Chen Yuezhi, while happy, still felt a bit worried. "Is it really okay to say it like that? What if..."
Jiang Pan said dismissively, "What if what? He reports me to the yamen? In this day and age, who knows how long the emperor will last, where will he report me? As for later, we'll just keep our distance from him, and if he can't get any news about us, won't that be enough?"
What a trivial matter!
Ever since he fell out with Old Man Jiang, he truly felt that life had become as comfortable as it could be. No more toiling away every day without a single word of praise, no more listening to barbed remarks, no more letting his wife and children suffer alongside him.
If he had known he could live like this, he would have fallen out with Old Man Jiang ages ago!
Jiang Pan was very open-minded and saw things clearly. People, as long as they didn't care about certain things, those things wouldn't affect them.
Not long after the carriage set off, it stopped.
Jiang Wan asked curiously, "Dad, why aren't we moving?"
Jiang Pan patted her chubby little face. "We have to wait for someone to catch up. The carriage is too fast, and if we go too far, they won't be able to catch us."
"Catch up?"
Did her father not intend to lead them to flee famine alone?
Jiang Pan smiled and flicked her little nose. "Yes, it will take two to three months to reach Jiangnan. The road ahead will likely become more difficult. Our family is too small and easily targeted by ill-intentioned people. Although many people in the village have unpleasant mouths, traveling together as a group provides more support and reduces danger."
"After what Dad did just now, no one will dare to say anything unpleasant in the future."
Who said that those with strong limbs were simple-minded? Her father had at least seven hundred and ninety-nine schemes, if not eight hundred!
To put on a show, they drove the carriage for a few miles before stopping to make a fire and boil water. When the people sent by the village chief caught up, the family had already eaten their dry rations and were drinking water.
The person who arrived was the village chief's son, Zhao Xianlin. This man was eloquent and immediately started playing the emotional card upon catching up.
"Brother Dapan, your family can't just leave everyone behind and go alone. Honestly, many people in the village decided to flee famine because of you and my father. If you leave, what will my father do?"
"There are some sick-minded people in the village who say unpleasant things. Just treat them like farts and don't bother with them. We all know what kind of person you are."
"Dapan, we've been neighbors for so many years, and my father watched you grow up. Can you bear to see him in trouble alone? I promise you, if that family dares to cause trouble again, I won't let them!"
Zhao Xianlin rattled on, his throat so dry it felt like it was about to smoke.
Sanlang handed him a bowl of water. "Uncle Xianlin, don't rush. Drink some water before you speak. We're not leaving anytime soon."
Zhao Xianlin drank the water in a few gulps and then caught his breath. "Brother Dapan, you..."
"Alright, stop talking. When did I say I was going to leave with my family alone? They'll be here soon, let's wait here for a while."
Zhao Xianlin was stunned, then quickly realized that Jiang Pan had no intention of going alone. He then smiled. "Dapan, you really pulled off quite a trick! But this is good too. We have to let those people understand the situation, otherwise, it will be troublesome all the way."
Jiang Pan smiled and said nothing more.
The village contingent caught up half an hour later. Seeing Jiang Pan's family with Zhao Xianlin, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since Jiang Pan's family had driven away in their carriage, their hearts had been in their mouths.
They hadn't felt much when Jiang Pan's family was around, but once they left, their hearts panicked. Chen Yuezhi was the only one in their village who understood medicine and had medicine. Although she couldn't cure serious illnesses, she was very effective for headaches, fevers, sprains, and bruises. Jiang Pan also had great strength and was brave. He had exerted great effort when saving people and hunting snakes for water last time.
With these two gone, it was a great loss to their village.
Now that Jiang Pan's family had been caught up and stayed, they no longer had to worry.
When the village chief saw Jiang Pan, he didn't ask anything, but just patted his shoulder. "Don't overthink it. I can't guarantee anything else, but within our group, I can ensure you get justice. Drive your carriage with peace of mind, and no one will dare to covet anything, not even your father!"
These words undoubtedly supported Jiang Pan and encouraged him to stand up to the Jiang family.
Many of the strong men in the village who were friendly with Jiang Pan also spoke out in support.
Jiang Pan cupped his fists towards everyone and then turned to his sons. "Pack up your things, get ready to go."
The villagers were overjoyed, while everyone in Old Man Jiang's family, except for Liu Shi, looked as if they had been poisoned, their faces pale.
After this incident, no one dared to say anything about Jiang Wan's family's carriage anymore, and Jiang Wan's family felt even happier.
Currently, no household in the village lacked water or food, so everyone picked up their pace. Ten days after setting off, they finally left the territory of Jianzhou City and entered Tongzhou.
Upon entering Tongzhou City, the villagers' nerves immediately tensed.
The situation in Tongzhou was much more severe than in Jianzhou. Because Tongzhou was a crucial transportation hub, one needed to pass through it to go to Jiangnan, Lingnan, Shudi, Huzhou, and other places.
Therefore, refugees from all over would gather here, and the people of Tongzhou City suffered greatly.
Upon entering Tongzhou, one could see people fleeing famine everywhere. These people were in groups of dozens or hundreds, but more often, like them, they moved as entire villages. Large groups of several hundred people always commanded a certain respect.
Robbery and looting were common occurrences, and smaller groups were the easiest targets.
The small mountain village's group was quite large, numbering three to four hundred people, so most people dared not provoke them easily.
However, along the way, the villagers had been very nervous. Since leaving the village, to be precise, apart from being robbed once, they had not suffered any hardship. They did not lack food or drink, so despite being travel-worn, everyone was in good spirits, appearing to be well-off.
Especially the water they carried in their carts, which sloshed with every movement, made many water-scarce groups' eyes gleam with envy.
Jiang Pan's family's carriage attracted the most attention. Those wolf-like gazes fell upon their family, making Su Shi's face turn pale.
Chen Yuezhi pulled Su Shi into the carriage and comforted her. "Don't be afraid. Your father and Dalan are not to be trifled with. Even Jiang Wan, normally, three to five men can't get close to her. You are safer than anyone else in this group."
Su Shi suppressed her fear and tried to force a smile at Chen Yuezhi. However, the next moment, she suddenly gagged.
"Stop the carriage quickly."
Chen Yuezhi shouted, and the carriage immediately stopped.
Su Shi hurriedly scrambled out of the carriage and leaned on the carriage shaft, retching continuously.
Dalan asked anxiously, "A'luo, what's wrong? Why are you vomiting so much?"
Jiang Pan also stopped the carriage and jumped down to inquire, "What's wrong?"
After vomiting, Su Shi took a sip of water handed by Chen Yuezhi to rinse her mouth. Her face was pale as she said, "I'm fine. I think I got motion sickness."
Chen Yuezhi was still worried. A healthy person who had been riding in a carriage for so many days hadn't felt unwell, so why would she suddenly start vomiting?
Thus, she grabbed Su Shi's wrist to take her pulse.