Gao Da Shan felt so ashamed by the commotion that he awkwardly said, "Forgive my rudeness, esteemed guests. We villagers are unsophisticated. We didn't frighten you, did we? Although we're noisy, we mean no harm."
No harm?
Su Miao Miao was astonished.
But Cheng Hao smiled and appeased him, not lingering on the topic, and brought up the matter of crossing the river again, which was the most pressing issue.
Gao Da Shan immediately felt the tension return and began to confer with Cheng Hao.
Although their imposing convoy intimidated him, he couldn't bear to abandon his villagers' meager supplies to climb the cliff.
That would be too risky.
And the young man before him seemed approachable and not malicious.
So, they could travel together for now.
Gao Da Shan made up his mind and began to analyze the situation. Ultimately, they agreed to cut down trees to build a simple passage.
Their lack of horse-drawn carriages would make crossing much simpler.
The load wouldn't need to be as strong.
Cheng Hao's side, however, required sturdier trees, as a horse-drawn carriage was not light. Fortunately, the river wasn't very wide, and sufficiently old trees could span the distance.
Seeing how agreeable he was, and coveting the martial strength of their convoy, Gao Da Shan offered that his people, being accustomed to labor, could help them fell trees.
It would be faster.
Fearing Cheng Hao would refuse, he added, "Don't refuse. Consider it repayment for your kindness in informing us. If you hadn't told us, we might still be hiding in the dark, living our lives."
Living without seeing the sun.
Who knew when they might return to the village and face enemy soldiers head-on.
Gao Da Shan shuddered at the thought.
Mentioning this reminded him of the villagers left behind, and he dared not think about it further.
It was too heavy a burden.
Seeing that he had said so much, Cheng Hao naturally agreed.
The two parties then temporarily parted ways.
Each would return to their group to explain the situation.
Su Miao Miao chimed in at an opportune moment, "Well, excrement and other waste can spread disease. Felling trees is a major undertaking, and it will take at least a day or two. Since that's the case, so we don't have to smell it every day..."
She sincerely suggested.
That everyone designate a time for defecation and avoid doing so randomly.
It was too unsanitary.
And it could easily spread germs.
However, concepts like bacteria and airborne transmission couldn't be stated directly.
Su Miao Miao could only rephrase it in terms Gao Da Shan could understand to convey the seriousness of the matter.
Gao Da Shan, seeing this precious and beautiful young girl speak, initially thought she was disgusted by the filth. But seeing her sincere eyes and her experienced demeanor, and considering the dire consequences, he nodded enthusiastically and agreed, "I will definitely inform the villagers properly. Esteemed guest, have you studied medicine? You are young, but you know so much about pathology!"
Su Miao Miao pondered for a moment, then put on an air of mystery and nodded, saying, "I'm not a master, I just enjoy reading. I read a lot at home, so I know more than others. Just do as I say."
Gao Da Shan, utterly convinced, immediately declared he would go.
Seeing him hurry off to inform the villagers, Cheng Hao flicked her forehead and teased, "Quite the act, little doctor?" His tone was clearly amused.
Su Miao Miao immediately covered her forehead and huffed at him, then remembered the villagers picking lice off each other and felt uncomfortable all over.
"Next time, I'll pay more attention to finding the herb 'Bai Bu'. If memory serves, this is the season for harvesting it. It can moisten the lungs, relieve coughs, and kill insects and lice. It would be perfect for them to use then..."
Su Miao Miao felt itchy all over just thinking about them picking lice.
It was unbearable.
Cheng Hao, knowing her kind heart, patted her head to comfort her.
Su Miao Miao had never been interested in conventional classroom subjects. But she could remember any other strange piece of knowledge. For instance, she had a period where she was obsessed with Traditional Chinese Medicine.
However, her enthusiasm was fleeting, lasting only as long as her interest. She was engrossed in TCM for nearly two years.
But even a "three-minute" interest could yield three minutes of benefit, which was now proving useful.
-
Meanwhile.
Master Cheng and Madam Cheng, putting aside their grievances, rested against each other.
Their faces were pale with fear.
They were lamenting that fleeing was much more difficult than they had imagined.
Cheng Kai Chun, having resolved the issue of defecation, returned and overheard this. He shamelessly sidled up again to pledge his loyalty, "Big brother, don't be afraid! If we truly encounter danger, I, your younger brother, will be the first to charge forward and shield you!"
He patted his chest, assuring he would never leave his side.
Yet, he was precisely the one who had caused Master Cheng's current jumpiness and unease. If he hadn't spoken nonsense, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
However, Master Cheng didn't consider this. He only found his words pleasing and, with a somewhat haggard face, patted Cheng Kai Chun's shoulder heavily again, saying, "Little brother, you are truly a loyal and righteous person! With you by my side, I feel at ease!"
He seemed utterly clueless.
Cheng Feng Tai also emerged from the woods, a faint blush on his face. He had been embarrassed when a young servant had seen him while he was relieving himself.
He had grown up in a relatively wealthy family. However, due to past wars, their good life hadn't lasted long before the family fell into decline. Now he could only make a living as a peddler, and now war had broken out again.
It was a testament to Cheng Feng Tai's resilience that his spirits hadn't completely broken down. It was also because his family had been well-off in the past, and he had lived as a young master for a few years.
He cared more about his dignity than others.
After finally overcoming the embarrassment of being seen relieving himself, he came out only to see Cheng Kai Chun fawning over Master Cheng. He felt as if he had swallowed a fly, disgusted by how ugly the fawning looked.
But he clearly couldn't stoop to such a level. However, he couldn't let Cheng Kai Chun have all the advantage. If Master Cheng favored him, what good days would be left for him? How would his wife and children survive in the convoy then?
Cheng Feng Tai struggled with his thoughts, but ultimately walked over and sat down beside Master Cheng. He knew Cheng Hao was negotiating ahead, and he couldn't interject; he didn't have the right. Cheng Hao was the legitimate young master and Master Cheng's eldest son.
His presence was enough.
Cheng Feng Tai certainly wouldn't dare to compete with Cheng Hao for favor.
So, he could only emulate Cheng Kai Chun and try to win some favor with Master Cheng.
Master Cheng had few close relatives now. He valued these distant kin and felt somewhat more secure.
He felt he still had some family, and wasn't so panicked.
Therefore.
When he saw Cheng Feng Tai approach, he greeted him warmly and invited him to sit down.
Seeing this, Cheng Kai Chun naturally felt a sense of unfairness. He thought Cheng Feng Tai didn't fawn at all, yet Master Cheng treated him so kindly. He, on the other hand, fawned endlessly but was still treated this way. He felt like he had become a clown.