Chapter 1564: Dazed in Large Numbers
Chapter 1564: Chapter 1564: Dazed in Large Numbers
"Hmm." Gu Jinli nodded heavily: "I haven’t been back for six years, and suddenly I’m almost home, I’m happy. But it’s been a long time, I don’t know what the situation is like in Gaoshui County’s Gu Family Village?"
Speaking of this, Qin San Lang felt a bit distressed, raised his hand to pat her head, and comforted: "Don’t worry, once Long’an Prefecture is stable, we will go back to Gu Family Village to renovate the houses, and we won’t let the ancestral home become desolate."
Gu Jinli’s face lit up with a bright smile, and she responded: "Hmm, we’ll go back together then."
In fact, the situation in Gaoshui County is not optimistic. It is not behind Long’an Prefecture, but in front of it, without the protection of Yutian Prefecture, it has become a place that the Rong people can plunder at any time.
Apart from Gaoshui County, several counties near Yutian Prefecture have also become places trampled by the Rong people at will.
"Let’s not talk about this, it’s getting dark, you quickly go arrange for the camp’s defense, this is the border between two prefectures, it’s not too safe out here in the wilderness." Gu Jinli urged him, and added: "Take the poison with you, sprinkle a handful into each campfire, if any evildoers come, the poisonous smoke will knock them out, allowing us to sleep more peacefully."
The Northwest is very chaotic, they often saw corpses along the way.
Those corpses lay by the roadside, all killed by evildoers.
Qin San Lang sent someone to report the cases to the local county government, but no one paid any attention, and they even scolded them for meddling, saying: "In the Northwest, people die every day, as long as we can protect the living, it’s fine, who has the time to deal with those nameless corpses? Quickly go to Long’an Prefecture to fight the Rong people, don’t waste time on trivial matters."
After that, they reported the roadside corpses less and less.
However, Gu Jinli thus understood the peril of the Northwest, fearing that evildoers would enter the camp and cause trouble while camping at night, so she and Doctor Dai concocted a strong sedative, merely sprinkling it into the campfire would allow the smoke to diffuse like mosquito incense, enveloping the camp, serving a defensive purpose.
And their people would take the Detoxification Pills every five days, so it was fine, just costly.
The consumption of this poison and the Detoxification Pills was enormous, a considerable amount of money was spent just on the medicine alone, but spending money to buy safety, the silver was well spent.
Moreover, her family had a manor along the westward road, where they grew medicinal herbs, which filled in a lot of the herbs along the way.
Qin San Lang nodded: "Okay, I’ll head over now. If you’re tired, rest in the carriage, and don’t worry about anything."
Gu Jinli laughed: "If you keep treating me like this, I’ll become a lazy woman."
Qin San Lang: "An official’s wife is supposed to just give instructions and let the servants handle things without moving a finger."
While speaking, they suddenly heard Erqing’s voice: "This slave greets Mrs. Niu."
This was a reminder for Gu Jinli and Qin to know that Mrs. Kuang was coming.
Unfortunately, the reminder was late, Mrs. Kuang, sharp-eyed, saw Qin and Gu being affectionate from afar, and called out loudly: "Oh, San Lang, you’re still being sweet with your wife, you truly are..."
Mrs. Kuang looked at Gu Jinli’s face and the pungent smell wafting from her nose, and the words "you truly cherish your wife" couldn’t quite make it out of her mouth, instead she thought to herself: Bah, Qin Ruofan, you’re really going all out for Xiao Yu’s dowry, shameless to this extent!
Traveling together for a few months, Mrs. Kuang had received many favors from Gu Jinli, inclined towards her, thus she cursed Qin San Lang.
Not wanting Qin San Lang to suffer injustice, Gu Jinli asked Mrs. Kuang: "Aunt Niu, is there something you need?"
Mrs. Kuang patted the basket hanging on her arm, smilingly said: "Auntie brought you some fresh wild vegetables, I dug them all along the way during the day, they look quite fresh and tender, so I brought them for you. Make some shepherd’s purse dumplings."
It was March, and wild vegetables started sprouting in the Northwest, Aunt Xiong and others had dug quite a bit too.
Mrs. Kuang then sniffed, and said: "Xiao Yu, is your camp making chicken soup? I can smell the chicken soup."
Well now, wanting to exchange a handful of wild greens for some chicken soup, how fitting for Mrs. Kuang.
Even Mrs. Kuang felt it might be too much to trade a handful of wild greens for a pot of chicken soup, explaining: "Er Zuo’s wife is expecting, suffering a lot traveling with us, and in recent days we’ve passed through desolate places with no meat, so when I heard your family had a chicken and planned to make soup tonight, I came to borrow a bowl."
Even chicken soup can be borrowed?
Gu Jinli replied: "Aunt, go with Erqing to get the chicken soup, although the chicken just went into the pot, it might take an hour to be ready."
Mrs. Kuang was delighted, and laughed: "No need to wait, I’ll take it raw and make soup."
It would be perfect to throw the chicken meat into the pot with the wild greens, giving Er Zuo’s wife and a few weak-bodied children something to eat.
Speaking, she beckoned Erqing: "Erqing girl, hurry and take Aunt."
Then she turned to Qin San Lang: "You continue."
Qin San Lang listened with a blank expression, and Gu Jinli couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Qin San Lang turned to look at her, smiling only once Mrs. Kuang had gone far: "They don’t understand."
Wait until they see Xiao Yu’s true self, then they’ll understand why he feels so warm inside?
Gu Jinli said: "Quickly take the poison to everyone, if you stay here any longer, the women from various camps will gossip about you again tomorrow."
Qin San Lang: "They’ve been talking for months, I’m used to it."
Discussing this, Gu Jinli blushed a bit, tugging his sleeve, asking: "Isn’t the act too much, everyone in each camp is convinced you’re living off a woman."
The gossip spreads like wildfire. Initially, only the women from Mrs. Kuang’s camp talked about it, now women from multiple camps chat about Qin San Lang living off a woman.
And they never tire of it, talking animatedly for months on end.
Qin San Lang laughed: "It doesn’t matter, these are trivial matters."
As long as he and Xiao Yu live well, such harmless gossip, let them say as they wish, except they cannot talk about Xiao Yu!
"I’m leaving now, take care, I’ll be back soon." Qin San Lang raised a finger, tapped her nose, then turned and left, going to find Doctor Dai to get the prepared poison, delivering them to the Company Commanders and Chief Commanders of each camp, instructing them to sprinkle the poison into the campfires, in case any relatives sleep too soundly and evildoers sneak into the camp at night to cause trouble.
Over a few months, he had completely taken control of this army, and Niu Dabao and others didn’t dare slack off after getting the poison, doing as he instructed.
Don’t you know, these poisons actually came into play during the night!
In the middle of the night, under a pitch-black sky, everyone was snoring deeply, when suddenly the guards heard a thud, as if something had fallen.
Hong Dao frowned, gesturing for silence, telling the soldiers to be quiet, then extinguished his torch, motioning everyone to crouch, and pointed towards the source of the sound. The soldiers immediately moved in the direction his finger indicated.
However, before they reached the destination, Hong Dao urgently gestured for everyone to stop, then quickly lay down, his head against the ground, rolling towards the nearby pile of firewood.
Seeing this, the other soldiers followed suit, all hiding behind the pile of firewood.