PFC Chapter 177 Cart-Pulling Benefits, Encountering a Grotto
Chapter 177 Cart-Pulling Benefits, Encountering a Grotto
"This oxcart is for everyone to ride in."
These words were like a landmine, exploding in the crowd of prisoners.
All prisoners...
What? This is for them to sit on? Exiles can ride in carriages? Are you kidding me?
The yamen runners were either out of their minds or just playing games with people.
No one believed it.
Yang, the constable, knew that no one believed him and was just about to explain in detail.
A weak voice from among the prisoners asked, "Sir, is there a fare for the ride? How much?"
"Oh."
Everyone suddenly realized...
See? There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Even if there were, they would either kill someone or choke them to death.
Just when Yang, the bailiff, was wondering how to get to the point about clearly marked prices, someone offered him a way out.
"There is definitely a charge for riding in the oxcart, but not everyone can ride it. Only children under the age of 7 or seriously ill people can ride in the oxcart."
To determine the severity of this illness, a diagnosis by Dr. Ye is necessary.
As for the fee, it's calculated on a daily basis, 500 coins per day, with a minimum order of 10 days.
The original plan was to use this cart to transport grain. However, Lord Zhu saw so many children here and worried that the journey ahead would be too rushed and the children might not be able to handle it, so he decided to use an oxcart to transport the children instead.
"Look everyone, the price isn't expensive. The most important thing is for the children to suffer less. Lord Zhu only agreed to this price because of the children. There aren't many seats available, so it's first come, first served. Everyone, hurry up and pack your things; we'll be leaving soon."
Ye Jingchuan, who was singled out, was speechless.
It's fine to let him treat patients, but his diagnosis affects whether someone can take a bus or not. Isn't that just making him look bad and asking for criticism?
The families of prisoners with children began to make plans.
With the exile route already more than halfway through, the road ahead is sure to be more difficult than before. Having a carriage would lessen the child's suffering and give the adults a chance to rest. Why not grit our teeth and go for it? We'll spend 5 taels to book a 10-day trip.
Prisoners without children naturally have plenty of complaints in their hearts.
They can even make the most of an old ox, finding new ways to make money. They not only have many ways to make money, but their ideas are also quite novel. They truly deserve to be called Lord Zhu's good helpers in making money, and they are truly impressive.
Yang, the constable, spoke earnestly and persuasively, without a single word of advice for your well-being, but the entire speech conveyed the central idea that he was doing it for the good of your children.
This has thoroughly prompted some people to reflect.
The Wen family could only lament that, unwittingly, they had once again paved the way for someone else's success.
Soon, all the families who wanted to take the bus paid their fees, and their children were put on the bus and seated.
After everyone had finished getting ready, Lord Zhu gave an order, and the group continued moving forward.
The Wen family members, carrying their bundles and pushing their carts, walked at the very front of the procession, full of energy.
Just like yesterday, once it was bright enough to see the road ahead, the Wen family carried their child on their backs and began another day of parkour training.
Like a family relay race, they ran and stopped throughout the day, stopping and running without delaying their journey or their practice. During the day, they tried to find places to rest, and at night they tried to find safe and suitable campsites.
This process repeated itself, and seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye.
The team has been passing through desolate areas for the past few days. As far as the eye can see, there is only mud, dirt, and muddy roads.
There were few trees to be seen, and even fewer clumps of withered grass.
The hare was nowhere to be seen, nor did it pass through any hunting grounds; the fat sheep had already been completely devoured.
The prisoners are about to run out of the dry rations and meat they bought from Linfeng Town.
For the past two days, I've basically been surviving on the roughage provided by my rations.
Fortunately, Lord Zhu did not reduce his allowance; he still received a coarse pancake per meal as usual.
Two more days passed, and the prisoners had run out of their own supplies.
The amount of flatbread was also reduced, and the team's rations were running low.
The only remaining item was the cartload of grain that Wei Mingshan had given to Lord Zhu.
That afternoon, the Wen family continued walking ahead. They had been walking for more than ten days, through empty wasteland, and were already suffering from severe visual fatigue.
Suddenly, Wen Chengfeng, who was walking at the front, shouted loudly, "Uncle, look ahead, isn't that a mountain, a whole mountain range?"
Mountain?
I haven't heard this word in a long time.
It's been a long time since we've seen Dashan.
Wen Qilin and his siblings rushed forward, squinting as they gazed into the distance.
Through the dust stirred up by the strong wind, one could vaguely make out what appeared to be a mountain.
"Wow, these really are mountains, and they're all connected."
"I haven't seen high mountains in so long."
"Where there are mountains, there is food. Run, run fast!"
The group hurriedly called out to the children who were still exercising nearby.
"You guys stop playing around and hurry up and keep up, don't fall behind."
Despite saying that, Wen Qilin still followed the children at the end.
After running around for a while, the children got tired and sat back down in their special baskets.
Wen Qilin, along with Wen Wen and her siblings, ran with all their might toward the high mountain ahead.
That's how the mountains in the Northwest are; you can see them from afar, but by the time you rush over and get close enough, an hour has already passed.
The mountains before me stretch out in a continuous expanse, their ranges intersecting and seemingly endless.
However, the mountains have lost their former greenery and vitality in this season, and the mountains are desolate and silent.
The barren mountain peaks were covered with broken rocks, the soil without grass was exposed to the air, and the tree trunks without green leaves swayed lonely in the wind.
Wen Chengfeng looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Uncle, this mountain looks very desolate."
Wen Chengxi added, "Uncle, do you think there are any animals in this mountain?"
The implication was whether they would still be able to go hunting in the mountains later.
Wen Qilin chuckled and joked, "I can't guess. Why don't you two wait for your grandfather to come and let him guess?"
"Who would dare!"
"Hahaha......"
"Hee hee hee......"
Wenwen and her siblings burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Even the children on their backs started laughing together.
A gust of wind blew by, stirring up a cloud of dust.
"Ugh, pfft... ptooey..."
"Serves you right, keep laughing with your mouths wide open, do you think the dirt tastes good?"
After spitting out the dirt from her mouth, Wenwen looked up at the mountain.
The mountain is now just rocks, soil, and tree trunks; it is indeed very desolate.
"Father, let's find a place to rest."
The group searched along the foot of the mountain.
"Hey, over here, there's a cave here."
"Oh, there's more than one, there are several! Come here quickly."
The group quickly walked over.
At the foot of the mountain, there were caves spaced not far apart, totaling seven or eight in a row.
They went into each cave one by one to examine them carefully.
Alas, this cave is not the same as that cave.
These caves are only about 3 meters deep, and you can reach the end in just a few steps. They can't really be called caves; they are just grottoes carved out at the foot of the mountain for temporary shelter.
These grottoes can only accommodate twenty or thirty people at a time, with a maximum of forty people squeezed in.
Their team still has over 270 people, which would require at least ten grottoes to fit them all, but they can squeeze in if they want.
It was already close to dusk, so we figured this would be our campsite for the night.
Wenwen looked at the grotto at the foot of the mountain and pondered for a moment.
A moment later, her eyes lit up, and she excitedly said to Wen Qilin, "Father, I have an idea."