bayedsolid Chapter 110 The ingenious use of straw sandals, and the trend of houses following suit.
Chapter 110 The ingenious use of straw sandals, and the trend of houses following suit.
The exiled caravan did not stop and continued on its way.
The Wen family members continued walking while still wearing these raincoats. Although it wasn't raining, the clothes seemed to offer some protection from the afternoon sun.
The Wen family children were all listless and dispirited. Half a day's journey was their limit. Although they could occasionally hitch a ride on their own cart, they were bound to get tired after a while.
But this ordeal of wearing raincoats actually energized the little ones.
At this moment, Wenqing followed Wenwen with her small legs.
The child touched the raincoat in his hand, looked at the sky once, and then looked at the sky again.
With a furrowed brow, she asked the question that had been on her mind, "Sister, the dark clouds have disappeared."
"It's a good thing they ran away."
Will it come back?
Wenwen thought of the heavy rain in her dream and answered decisively.
"Yes, definitely."
"Then, I'll dress myself next time and I'll dress quickly."
The others, upon hearing this, also rushed to express how well-behaved they were.
"I wear it myself too."
"And I."
"I."
Hearing these innocent words from children, regardless of how others might feel, the Wen family felt very comforted and gratified.
What could be more comforting than having family members by your side, your elders in good health, and your children well-behaved and sensible?
At this moment, the Wen family members completely disregarded the opinions and ridicule of others.
"Go your own way and let them laugh," these are Wenwen's true feelings.
After descending the hillside, we entered a gravel road covered with sand and gravel. There was little vegetation along the road, and it was very, very long, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The pebbles on the road were small and sharp, and after a day in the sun, the temperature must have been quite high.
The prisoner in front had just stepped on it when he couldn't help but howl.
"Ouch, this stone is so hot!"
"Ouch, that pricked my foot."
"Oh, what bad luck."
In an instant, a chaotic cacophony of screams and shouts erupted ahead.
However, when the Wen family members stepped on the gravel road, no one felt uncomfortable.
Even the children quietly followed the adults, taking one step at a time.
The Wen family members felt the soft sensation under their feet and silently looked at the soles of their feet.
They looked at each other and smiled knowingly, all glad they hadn't taken off their ugly straw sandals. They realized that straw sandals had this use after all.
The contrast between the chaos at the front and the tranquility at the back was striking.
After a long day's journey, the escorting constables and soldiers were exhausted. Hearing the commotion and shouts ahead, they were furious.
They cracked their whips again, "Hurry up and move! What's with all the fuss? It's just a gravel road. What are you yelling about? You bunch of good-for-nothings! Look at the last family, even their little kids aren't yelling. You're such a big guy, yet you have the nerve to keep yelling."
The boots worn by the yamen runners and soldiers had thick soles, so they didn't feel the hardship of walking on the gravel road.
Some sharp-eyed and observant constables pointed to the Wen family's feet with their companions.
Wow, the weapons are exposed.
It turns out that everyone in the Wen family wore straw sandals, which explains why they could walk on the gravel road as if it were flat ground.
The prisoners near the Wen family's residence all turned around to look, and what they saw was a moving expanse of straw raincoats. When they discovered the secret beneath the Wen family's feet, they instantly understood and were filled with remorse.
The secret lies in straw sandals; a simple pair of straw sandals solved the immediate problem.
Families who owned straw sandals followed suit.
For those who don't have straw sandals, cloth shoes will do, preferably a size larger, as long as the soles are thicker.
Those without straw sandals or cloth shoes can only regret it. Now, the road is so sparsely covered with weeds that there's nowhere to pick them, so they can only endure it.
No matter how far the road, there will always be an end.
Just when everyone was so tired they could barely walk and their throats were parched, a patch of green appeared at the end of the road—was it a tree, or perhaps a grove of trees?
The constables looked at the sky and then at the green landscape ahead. Not only the prisoners, but they too were about to give up. In order to catch up with the others, they hurried along the road as fast as they could today.
Upon receiving the order, the constables shouted in their hoarse voices, "Cheer up, keep going! See that grove ahead? There's water there. We'll rest when we get there."
Hearing that there was water ahead and they could rest there, the prisoners immediately perked up. Without being threatened or urged, they used their last bit of strength to move forward spontaneously.
Looking at a mountain can make a horse run itself to death, just as looking at a forest can make a man walk himself to death.
It doesn't look far, but it's actually quite a distance, especially when you're physically and mentally exhausted.
They finally entered the woods, but heard no sound of water. They continued walking, but still no sound of water. Just when they thought they were about to leave the woods, everyone was a little discouraged.
Someone couldn't help but ask.
"Sir, is there really water here?"
"Yes, just go around the pile of stones."
The prisoners stared at the pile of large rocks ahead, inwardly cursing the constables to death...
Finally, we got close to the pile of stones, went around behind them, and finally heard the faint sound of water. A small spring was bubbling out water. The flow was small, but there was still water, wasn't there?
To avoid any trouble, the yamen runners established a rule that everyone had to queue up to fetch water.
Most people put down their bags and rushed to fetch water. The Wen family naturally followed suit. Wen Chengjian and Wen Chengbin took their earthenware water jars and hurried to join the long line of people fetching water.
This time, the Wen family was placed at the farthest point from the water source.
It is backed by a large rock, with trees on both sides.
Apart from the two people queuing to fetch water, the rest of the Wen family were busy building houses.
Yes, build a house.
Everyone, big and small, was busy picking up branches, leaves, weeds, stones, and everything else that could be used.
The cart was placed on both sides, and those broken wooden planks were laid across the middle. Branches and leaves were placed on top, layer upon layer, until it felt sturdy enough. Finally, oil paper and a raincoat were laid on top.
The back is made of stone, while the other three sides are covered with oiled paper raincoats. A ground mat is laid out, and it's perfect.
A small, square house was thus created, with enough space for the women and children of the family to lie down and sleep.
Not only does it provide shelter from the wind and rain, but it also offers good privacy.
Although the house was shabby and simple, it was much better than having the sky as a blanket and the ground as a bed.
Although the women of the Wen family appeared calm, they were secretly overjoyed. They tidied up this corner of the room and stuffed some stones and weeds into that corner. After all that fuss, it finally looked much better.
People who follow trends will always exist.
People living near the Wen family's house, especially those with handcarts, followed suit and did the same.
Soon, several ugly little houses were built along the edge of the woods.
The constables and soldiers, who already had tents, simply watched from afar as the prisoners bustled about in front of the ugly, low-ceilinged hut, without saying a word to stop them.
The rules are set: on the road to exile, as long as you don't run away and walk three thousand miles obediently without causing trouble for the yamen runners, your other treatment will depend on your own abilities; the yamen runners will only try to skim some extra money.
After tidying up her house, Wenwen stood in front of it and glanced at the people queuing for water. She felt that the line was not moving for a long time, and she estimated that it would be a while before it was her older brother's turn.
She turned to look at the newly built houses by the woods, her eyes inadvertently catching sight of her own cart, and an idea suddenly came to her mind.