The entire family was there, chattering with concern for quite a while. Only then did Liu Xu remember Pei Shu’er, who was sitting alone nearby.
"Zan’er, you’re fortunate to have Shu’er this time. If it weren’t for her feeding you every day and changing your medicine regularly, your wounds wouldn’t have healed this quickly."
Tang Zan finally turned his gaze towards Pei Shu’er.
Pei Shu’er did not lift her head to look at him.
Her nimble fingers were flying, currently weaving something with vines.
Her brows and eyes were lowered, and her formerly sharp and proud aura had softened.
In front of her was a large stone pot, bubbling with cooking food.
This scene, rather than looking like being on the path of exile, seemed more like ordinary folk going about their daily lives.
Yet, it’s hard to change one’s nature. He remembered vividly what Pei Shu’er used to be like.
The current appearance of Pei Shu’er is probably due to the change in circumstances.
After all, Pei Shu’er was the only one from the Pei Family to be exiled. Apart from integrating into the Tang Family and currying favor with them, did she have any other options?
Tang Zan looked at Pei Shu’er mockingly.
What is this woman really up to?
Pei Shu’er had no ulterior motives; she just wanted to survive well on the path of exile by leveraging opportunities.
Now that Tang Zan was awake, she didn’t bother with him any further, as long as he didn’t die.
Pei Shu’er was weaving a backpack; there’s too much to carry, and she can’t take everything out of the space.
She needed a backpack as a disguise sometimes.
Besides, the backpack could be used for fishing.
The fish she took from the space were much bigger than the ones caught from the river. Once or twice was fine, but doing it every time would be too suspicious.
When the backpack was complete, she saw two small children looking eagerly at her.
A smile appeared at Pei Shu’er’s lips, and she grabbed some nearby wild grass to weave two bamboo dragonflies for them.
The two kids were delighted, playing with the bamboo dragonflies beside Pei Shu’er, calling her "sister-in-law," which irritated Tang Zan.
Pei Shu’er put wild vegetables and fish into the pot to cook, casually adding a bit of salt.
A large bowl of fish soup was served in front of Tang Zan; he tasted it and was surprised, raising his eyebrows.
This taste seemed familiar to him.
Moreover, the deliciousness of the fish soup surpassed that of many rare delicacies.
This doesn’t seem like something Pei Shu’er could make.
At night, Pei Shu’er found a secluded spot and entered the space while everyone was sound asleep. She dug out books on how to fish from the corner of the space.
The methods recorded in the book were detailed.
After leaving the space, Pei Shu’er went straight to the riverbank to test the fishing methods.
She placed the backpack at a fast-flowing spot; at night, the fish would swim upstream, which was their necessary path.
When Pei Shu’er returned to check, five fish were already in the backpack, each as long as a forearm, but not as large as those from the space.
She processed the fish, tied them with wild grass, and carried them back to where she slept.
While sleeping, Pei Shu’er always felt a gaze lingering around her, seemingly wanting to carve flesh from her body.
But she was too exhausted and soon fell asleep.
The next day, after the officials banged drums to hurry along.
Tang Peilin said, "Since Tang Zan is awake, let him walk by himself."
As soon as those words were spoken, Pei Shu’er raised an eyebrow.
"Tang Zan is severely injured; his left leg is practically unusable, and his right leg is injured too. If he walks for a day, they’ll be useless afterward."
Tang Zan glanced at Pei Shu’er; was this woman speaking for him?
Tang Peilin frowned and cursed angrily, "If I carry Tang Zan for another day, I won’t be able to survive either."
Old Madam Tang struck Tang Peilin on the back with a cane.
"If it weren’t for the third, you wouldn’t have been a General for most of your life. Now that the third is down, you’re tormenting Zan’er ."
Tang Peilin swallowed his anger.
"If it weren’t for Pei Zhong, I wouldn’t be in this predicament."
After saying this, he ignored everyone else and walked away alone.
Second Uncle Tang Peixiao laughed to cover up the situation, "The eldest is severely hurt; it’s normal to have a temper. I’ll carry him."
Fourth Uncle Tang Peiyi also said, "We’ll take turns carrying him."
After saying this, he coughed, blood froth appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Pei Shu’er noticed that Tang Peiyi’s back had turned black-red, even faintly producing a foul odor.
Tang Zan also felt compassion, "Thank you, uncle, for your previous help. Since I’m awake, I’ll walk by myself."
Tang Zan broke a hard branch, quickly fashioned it into a cane, and then said.
All the members of Tang Family’s main family looked at Tang Zan with concern.
Exile meant walking sixty miles daily; given his injuries, a day of walking could truly render him crippled.
In the original text, Tang Zan was inherently resolute, and nothing could change his decision.
Moreover, Pei Shu’er was not favored by Tang Zan; she didn’t want to waste her breath.
Pei Shu’er wore a straw hat, continuously weaving a fishing net with vines.
Yesterday’s trial proved the backpack was never as quick as using the fishing net; after all, sitting idle was just sitting idle, better to weave a net.
When she was tired from weaving, she raised her head to look ahead.
Her gaze was inevitably drawn to the tall and limping figure.
Tang Zan was truly capable, having walked five miles already; the blood wetting his pant leg, yet he persisted.
But she only spared a glance before refocusing on her fishing net.
Realizing the dense forest was ahead, suddenly, Tang Peiyi fell headfirst onto the ground.
The members of the fourth house gathered around, the fourth aunt cried while wiping tears, and the children of the fourth house cried heartbreakingly.
Pei Shu’er stopped her task, tossed the half-finished fishing net and vines into the backpack, and went to check on Tang Peiyi’s condition.
The wound was infected, causing fever.
Seeing the officials coming over with whips, Pei Shu’er drank some Spiritual Spring Water, then lifted Tang Peiyi horizontally.
"Don’t stop, keep walking."
Pei Shu’er, so petite, picked up the burly man Tang Peiyi, a scene nothing short of bizarre.
Yet Pei Shu’er was briskly walking ahead, without any intention to stop.
The fourth house members also trotted to catch up.
It was nearing lunchtime, soon they could rest.
Otherwise, getting needlessly whipped by the government officer was really not worthwhile.
Pei Shu’er walked swiftly, soon surpassing Tang Zan walking ahead. Tang Zan looked at Pei Shu’er carrying Fourth Uncle upfront while she shouldered a large backpack on her back.
For a moment, he felt Pei Shu’er was utterly unfamiliar.
That delicate young lady, whose strength was no greater than an ant, whose heart was as black as ink, how could she do something like saving someone?
Yet now, it was all right in front of his eyes.