The next morning, before dawn, Madam Su got up and reheated the rabbit meat left from the night before.
The aroma of the roasted meat, carried by the wind, made the villagers in the small mountain village salivate, but despite their envy and longing, no one went to Jiang Pan's house to buy roasted meat.
The greedy children cried again, only to be scolded by their elders.
Many people thought sourly, this Jiang Pan family really doesn't know how to live. Who eats meat so early in the morning? Can't such a precious thing be saved and eaten slowly? After all, how often does such good luck happen?
It wasn't just outsiders who thought this way; Madam Su had the same idea.
She didn't know about the existence of the "old immortal," so her heart ached as she reheated the rabbit meat.
But her in-laws had specifically instructed her, and she couldn't disobey.
After the rabbit meat was reheated, Jiang Wan was also pulled out of her warm bed by Chen Yuezhi. Children sleep soundly, and even when pulled out, she was still groggy, her eyes half-closed as Chen Yuezhi dressed her and combed her hair.
Once tidied up, the chubby girl's eyes immediately opened, and she scrambled out, exclaiming, "Sister-in-law, hungry, food!"
Madam Su chuckled at her, quickly cutting off a piece of roasted meat and handing it to her, "Eat, chew it slowly before swallowing, understand?"
Jiang Wan bared her small white teeth and tapped them twice, indicating her teeth were quite strong.
Looking at her adorable appearance, Madam Su couldn't help but reach down and touch her own belly.
She had been married for a year, but her stomach had remained quiet. She wondered when she would be able to have a child for her husband.
But thinking about the current times, she felt it was a good thing she hadn't conceived, as she didn't know what she would have done otherwise.
After breakfast, Da Lang and the others nimbly took down the oilcloth, folded it, and tied it to the cart. The tent poles were also kept, tied to the cart as they didn't take up much space.
Seeing that everyone had mostly finished packing, the village chief called out, "Let's go!"
Old Madam Jiang rushed over to stop everyone, "We can't leave. My third son is very ill and cannot travel. We'll leave after my third son's fever breaks!"
The villagers had been out for two days, and Old Madam Jiang had stopped them twice already. The villagers were very displeased. Before the village chief could speak, someone said, "Whether your third son lives or dies is none of our business! If he can't travel, then get out of the way and don't delay our time."
Old Madam Jiang exploded, "How dare you speak to me like that! My third son is a Xiucai, and you, a lowly commoner, dare to speak to him like this!"
Someone sneered, "Tch, what a great Xiucai! So scary! The emperor is about to be overthrown, and what is a mere scholar compared to that!"
Ever since Jiang Laosan passed the Xiucai exam, no one in the village had dared to speak to her like this. Old Madam Jiang was momentarily unable to accept it, her eyes widening as she pointed a trembling finger at the person, "You… you…"
The village chief intervened at the opportune moment, his face stern as he reprimanded, "All of you, say less. Be careful of what you say, lest trouble finds you!"
Although the old emperor was a scoundrel, one couldn't be so careless with their words.
The village chief turned to Old Madam Jiang, "If your third son's condition is truly too poor to travel, then your family should return early. It's not far to the county town, and it's relatively safe there."
Making the entire village wait for Jiang Laosan alone was out of the question.
Others chimed in, urging them not to cause delays.
Old Madam Jiang had no choice but to quickly return and discuss with Old Man Jiang. In the end, their family decided to travel with the villagers.
When Jiang Wan learned of this, she couldn't help but sneer, a bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong.
After resting for a night, everyone's spirits had improved considerably. Perhaps after a night of calm and adjustment, everyone felt more relaxed, and some jokes could even be heard while traveling.
Jiang Wan hadn't slept enough in the morning. Jiang Pan placed her on top of the luggage, covered her with a quilt, and let her catch up on sleep.
She didn't refuse. After all, she was just a five-year-old baby now. She had the right to be lazy and sleep.
When they stopped to rest at noon, Zhang Tieniu and his mother arrived at Jiang Pan's house.
"Brother Dapang, Sister-in-law, my father is much better. His wound isn't swollen anymore, and he doesn't have a fever."
Chen Yuezhi was a little surprised, "Really?"
Although her medicinal powder was quite effective, based on her past experience, it would take at least three to four days for a wound to stop swelling.
Zhang Tieniu's mother smiled and nodded, "Of course, it's true. Yuezhi, I really didn't expect your medical skills to be so good. Otherwise, my old man would have suffered greatly."
"This grain is from Auntie to thank you. You absolutely must not refuse, otherwise, Auntie will have no face to see you in the future."
Chen Yuezhi couldn't refuse and accepted the items.
After Zhang Tieniu and his mother left, Chen Yuezhi still felt a bit dazed.
She knew the level of her own medical skills. She found it hard to believe that Old Man Zhang's wound had healed so quickly.
Jiang Wan, seeing her surprised and doubtful expression, couldn't help but chuckle. However, she was also surprised. She hadn't used much of her special ability on Old Man Zhang. Under normal circumstances, he should have shown significant improvement by tonight at the earliest.
Therefore, her mother's medical skills were stronger than she had imagined.
Lunch was, as usual, roasted rabbit.
After eating roasted rabbit for three consecutive meals, Jiang Wan felt a bit tired of it.
The rabbit she had obtained was too large, so it was a bit fatty. While it was delicious the first time, after a couple more meals, she found it a bit overwhelming.
So, she decided to have some vegetarian food in the evening to change her taste.
As they were about to set off in the afternoon, Liu Shi suddenly approached the village chief, requesting him to change the route to the next county town, as Jiang Laosan's fever was too severe, and if he didn't see a doctor soon, she feared there might be complications.
The village chief did not agree, "I said this morning, if you are not at ease with Scholar Jiang's condition, then you should go back. Asking our entire village to accommodate your family is unreasonable."
Seeing that the village chief refused, Liu Shi quickly pushed the things she had prepared into his hands, "Village Chief Uncle, please be accommodating."
It was a money pouch.
The village chief was a very upright person and directly pushed the money pouch back, "What are you doing! What do you take me for! Liu Shi, this is fleeing famine, not an outing. Everyone is fleeing for their lives. Detouring is easy to say, but if any trouble arises on the road, no one can bear the responsibility!"
"I'll say it again, if you are not at ease with Scholar Jiang, then quickly turn back. You haven't gone far, and it's still possible to return. Wanting our entire village to accommodate him alone, he is not qualified for that."
After Jiang Laosan became a Xiucai back then, his nose was in the air, and Old Madam Jiang was even more outrageously arrogant. Therefore, the villagers had no good feelings towards this family.
For someone who had never done anything good for the villagers, why would they think they had such a right?
The village chief ignored Liu Shi any further and called out to the group, "Let's go."
Liu Shi tried to stop them several times but failed, stamping her feet in frustration.