Chapter 14: Escape from Danger

Tian Mi was preparing to stitch up Xu Yunpeng when Second Uncle was ready to administer the anesthetic. Xu Yunpeng nervously asked, “When did you learn this, Tian Pang?”

Tian Mi casually fiddled with the curved needle and replied, “If you call me Tian Pang one more time, I’ll stitch your mouth shut as well.”

Then she gave him a sidelong glance like a villain!

He immediately coughed twice and said, “I appreciate it, Tian Mi!”

Second Uncle covered his face with a handkerchief, and soon he fell into a deep sleep.

Just as Tian Mi was about to start stitching, a few heads leaned in closer: Uncle Da, Second Uncle, Cousin Er, Cousin San, and younger cousin were all intently waiting to watch her work. A sense of responsibility arose within her. Given their serious focus, shouldn’t it have some sense of ceremony?

She deliberately took her time, stitching each one with precision, and explained the precautions with each stitch.

“Do you know why I’m doing one stitch at a time? Why leave the thread end like this?”

Several heads shook in unison!

“Each stitch must be tied off to stabilize the wound. After a few days, when the wound heals, the stitches will need to be removed, so there won’t be any secondary injury. You can come watch when I take them out.”

Uncle Da watched her needle and small pliers with utmost seriousness.

“Where did this stuff come from?”

Hehe! In the end, it can’t be hidden.

“It’s from my mother; I just don’t use it much.”

Tian Mi continued stitching up Xu Yunpeng, steering the conversation, “Pay close attention; it’s actually not difficult. You just need to practice more.”

Aunt Zhang was getting anxious watching from the side, urging her to finish quickly! Once the anesthetic wore off, her son would be in a lot of pain.

After that, she worked much faster, and soon it was done. Aunt Zhang finally let out a sigh of relief; truly, it’s the parent who suffers for their child!

A few people wanted to examine the wound further, but Aunt Zhang shooed them away.

Tian Dabiao and Xu Ershu discussed what to do next.

Now there were enough horses here; they planned to use animals and horses to carry their belongings as much as possible, with carts for women and children. The able-bodied men would ride horses, and those who couldn’t would drive the carts.

Seeing the disaster victims still reluctant to leave, Xu Ershu said, “Without horses, the bandits won’t be able to chase us quickly. You all should leave now! You can take two horses that were injured and found on the ground; we’ll take the remaining one.”

Given the current weather, he was glad to share some of the meat with everyone.

The disaster victims looked at him and said, “Hero, can we follow you?”

Xu Ershu replied, “No, we have a lot of elderly and children; we can’t take others with us.”

They expressed their gratitude for the divvied-up horse meat!

Originally, she could ride horses; ever since she was little, when Tian Dabiao rode, he would let her sit in front and teach her.

But now, her body hadn’t ridden in a long time. She chose the strongest horse, fed it dry grass and pure water, truly worried it might collapse from exhaustion.

The horse was obedient, happily neighing after a sip, then continued to drink. It nuzzled her hand affectionately, a delightful sight.

While letting it continue eating hay, she quietly fed each horse pure water as everyone was busy tying up supplies.

Aunt Feng watched as she quickly fed water to all the horses. Did those horses just dip their mouths in? They were really obedient! Such understanding good horses.

In the end, they cleared three carts for people to sit in, while a few lean horses carried some supplies. Each horse had its load, and the remaining horses carried everything else, with only Tian Mi’s horse carrying just her.

The sky gradually darkened! They had already settled the journey and supplies.

They must cross by night; the bandits were known for ambushes. They had just laid in wait, so now it was unlikely they would still be there, making it easier for them to pass through.

Tian Dabiao instructed Uncle Cui, Uncle Chuang, and Uncle Chen to guard the convoy. Though not as skilled as him, they were still good. The younger generation was full of vigor and eagerness, which gave everyone a boost of confidence.

Following the plan, Tian Dabiao, Xu Ershu, and Tian Mi led the way on horseback with Dabiao and Ershu providing protection for the convoy. The two uncles and their cousins drove the carts, while all the women, children, and injured squeezed inside.

The strong men rode horses on both sides of the carts, with Uncle Chuang along with Uncle Chen at the rear.

With this formation, they felt fearless against bandits. Besides, they had agreed to protect the carts first in any situation, with the three of them responsible for clearing obstacles.

The group set off once more along the main road, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. As they rode on for over a mile, they finally arrived at the site of the bandit attack, where dozens of bandits were still clearing away the supplies. This was the tail end; not much was left, and the bandits, hearing the sound of hooves, assumed it was their people returning and stepped aside.

After all, who would come to a place just robbed by bandits?

Without hesitation, Tian Dabiao urged Xu Ershu and Tian Mi to dash forward, taking a few heads. Only then did the others realize those who came were not their own and cried out in panic, trying to flee.

Zhu Dahu immediately led the convoy to charge in, while Tian Dabiao and the others continued to ride into the bandit crowd, creating confusion and allowing the convoy to pass safely while they held the rear.

They had finally escaped danger. Even if the bandits pursued them, they weren’t afraid; they were on horseback with the carts and weren’t slow.

Tian Mi looked at the direction where the bandits were hauling their goods away. Now that her family was among the convoy, their safety was the priority.

When the opportunity arose, she certainly wouldn’t let these bandits off.

However, Xu Ershu hesitated; one of the carts looked similar to her eldest brother’s.

They were walking with the townsfolk; surely they wouldn’t encounter bandits! With so many supplies, they were likely to attract trouble.

But he couldn’t worry about them now; there were more important people he needed to protect.

In life and death situations, these were the ones who stood by him unwaveringly.

After safely passing through the area where the bandits had struck, they collectively let out a heavy sigh of relief. This was the time when there were the fewest people on the main road; with no obstacles, they were able to run freely!

However, riding the horse made Tian Mi feel pain in her waist and thighs. A few sips of pure water still didn’t ease the discomfort! She gritted her teeth and persevered. The pants of this era were too thin, making it easy to chafe while riding. She had loose-fitting jeans in her space that would have been perfect, but she couldn’t wear them! Who could have guessed she would end up as a 250-pound person? None of the clothes she prepared fit.

About three miles down the road, people began to appear; they were a group that had run out after being robbed by the bandits, tears streaming down their faces. They were in dire straits; aside from what they had on them, everything else had been stolen. They didn’t know where to go or what to do.

Like startled birds, they scattered in all directions at the sound of hooves. After passing through the bandit territory, Tian Dabiao led Tian Mi and Xu Ershu ahead to clear the way, ignoring those disaster victims—after all, they weren’t bandits; what was there to be afraid of?

Suddenly, an urgent shout came from behind: “Uncle Er, Uncle Tian! Help!”

It was Xu Yunzhu’s voice; they must have run into bandits. Xu Ershu stopped, and the convoy halted as well.

Xu Yunzhu emerged from the thicket by the roadside, disheveled and panting heavily.

He cried, “Uncle Er, Uncle Tian, we encountered bandits! Father twisted his leg, and they took our things. The townspeople scattered too.”

Xu Yunzhu had always held himself high; he had never been this disheveled. Even when fleeing in the past, he managed to keep himself presentable.

Zhou Rongrong followed behind him, feeling too shy to speak. She couldn’t stand the sight of Xu Dabe’s struggles at home, but it didn’t seem like it was her place to talk to Xu Yunzhu.