Yongzhou was not very large, but at the speed Qin Fang and the others were walking, they wouldn’t be able to leave the Yongzhou territory even after walking for three days.

In the afternoon, everyone set off.

Qin Fang said to Kun Shi, “Kun Shi, you and Tao Shan go ahead to scout the road and find a suitable place for us to stop at night. Try to choose a flat area with fewer trees and a nearby water source.”

Kun Shi replied, “Understood.”

Choosing a flatter area would make it easier to set up tents and allow everyone to rest comfortably.

Fewer trees were safer since they could obstruct visibility; if there were dangerous people or things hiding behind them, they might be overlooked.

Having water nearby was essential for daily living, whether for washing or cooking.

Kun Shi and Tan Shan rode ahead to scout the route, moving faster than those walking.

About an hour later, they returned.

Although Yongzhou wasn’t very big, at their walking speed, it would take three days on horseback to leave Yongzhou.

The Yongzhou military camp was guarded by General Yonghe, who not only protected the borders but also ensured that bandits within Yongzhou didn’t dare to act recklessly.

In earlier years, there had been bandits in Yongzhou, but after General Yonghe had led several military campaigns against them, the area had become safe.

Thus, for the next three days, Qin Fang felt quite reassured.

At least there wouldn’t be any man-made dangers.

However, the ordinary folk wouldn’t dare to provoke them, and conflicts were unlikely.

After Kun Shi returned, he reported on the road conditions.

He had traveled this route a few days prior to investigate the situation in Yunxiang County, so he had a good grasp of it.

However, to be more certain, he had gone to scout again.

Kun Shi said, “General, in another half an hour, we’ll be out of this forest. Beyond it, there’s a village, and outside the village, there’s a river, which is likely a tributary of the Yong River. We can camp outside the village.”

Qin Fang responded, “Good. You go ahead and greet the village chief, as we’re coming with a large group. We need to prevent alarming the villagers.”

Kun Shi replied, “Understood.”

Kun Shi immediately set off again.

By the time Qin Fang led the large group to the riverside outside the village, Kun Shi was already there, accompanied by an elderly man and two middle-aged men.

Qin Fang dismounted and said, “Everyone, set up camp and rest here. We’ll continue our journey tomorrow morning.” He looked at Kun Shi.

Kun Shi brought the others over, “General, this is the village chief and two villagers from the neighboring village. They’ve come to greet you.”

The greeting served two purposes: one was to pay respects, and the other was to leave a good impression on the dignitaries while confirming the authenticity of Kun Shi’s words.

What if the visitors had ill intentions?

The village chief had come with trepidation, but upon seeing that most of the group were common folk, including the elderly, children, and women, he felt reassured.

After greeting, the village chief discreetly left.

Yang Haiyan also got off the cart.

Uncle Hong and the others brought out three stoves and started cooking in three large pots.

Aunt Hong shouted, “Tonight we’re making bone porridge. Two bowls cost one copper coin. Anyone who needs some should sign up.” Nothing is faster to prepare than porridge.

Upon hearing that it was bone porridge and two bowls for one copper coin, everyone rushed to sign up.

Some tribesmen, even if they didn’t want any for themselves, signed up for the elderly and children.

In fact, many tribesmen had money; they understood that carrying too much stuff would be inconvenient for the journey.

So, during the fifteen days of preparation, they had already exchanged their belongings for silver notes in the city.

Selling two bowls of porridge for one copper coin wouldn’t make Yang Haiyan a profit, but she wouldn’t be at a loss either.

It was known that one pound of rice cost only six copper coins, enough to make over ten bowls of porridge.

Of course, this also included a lot of water.

However, since it was the first day of traveling, everyone was well-fed on the first night, so they wouldn’t be too hungry today.

Additionally, they would have another meal tomorrow morning, making it sufficient to have porridge for dinner.

Three large pots can produce porridge in about two quarters of an hour, with each pot yielding around fifty bowls.

There weren’t many people eating for the first time, and after five or six rounds, it came to an end.

The day before, everyone had brought enough provisions, so they had to finish their rations first.

The Qin family was also eating porridge.

While drinking, Yang Haiyan had an idea and suggested to Qin Fang, “Husband, I’d like to set off a bit earlier tomorrow and wait for you at the next rest stop.”

Qin Fang was puzzled: “Why?”

Yang Haiyan explained, “Today, over three hundred people bought porridge, and there are only three pots. Even if they are large, it still takes over an hour to cook. In the future, more people will buy food, and we surely won’t have enough time to cook. So, I thought I could go ahead, and by the time you bring everyone here, we will have already prepared the food. This way, we won’t waste time. Also, with Kun Shi and others accompanying me, my safety will be assured, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

She hoped that all these over three thousand people could arrive in Yunxiang County in good health, not for their sake, but because Qin Fang was the commanding general, and she wanted him to successfully complete this mission.

Qin Fang thought for a moment: “Take your personal guards with you, and I’ll have Captain Yang send twenty more people to accompany you. When it’s time to work, you can dismiss them.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Okay.”

The riverside was somewhat damp, especially at night when the humidity was particularly heavy.

Although they were resting near the river, they still kept a distance.

The local people began to look for places to sleep.

Some families had many members; the able-bodied ones carried thin quilts and covered the elderly and children while sleeping.

Others, whose family members were weaker and had no men to carry quilts, wore thicker clothes to keep warm while sleeping, and during the day’s journey, they would strip down if it got hot, which was more convenient.

However, to prevent the night dew from affecting everyone’s health, Qin Fang instructed everyone to prepare more campfires to warm their bodies.

In the past, Yang Haiyan would take a bath every day, but in the current situation, it was inconvenient even to wipe her body, let alone bathe.

After settling the people, Qin Fang checked the surroundings and then went to find Yang Haiyan.

He saw her chatting with Madam Yang, Madam Lu, and others around the campfire and felt awkward getting too close, so he called out from a distance: “Yan Yan.”

His voice was deep and heavy, and everyone turned to look at him.

The usually composed General Qin almost broke his serious demeanor under their gaze, but he managed to keep his composure inside.

Yang Haiyan looked up, silently asking.

Qin Fang waved to her, the gesture resembling someone calling a small pet.

Yang Haiyan looked at him, feeling inexplicably fond of it.

She stood up and walked over, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Fang glanced around, then took her hand and walked aside: “Do you want to bathe? It’s not convenient here; I’ll take you to the village in front to borrow a place from the villagers.”

Qin Fang felt assured since they were on the village outskirts, a safe area, and only in ensuring everyone’s safety would he take Yang Haiyan to do something personal.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t act on private matters that could affect public duty.

Yang Haiyan felt warmth in her heart; he remembered that she liked to bathe daily even in such busy circumstances, which satisfied her.

She smiled knowingly: “No need; it’s fine not to bathe for a few days; anyway… you can’t smell me.”

These words stirred Qin Fang.

Men who were initially possessive were often the most sensitive to grievances.

His eyes sparkled as if trying to see through her. “Yan Yan, you’re really bad.”

She always teased him intentionally yet stubbornly didn’t comply with his wishes.

She had been like this before turning eighteen, and now it was the same.

Yang Haiyan smiled proudly and happily.

Although she didn’t need a bath, she still needed to clean her private areas, so she said to Qin Fang, “Then you go and bring me a basin of hot water, using the basin tied with a red string that I usually use.”

The basin tied with a red string was for washing her private areas.

Though Qin Fang didn’t know what it was for, he knew that his wife paid particular attention to the basin’s hygiene, so he said, “Alright, then you wait in the tent… or on the cart.”

The tent still let in a bit of shadow, and he didn’t want her to be seen doing anything by others.

As the couple spoke, Madam Yang seemed to have eaten a mouthful of dog food.

Of course, she didn’t know the term “dog food,” but she felt a bit sick when General Qin called Madam Qin in Yan Yan’s names in such an intimate way… not so much sickening but difficult to describe, as if General Qin cherished Madam Qin very much.

In truth, she felt a bit envious, thinking that General Qin was too affectionate with Madam Qin.

Madam Yang tugged at Sister Lu and whispered in her ear, “Did you hear what General Qin called Madam Qin just now?”

Madam Lu nodded: “What’s the matter?”

Madam Yang looked at Sister Lu’s calm demeanor with some surprise: “Don’t you think it’s somewhat… particularly enviable for General Qin to call Madam Qin by her nickname in public?”

Madam Lu was surprised: she hadn’t noticed this.

She replied, “A couple of years ago, when General Qin was still a hundred-man commander, he lived next to our house, and he called her like this then. I’ve gotten used to it.”

Madam Yang realized that she was the only one eating dog food.

“However, General Qin indeed loves Madam Qin,” Sister Lu added, “but that’s because Madam Qin is capable. We all know what position General Qin held back then. Madam Qin opened a shop and bought a manor, making quite a bit of money… During that time, she took good care of General Qin, making sure he had meat in every meal.” In Sister Lu’s mind back then, having meat meant the wife valued her husband.

When they were poor, the most precious thing in their hearts was meat.

If they gave meat away, it was enough to represent the person’s feelings.

Madam Yang chuckled and didn’t continue talking.

The Next Day

Today’s breakfast was scallion buns, which were steamed buns filled with scallions and had a bit of saltiness, making them much tastier than plain buns.

It was calculated yesterday that five hundred people ordered two buns each, costing the same one wen.

So Aunt Fan, Aunt Hong, along with Kun, Zhang Shi, and others, started preparing after dinner and didn’t stop until a quarter past 9 (9:30 PM).

They began steaming buns at 3 AM today.

When everyone woke up, all five hundred people received two steaming buns.

After finishing breakfast, everyone continued on their journey.