“Mother, we still need to find a way to buy a cart. Gong Hao is too young—there’s no way he can keep carrying Mohan like this for many days.”
Watching Gong Hao’s small frame struggle to support Gong Mohan, her mother-in-law sighed deeply.
“How would the guards ever allow prisoners to buy a cart? Hao’er and I can only take turns carrying him.”
Still, they needed to maintain good relations with the guards somehow. As Ziling walked, she kept thinking about how to persuade them to allow her family to purchase a cart.
Just then, cries and the sound of whipping suddenly erupted from the rear of the convoy.
A guard was lashing a middle-aged man again and again with a whip.
“Run again! Go on, try running again!”
“Officer, please stop beating me!” the man cried while stumbling forward to rejoin the line. “I was just too thirsty—I only wanted to look for water!”
The other prisoners immediately hurried along as well, terrified that even a moment’s delay would bring the whip down upon them.
As the journey continued, the prisoners slowed more and more. None of them had gotten water the previous night, and they had not been given breakfast that morning either. Some people were already close to collapse.
Worried her family would not endure much longer, Ziling decided to take the risk.
Holding Ying’er’s hand, she secretly pulled a small bottle from her bundle and quickly let the girl drink a little water. Then she signaled for Ying’er to bring their mother over so she could secretly give her some as well.
Though they might grow suspicious afterward, it was still better than letting them die of thirst.
Ziling then moved beside Gong Mohan, pretending to help Gong Hao support him while secretly letting the two of them drink water too.
Gong Hao only took two sips before reluctantly refusing more.
But Gong Mohan froze after taking a single mouthful.
The water was sweet.
He had never tasted such sweet, refreshing water before. After drinking it, he felt his whole body relax, and even the pain from his wounds seemed lighter.
He looked at Ziling, clearly trying to read an explanation from her expression.
Fortunately, she had already prepared an excuse.
“I hid some of the water I bought from that peddler yesterday. I was afraid others would see and steal it.”
Gong Mohan knew she wasn’t telling the full truth, but he asked no further questions.
After another two hours of walking, they finally neared the town the guards had mentioned.
When they were less than a li away, the guards ordered everyone to stop and rest. The place was a dried-up depression in the earth that probably once held water, though now not even a blade of grass remained.
“You may each send one person from your family to search nearby for water,” Zhang Meng announced loudly to the prisoners. “But don’t even think about escaping. If one of you runs, your family will suffer punishment in your place. We’ll spend the night here. Some of our men are going into town to replenish supplies. Anyone wanting to buy something, come register now.”
The exhausted prisoners had barely sat down before rushing toward the guards to list the things they wanted purchased.
Since the exile had only just begun, most people still had some hidden money on them. After eating nothing but rough black-flour buns for two days, many could no longer endure it.
The guards were more than happy to help prisoners buy things—naturally because they could profit from it.
The moment Ziling heard the guards were entering town, she decided she had to go along herself.
After the other prisoners finished registering their requests, she walked up to Zhang Meng.
“Officer, may I accompany you into town? My family needs quite a few things. My husband requires medicinal herbs, and I’d like to visit a pharmacy myself. I also need to buy a pot for brewing medicine.”
As she spoke, she quietly slipped a piece of silver into his hand. He weighed it briefly before tucking it away.
“You may go,” Zhang Meng replied. “But don’t get any ideas. You understand—if you escape, those people of yours won’t survive.”
“Of course not,” Ziling quickly answered.
She hurried back to inform her mother-in-law.
“Mother, I’m going into town to buy supplies and get medicine for Mohan.”
Her mother-in-law looked worried.
“Let Hao’er go with you. I’ll feel more at ease.”
“No, let him stay here and help. I’m more worried about leaving all of you behind.”
Turning to Gong Hao, she instructed him seriously:
“Don’t go searching for water with the others. Stay here and guard your brother, mother, and sister. Don’t worry about water—I’ll find a way.”
After speaking, she immediately turned to leave.
“Wait—take this.”
Gong Hao pulled out the banknote his grandmother had secretly given him before exile and handed it to Ziling.
Deep down, the young man had already accepted this sister-in-law, though he stubbornly refused to call her that aloud.
“Aiyo, our Hao’er knows how to give his sister-in-law money now. Looks like you’ve grown up,” Ziling teased playfully before quickly hurrying after the guards’ cart.
She left behind Gong Hao’s frustrated expression and Ying’er giggling beside him.
Even Gong Mohan secretly curled his lips into a faint smile.
When Ziling arrived in town with the guards, one of them warned her:
“Buy whatever you need quickly. We’ll meet back here in one hour. Don’t think about escaping.”
Ziling looked around the small, shabby town. Many shops along the streets weren’t even open.
At last, she found a shop selling quilts and clothing. Inside, only the shopkeeper remained, lazily tidying items with a lifeless expression.
“Shopkeeper, I’d like to buy several quilts. Do you have ready-made ones?”
“Yes, yes!” The shopkeeper immediately brightened upon seeing a customer.
After purchasing several quilts, Ziling casually asked:
“Shopkeeper, why is this town so desolate? So many stores are closed.”
The man sighed heavily.
“It’s all because of the drought this year. Many people couldn’t survive any longer and moved away.”
“Then why haven’t you left?”
“Well, my shop is still open today because of you,” he replied bitterly. “But tomorrow I’ll leave too. I have no choice. I can’t just stay here waiting to die.”
“Shopkeeper, I see you still have clothing here. I’d like to buy several outfits for my family. Could you perhaps make them cheaper?”
“Of course, of course! Pick whatever you like, and I’ll give you the lowest price possible.”
The shopkeeper had clearly been worried about how to dispose of all this merchandise anyway, so he became even more enthusiastic.
As Ziling selected clothing, she also asked whether any pharmacies in town were still open.
After paying for the clothes, she followed his directions and purchased several common medicinal herbs from a pharmacy.
In truth, her space already contained medicine. But she still needed to buy herbs openly so that no one would become suspicious when she later treated Gong Mohan.
She also bought two clay pots.
After reaching a secluded area with no people nearby, she secretly took some rice from her space and filled the clay pots with it.
This way, no one would suspect anything.
Seeing that time was running short, she began heading toward the meeting place.
Along the way, she noticed a household outside their courtyard covering a wooden wheelbarrow with straw. Beside it lay several packed bundles of luggage.