.
Jiang Wanwen not only felt filthy all over but also ached everywhere. The blisters on her feet would heal only to reappear repeatedly.
Although her previous life had its share of hardships, she believed none compared to the suffering of fleeing!
As for why they didn’t travel like ordinary merchant caravans, it was mainly because they had two children—a highly noticeable trait that could easily be remembered.
If pursuers inquired in towns later, the risk of exposure would be extremely high.
Fu Xuanzhao and Fu Xuanchen, the siblings, now rode while crying every day during their journey. Even with their innate divine power, they couldn’t endure hardships they had never experienced before.
In contrast, Fu Xuanming, the fourteen-year-old boy, was quite resilient. While applying medicine daily made him grimace in pain, he maintained a calm expression during travel.
Those unaware might think horseback riding was effortless for him!
It wasn’t that Fu Xuanming was particularly tough; he was simply clever enough to understand from his mother’s words that this was an escape—a choice between perseverance and death, with no alternatives.
Reaching the fiefdom of their Pingwu Wangfu as soon as possible was the only way to safety. Crying was useless and wasted energy.
At noon on this day, when the sun was blazing, Jiang Wanwen and her group rested at the border between the edge and the depths of a large mountain.
They now rested during the hottest part of the afternoon and traveled in the morning and evening.
After Fu Xuanchen was held down by Zhong Yuancheng to have his medicine applied, he sat beside Jiang Wanwen and started eating the roasted wild rabbit over the fire. He finished it in three bites and then eyed his sister Fu Xuanzhao’s portion greedily.
Fu Xuanzhao was still angry at her third brother for causing their mother to hit her head, so even if she couldn’t finish her half, she had no intention of giving it to him.
Instead, she shared some with her second brother beside her.
Fu Xuanchen could only snort coldly and shift his gaze to his mother nearby.
But Jiang Wanwen wasn’t the original owner of this body and had no intention of indulging his greed. “There’s wild vegetable soup over there. Go help yourself.”
Fu Xuanchen dawdled, unwilling to leave. “Mother, your son still wants to eat rabbit meat.”
Jiang Wanwen pointed towards the deep mountains. “There are plenty in there. Go hunt them yourself.”
Although Fu Xuanchen had inherited Jiang Wanwen’s physical strength, he was actually somewhat timid and didn’t dare venture into the mountains alone. He feared encountering tigers or other dangers—his wonderful life had just begun, and he couldn’t let it end in some unknown place.
His gaze toward Jiang Wanwen grew even more resentful. “Mother, you don’t love me anymore.”
“Hmm, who would love an unfilial son?” Jiang Wanwen admitted without hesitation, even nodding as she spoke.
Jiang Wanwen’s reply came naturally, while Fu Xuanchen reacted as if his tail had been stepped on, his voice suddenly rising sharply. “I didn’t know Mother would fall so seriously! I just wanted her to take a tumble and be embarrassed, that’s all.”
Now everyone nearby who was packing up heard him. Although they all lowered their heads silently, pretending not to have heard, they inwardly sympathized with their mistress—she had truly raised an unfilial son.
Jiang Ping’an was the first to learn the truth behind his aunt’s injury. As just a child staying temporarily at the Wangfu, he had always known his place and never pried into the household’s affairs. Hearing that his aunt’s injury was deliberately caused by his third cousin, he glared furiously at Fu Xuanchen.
Fu Xuanchen glanced around and, seeing that he couldn’t afford to provoke anyone else, naturally turned to Jiang Ping’an as the easy target: “You brat, what’s with that look? Seems like you need a lesson. Today I’ll teach you on behalf of your deceased father and uncles.”
But just as he reached out toward Jiang Ping’an, Jiang Wanwen sharply whipped his arm with her horsewhip.
If Jiang Wanwen hadn’t been concerned about the lack of doctors on the journey and worried that broken skin might lead to infection, Fu Xuanchen’s arm wouldn’t have merely been bruised.
Pointing her horsewhip at Fu Xuanchen, Jiang Wanwen threatened: “Just try bullying An’er! I’ll have someone throw you into the deep mountains to feed the wolves. And don’t bother saying you’re my biological son—I have more than one son. Having one more or one less makes no difference to me.”
Fu Xuanchen had initially held some hope, but seeing the seriousness in his mother’s eyes, he knew she meant every word. Feeling shock, misery, and panic, he tearfully retreated to the side.
Seeing that she had subdued him, Jiang Wanwen turned to the other children. “Finish eating quickly, then get some rest while you can.”
Regarding Fu Xuanchen—the one who had caused the original owner’s death—Jiang Wanwen still didn’t know how to handle him. First, Fu Xuanchen was only ten years old. In the era she came from, he would still be a minor, not beyond redemption. Second, the victim was the original owner, who was no longer here. She didn’t know how the original owner would have felt about this matter.
However, Jiang Wanwen thought that from a mother’s perspective, no matter how disappointed she might be, she wouldn’t want her son’s life. So Jiang Wanwen truly felt conflicted. For now, she decided to wait until they reached Chengshui, when she would have time to properly discipline him. If he really couldn’t be reformed, she’d leave him for her eldest son to deal with! The eldest brother should act as a father—it was time for her eldest son to take on this responsibility.
Fu Xuanrui: Should I handle my sister’s marriage arrangements too then?
Jiang Wanwen: You’re only the ‘father’ to the third son.
This minor drama didn’t prevent everyone from quickly finishing their meals and finding trees to lean against for sleep, though of course some took turns keeping watch.
Once everyone had woken up and eaten a meal of freshly hunted game, they set out on the road again.
Meanwhile, the pursuers had already set out from Shengyang. However, the court had yet to agree on a formal pretext for chasing them, so the official pursuit was not as conspicuous.