Chapter 9: You Are Not In Exile You Are Clearly Traveling!
Chapter 9: Napping and Offering a Pillow
During their rest, the Chen family sat under the shade of a tree. Although Chen Xue's parents were curious about where Xiao Xue got the fruit from, they didn't ask, even considering it might be the work of her mysterious master.
Chen Xue didn't explain either. Instead, she waited until everyone was distracted and handed something to her mother.
"Mom, use this to protect your skin from the sun."
Without Chen Xue saying anything, her mother noticed the box of jade peach blossom powder in her hand. It was currently in fashion, and there were several boxes of it in her room. She regretted not using it during the confiscation.
Surprisingly, Xiaoxue managed to bring it from the Path of Exile. Without asking too much, her mother applied it while nobody was paying attention.
With the scorching sun, it was necessary to be prepared to avoid sunburn. She usually applied sunscreen whenever she went out.
First, it was fruit snacks, then sunscreen. Chen Xue's mother couldn't help but wonder if they were exiled or just on a trip.
Especially since she didn't feel the weight of the shackles on her body, she didn't feel any pain from the exile.
No, it was the devastated scene around her that made her feel frightened and uneasy. She pretended to be tired to avoid suspicion.
Then Chen Xue's mother passed the sunscreen to Xiao Die to apply some, to prevent sunburn.
On the other side, Chen Xue had already started pulling grass everywhere, trying to collect points for the Space Exchange System.
Unfortunately, after recycling each item in the space twice, it stopped giving out exchange points, which dashed her hopes of earning more points.
"Tsk tsk, how pitiful!"
"The Chen family is indeed as poor as the rumors say, struggling to make ends meet."
As the people rested and ate, they couldn't help but notice that although Chen Yuan held a higher position than most of them, his family was definitely not as wealthy.
After all, only Chen Yuan was wrongly accused, while the others were truly exiled for embezzling disaster relief grain.
So, although their homes were raided, they still had a considerable amount of silver. Although the bailiffs took some, they still had a lot left, and they also bought many necessary items for the journey.
Therefore, as they were eating, they saw Chen Xue pulling grass, and they couldn't help but show sympathy.
It was said that country folks would pull wild grass and vegetables to eat. Seeing Chen Xuee's behavior, they thought she was doing it for food.
So, they started thinking about the rumors about the Chen family.
Although they didn't understand the Chen family, they knew Chen Yuan was not as corrupt as them, so they must not be as wealthy. However, they didn't expect them to be so poor.
The women had blamed the Chen family for their own misfortunes, thinking they wouldn't have been exiled if it weren't for them.
But seeing the Chen family's daughter scavenging for food, their resentment diminished, replaced by sympathy.
The bailiffs also noticed this scene and exchanged glances. They didn't realize the Chen family was this poor.
They had seen all sorts of people in their years as bailiffs, but this was the first time they encountered such poverty.
Chen Xue was unaware of the thoughts of the crowd. She enjoyed pulling grass, and she even collected snails and ants from the ground, all to exchange for points in her space.
After scouring the surroundings, she returned to her parents' side. Chen Xue's father didn't mind her grass-pulling, thinking she was just curious. After all, she had never experienced such hardships before.
"I'll go buy some food from the bailiffs."
Chen Xue's father stood up, but the movement aggravated his back injury, causing him to gasp in pain.
Since they were exiled immediately after their home was raided, they had no chance to prepare for the journey. It was Chen Yuan's friends who gave him some silver, but they didn't provide any supplies for the journey, probably because they were all men and didn't think about such details, or perhaps because they had never experienced exile.
Anyway, when Chen Yuan saw everyone else carrying packages, he realized the severity of their situation. They had nothing prepared, not even food.
"Sir, be careful!"
Beside him, Chen Xue's mother and Xiao Die quickly supported him. It was then that Chen Xue remembered her father's injury on his back.
"Dad, this is a healing ointment."
Chen Xue took out the ointment she exchanged from her space and applied it to his wound. It would heal within a few hours, and its effect was very good.
Chen Xue's mother didn't ask much and took the ointment, helping him apply it.
"As for food, Dad, Mom, I have a solution."
"I know," Chen Yuan nodded, stopping her from continuing. He looked at the servants guarding them and whispered, "Although I don't know what your plan is, we can only do it discreetly."
"Not only do we need food, but these servants also need it."
During this exile, although some servants were sent away, some were bought by the government, and some loyal servants chose to follow them. However, when the three of them talked, they deliberately kept their distance from the servants and guarded against eavesdropping.
Chen Xue had just crossed over and wasn't used to having servants other than Xiao Die, so she often forgot about the existence of the others.
Hearing her father's words, she didn't say much. After all, her father had a point. She couldn't magically produce a lot of food out of nowhere. While it was okay for her family, she couldn't be sure if the servants were trustworthy.
After her mother applied the ointment, Chen Yuan got up to find the bailiffs to buy some food. However, he realized he had no money on him and looked at his wife.
At this moment, one of the servants suddenly alerted them that a bailiff was coming. They all looked up to see a seemingly honest man carrying a large bundle. It seemed to be several smaller bundles tied together. They remembered him being called Xu Yuan from their previous conversation.
As Xu Yuan approached, he put the bundle down and greeted them, "Minister Chen."
Chen Yuan waved his hand, "That's all in the past. I'm no longer Minister Chen. What can I do for you, sir?"
"Minister Chen is joking. I know you were wrongly accused and will eventually regain your official position. Besides, I greatly admire you."
He had heard about Chen's financial situation and lack of funds, but considering Chen's integrity as a third-rank official, he couldn't help but admire him.
"Moreover, Minister Xue, Minister Fan, and others have entrusted me to take care of you."
Minister Xue was an imperial censor, and Minister Fan was Chen Yuan's friend who had given him a lot of silver before their exile.
"By the way, these are some things prepared by the gentlemen for Minister Chen's journey. They are too heavy to carry, so they are placed in the carriage to spare Minister Chen from exhaustion."
Xu Yuan, seeming very polite and kind, pointed to the bundle on the ground.
He had also seen Chen Xue pulling grass and felt sorry for the Chen family, so he quickly brought over the items that the gentlemen had prepared.
Seeing this, the Chen family showed joy. It was indeed a stroke of luck.
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