Chapter 127: You Are Not In Exile You Are Clearly Traveling!
Chapter 127: Spending the Night in the Snow
In the end, Chen Yuan stopped. After all, it wasn't a steep slope, so he eventually came to a halt.
"You're showing off!"
Madam Chen glared at him. Although she looked angry, her actions showed that she was helping him brush off the snow.
Chen Yuan grinned sheepishly. He couldn't help it, as the feeling of flying on the snow was just too exhilarating.
"Mother, do you want to give it a try?"
"Forget it!"
Madam Chen waved her hand hurriedly. Seeing Chen Yuan's expression, she lost interest, finding it somewhat frightening.
Xiao Die was as timid as a butterfly and dared not try either.
Seeing their lack of interest, Chen Xue didn't insist. Everyone was no longer in the mood to play, so they rejoined the group. As soon as they returned, Xu Tian came looking for them.
"Master Chen, just now..."
"It wasn't me, you must have mistaken someone else for me!"
Chen Yuan felt embarrassed at the thought of what had just happened. How could he admit to it? He quickly denied it three times.
Xu Tian was taken aback by the response. He hadn't expected such an answer. However, he thought that Chen Yuan must want to keep a low profile, hence the denial. That must be it.
He changed the subject, "Master Chen, I want to ask about the carriage..."
"You want to know how to turn the carriage into a sled, right!" Chen Xue interrupted.
"Yes!"
Xu Tian nodded. "The ones we made don't seem to work well..."
"Alright, I'll send someone to guide you!"
Xu Tian left with the Chen family's servants to work on turning the carriages into sleds, while Chen Xue returned to her space to continue making cakes.
Unfortunately, there was no milk.
Chen Yuan worked in the fields, Madam Chen went to help, and Chen Xue made cakes with Xiao Die.
Considering the lack of milk, Chen Xue eventually spent ten contribution points to exchange for a bottle of pure milk from the system.
It wasn't a small bottle, but a large one, similar to those of Sprite or orange juice.
"First, separate the egg whites!"
Chen Xue instructed while Xiao Die watched and learned. Since they didn't have an egg beater, they had to take turns beating the egg whites.
"Flour, sugar, milk..."
"Our conditions are limited, so we can only add these ingredients..."
"Right, since we have milk, I'll make you a cup of milk tea!"
...
While Chen Xue was preparing for Xiao Die's birthday, Xu Tian and the others were facing a headache.
The snow was getting heavier, and even though they had converted the carriages into sleds, they still had to spend the night in the wilderness.
Spending the night in the snow was simply unthinkable.
Most people would likely freeze to death overnight.
So, thinking of this, Xu Tian had a headache. He told everyone to light a fire, but where could they find dry branches and leaves in the snow? Moreover, where could they light the fire? If they lit one on the snow, the ground would melt, and the fire would extinguish.
So Xu Tian was very troubled. He felt that he was not suitable to be the team leader at all. He couldn't think of any solutions in this situation.
"What should we do?"
"Where are we going to spend the night tonight?"
"Exactly, it's so cold, we can't possibly sleep on the snow!"
The crowd voiced their dissatisfaction.
"I told you to walk faster during the day, but you were sluggish. Now who's to blame?" Zhao Guang scolded.
Knowing Xu Tian's character and realizing that it would be difficult to change him for a while, coupled with Zhao Guang's active allegiance, Xu Tian suggested that Zhao Guang serve as his deputy.
This way, Xu Tian could play the role of the good cop, while Zhao Guang could play the bad cop.
Sure enough, after hearing Zhao Guang's scolding, the people dared not speak out, as Zhao Guang was not like Xu Tian, a soft-hearted person. If provoked, he would really whip them.
"How far is it to the next post station?"
Xu Tian turned to the others. The person next to him quickly replied, "It may take a few more days."
Xu Tian sighed upon hearing this. Although he knew it himself, asking the others was just a way to confirm the negative answer.
"Can our carriages carry all the supplies after unloading them? Will there be enough space for so many people?"
"It's impossible, Captain. We only have so many carriages, but there are tens of times more prisoners than carriages..."
"Then let the elderly and children get on the carriages. The rest are all grown men, so it's okay for them to squeeze together at night."
"But..."
"There's no 'but'." Xu Tian interrupted, "It's decided."
Xu Tian's firmness stunned his subordinates, forcing them to comply.
Although he had tried his best to take care of everyone, some people were still dissatisfied because they didn't have wives and children; they were alone.
"Why should we sacrifice ourselves? That's your plan, isn't it!" Li Ming, hidden in the crowd, shouted at the bailiffs.
"How many of these people are truly guilty? Why should they get on the carriages, while us innocent ones freeze to death?"
"Yeah, that's right!"
"Slap!"
Zhao Guang swung his whip, walking over with a cold face. "You don't agree?"
Many prisoners became a bit scared.
"What if we don't?"
"Enough!"
Xu Tian finally couldn't bear it and stepped forward angrily, looking at the crowd with a dark expression. "You asked me why just now?"
"Just because I am the captain of the bailiffs, so what I say goes. I say only the elderly and children can ride the carriages, so only they can. Anyone who disagrees, step forward!"
Seeing Xu Tian take out his knife and grip it tightly, looking angry, no one dared to challenge him, not even the reputedly kind Xu Tian.
"No one has anything else to say?" Xu Tian didn't stop and continued to scan the crowd with his eyes. Then, he raised his knife and pointed at Li Ming among the prisoners. "Bring him out for me!"
Several bailiffs rushed over and brought Li Ming out.
"Let go of me, what are you trying to do!"
Li Ming panicked and roared, seeing that the bailiffs were indifferent, he shouted at the other prisoners.
"Quick, help me! I'll tell the truth for you. They are trying to arrest me this time, and next time, it will be your turn!"
However, no one dared to speak out again, and they all bowed their heads as if they hadn't seen anything.
"Slap!"
With a cold face, Xu Tian announced his punishment, then turned and left. "Zhao Guang, it's up to you now. You should know what to do!"
Obviously, Xu Tian still couldn't bring himself to be harsh, so he had to leave it to Zhao Guang to take action.
Naturally, Zhao Guang didn't refuse. The more he did, the more likely he would make Chen Yuan happy, and he might truly win Chen Yuan's favor and be able to serve under him.
Night soon fell, and the temperature dropped rapidly. The people standing in the snow quickly began to shiver.
"Something's wrong, something's happened!"
Just then, someone exclaimed, indicating that something major had happened.
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