Chapter 41: Friendly Reminder, There’s a Band of Bandits on the Mountain
“But, Yu Luo’s family only has one backpack. Where did they get all those extra things to give us?” Yu Qiao’er asked, confused. But Shu Suhua’s eyes lit up.
“They must have asked the officers to get them for us. Just look at those cotton clothes, blankets, shoes, and pants—aren’t they all brand new? Other than being newly bought, where else could they come from? The officers probably didn’t want to expose themselves, so they quietly left them in the bushes for us to find.”
If Yu Luo could hear Yu Qiao’er’s speculations, she would probably burst out laughing.
She was worried about being exposed, yet the third branch of the Yu family had come up with such a convincing cover story for her.
“That must be it! Have you noticed? Even Commander Wu, not to mention the other officers, have been especially kind to Yu Haojie’s family along the way.”
Yu Yongjun nodded in agreement. Hearing this, everyone in the third branch was persuaded by this explanation.
With these supplies, even the ice and snow of the wilderness wouldn’t be too terrifying.
And because of these supplies, the third branch became even more diligent, helping Yu Luo’s family with many tasks along the way.
Meanwhile, Mu Chunfang returned to the campfire, fuming. Seeing Yu Liang return with a dark expression, her temper flared.
“Weren’t you trying to cozy up to Yu Haojie and his family? Did you see how that woman Ye Jiamai treated you today? And that girl, Yu Luo—so young yet so sharp-tongued! She doesn’t even respect us as elders! You’re dreaming if you think they’ll help us survive the wilderness!”
“Shut up! I’m already furious—I don’t need your nagging!”
Yu Liang, already infuriated by his encounter with the third branch, snapped at Mu Chunfang, venting his anger.
“Why are you yelling at me? Look at us—we’re the only ones without supplies. After we pass Pingyang, how are we supposed to survive with twelve mouths to feed—eating snow?”
“Yelling at me won’t help! Why don’t we just kill those officers and escape into the mountains? Either way, we’re dead. If we flee into the deep forests, maybe we can hide out for life!”
Hearing Mu Chunfang’s complaints, Yu Liang grew even more irritable. He lowered his voice but was still fierce.
“Dad, Mom, no! I don’t want to become a fugitive, running and hiding for the rest of my life! What about my wife and children?”
Just then, Yu Shanhe, who had returned with firewood, overheard his parents’ conversation. Horrified, he dropped the firewood and objected.
“Shut up! Your father’s just talking nonsense. Go boil some water for us to soak our feet! We’ve walked so much, my feet feel like they’re falling off!”
Listening to Mu Chunfang’s unreasonable orders, Zhang Fen, who had been holding back for days, finally snapped.
“Mom, we only have one clay pot to cook for the whole family. You always insist on soaking your feet first before we cook. If you want to eat vegetables boiled in foot-soaking water, we don’t!”
“What?! Zhang Shi, are you tired of living? How dare you speak to me like that!”
Seeing Mu Chunfang’s unreasonable attitude, Zhang Fen angrily turned around, tossed the wild vegetables she had gathered into the clay pot, and mixed in half of the black bread given by the officers.
This was their daily meal—each person was given two pieces of black bread per day. With twelve mouths to feed, they only dared to eat twelve pieces a day, saving the rest for when they reached the snowy wilderness without officer rations.
“Second son, control your disobedient wife! Look at her attitude! In these conditions, how dare she complain! Doesn’t she know I’m old? How ungrateful!”
Watching Zhang Fen continue cooking without heating water for her feet, Mu Chunfang felt her authority for the first time being severely challenged!
If she had the energy, she would’ve rushed over and slapped Zhang Fen across the face to teach her a lesson!
Meanwhile, Yu Luo’s side had already gathered a large pile of firewood—some collected by the third branch, some by Yu Haojie himself, and the rest secretly brought over by Yu Shanhe, likely as a way to repay the life-saving favor for his son, Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Luo used the wild mushrooms she had picked and the two sparrows given by Yu Yongcai to cook a pot of white rice porridge.
They also had their share of the black bread, but she saved it. She had plenty of white rice and couldn’t afford to skimp on meals with such exhausting daily marches.
The aroma of the porridge had just begun to waft through the air when, suddenly, rapid footsteps echoed from the mountain behind them.
Before the resting officers could react, the system’s voice rang out once more in Yu Luo’s mind!
[Ding! Friendly reminder: A band of bandits is coming down from the mountain, heading directly towards your campsite. Their target tonight is the nearby village. Please prepare to hide or defend yourselves accordingly.]
Hearing the system’s warning, Yu Luo’s face changed. Without hesitation, she shouted:
“Commander Wu! A band of bandits is coming down from the mountain—everyone get ready!”
The night had been cold but peaceful, with the campfires providing some comfort.
But Yu Luo’s sudden warning was like a thunderclap, making the exhausted officers and every member of the Yu family nearly jump out of their skins!
After shouting, Yu Luo quickly grabbed Ye Jiamai and Yu Haojie, dragging them behind a large boulder nearby.
“What kind of ancient times is this? If it’s not mountain bandits, it’s bandits! Aren’t we supposed to be exiled? Why does it feel like we’re on the run?”
Ye Jiamai panted, barely settled behind the boulder, when she suddenly found a crossbow shoved into her hands.
She and Yu Haojie exchanged a bewildered glance, only to realize that Yu Luo had not only handed them weapons but was already loading bolts into her own crossbow with practiced ease.
