Transmigrated as a Peasant Baby Who is Pampered by All

Chapter 298: Chapter 222: Setting Out (Part 3)

”Do you remember it, Xiaoxue?”

Xiaoxue shook her head. She knew what her mother was referring to, but she was so little back then, and her stomach was hungry, all she could think about was food, not remembering anything else.

Second Aunt looked at Jiang Yu again. Jiang Yu recalled, ”I remember, before that, we had already been separated from our grandparents.”

After all these years, it was the first time Xiaomi heard her big brother mention their grandparents in person. It felt strange to her.

She glanced at her big brother secretly, and he showed no extra expression, as if mentioning just some passerby.

Among the siblings at home, Xiaoxue and Jiang Wei were probably the only two who didn’t know about the conflicts between their parents and grandparents.

So when Xiaoxue heard about their grandparents, she naturally became curious.

”Big brother, last year when you were in the county town, did you hear which direction the group that included our grandparents went?”

Back then, because there were so many refugees, the court dispersed them in batches, one group going in this direction, another in that direction, and each would be subdivided into various towns and villages.

Her question really touched on a sensitive topic, but since Xiaoxue knew nothing, asking this seemed normal to her.

Xiaomi was pondering how to respond when her big brother spoke up.

”At that time, too many refugees gathered around Cheng County, so the County Magistrate divided them into several groups, leaving in different directions, spreading out to the villages around Cheng County.”

Xiaomi blinked, ”So, no one knows from which direction our grandparents left, right, big brother?”

Jiang Yu nodded, ”That’s right. It’s possible they’re no longer in Cheng County.”

Xiaomi responded with an ”oh,” indicating she understood, and seeing that her second sister had no more questions, she felt relieved.

As for the grandparents she had never met, Xiaomi felt no fondness toward them.

Knowing they might be near Cheng County, she hoped in her heart that they wouldn’t encounter each other.

With people like that, if they really met, everyone might end up like bloodsucking mosquitoes.

She secretly glanced at her mother and noticed her expression hadn’t changed, as if nothing would happen.

Her mother seemed so calm, or perhaps she hadn’t thought of this possibility?

Or maybe their father had considered this long ago and had already taken precautions?

Given how stable her father usually was, it wasn’t impossible.

Unfortunately, she was older now and couldn’t openly ”eavesdrop” on her parents’ whispers like she could when she was a baby.

Jiang Yu, Second Aunt, Xiaomi, and Xiaoxue were in one carriage, while Jiang Hu, Jiang Wei, and Wei Ziang were in another.

At first, it was all novelty, chatting away, imagining what their new home would be like.

But by the afternoon, everyone was wilted, leaning against the carriage, yawning, drowsy—even usually energetic Xiaomi.

And this was just the first day, with several more to go.

It was at this moment Xiaomi truly realized how inconvenient travel was for ancient people.

It was simply torturous!

Though the carriage was much better than an ox cart, it still swayed side to side. When the coachman found a good spot to stop in the evening, letting everyone out to stretch their legs, they all felt as light as a feather.

Finally setting foot on the ground, Xiaomi exhaled a long breath. It wasn’t easy; this was only the first day. By the time they reached Cheng County, she feared she’d be worn out.

No wonder every time Liu Ze returned to Fu’an Village from the county, he seemed as if he’d been seriously ill, needing several days of recuperation to fully recover.

Even people like them, who were healthy, found themselves exhausted after just one day.

”Master Jiang, this spot is quite spacious, and there’s a river just ahead. Many carriages heading to the city stop here overnight.”

The coachman skillfully took out two torches from under the carriage, lit them with a fire starter, then began gathering wood for a fire.

”Let’s pitch in too, cook some porridge, and have something warm to eat.”

In the afternoon, they had just gnawed on coarse steamed buns in the carriage, complemented with cooled boiled water and pickles from the morning.

Since they traveled light, they brought only about ten kilograms of coarse rice, just enough to make porridge on the road.

None of them were pampered young masters or ladies; everyone worked efficiently—collecting wood, fetching water, starting a fire.

Quickly, they gathered around the fire, simmering porridge and roasting buns and flatbreads to heat them—tasting better that way.

Other people were around as well, but everyone kept to themselves, preparing their meals and returning to their carriages to rest, ready for the journey ahead.