Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 154 - 153: Fellow Countrymen Meet
During the team’s break, laborers and soldiers from another group came over to ask Liu Ji’s group for help.
Thinking that everyone was in the same boat, suffering under forced labor, and with fellow townsfolk among them, it was hard to refuse as the saying goes, "When fellow villagers see each other, tears well up in their eyes."
Seeing that his companions were soft-hearted and wanted to go, Liu Ji quickly called the five of them to stop, urging them not to meddle in others’ affairs.
He had a constant bad feeling, and the grain carts before him were their lifeline; he just wanted to stay by them without moving an inch.
Otherwise, if anything went wrong with the military rations, surviving would still mean death.
So why waste any effort worrying about others?
Because in recent days, they could drink water with sugar added by Liu Ji occasionally, and at night, he took charge of the group’s meals, quietly adding a lot of salt. Though the five held a grudge against him for his lack of empathy, they ultimately listened to him and silently retreated to guard their own grain carts.
Others immediately cast them strange looks, occasionally making "tsk tsk" sounds, disdainful of their heartlessness.
Seeing his companions unable to withstand it, hesitating to speak, Liu Ji decisively handed them his water bottle, "Thirsty, aren’t you? Come, have a drink."
Such earnestness, one might mistakenly think it was fine wine.
Though not fine wine, it was something superb.
The mix of sugar and saltwater at first tasted strange, but after drinking it, one’s spirits improved significantly, providing energy for the journey.
This was the secret recipe they relied on to keep ahead and avoid beatings.
To be precise, it was Liu Ji’s secret recipe.
When you accept someone’s handout, you can’t reject them easily, and when you accept someone’s offering, you are obliged. When Liu Ji offered the salted sugar water, his companions couldn’t refuse; they were ’forced’ to join in his plans.
When they set out, they only knew that the government would provide food during the conscripted labor, so they hadn’t prepared much food themselves, only managing to grab their Broadswords and a few copper coins, just in case.
Some were so poor they didn’t even have sturdy shoes, walking in straw sandals until they wore out, and then following the team barefoot.
Unlike Liu Ji, who not only brought a Broadsword and copper coins but also carried a lot of sugar and salt.
He even prepared two pairs of thick-soled shoes, heavy clothes, and a raincoat with a bamboo hat, quite comprehensive.
The way he stashed those things was unknown; in the beginning, with the heat and hardship, if not for his sweet water, they might not have made it.
Then, when cooking dinner, Liu Ji suddenly took out a small pot and set it on a rocky stove.
If Da Lang were here now, he would instantly recognize this small pot as the one Qin Yao specially ordered from the Lower River Village blacksmith for their mountain training.
The pot wasn’t big, about sixteen centimeters in diameter, but it was quite deep, so its capacity was surprisingly large.
It was made of thin iron, very light, and the connection between the handle and the pot had slots for disassembly. When in use, they were joined, and when not, the handle could be placed inside, with room for soft stowable items, very handy.
At night, while others munched on dry food made days before, Liu Ji cooked vegetable pancakes for them.
With added salt, they were flavorful, much tastier than plain broth.
Especially during those days after rain, as the nights grew colder, having a hot meal was invigorating beyond words.
So, Liu Ji used his little stock of sugar and salt to become the invisible leader of his group, allowing him to sneak a break every now and then.
For instance, when utterly exhausted, he would lean his body against the cart, lifting his feet onto the back for a ride; the group members not only allowed it but even shielded him.
The last time he got whipped was purely because of inadequate cover, and a patrolling soldier spotted him, giving him a lash.
But since then, Liu Ji had reined himself in quite a bit as he had become accustomed to walking!
Perhaps this was what Qin Yao, that woman, referred to as... a masochistic disposition?
The five group members drank all the salted sugar water from the bamboo tube and returned an empty one to Liu Ji, resting in the shade cast by the cart.
As long as they didn’t see those strange looks, they didn’t exist to them.
Liu Ji opened his mouth to shake the bamboo tube vigorously, realizing there wasn’t a drop left for him.
He glared at the five of them, annoyed, stowing away the empty bamboo tube, and leaned lazily on his Broadsword stick, standing wearily while observing the happenings with the other team.
Outside Xuanyue Pass, the view was filled with undulating grass-covered hills, exposed in all directions.
Liu Ji wondered why, when enemy troops appeared, they couldn’t be detected in advance.
He was imagining vividly when Shangguan Lie ordered everyone back to their teams for a full-speed departure.
The grassland was easier to walk on than the inner roads, broad and flat.
Out of Xuanyue Pass, the temperature dropped noticeably, and those who could afford it changed into the heavy clothes they had brought.
They passed a river on the way, where everyone filled their water bottles.
The next city was still three hundred Baili away.
That city, the destination for their grain transport, was called Wangyue City, Sheng Country’s northernmost city, guarding the entire northern frontier.
Only military families lived in Wangyue City due to the previous dynasty’s chaos, with multiple ethnic groups mixed within.
Liu Ji was fortunate enough to have glimpsed a travelogue on frontier customs from a sleeping mate, which mentioned that before Sheng Country was established, Wangyue City was occupied by Desert Barbarians for over thirty years.
Now that Sheng Country had forcefully reclaimed Wangyue City, Desert Barbarians were naturally reluctant to lose such a lush grazing ground and frequently provoked them.
Liu Ji guessed this war’s sudden eruption might be due to this important city.
In the past, as an ordinary citizen, he would never have concerned himself with such national matters.
Now, having traveled this grueling journey, he had witnessed the vastness of Sheng Country.
Compared with the inner plain’s richness and the barren grasslands outside, if he were a Desert North Person, he’d also want to march south to claim this lush land.
Moreover, he had heard from older laborers that further north lay snow-capped mountains, with perpetual snow and extreme cold, only warming a bit during summer.
Such climate conditions made farming impossible; they could only herd sheep and horses for survival.
If any year’s climate were unpredictable, Xuanyue Pass would be in trouble; these Desert North People were fiercer than bandits, raiding swiftly, seizing money, people, and grain, leaving a trail of destruction like locusts.
Their horses were outstanding; even a three-year-old child could ride expertly, often sweeping away border landspeople and leaving in haste, infuriatingly so.
Knowing these tales, looking at the grain carts packed before and behind him, Liu Ji felt an ever-present anxiety that the Desert North People could appear at any moment to loot grains.
Still, considering they had two teams now, over two hundred people, it seemed unlikely that the Desert North People would dare be so brazen.
As night approached, a scout sent by Shangguan Lie reported a small lake ahead, where the two grain transport teams could camp.
The laborers mustered all their energy, hastening their pace, eager to reach the place and rest early.
Moreover, it was so late, and the enemy had come earlier; if they were going to attack again, they would have by now, so everyone relaxed.
But just at that moment, a sudden sound of hoofbeats echoed, growing louder, as shadowy figures surged from the horizon with thunderous force!
