allonlinenovel Chapter 179 No comparison, no harm
Chapter 179 No comparison, no harm
After a moment of silence, a burst of sad sobs suddenly broke the peace.
"Shaojie, Shaojie, wake up, don't scare your sister!"
Sun Ying's face, as delicate as a peach blossom, was now covered with traces of tears. She hugged Luo Shaojie tightly in her arms, whose cheeks were flushed and whose body was burning hot. She was extremely anxious, as if she was in the midst of a raging fire.
In this world, her parents and brothers have all passed away, and Sun Shaojie is her only blood relative. If she loses him, this world will be left with endless loneliness. What is the meaning of her existence then?
Sun Ying's heart was broken, and tears rolled down like beads that had broken off the string, dripping onto Sun Shaojie's hot cheeks.
Her voice was filled with endless fear and pleading: "Shaojie, you must hold on. Sister can't live without you."
Yuan Zhiqiang stood up upon hearing the voice, walked over, glanced at Sun Shaojie, frowned slightly, and shook his head secretly, thinking that this rich young man was so delicate that he became so sick after a rain.
Sun Ying raised her eyes, her eyes full of pleading: "Master Yuan, my brother has a high fever that won't go away. Can you get some medicine?"
Yuan Zhiqiang's eyes wandered freely on her face, and then slid towards her graceful figure. His eyes were like sticky spider silk, making Sun Ying feel humiliated, but unable to break free.
Her hand slowly reached towards her neck, trying to take out the jade pendant hidden in her lapel.
At this moment, her fingers trembled slightly, and her inner struggle reached its peak.
"Sister, I have some medicine to reduce fever." The crisp voice was like a ray of dawn, breaking the suffocating atmosphere.
Li Qiuyue couldn't bear to see the woman so sad, so she stepped forward.
Her eyes were firm and full of sympathy as she looked at Sun Ying and said, "Sister, don't worry. My medicine will definitely help your brother."
Seeing that someone came forward, Yuan Zhiqiang no longer insisted. He only did things that were profitable. Since others had helped him out, he no longer pestered them. However, he still glanced at Sun Ying from time to time with an unwilling look.
At this time, the wind and rain outside the cave gradually subsided, and a hint of paleness appeared in the sky, as if heralding the coming of a new turning point.
That ray of light shines through the cave entrance and falls on everyone in the cave, bringing a touch of warmth and hope.
Murong Ling'er finished her training and slowly stood up, only to see Chu Lingfeng leaning against the wall, seemingly sleeping or in deep thought.
On the other side, Li Qiuyue handed the medicine to Sun Ying. Sun Ying was grateful and was about to feed the medicine to Sun Shaojie, but she found that his fingers trembled slightly, as if he was waking up. Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on him, nervously waiting for him to wake up.
Sun Ying held her brother's hand tightly, muttering to herself, "Shaojie, Shaojie, can you hear your sister's voice?"
The atmosphere in the cave was extremely tense. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Luo Shaojie to wake up, as if his awakening would be a ray of hope in this difficult situation.
As soon as she calmed down a little, a strong feeling of hunger came over her like a surging tide, instantly drowning her. Her stomach felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, and it was cramping in pain. The pain made her face even paler as paper.
She remembered that there was no need to rush today. The escorting officers only allowed these female prisoners to have lunch, and there was definitely no dinner.
At noon, the two hard black steamed buns that tasted like sandpaper were hardly enough to fill my stomach, and could only barely maintain a slight sense of fullness.
But now, as night falls, the stomach is already empty. The feeling of hunger is not unique to Sun Ying. The female prisoners around her are also tortured by hunger in this quiet night, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Their stomachs made rumbling sounds from time to time, which seemed particularly clear in the quiet night, like a sad song of hunger.
Murong Ling'er sat aside, like a fairy who was isolated from the world. She only raised her head slightly to see all the chaos, glanced at them lightly, and then immersed herself in her own world again. She looked so cold, as if nothing in this world could catch her eye.
The long dark night passed slowly in agony, and finally, a hint of dawn appeared in the sky. The faint light, like the dawn of hope, dispelled some of the darkness.
The rain seemed to know people's intentions and quietly stopped its raging.
Everyone knew that they were about to embark on that unknown journey again.
As for the female prisoners, each of them was still given two cold, hard black steamed buns without a trace of heat, let alone the hope of a bowl of hot soup to comfort their empty stomachs.
They could only helplessly hold the steamed buns, walk out of the cave, and swallow them bit by bit with difficulty along with the cold raindrops that slid down from the leaves.
The rain mixed with the taste of steamed buns was cold and bitter, but in order to survive, they could only endure it silently.
On Murong Ling'er's side, everyone seemed to have been prepared. They took out dry food, pots and pans from their bags and began to prepare the meal skillfully.
They had clear division of labor: some were responsible for making fire, some for fetching water, and some for carefully cooking food.
After a while, bursts of fragrance spread, forming a sharp contrast with the coldness of the female prisoners' side.
Yuan Zhiqiang stood aside, witnessing all this, his eyes filled with envy and helplessness. He turned to look at Qi Feng, forcing a smile, but his words were filled with a hint of ridicule and dissatisfaction: "Master Qi, your methods are truly brilliant! Look, you don't even have to worry about the food for the prisoners. Aren't you afraid that they will become resentful and cause some trouble?"
Upon hearing this, Chifeng simply raised his eyes slightly, his gaze calmly sweeping over the orderly group of prisoners. He sighed softly and said, "Master Yuan, you don't understand this. I have no choice but to do this! We are short of supplies and money along the way. If we don't let them go and let them find a way to eat, how are we going to continue this long journey?"
Chifeng naturally would not reveal the secret in his heart. He knew very well that the convicts under his command had already formed a unique way of survival. They were self-reliant and earned money through various means. Not only did they solve their own food problems, but they also had a slight surplus.
The officials only needed to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor, saving on food expenses and not having to worry too much about management matters. Everyone had no objection to this. After all, in this difficult exile, staying alive was the most important thing.
After hearing Chiffon's words, Yuan Zhiqiang also sighed heavily. He cast his gaze towards the frail female prisoners and children on his side, and said with a worried look on his face, "My situation is very different from yours! They're all women and children, and none of them can even lift a finger. If we expect them to find food on their own, they'll probably starve to death on the way to the exile place."
He knew in his heart that there were only so many prisoners. If they all starved to death on the way, what would he have to report to his superiors when he arrived at the place of exile? Facing the actions of Chifeng and his group of officials, he was filled with envy, but he could do nothing about it.
Chifeng just raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile, but did not respond.
After everyone hurriedly finished their simple and shabby breakfast, the two teams packed up their bags again and prepared to wade through the water on their journey.
The team led by Chifeng was in front, and Yuan Zhiqiang's team was behind, slowly moving towards the unknown distance.
Yuan Zhiqiang's eyes inadvertently fell on the carriages and horses in Chiffon's team, and a nameless fire suddenly surged in his heart. He cursed a few times in a low voice. Although the voice was low, it was full of his inner resentment and unwillingness.