Madam Shen's proposal was truly tempting.
Following the officials' families would undoubtedly be safer.
However, Jiang Pan still politely declined Madam Shen's kind offer, not only because his family was behind them but also because they had left their village together, and it would be unseemly to abandon their fellow villagers.
Madam Shen did not press the matter, and the next morning, she departed with her entourage.
The family of three waited another day in the prefecture city and finally met up with the convoy from Little Mountain Village.
When they returned to the convoy with two horse-drawn carriages, they once again drew gasps of admiration and envy from the villagers.
Someone jokingly remarked, "Da Pan, did your carriage come from that mare giving birth?"
Jiang Pan laughed heartily, "If it could give birth, I'd let it keep on giving, enough for a carriage for every family!"
His words made the villagers laugh.
Some, feeling a pang of jealousy, said, "Then where did your carriage come from? Didn't you just find it?"
Jiang Pan didn't hide anything from them and recounted how Chen Yuezhi had saved Madam Shen, omitting some details.
When the villagers learned that the carriage was purchased with the silver Madam Shen had rewarded Jiang Pan, and that Madam had also provided Jiang Pan's family with travel permits, they were so envious they could have cried.
What incredible luck this family had!
The carriages, in comparison to the travel permits, were no longer so enviable. Those permits were truly invaluable, something money couldn't buy.
Da Lang and the others, driving the carriages, came to greet them. "Father, Mother, where is Wanwan? How is she?"
They weren't interested in the new carriages or the travel permits; they just wanted to know about Jiang Wan's condition.
Jiang Wan emerged from the carriage, a wide grin on her face, "I'm fine!"
Her elder brothers immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and Madam Su's eyes welled up with tears. "You child, you scared me so much these past few days that I couldn't eat or sleep, terrified something might happen to you."
Jiang Wan quickly comforted her, "Sister-in-law, I'm alright now. Don't cry. If you cry too much, you'll give birth to a little crybaby in the future. Come, let's smile."
Madam Su chuckled at her words.
Jiang Pan handed the carriages over to Da Lang and the others to manage and went to see the village chief. He informed the chief about the situation in Tongzhou Prefecture. "The prices in the city have risen sharply, but with winter approaching, if anyone wants to purchase supplies, it's best to do so now. The further we go, the worse the situation might become."
The village chief nodded, "Alright, I'll mention this to everyone later."
Before lunch, the village chief relayed Jiang Pan's suggestion to everyone and reported the prices.
Hearing the prices, the villagers gasped in unison.
Good heavens, prices had more than tripled. Who could afford to buy anything?
No one was willing to spend money to buy those things. They figured winter couldn't be that cold, and they were heading south, where winters were supposedly mild. Their usual padded clothes would surely be enough.
Since no one was willing to enter the city to buy supplies, the convoy didn't linger. After lunch, they continued their journey.
Jiang Wan's family's three carriages were now ready.
The luggage was moved to the newly purchased carriage, which Jiang Pan and Er Lang were driving.
Chen Yuezhi was driving the carriage that had previously carried people, with Jiang Wan and San Lang playing inside.
Da Lang drove the other carriage, with Madam Su accompanying him.
The young couple finally had a chance to be together. Occasionally, Jiang Wan would glance over and feel a "sweetly sour" scent of love emanating from that carriage!
The three carriages, lined up in a row, made the other villagers extremely envious.
Zheng Da You's son, Zheng Xiao Shan, kept whining as they traveled, "Dad, I'm so tired. I want to ride in a carriage too."
Zheng Da You glared at him impatiently, "You think you're the only one? I want to too! But who can we blame for our bad luck?"
Zheng Da You's wife, Zheng Wu Shi, chimed in, "You blockhead, who says we don't have any luck?"
Zheng Da You looked confused, "What do you mean?"
Zheng Wu Shi looked at the three carriages, a glint of greed in her eyes. "If we become their in-laws, asking them to give us a carriage as a betrothal gift would be as easy as lifting a finger."
Zheng Da You gasped, "How did I not think of that! Jiang Er Lang is about the same age as Cui'er. If this works out, it would be wonderful!"
The couple glanced back at Zheng Cui'er, clearly having hatched a plan.
When they stopped for the evening, Chen Yuezhi was delayed while organizing their belongings. After everything was packed, they were about to head into the mountains as usual when someone called out to them.
The few turned around and saw Zheng Cui'er, dragging a bundle of firewood.
Jiang Wan immediately became wary, "Mother, don't tell me that Zheng Cui'er wants to mooch off us for a meal again!"
Chen Yuezhi also assumed Zheng Cui'er was there to take advantage of them, and her expression soured.
To their surprise, Zheng Cui'er greeted them politely, "Uncle Jiang, Aunt Jiang, Wanwan, are you going into the mountains? My father chopped some extra firewood and asked me to bring it to you."
Chen Yuezhi was very surprised. When had Zheng Da You become so generous?
"That's very kind of you, but we're close to the mountains, and we were going into them anyway. We could have brought it back ourselves. Please take the firewood back."
She hoped to avoid Zheng Cui'er staying to freeload a meal in exchange for the firewood.
A bundle of firewood versus a meal; any fool knew which was more valuable.
Zheng Cui'er smiled, "We have enough at home. Since I've brought it, Auntie, please accept it. My father has always wanted to repay Uncle Jiang and Er Lang for saving me, but he couldn't find an opportunity. This bundle of firewood is just a small token of our appreciation. Please don't be polite, Auntie."
"My mother is waiting for me to come home and cook, so I'll be going now. Auntie, you all carry on."
Long after Zheng Cui'er had left, Chen Yuezhi was still somewhat bewildered. "She just left so readily?"
Jiang Wan stroked her chin, "Why do I feel like her behavior is a bit off? Did her family tamper with the firewood?"
San Lang ambled over, "What could they tamper with in firewood? Did they pee on it so we'd choke when we burned it?"
Jiang Wan shot him a look, "Little brother, can you be any more disgusting?"
San Lang's words also unsettled Chen Yuezhi. "Let's throw that firewood far away. We'll chop our own."
What if San Lang was actually right?
So, the firewood sent by the Zheng family was discarded. Da Lang and Er Lang went into the mountains and chopped another bundle.
As dusk began to fall, the convoy from Little Mountain Village started to show signs of cooking, and the aroma of food began to waft through the air.
Just then, a group of about a hundred people passed by the official road near the Little Mountain Village's campsite.
"Food, there's food! We're saved, charge! Let's snatch that food!"
Those people suddenly rushed towards the Little Mountain Village's convoy like madmen.
The people of Little Mountain Village had been on the road for over half a month and had learned a great deal. For instance, they knew that no matter when, their kitchen knives should never be far from their sides.
Seeing the approaching crowd, the men, women, and children of Little Mountain Village immediately grabbed their knives and homemade weapons.
The village men quickly moved to the front.
"Stop! If you take another step closer, we won't be polite!"