allonlinenovel Chapter 295 Heavy snow blocks roads
Chapter 295 Heavy snow blocks roads
After walking for seven or eight days, the closer we got to the capital, the colder it became, and the more snow there was on the road.
In the past, Lin Ting didn’t know why so many people who went to Beijing to take the imperial examinations had to set off in the autumn of the previous year. Now she finally understood.
Not everyone has a carriage, and not everyone has enough money to support themselves like them.
Lin Ting heard that they were still on their way and looking for an inn to rest.
"Oh no, Madam Lin, the snow ahead is collapsing. I'm afraid we can't get through."
Lin Ting and Shen Qingzhou opened the door of the carriage together. It was almost evening, and if they couldn't get over the hill, they would have to spend the night on the roadside.
"The snow on the mountain has started to melt, and with the terrain, there are mountains on both sides, and the middle passage is blocked. Even if we dig, I think it will be difficult to get through today."
Shen Qingzhou looked at the situation and saw that snow was still falling on the mountain, so he didn't dare to get close. The few of them could only get out of the car and think of a solution.
"Yunzhou City is just beyond this mountain, but I'm afraid we can't get through."
Wan Weiran trotted to the side of Lin Ting and Shen Zhuang. The snow here was melting. Even if the three of them, plus the three coachmen, dug together, it was uncertain whether they could pass through the back of this road.
"Besides this official road, are there any other routes that can bypass Yunzhou City and reach the capital?"
Lin Ting’s idea was simple. If this road was blocked, they would just take another one, no matter if it was a little longer.
Wan Weiran took out a map from the carriage. This official road was the closest to the capital. If he took a detour, it would be difficult...
"If we take a detour, we'll have to go back about 50 kilometers, go down from the previous city, and then take a small road. This will probably add another eight days to the journey."
Shen Qingzhou also took a look at the map in Wan Weiran's hand. Apart from the road he pointed to, the others were even farther away.
"It'll take eight days to get around it. If there's only this little snow in this mountain stream, we can probably dig across it in two days. I'll climb up this mountain to see what the road conditions are like behind the stream."
The sooner they get to the capital, the better. Shen Qingzhou wants to see for himself. If the road behind the mountain stream is covered with snow, then they will have no choice but to take a detour.
"Uncle Niu, give me a push!"
"Good owner."
The bottom of the mountain stream is full of rocks. If Shen Qingzhou wants to climb up and take a look, he needs someone to support him.
The two of them walked past the foot of the mountain. Shen Qingzhou's eyes were fixed on the top of the mountain. Suddenly, his foot slipped and it felt like he stepped on a large ice block. He almost fell down.
"Are you okay, boss?"
When the coachman Uncle Niu stepped forward and wanted to help Shen Qingzhou, he had already stood firm.
"I'm fine, what was that?"
Shen Qingzhou turned his head to look at the thing that tripped him. It was black, covered with snow, and had condensed into a big snowball.
He picked up a branch and swept away the snow on it. Finally, he could see clearly that it was a woman with a child about two years old in her arms.
The woman and her child froze to death beside the official road, their bodies frozen stiff.
"Madam, Doctor Wan..."
Shen Qingzhou was not afraid. When he saw the bodies of the mother and child, he felt pity.
Seeing his abnormal expression, Lin Ting and Wan Weiran also walked towards him. They walked on the snow and saw the corpse lying on the ground from a distance.
"This, this, this..."
Wan Weiran looked at the corpse on the ground. The mother was holding her child, both of them were wearing starched clothes.
He squatted down to check and saw blood on his mother's fingers and mud on her knees.
"The child must have been starving, so the mother fed him with her own blood. The dirt on his knees must be from begging on the official road, hoping to get some food, right?"
Wan Weiran analyzed rationally that these days, every winter, many people would starve to death like this.
Ever since Lin Ting played the role of a mother, what she hated the most was this kind of situation. What kind of environment would make this mother and son run to the official road to beg?
If you are really extremely hungry, wouldn't it be easier to get food by begging in Yunzhou City?
"What a pitiful person! Once we enter Yunzhou City, let's notify the local authorities and have them collect their bodies.
"That's the only way. However, Yunzhou City doesn't have a direct government. It's a small city on the edge of Zhangzhou and is under the management of the Zhangzhou prefect.
If we need help, we can only ask the City Lord of Yunzhou City to deal with it, or the prefect of Zhangzhou."
"That's all I can do. I'd better go check the road conditions."
What matters most now is saving lives. Shen Qingzhou went up the mountain to explore the way first. If the road is blocked, they themselves will be in danger.
"Then be careful."
Uncle Niu and Wan Weiran supported Shen Qingzhou together. He grew up in the mountains since he was a child. When it comes to climbing these mountains, Shen Qingzhou is more flexible and experienced than them.
When climbing up, there are many trees, and Shen Qingzhou can hold on to these trees to move up better.
He walked for a while, stood on a high place, and looked at the road between two mountains. It was completely covered with snow. Now they really couldn't move forward.
He also did some calculations and found that if he took a detour, it would take seven or eight days, and if he dug the snow, it would probably take the same number of days.
All in all, it would be better to take a detour to save energy. However, if they can't find a place to stay tonight, it will be difficult for them.
After exploring the road, Shen Qingzhou was about to go downhill when he saw movement on the small hill behind their carriage.
It's so cold, there won't be any large animals, unless there are people hiding there.
He walked down while observing, and finally confirmed that they were people. The way they hid and the sticks in their hands showed that they were trying to rob.
After making a judgment in his mind, Shen Qingzhou slowed down his tone and spoke to Lin Ting and Wan Weiran.
"My dear, Wan Weiran, I suddenly thought of a question. In the Five Elements diagram, wood generates fire. Wood is the liver, and fire is the heart. The combination of wood and fire is life, right?"
When Shen Qingzhou was treating patients at Wanhetang, he read some medical books and listened to Lin Ting's lectures to Wan Weiran, so he also knew some medical knowledge.
But when he suddenly talked about this, he kept talking about wood and fire in the five elements diagram.
Wood is on top, and fire can generate each other in the same time. If we put it on the timetable, wood is at twelve o'clock, fire is at three o'clock, and the word "generate" is in the middle.
Combined with his tone being wrong, there was only one possibility: there was a stranger between the two, between one and two o'clock, and he was a dangerous person.
Lin Ting used modern knowledge to break it down, and Wan Weiran himself used their sundial to calculate, and the answer he got was similar to Lin Ting's.
The two of them turned their heads and looked there at the same time, and immediately felt a tacit understanding in their hearts.
"If you want to know, come down first and I'll tell you."