The day before Jiang Hu’s family set off with the scholars and governnt officials, Liu Qingfeng had already moved into his brother Liu Ze’s room with his wife.
The small courtyard next door started construction the very next day after Jiang Hu ntioned it.
The wife had servants attending to her, and when she stepped outside, it was blue skies and white clouds. The weather was cool in the early mornings and evenings, and she could stroll through the fields.
With his wife’s mood improved, Liu Qingfeng felt at ease focusing on his work. He was an assistant teacher at the academy, learning under the principal and occasionally substituting for the instructors.
However, after staying a few days at the Jiang household, Liu Qingfeng began smacking his lips, feeling that the academy’s food wasn’t as tasty anymore.
On the other side, the entire Jiang family, riding in a horse-drawn carriage and an ox cart, also carried enough food to last them at least three months!
Primarily rice, flour, grain, and oil were stored, with no at dishes since, during the hot sumr, they wouldn’t keep well. Even live chickens or ducks could easily suffocate.
The horse carriage and driver were specially rented by Uncle Liu for this journey to Fuzhou, and they would bring them back once the exam results were posted.
This carriage was significantly larger than a regular one, very spacious inside, with larger windows for ventilation, making it less hot.
Compared to the few carriages ahead, it was much more comfortable, so Jiang Yu and Liu Ze also ca over, making room for other scholars.
The entire family, eight mbers, with Jiang Wei traveling with his elder and second sisters and mother in one carriage, and the remaining four in another.
After all, the children weren’t young anymore, and since Little Mi and Little Xue were Jiang Wei’s real sisters, and Jiang Wei was the youngest, it was fine.
In the hot sumr, the governnt officials feared the scholars might suffer heatstroke, so they started traveling early in the morning, resting at a cool spot during the hottest part of the day to cook and relax.
They would continue the journey after 3 PM, stopping only when the moon rose above the willows.
This traveling schedule was out of necessity due to the heat. People either hid in the carriage or rode under the scorching sun, which neither they nor the horses could withstand.
Even so, after not even three days, everyone’s energy was significantly drained, and they beca listless.
At the start, so scholars still held books, trying to consolidate their learning while traveling.
But now, everyone was too sun-drained to focus, and though they perked up a bit at night, the mosquitoes were plenty beside the dark road, making it hard to read.
The most relaxed were probably Liu Ze and Jiang Yu.
They ca with the mindset of gaining so experience, so their outlook was naturally different.
With their wide, breathable carriage, they could rest well at night, and most importantly, the als were consistently good, so their spirits remained high.
At noon, following custom, they rested at a cool spot by the roadside.
Most of the escorting officials had done this route before and were familiar with the way to Fuzhou, making rest stops easy to find.
Once the horse-drawn carriage halted, everyone eagerly got off to rest.
Initially, the scholars rested nearby while the officials gathered firewood for cooking. Given the long journey, carrying grains and pots to cook was better than packing dry goods.
Later, they noticed that while Jiang Yu and Liu Ze were also scholars, they helped prepare als, gather firewood, boil water, and sotis even cook dishes!
Acquaintances from the sa academy saw the younger students’ diligence and felt embarrassed to stay idle, so they helped gather firewood too.
With this, everyone felt embarrassed to sit back and started helping.
Even if one couldn’t cook, lending a hand, even just passing a piece of firewood, beca less awkward.
The officials were familiar with the route, rest stops had water sources, and the ground bore many ashes, indicating these spots were often used by travelers.
Jiang Hu and his second wife were fine, being adults and able to endure, but the children couldn’t. Once stopped, they dashed off to gather firewood, fetch water, or forage for wild vegetables nearby.
Particularly Liu Ze and Jiang Yu, their knowledge of wild vegetables amazed the scholars, surprised that so many roadside weeds were edible.
With a bit of preparation, stir-fried or made into a salad, they tasted far better than just plain pickles over rice.
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