Chapter 57: Always a Family
Even in the desolate wilderness, this tent might become their only shelter.
Without waiting for the guards to arrange things, the people from the third branch of the family gathered to discuss and decided to take turns carrying the tent, so it could be used every night as a shelter from the cold.
Yu Haojie and his family of three were voluntarily included in the first branch by Yu Liang and Yu Qiang. No one knew why Yu Liang was suddenly being so kind this time, but since Yu Haojie was the only strong laborer in Yu Luo’s family, they were naturally happy to accept.
After all, their family still had a large basket, which was entirely carried by Yu Haojie alone. If Yu Haojie were considered a separate family, then there would be no one left to carry their basket.
In everyone’s eyes, Yu Luo and Ye Jiamei were both women and having to travel fifty miles a day was hard enough for them, let alone carrying a basket.
As soon as this decision was made, Yu Meiyao immediately objected!
“Why? They are women, and my mother and I aren’t? We also carry our pots, bowls, and food! Besides, Second Uncle’s family already eats separately from us, so why should they count as part of our family?”
Hearing Yu Meiyao’s complaints, Lady Lan tried to stop her but couldn’t. Just as Yu Haojie was about to speak and say he would carry it himself, Yu Zhengqing interrupted.
“Divided or not, who are you to speak about such matters? Since when is it your place as a junior to comment?”
Startled by Yu Zhengqing’s stern words, Yu Meiyao immediately shut her mouth, not daring to argue with her father despite her dissatisfaction.
“Your Second Uncle may have grievances against us, and that’s fine. But your Second Uncle and his family will always be a part of our family. If I hear you say such things again, don’t blame me for being strict as your father.”
“Yes.”
Yu Zhengqing’s words made Yu Luo’s family scoff silently, but the main branch couldn’t help but take the issue more seriously.
Old Madam Chen sneered, not understanding why her eldest son was acting so stupidly—his brother’s family didn’t even acknowledge them anymore, so why was he still trying to act like a good brother?
Along the way, the boy followed closely beside Yu Luo. The path was uneven, so Yu Luo directly held the boy’s hand, fearing that his weak body, still recovering from a cold, might accidentally trip and fall into the snow.
The boy was surprised when Yu Luo’s soft hand held his for the first time. He wanted to pull away, but Yu Luo held on even tighter.
“Don’t be afraid. I just don’t want you to fall. You still have a bit of a fever from this morning and must be feeling dizzy. If you can’t keep going, just say so. I’ll ask my dad to carry you.”
Hearing Yu Luo’s words, the boy looked up at Yu Haojie, who was walking lightly ahead with a large basket on his back. His pitch-black eyes were filled with disbelief.
After all, just the two ten-pound quilts alone were already heavy. He couldn’t imagine how Yu Haojie could still carry him.
By noon, they stopped for a simple break. Yu Luo took out some flatbreads and marinated beef, warmed them over a fire, and shared them with everyone.
The flatbreads were warm when taken out. If not for the need to hide things from others, especially the boy, their family of three could have eaten them directly.
“By tomorrow evening, we should reach Pingyang City. I’ve been escorting you for more than a month, and your days have been much better than those of other exiled criminals.
We’ll part ways tomorrow, so I won’t say much more. Just be prepared. Those other guards are not good people. If you have any valuables, either hide them well or offer a little as tribute. That might make your days a bit easier.
And you pretty young girls, you’d better make yourselves look less attractive. You’ve all heard stories of exiled women being taken advantage of on the way, haven’t you? Don’t blame me for not warning you.”
As Wu Dahai spoke, lazily sipping his wine, all the women present turned pale at his words.
From Pingyang to the desolate land of exile was only a thousand miles. If everything went smoothly, they could reach it in twenty days.
But the road from Pingyang to the wilderness was treacherous, with high mountains, cliffs, plains, and even a large river…
Not to mention the thousands of mountain bandits hiding in the hills. Just the terrain alone was dangerous enough to take many lives, even without the threat of evil guards and bandits.
They had made it this far safely without the guards causing trouble, perhaps because Yu Zhengqing’s eldest daughter was a prince’s consort.
Meanwhile, those guards, far from the imperial city, would continue escorting prisoners back and forth from Pingyang City, never interacting with the capital’s officials. Bullying exiled prisoners was routine for them.
“Dad, Mom, what should we do? I’m scared!”
Thinking of her beautiful face, Yu Yingying was so frightened by Wu Dahai’s words that she couldn’t hold back her tears.
Yu Meiyao was also terrified, clinging tightly to Lady Lan, biting her lips nervously.
The young girls of the second and third branches were equally pale with fear, except for Yu Luo, who remained completely unfazed.
The boy looked at the others, then at Yu Luo, who sat close by. His pitch-black eyes were full of curiosity.
Yu Luo and Ye Jiamei had long been prepared for such things.
“If something like this happens, even if you ruin your face, it won’t necessarily keep you safe. Some twisted minds might still target you.”
Just like what happened to Old Madam Chen before—despite being a sixty-year-old woman, she was still attacked by two beggars.
After saying that, Wu Dahai ignored the women’s fears and looked at the boy sitting next to Yu Luo.
“Second Young Master Yu, are you really planning to take this boy to the wilderness?”
“Huh? Of course not. We just thought if we passed by a decent family, we might see if anyone was willing to take him in.”
“Leave him to me, then. When we reach Pingyang tomorrow, I’ll find a family to take him in, considering the help your wife gave me before. You folks are kind-hearted, so let me help you solve this problem.”
To everyone’s surprise, as soon as Wu Dahai finished speaking, the boy immediately grabbed Yu Luo’s arm tightly, his eyes full of wariness as he looked at Wu Dahai.
Feeling the small hand clutching her arm, Yu Luo turned her head and saw the boy’s tense face, his lips pressed tightly together.
“Don’t be afraid. Commander Wu is a good person. You’ve seen it yourself—he hasn’t caused us any trouble along the way. He’ll surely find you a good family.”
