Chapter 135: If You’re Unhappy, Keep It to Yourself!
The last to reunite, Zhang Yuan and his group, were too ashamed to say a word.
In silence, everyone sat down for their farewell meal.
During the day, the scorching sun made the barren wilderness a little warmer.
The children ran around laughing and playing, their rare bursts of joy adding a touch of life to the otherwise desolate land.
The men and women moved stones from the snow, gathering around the bonfire with heavy hearts, eating their hearty lunch.
Before the meal was even finished, Yu Zhengqing spoke again.
“There is no feast that doesn’t end, but we are only separating in how we live. We will still be on the same land, and since we’ve known each other on this journey, if anyone ever needs help in the future, let’s look out for one another.”
“That’s right,” Liu Mingxia immediately responded, standing up as the representative of the Liu family.
“We’ve traveled together for months. There’s no need to dwell on past hardships. Meeting you and your family, An Rong Lord, has been our honor. Without your protection, we wouldn’t even be alive right now. Although our Liu family lacks martial skills, we have many strong men. If you ever need labor, just call on us. We will never refuse!”
As soon as Liu Mingxia finished speaking, the Liu family members all nodded in agreement.
Their voices lifted the heavy atmosphere, helping everyone feel a little better.
Then, Bai You stood up.
“I am not a man of many words. I am a scholar by trade, and I might not be strong, but if anyone wants their children to learn how to read and write, I will take responsibility. Of course, I am willing to help with labor as well. But more importantly, I must say—our Bai family owes you our lives.
An Rong Lord, Brother Haojie, we will never forget your kindness. If we ever have the chance to return, our gratitude will not change. From today onward, our Bai family will always be in your debt.”
After speaking, Bai You clasped his hands together, bowing deeply toward Yu Haojie and Yu Zhengqing.
Seeing Bai You bow, every member of the Bai family—men, women, and children—stood up and did the same!
“Oh come on, Bai Brother! You’re making us Liu family members look ungrateful!” Liu Mingxia laughed loudly. In fact, not only should we bow in thanks, we should kneel and kowtow too!”
Saying this, he prepared to kneel before Yu Haojie and Yu Zhengqing.
But Yu Haojie reacted instantly, grabbing him before he could do so.
“Whoa! Brother Yu, how are you this strong?! I’m a grown man over 100 jin, and you just lifted me off the ground with one hand!”
Yu Haojie, having a modern soul, couldn’t accept such formal bows and kneeling.
In his excitement, he had accidentally used too much force, lifting Liu Mingxia completely off the ground!
Before he could respond, Liu Mingxia’s exaggerated reaction made everyone burst into laughter.
“Forget about kneeling! Just help me with more work later instead. Oh, and don’t forget—you still owe me 50 taels of silver.”
Yu Haojie grinned.
“Haha! Alright, alright! I won’t forget! Once the snow melts, my family’s men will help you build whatever you need!”
Reaching their final destination and hearing Yu Zhengqing’s reassurances, the Liu and Bai families started to feel more at ease.
For the first time in months, they were not afraid of the future.
“Alright, since that’s settled, let’s distribute the remaining supplies.”
Yu Zhengqing’s gaze shifted to Zhang Yuan and the few remaining Zhang family members—who had been too ashamed to speak.
Feeling the weight of everyone’s stares, Zhang Yuan’s face burned with embarrassment.
They didn’t have the courage to ask for help but also didn’t dare refuse if Yu Zhengqing offered anything.
“Although your actions before were disappointing, we are still people of Lan Yue Dynasty, and we did travel together. I will give you two blankets, a few large knives, a sack of grain, and some salt. The rest, you’ll have to figure out on your own.
Compared to other exiled criminals who arrived here with nothing, you are already lucky. You can stay in the tents until you build your stone houses, but once your food runs out, you’re on your own.”
Hearing this, Madam Chen’s face twisted with dissatisfaction.
However, after months of being scolded by her own son, she had learned her words carried no weight.
Instead of being publicly reprimanded again, she kept her mouth shut.
Even so, others still felt annoyed, and their expressions darkened.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan and his family stared at Yu Zhengqing in disbelief, their eyes full of gratitude.
But Yu Zhengqing did not care for their thanks.
“Now, take your share of supplies, and I will distribute the rest—food, blankets, clothing, and utensils. And if any of you are unhappy about how I divide things, keep it to yourself.
These supplies were taken from the mountain bandits by me and my brother. Giving them to you is a favor—not an obligation.”
Setting the rules from the start, Yu Zhengqing left no room for complaints.
Hearing this, neither the Bai nor Liu families voiced any objections.
Before arriving here, the Yu family had already prepared their own supplies.
They had stored grain in advance and had survived mostly on stolen provisions, wild boar, and hunted animals.
To stretch their food supply, they even cooked and ate some of the sharp-mouthed beasts they had encountered.
Because of this, they still had 700–800 jin (350-400 kg) of grain and 8–9 bags of wild boar meat.
The Bai and Liu families each have about forty people, and the Yu family has more than thirty people. Yu Zhengqing gave two bags of rice and noodles to each of the Bai and Liu families. Almost the whole family shared the food, with more than two hundred kilograms of grain. The Yu family kept more than two hundred kilograms, and the remaining seventy or eighty kilograms were given to Zhang Yuan and several others.
The cooking utensils, pots, and plates taken from the bandits were given to the Bai and Liu families.
Zhang Yuan’s group only received a few clay pots and bowls.
The Yu family had already prepared their own, so they didn’t need extra supplies.
With the distribution settled, each family began preparing their own meals.
However, since no one had built stone houses yet, they continued to share tents for now.
