Liu Fubao's face crumpled, and he burst into tears.
The food in his mouth, still unchewed, dribbled down his chin.
"One."
"Two."
Song Qingchao showed no mercy.
"Three!"
The moment she finished speaking, Liu Fubao was yanked out of the carriage by Song Qingmu.
The other children were also frozen in fear.
Song Qingmu held one child in each hand, kicking outwards with his feet, and snatched the sword back from Song Qingchao.
He stood in front of the carriage, his expression unchanged, but his eyes held a sharp glint.
"Get lost."
Song Qingchao, holding up the hem of her skirt, joined Song Qingmu.
She leaned lightly against the carriage, her eyes downcast, looking frail. "It's not that we're heartless, it's just that I've been ill for a long time, and it wouldn't be good if I passed on my sickness to you all."
The women who had been holding children were already weeping, frightened by Song Qingmu.
She had come out to play the good cop to ease the atmosphere.
Song Qingchao tugged at Song Qingmu's sleeve. "My younger brother has a fiery temper. This young lady apologizes to you all on his behalf."
"It's only because of your face, Miss, that we'll let him off," the thin woman said, wiping away tears.
"Is there no law? They'll kill if they say they will!"
"Exactly! Waving a broken sword around, who do they think they're scaring!"
Song Qingchao smiled and appeased them, "Sisters, you should take shelter from the rain. Though this straw mat isn't as good as the carriage, it can still offer some cover."
"You're lying!" Liu Fubao wailed. "You're the one who wants to kill me."
Hearing Liu Fubao's commotion, the other children also started crying and pointed at Song Qingchao, accusing her.
Seeing that Liu Fubao could not be sent in, Mistress Liu insisted that Liu Zhe'er also be let down.
Wiping her tears, she said, "My child died last night. Now it's just me and my orphaned child. Miss, please be merciful and return Zhe'er to me."
She clutched Liu Fubao and knelt on the ground with a loud thud.
Those who had been persuaded by Song Qingchao, like grass on a wall, immediately changed their allegiance.
The thin woman from before stepped forward again. "Miss, this Mistress Liu is truly pitiful. You've already saved one. Fubao is still young, please show some kindness."
"Yes, he's just a child."
Others scoffed, accusing her of not allowing families to be reunited.
Song Qingchao simply smiled faintly, then straightened up, prying the sword from Song Qingmu's hand.
Seeing her pick up the sword, the crowd's expressions instantly changed.
Some, trying to be brave, pointed at her with trembling fingers. "You dare to kill me!"
Song Qingchao, pretending to be unable to wield the sword, bent over and leaned on it.
She turned her head. "What did you say?"
She pursed her lips, struggling to raise the sword. She swept it in a circle past the faces of the women, then let it fly, stabbing it directly into the toe of Mistress Liu's shoe.
"Ah!"
Mistress Liu yelped and sat down on the ground, almost dropping Liu Fubao.
She tremblingly pulled her foot out of her shoe, feeling a surge of fear.
Song Qingchao also cried out in surprise. She crouched in front of the carriage, patting her chest. "This sword is too heavy, I really didn't mean to."
Her eyes were watery, and she kept murmuring apologies.
Song Qingmu cooperated, blocking them like a plague god.
In short, the siblings' principle was to protect their own.
"Song Qingchao, you venomous woman!"
"Why would you say such a thing?" Song Qingchao rubbed her tears with her finger. "Zhe'er's arm is broken, he can't carry water. If Fubao loses an arm, I might let him onto the carriage."
"You!" Mistress Liu was so enraged she hugged Liu Fubao, unable to speak.
Liu Fubao, already terrified, cried, "I don't want to lose an arm, woo woo woo."
The other ladies also tried to persuade Mistress Liu, but when they couldn't, they simply picked up their straw mats and left.
They couldn't stand in the rain holding them all day.
If it were truly as Song Qingchao said, and the rain didn't stop, and they caught a cold, it wouldn't be worth it.
There was no need to risk their own lives for someone they didn't know well.
Song Qingchao watched as everyone dispersed, leaving only Mistress Liu weeping and wailing.
She wiped her own tears and returned to the carriage.
"Go."
Song Qingmu lowered the curtain obediently.
"Back so soon?" Bai Youan raised an eyebrow and placed a bowl of hot tea in her usual spot. "Come and rest, my young lady who can't lift anything."
Song Qingchao ignored him, sat down, and downed the tea in one gulp.
She needed to rehydrate.
Bai Youan fanned himself, his thin lips curved into a lazy smile. "You must be tired."
Song Qingchao glanced at Bai Youan, who was drawing nearer, and unceremoniously jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Bai."
Bai Youan clutched his sore side, managing a weak smile. "Not at all, as long as Miss Song's arm is not tired."
"No," Song Qingchao pulled her arm back.
She turned her head to look at Liu Zhe'er, who was looking down. "Kindness for a peck can turn into hatred for a bushel. Zhe'er, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but that I cannot."
Liu Zhe'er waved her hands in panic. "I didn't, I didn't."
Ying Zhong, seeing the tense atmosphere in the carriage, quickly tried to smooth things over.
The rain had stopped for a day.
Shou Hou still hadn't managed to clear the road with his men.
Song Qingchao and Liu Zhe'er, being women, didn't need to exert themselves.
Song Qingmu was ill and also not needed.
Bai Youan and Ying Zhong were considered auxiliary staff and had nothing to do sitting in the carriage.
So, the few of them spent their time playing Yezi Pai inside the carriage.
Even Song Qingchao was surprised that Bai Youan had this game in his carriage.
"I'm not playing anymore!"
Ying Zhong, huffing with indignation, slammed the cards onto the table.
His cheeks puffed out, causing half the strips of paper stuck to his face to fall off.
"You're all bullying me!"
Bai Youan, who had been propping his head with his hand, sat up straight, picked up the fallen strips, and stuck them back on his face. "Look, they've all fallen off."
"A bet is a bet," Song Qingmu said without even looking up. He had only a few scattered strips on his face, all lost to Song Qingchao.
Song Qingchao, with no strips on her face, poured Ying Zhong a cup of tea and coaxed him to continue playing.
As for Liu Zhe'er, she sat beside Song Qingchao like a little wooden post.
Liu Zhe'er, with self-awareness.
Then Ying Zhong cried out and ran out of the carriage.
Song Qingchao looked at the cards in her hand. "Do you want to play again? I won again."
The three of them turned to look at Liu Zhe'er.
Liu Zhe'er quickly waved her hands, her face turning red. "I can't."
The others lost interest, some lying down, others reading.
Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted outside the carriage again.
Song Qingchao sat up alertly, accidentally tearing her wound.
Bai Youan softly called out, "Shoulder."
Song Qingchao nodded but still poked her head out to see.
She saw the criminals and Shou Hou's men clashing.
"Master."
Ying Zhong returned, sniffling. Song Qingchao also withdrew her gaze.
Bai Youan stopped him with his fan. "Speak."
"They're fighting outside."
"Do you know why?" Song Qingchao asked, frowning.
She still hoped to reach Mobei safely with the group. These past three days had been nothing but trouble.
"Shou Hou isn't distributing food. The people have been working but are still hungry, so they've stopped."