The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress-Chapter 969 - 946: Glory Amidst the Chaos 14
Anning and her group stayed in the inn with food and drinks, free from worries about wind and rain.
But some people were not so lucky.
The Old Master took those from the first and second branches of the family and stayed at the manor until the last possible day to set off.
It was only today that they set out.
They had no idea what to prepare, as everything was arranged by the Zhao Family’s steward who, in fact, looked down on the Xiao Family after their house was confiscated and naturally didn’t prepare everything wholeheartedly, just going through the motions.
The carriages they prepared seemed decent on the outside but were not really good, and the supplies were nothing substantial, merely having a flashy appearance.
Given the Xiao Family’s current situation, they really couldn’t afford flashy appearances; they needed practical supplies, valuing substance over facade.
But the Old Master didn’t understand this principle and felt grateful to the Zhao Family, thinking they were being considerate since the things appeared decent.
They didn’t leave early, setting off only when the sun was high and heading south with the merchant team.
The journey was truly an ordeal.
As the sun climbed higher, it got hot. The women inside the sealed carriages could barely withstand the heat.
The men outside also suffered from the heat; in no time they were drenched in sweat under the scorching sun.
Initially, Xiao Jue wanted to discuss taking a break in a shady spot with the merchant team’s steward, but he was retorted. The steward sneered, "If you want to follow, then follow; if not, go on your own. Rest how you wish, but we’re not here to escort you; we’re here for commerce. Do you know what commerce means? It must be fast. Otherwise, if we miss the best time to sell the goods, who will bear the loss?"
Those words left Xiao Jue speechless.
If he were still Duke Ping, he wouldn’t have taken such treatment, but now as a commoner, he dared not offend the merchant team’s steward.
He had no choice but to smile and apologize.
By the time it was almost noon, the people from the Xiao Family were genuinely overwhelmed by the heat.
The Old Madam kept drinking water, and naturally, drinking too much required her to relieve herself, so they had to stop the carriage for her to do so. The merchant team started to get impatient.
Just when the merchant team couldn’t handle the heat any longer, and the steward wanted a break, the weather abruptly changed, with swirling sand and stones and an ominous cloud cover; soon, a torrential rain began.
Everyone was still on the main road, far from any village or shop, and with the rain, there was nowhere to hide, so they just got drenched.
Xiao Su wanted to drive the carriage under a big tree to shelter from the rain, but the merchant team’s steward painfully scolded him, "Are you courting death? Don’t drag us down. Running under a tree with lightning and thunder is asking to be struck!"
The steward, well-traveled and knowledgeable, understood that in such weather, sheltering under a tree was indeed dangerously inviting a lightning strike.
But the Xiao Family didn’t know this.
They even thought the steward was cursing them, but they only dared to be angry, not to speak out.
Xiao Su was furious, his face turning blue, but he had to swallow his anger.
The whole family got soaked on the road, and just when Xiao Fang and Ms. Jin couldn’t bear it and thought about rushing under a tree, a bolt of lightning struck and split the tree down the middle.
Seeing this, the Xiao Family turned pale with shock but also felt a bit fortunate.
After the rain, each of them was a drowned rat.
The steward continued on the road while talking to Xiao Jue, "It’s not that I absolutely had to scold you then; it’s just that you were courting death. I didn’t know these things earlier either, but after traveling the world, I’ve seen lightning strikes on those hiding under trees..."
Xiao Jue gratefully smiled at the steward while still hoping to find a small town to rest properly come evening.
But as it turned out.
They traveled until it was dark before finding a small village, which was very poor, with most houses being thatched, and due to the rain, many of them had leaky roofs, and even some roofs had blown away. The villagers were busy repairing their homes and couldn’t spare accommodations for these travelers.
The Old Madam, already advanced in age, suffered from the heat and rain throughout the day and developed a fever by nighttime.
Xiao Jue ran to the village to find soft food for the Old Madam and asked the merchant team’s doctor to come to treat her.
After a half night of fussing, the family finally settled down, but the next morning they had to resume the journey early. After just a few days, the family looked as sickly as chickens on medicine, dejected and dispirited.
But Xiao Yuan’s group didn’t suffer.
They rested for a day and then continued on their way.
They set off before dawn, with Anning taking care of the children and sleeping while Xiao Yuan drove the carriage.
Once Anning was rested enough, she would take turns with Xiao Yuan driving.
While driving that day, Anning didn’t wear women’s clothes but dressed in men’s attire, looking like a twenty-year-old youth, startling Hui Family when she saw her.
Initially, when Anning wanted to drive, Hui Family tried to dissuade her, "Third Sister-in-law, if you’re really worried about Third Brother, we shouldn’t hurry; we can cover shorter distances daily and rest early in the evening. Driving the carriage...well, it’s not to say anything bad, but we women don’t have the strength to drive a carriage, do we?"
But in the end, Anning drove half the day, handling the carriage even more steadily than Xiao Yuan, completely silencing Hui Family.
Although Xiao Jin and Xiao Ling said nothing, seeing Anning’s ability to predict the weather and drive the carriage reassured them.
While Duke Ping Mansion was of no use, Anning’s skills in carriage driving were invaluable, especially now that the whole family was reduced to commoners—the more she knew about these mundane skills, the more beneficial it was for their journey.
So, with four people managing three carriages, rotating driving duties ensured Xiao Jin and Xiao Ling could rest during the day and weren’t too exhausted.
After traveling for about ten days, the journey went smoothly without encountering any robbers, with Anning always foreseeing bad weather so they could avoid it. Moreover, the road hadn’t been particularly difficult.
Even Xiao Jin found it quite strange, thinking the journey had been too smooth.
By this time, they had already left Zhili, and it was Anning driving at dawn. When it got hotter, Xiao Yuan would take over the reins.
Anning sensed a wave of stuffiness early in the morning and kept looking up at the sky while driving.
After a while, she pulled the carriage over to the roadside.
Xiao Jin, thinking something was wrong, quickly stopped his carriage and asked Anning, "Third Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?"
Anning furrowed her brows, her face showing concern, "The road ahead might be difficult."
Her words were so vague that Xiao Jin became apprehensive.
Xiao Ling also came over, "Third Sister-in-law, what do you mean by that?"
Anning glanced at the distant fields where the wheat was still somewhat green, surveyed the terrain there, and looked up again at the sky.
In a quick motion hidden from Xiao Jin and Xiao Ling’s view, she calculated on her fingers and spoke, "Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother, we might face some hardship in the coming days; we need to speed up our journey. Fourth Brother, please inform Fourth Sister-in-law and the children."
Then, Anning added, "When we reach the next town, let’s buy three more horses, so six horses can rotate pulling the carriages and we can travel faster."
Xiao Yuan also emerged from the carriage compartment, "What have you noticed?"
Anning sighed, "Haven’t you realized? Ever since we left the Capital, in these ten or so days, there was just one bout of heavy rain on the second day, and then it hasn’t rained since. Outside Zhili, I asked the innkeeper when we were lodging, and they said it hasn’t rained for over a month here. I’m afraid there might be a drought, and while droughts aren’t the scariest, what we should fear most is a locust plague."
