Chapter 15

The two emerged looking dusty and ashamed, heads bowed low. Carefully, they said, "Officer, the elders at home are in a temper. We dare not speak before them, so we were thinking of finding some thick-soled shoes."
Hearing this, the constables barely glanced at their faces and quickly looked at their tattered embroidered shoes. One's eyes brightened. "We have thousand-layered shoes, half a tael per pair."
Madam Xu gasped, so expensive? Why didn't they just seize them?
But they had to buy them; the embroidered shoes friends had given were pretty but useless.
Of course, you couldn't blame them, they had no experience with exile.
"Then give me five pairs."
Handing over the money felt like tearing out her heart, those constables were vampires! Everything cost money, and the prices were exorbitant.
Mu Wanqing slept on a soft bed, dreamless through the night, waking only when morning had fully come.
She was roused by Madam Qian's shove; a damp, wrung-out towel was gently wiped across her face. "Get up. We're leaving. We'll have to cover a lot of ground today, make sure we reach the relay station before dark."
Mu Wanqing stirred, took the towel and wiped herself carefully, then looked outside.
The sky was still dimly lit.
She had barely finished dressing when a rinsing cup was placed at her hand. She rinsed her mouth hastily and even chewed a bit of tea leaf to freshen her breath.
Madam Qian tucked a flatbread into her hand; she ate as she walked, and by the time the mother and daughter went out, most everyone had already gathered.
The Mu family members turned away at the sight of them, pretending not to see.
Mu Wanqing strolled over slowly. Eh, the family mule cart had been transformed with a thatched roof; it would be warm in winter and cool in summer. Not bad.
Standing by the mule cart, Second Master Mu was quite proud, this was the result of his late-night work. "I laid an oilcloth under the thatch and put up two rain curtains by the windows, so we won't fear the rain. Anything we don't need right away I've tied to the roof."
It wasn't something done in an instant. He was still wearing shackles. Mu Wanqing was surprised. "When did you get up? Why didn't you rest a bit longer? Your hands…"
Her expression changed as she saw his wrists raw and chafed by the shackles, stained with blood.
Second Master Mu instinctively tried to hide his hands but forgot he couldn't. He grinned foolishly, baring his teeth. "It doesn't hurt. Really, it doesn't hurt."
Madam Qian's eyes reddened. Scolding, she said, "If you're impaired, then stay put, why go and build a thatched roof? Let me see."
"No, it's fine. I'm really all right."
"Come here at once." Madam Qian grabbed him. "Qing'er, bring out the medicinal powder and find a clean cloth."
Mu Wanqing answered and produced a small medicine box filled with remedies and gauze.
Madam Qian dressed his wounds with ointment and wrapped gauze around his wrists, creating a barrier between the shackles and his skin to protect them.
"Wrap the children's hands like this too." Second Master Mu called to the crowd, and Mu Ziang and the brothers came bounding out from who knew where.
Both their wrists were chafed to varying degrees, soft, tender skin that could not withstand the rubbing. Madam Qian's heart ached, but she was powerless to help.
To prevent the transported prisoners from rioting, their shackles wouldn't be removed for the whole journey, and the road ahead was still long.
Mu Wanqing pressed her lips together. "Mother, don't be sad. Father and the brothers' shackles will be taken off soon."
Everyone treated it as nothing more than comforting words; they nodded and smiled, but no one truly believed it.
Mu Wanqing lowered her eyes slightly; her mind began racing.
At the beat of the drum they had to move on again. Second Master Mu urged softly, "Qing'er, you and your mother get in the cart quickly. I'll lead the mule up front."
That meant there wouldn't be any need for a coachman.
Mu Wanqing's gaze fell on his wrist. "Father, you should rest."
Second Master Mu was pleased by his daughter's filial instinct, but he insisted she sit in the cart, girls ought to be pampered.
"Then we'll take turns, each person rests for an hour." Mu Wanqing hoped everyone would be all right; it would be trouble if someone collapsed along the way.
She lifted the curtain and crawled into the carriage. Goodness, supplies were packed neatly and took up half the cart; and that was after she had done her best to rein in her buying urges.
The space suddenly seemed small; it could only hold two people, and they'd have to sit closely together.
Two thick layers of bedding were spread on the floor of the carriage. Mu Wanqing sat on them, it was surprisingly soft.
Madam Qian sat beside her, took up the sewing box and cloth, and began to work.
They had to prepare spare underwear, autumn and winter layers, everyone needed two sets, as well as shoes and socks.
Their daughter had warned them in advance: the farther west they went, the colder it would be. Winter in Liangcheng was no ordinary cold.
Mu Wanqing leaned against the window and looked out. The caravan of several hundred people had changed in several ways.
First, Old Madam Mu had procured a donkey cart and rode in it with two of her sons and several little children.
Mu Jinyao clumsily drove the donkey cart, still awkward and learning as she went. The caravan moved slowly, but with Madam Xu leading the cart up front, there would be no trouble.
It seemed Old Madam Mu still stood at the apex of the family hierarchy; her two sons formed the second rank, a few great-grandchildren and Mu Jinyao. As for Madam Xu, she was the one who ran things.
As for the flatbed carts, the first and third branches each took one, and their supplies were separated.
In the other caravan, the Fang family had somehow managed to procure a horse-drawn carriage, putting their trembling old progenitor and small children inside. One had to admit, the Fangs were resourceful.
What did these changes indicate? That the official in charge was a practical, money-loving sort, someone who could be reasoned with and, crucially, had no sadistic taste for tormenting prisoners.
They'd heard before that some jailers enjoyed tormenting convicts, the worse it was, the more delighted they were.
After sizing up the situation, she had an idea and set to work.
The carriage was cramped and it was hard to move, so she decided to make the simplest thing: oil-tea paste.
She pulled out the new clay pot, poured in the flour, and placed it over the small red clay stove. Stirring constantly over low heat so it warmed evenly, she roasted it slowly until it gave off a toasty scent and turned deep yellow; after an extra two minutes it was done. She scooped it out and set it aside.
She added black sesame and toasted it over low heat until the grains plumped, then took them out and crushed them with a rolling pin. The enticing aroma of sesame filled the carriage, prompting Madam Qian to look up.
Next she roasted the peanuts until they split open, then shelled them and crushed them the same way, but not too fine; they needed some texture.
Once cool, she mixed the three together until they blended in just the right proportions, the oil-tea paste was ready.
She scooped two bowls, added a little sugar, stirred in water until it became a smooth paste, and handed one to Madam Qian.
Madam Qian took a sip and froze. "It looks so plain, how can it taste so good? The richness of the sesame, the fruity note of the peanut, and the unique scent of the flour, together they make an irresistibly alluring aroma..."
Before she finished, the curtain was pulled aside and Mu Ziang stuck his head in with a grin. "Sister, what are you eating? I want some too."
He was at that growing age, always feeling hungry and constantly wanting to eat.
Mu Zicheng watched with longing; the aroma was strong and everyone nearby could smell it, sniffing appreciatively.
Mu Wanqing smiled faintly. "There's enough for everyone."
Madam Qian put down her bowl and, following her daughter's example, mixed up three bowls.
Mu Wanqing grabbed a bowl and handed it to Second Master Mu. "Father, take this over to Officer Zeng."
Giving the man in charge a taste of anything good, though a bit ingratiating, wasn't wrong.
Second Master Mu was happy to oblige; he didn't see anything wrong with it. If they kept on good terms with the officers, they'd suffer less.
In principle, transported prisoners were only supposed to walk, not ride in carts, but the officers turned a blind eye, it's only polite to offer a little token of thanks.
"All right."
Officer Zeng rode a large horse in an easy-going manner not far from the mule cart; he'd already smelled that enticing aroma.
Seeing the bowl in Second Master Mu's hand, he raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
Second Master Mu explained warmly, "My younger daughter made oil-tea paste, you just add water and it's ready to drink. It's very convenient and keeps well. If you like it savory add a pinch of salt, if you prefer sweet add some sugar; even without much seasoning it's delicious."
Officer Zeng, tempted by the scent, eagerly dismounted and hopped onto the nearby carriage. He made himself a bowl, preferring it sweet, and added some brown sugar. The fragrance blossomed instantly.
He took a sip; his features relaxed. Thick and warm, fragrant, smooth and delicate, the texture was superb.
There was no denying it, the girl's handiwork was exceptional.
A dark head popped in. "Again secretly eating something for yourself, what's so good? It looks ordinary but smells amazing. Let me try some."
Officer Zeng used his hand to stop the man's reaching fingers and, unable to wait, took a big gulp himself. Deputy Captain Li couldn't help but worry, "Don't drink it all, leave some for me."
They jostled and grabbed; Deputy Captain Li finally snatched the bowl from his friend, only one mouthful left. He wasted no time and gulped it down.
He'd barely had a taste before it was gone, and he clutched his chest in frustration. "This cooking is phenomenal, why not make more?"
One bite wasn't nearly enough!
Officer Zeng rolled his eyes. Having something to eat was already good enough.
Deputy Captain Li's eyes darted about, he loved to eat; his whole life was about food and drink.
"Brother Zeng, have her fry up some more for us. It's convenient and delicious, not like those hard, dry rations that give me a stomachache."
Officer Zeng felt a stir of interest, this was a fine idea.
He went straight to Mu Wanqing. She paused for a moment and said, "Sure, but I'll need a big pot and an assistant. My arms and legs are small and weak, and this dish needs constant stirring, I couldn't keep it up for long on my own."
Officer Zeng looked at her intently, suspecting she had some scheme. "I'll assign someone to help you."
Mu Wanqing smiled and pointed at Second Master Mu standing nearby. "Let my father help me. I'm a young lady, I'll be getting married someday and we must avoid impropriety. Also, his wrist is injured like that; he needs time to recover."
Officer Zeng's mouth twitched. Avoid impropriety? The woman who'd thrown stones and made Old Madam Mu faint, who ignored etiquette, was asking to avoid impropriety?
What a joke.
He couldn't help but suspect that this whole business of making oiled-tea noodles was actually her carefully plotted plan.
Never mind. It wasn't important.
"Someone, take the shackles off Mu Zhongping."
The crowd erupted, shock, bewilderment, envy, jealousy.
Second Master Mu stood stunned, unable to believe his ears.
In a daze he remembered his daughter's words, that the shackles would soon be removed.
The words still rang in his ears; only an hour had passed, and it had come true?!!
What a miraculous daughter! She's wonderful! The best daughter ever!