met free Chapter 126 Escape
Chapter 126 Escape
On the return journey, Du Zhong led the way with his men, while Meng Fuqing and his group followed behind, pulling along their brothers who had been injured in the fight.
Niu Er, holding the gold waist token as if it were a priceless treasure, rode up to Meng Fuqing's carriage. "Boss, look, a gold waist token, it's gold!"
Taking the waist token from his hand, Meng Fuqing saw the character 'Yang' on it.
Winning a gold medal was certainly a good thing, but being chased made Niu Er furious. A stray arrow fired from behind struck his brother Huang Daji in the buttocks; luckily, Huang Daji was thick-skinned and the injury wasn't serious.
"Could the people chasing us be sent by the Yang family in Yezhou City? What kind of family is this Yang family? How can they be so shameless!"
The Yang family of Yezhou?
Meng Fuqing shook her head; with her previous status, she had no access to information about officials of the Great Yan Dynasty.
He turned to Xie Jin and asked, "Do you know the Yang family of Yezhou?"
"What kind of waist tag? Let me see it."
Meng Fuqing handed the waist token to Xie Jin, expecting him to take it, but Xie Jin said, "Raise it a little higher, you can't see it clearly."
Meng Fuqing: ...
She stared at Xie Jin's back of the head for a moment, then raised her other hand and placed it on his shoulder to make it easier for her to hold him steady.
Xie Jin then lowered his eyes and glanced at the Yang family. "The Yang family is so wealthy and powerful that only the current emperor's maternal family can achieve this. Indeed, there are branches of the Yang family holding positions in Yezhou City. Although their positions are not high, given the emperor's high regard for the Yang family, even the governor of Yezhou probably wouldn't dare to interfere in the Yang family's affairs."
After taking back the waist token, Meng Fuqing tentatively asked, "Do you think they simply want to double-cross each other, or is there some other reason?"
“You can be more direct.” Xie Jin turned to Meng Fuqing with a half-smile. “Just ask me if they came because of me.”
Seeing his relaxed demeanor, Meng Fuqing narrowed her eyes slightly and suddenly said, "Your driving skills are quite good."
He could have easily reached out and taken it, but he insisted on letting her hold it and show it to him.
Xie Jin paused for a moment, then looked ahead. "...It's not safe to be distracted while traveling at night."
He glanced quickly at Meng Fuqing and continued, "The Yang family does indeed have a grudge against me, but they wouldn't send only a mere thirty-odd men to kill me. They must just be after something."
With that thought in mind, Meng Fuqing got back into the car.
Seeing this, Meng Wan'er simply kept her eyes down and remained silent.
After she calmed down, she realized that the person who was driving the carriage was Xie Jin. Now, listening to their conversation again, she vaguely realized something.
She knew that Meng Fuqing had brought her along in the car to make it easier to protect her, and she silently vowed in her heart that she would never tell anyone what she had seen and heard tonight.
Niu Er, unlike Meng Wan'er, was not as perceptive. After listening to their conversation, he was still completely confused, not understanding how Young Master Xie had made enemies with people in the capital.
He understood the last sentence, though.
"A bunch of bastards, all they do is bully their own kind. If they're so capable, they should go fight the barbarians!" Niu Er cursed indignantly.
When Meng Fuqing reached the checkpoint set up by the government, he did not find the bodies of the soldiers, but the soldiers guarding the checkpoint had disappeared.
Only the lingering smell of blood remained in the air.
When discussing the sale of grain, Du Zhong considered the issue of leaving after selling the grain, and the new place he found to stay was not far from the fork in the official road.
After reuniting with the rest of the group, Meng Fuqing and his party kept their distance from Du Zhong and his group.
Qi Liang called out to Du Zhong from a distance what had happened, and Du Zhong immediately told everyone to pack up and leave.
Setting off again, Du Zhong led the main force ahead, while Meng Fuqing and his group lagged behind at a distance.
They had to travel before dawn and find a place to rest after dawn, firstly to stay away from the refugees outside Yezhou City, and secondly to guard against the continued pursuit from the city.
It was bitterly cold at night, especially when sitting still. Meng Fuqing was alright, but Meng Wan'er covered their legs with an empty burlap sack from the carriage, and even with it on, they were still shivering from the cold.
Seeing that Meng Fuqing was not like her at all, she couldn't help but wonder, "Qingqing, aren't you cold?"
Meng Fuqing simply said, "It's alright."
Meng Wan'er could only blame it on Meng Fuqing's good health and lack of sensitivity to cold.
Xie Jin, who was always hot-tempered due to poisoning, was not very sensitive to temperature. He only realized what he had overlooked when he heard the conversation between the two.
Before he could give any instructions to Mu Feng, Niu Er spoke first.
"Huh? Who's that person by the roadside?" Niu Er vaguely saw a blurry figure standing motionless by the roadside.
Following the sound, Meng Fuqing immediately recognized Shan Qiyu as standing by the roadside, holding a blanket.
"My mother, Brother Niu Er, please bring the person over for me."
The carriage stopped, and Shan Qiyu got in.
Meng Fuqing had left the grain sellers behind just in case, but he didn't expect Shan Qiyu to come running over on his own.
"Mother, you..."
“Mother knows. Chief Du told us everything. Mother is just worried that you will get cold. I heard that Doctor Zheng is more susceptible to illness if he catches a cold, so I’m not at ease if he doesn’t come to see you.”
Shan Qiyu covered the two of them with two blankets, saying, "Don't be afraid, Mother covered herself up well before she came."
"Where are Ranran and Ali?" Meng Fuqing asked.
"Your maternal uncle's family and the village chief's family can take care of things, so don't worry."
As she spoke, Shan Qiyu patted the blanket on Meng Wan'er and said, "This blanket was brought by your mother."
With the blanket on, Meng Wan'er felt her whole body warm.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, Auntie. We didn't come into contact with anyone who was infected. Qingqing said that once we find a place to rest at dawn, we can take off our coats and masks and burn them."
Shan Qiyu looked at Meng Fuqing as if seeking confirmation.
Meng Fuqing shifted the blanket over Shan Qiyu and nodded, "Wan'er is right."
Upon hearing this, Shan Qiyu's previously uncertain feelings finally settled down.
Now that she's here, she can't go back. The three of them can squeeze in together to keep warm.
It was already past midnight, and the convoy moved forward in silence. Meng Fuqing, who was sitting closest to Xie Jin, turned to him and said, "Let me know if you get sleepy."
"You can rest easy," Xie Jin said softly. "I'll call you when we get there."
"Boss, you guys take a nap. If Young Master Xie isn't up to it, we still have Niu Er!" Niu Er also joined in the fun.
Meng Fuqing glanced at the two of them, then simply closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
For a moment, Shan Qiyu was dazed. She hadn't noticed the driver when she arrived, but she recognized him after Young Master Xie spoke.
Seeing that Niu Er was also guarding the cart, and asking about the Niu family's situation, she composed herself and gave a brief explanation.
As dawn broke, the convoy stopped at the edge of a relatively flat and open grove of trees. No more pursuers were closing in on them.
After dozing off and waking up intermittently throughout the journey, Meng Fuqing was fully awake when the carriage stopped.
After getting off the bus, she thanked Xie Jin, who had been on the bus the whole way, and seeing that he still seemed energetic, she went to get busy.
After walking for most of the night, everyone inevitably showed signs of exhaustion, and they did not rest immediately upon arriving at their destination.
The women collected the masks and face towels they had made while waiting, as well as the outer garments that each family had prepared after hearing the news, and sent them to Meng Fuqing and the others.