The sky was dimly lit, the morning breeze stirred, and a thin mist shrouded the wilderness, marking the most comfortable moment of a sweltering day.
Jiang Tou'er glanced around and called out loudly, "Everyone go find some dewdrops on the tips of the grass."
"Aye." The Meng clan members had grown fond of hearing Jiang Tou'er say this these past few days.
Before Jiang Tou'er's voice had faded, they had already run off in droves to the side of the road (where they were tied together), not caring whether the grass blades were clean, and began greedily licking the dew off the grass.
Looking at the disheveled and dirtily dressed Meng clan members, Fu Xinci couldn't help but openly examine her own attire.
Just as she remembered, the white coarse cloth garment she wore was so stained with dirt and sweat that its original color was almost indiscernible. The shoes on her feet were not only dusty and caked with mud, but her big toes were also exposed.
Fu Xinci found humor in her misery, lifting her big toe out of the hole in her shoe and wiggling it discreetly, a slight smile gracing her lips.
This scene happened to be witnessed by Qi He, who also chuckled secretly, thinking to himself that among all the young girls he had met, whether from the city or the countryside, none were as sensible as sister Fu.
Fu Xinci was unaware of Qi He's thoughts; her gaze had already shifted to her grandfather.
A piece of the hem on the front of her grandfather's dark blue fine cloth long gown had been torn off cleanly.
Fu Xinci possessed all the memories of the original owner. One of Yu'er's shoes had gone missing, so her grandfather had torn off the hem of his own long gown to wrap around Yu'er's foot, using it as a shoe.
She had children's clothes in her space. Seizing an opportune moment when no one was paying attention, she searched her space and found a pair of handmade cloth shoes. They had lake blue uppers and white soles made from layers of cloth, and the craftsmanship was excellent, fitting the aesthetic of the era.
Fu Xinci glanced around again, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, she quietly moved closer to her grandfather and handed him the shoes.
Meng Qingping was startled at first, then calmly used his sleeve to shield his actions. He casually wiped his large hands, and the new shoes were quickly dirtied.
When he squatted down to put the dusty shoes on his grandson, Yu'er was so happy he wanted to jump for joy. He had shoes to wear!
However, upon seeing his grandfather's shushing gesture, he obediently covered his small mouth, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
Meng Qingping also smiled and carefully folded the hem that Yu'er had already trampled to pieces, tucking it into his embrace like a treasure.
Fu Xinci knew that this long gown was made for her grandfather by her grandmother's own hands. When they were escorted to the capital, they were not allowed to bring anything. Her grandfather wore this gown.
Her grandson finally had shoes to wear, and Meng Qingping was extremely pleased. He reached out and touched Yu'er's toes again. The shoes were slightly loose, which made him even more satisfied. He whispered instructions to his grandson.
"Yu'er, be careful. If the shoes fall off, tell your grandfather immediately so we can retrieve them as soon as possible. We absolutely cannot lose shoes again."
"Yes, grandfather, rest assured. Yu'er remembers."
As Grandpa Meng and his grandsons were talking, Qi He did not linger nearby. He was not thirsty or hungry and was as lively as a mischievous monkey. He even ran off into the wild fields when no one was looking.
It was Meng Qingping who noticed and quickly called him back, "Young Qi, hurry back! At this time of year, snakes, insects, and rodents are all active in the wild. It would be bad if you were bitten."
"Aye." Although Qi He was mischievous, he was sensible and listened to advice. Grandpa Meng's words were reasonable, so he immediately darted back to Grandpa Meng's side and stopped running around.
This scene was clearly observed by a boy of eleven or twelve in the exiled group. He turned to look at his elder sister, who was serving the Mei family's mother and daughter-in-law like a maid, then at his little brother, held in his mother's arms and too weak to lift his head from hunger. He clenched his fists tightly and then relaxed them.
After a moment of contemplation, he reached out and nudged a young boy beside him, about Qi He's age.
"Brother?" the younger boy looked up.
"Don't talk too much. Go get the little brother from Mother and then come with me."
"Aye." The boy, about Qi He's age, obediently walked towards his mother.
The older boy, however, did not look sideways. He went straight to his elder sister's side and, without a word, grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
"Xiao Shan?"
"Sister, don't speak. Just come with me." The boy said, and then, without further ado, pulled his sister along.
Xiao Mei Shi saw this and asked with displeasure, "Hey, where are you two going?"
The boy stopped but did not turn around. "Do we need to report our whereabouts to a mere niece-in-law?"
"..."
The boy's words choked Xiao Mei Shi, making her lips tremble, but she couldn't utter a single word.
"Xiao Shan?" The girl, afraid that the Mei family's mother and daughter-in-law would trouble her own mother, tried to pull away from her younger brother's hand.
But the boy refused to let go. "Sister, you don't need to fear them now. The Duke's mansion is gone. Besides, we should see which shameless niece-in-law openly orders her aunt around like a servant."
The boy's voice was not quiet, and everyone around heard it. The Mei family's mother and daughter-in-law glared at the brother and sister pair with anger.
Especially Mei Shi. If looks could kill, she would have already dismembered the brother and sister countless times.
The boy, however, was not afraid of their murderous glares and said coldly, "The Meng clan has already been exiled, yet some people still carry themselves with the airs of a madam from the Duke's mansion. It's truly laughable." After speaking, he dragged his sister forward.
"You scoundrel," Mei Shi, in her anger, blurted out impulsively.
"Shut your mouth," Li Shi, who had been quiet for most of the journey due to the Meng family's misfortunes, now spoke up.
"Grandmother, Meng Xiaohe is gone. Who will hold Bao'er for me later?" Xiao Mei Shi, believing she was in the right, spoke with righteous indignation.
"Can't the two of you, mother and daughter-in-law, manage holding Bao'er?"
"Grandmother, my mother-in-law and I can't carry Bao'er." Xiao Mei Shi wanted to say that she could barely walk by herself, and carrying a child would exhaust her to death.
"So you can't carry him, but you have the nerve to ask Xiaohe to do it for you? Qishan is right. You, a niece-in-law, ordering your aunt around, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"What aunt is she? Just a maid from a concubine's son's household," Mei Shi said dismissively, trying to excuse her niece's behavior when the topic of Meng Xiaohe came up.
"Her father is indeed a concubine's son, but he is an elder of your husband's generation. Is this how you treat elders, a niece-in-law? Your Mei family's upbringing is truly something to be desired," Li Shi said, her stomach full of resentment when the Mei family was mentioned.
"Even if our Mei family's upbringing is not good, we wouldn't be beheaded and exiled," Mei Shi's pent-up resentment finally erupted. Disregarding Li Shi, her mother-in-law, she retorted.