Mo Hanyue stared at Old Lady Mo with wide eyes, her face full of disbelief.
"Mother, where would I get any silver?"
"If there's no silver, then just eat whatever there is to eat." Old Lady Mo was not unsympathetic to her daughter, it was just that when she left the Mo Residence, all the silver bills she had hidden on her were confiscated, and now she was also penniless.
Although the daughters-in-law had some silver, she as the elder could not bring herself to ask money from the younger generation.
"Mother, I have a little silver here, why don't I go and buy some white flour steamed buns from the yamen runners?"
Seeing the usually lively and cute little sister shedding tears for lack of food to eat, Third Sister-in-law felt somewhat distressed.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, let's see what others are doing first."
This was He Zhiran's intention. All the silver in the national treasury was in her space, so of course she would not begrudge buying some white flour steamed buns for her family to eat.
It was just that they had only been exiled for one day so far, and she had not yet figured out the situation with the yamen runners and other exiles, so she did not want to reveal too much of her capabilities.
"He's right, let's observe first before deciding." Old Lady Mo also agreed with He Zhiran's proposal.
All the Mo family listened obediently without taking any action, maintaining a wait-and-see attitude.
Speaking of which, the other four exiled families were really unlucky.
They had received the imperial edict to confiscate property and exile at almost the same time as the Mo family, with practically no warning at all. It could be said to be a passing whim of Emperor Shunwu.
Just because of this, these four families could be said to be penniless.
Escorting exiled convicts was usually a lucrative job.
They had always turned a blind eye to relatives who came to see the prisoners off, and were even happy to do so.
Only this way would the prisoners have some money on them.
If the prisoners had money, the yamen runners would profit.
But who knew, after shouting for a while that a steamed bun cost one or two silver coins, not a single person came forth with money to buy them.
In anger, the yamen runners reduced the quota of one free black flour steamed bun per person to half a bun per person.
The Mo family was fine, apart from Mo Jiuye they were all women, so their appetites were small to begin with.
The sisters-in-law were thinking that even if it was only half a steamed bun, as long as they didn't starve to death it was fine.
But when they got the buns in hand, their eyes popped.
Those black flour steamed buns were as hard as rocks, just biting down would probably chip your teeth...
"Mother, the buns are so hard I can't bite them," Mo Hanyue cried again.
"Yes Mother, if we have to rely on these kinds of buns for food throughout the journey, I'm afraid we won't die from hunger but from choking."
"Mother, I and Third Sister-in-law have some silver, why don't we just go buy some white flour steamed buns?"
Hearing the words of her daughters-in-law and daughter, Old Lady Mo very naturally looked towards He Zhiran.
Although she didn't know much about this daughter-in-law who had just married into the family, Old Lady Mo could see that He Zhiran had her own opinions.
He Zhiran slowly shook her head at Old Lady Mo.
"Mother, don't be impatient, let's watch a while more."
Her words had just fallen when from the nearby Xie family group came the sounds of a child wailing.
Second Sister-in-law hurried over to see what was happening.
"Big brother, what's wrong with Lin'er?"
Xie Chao's eyes were full of heartache. He held out his palm flat to Xie Fang.
"The loose milk tooth that Lin'er had, got knocked out by the steamed bun."
Looking again, there was still traces of blood at the corners of five-year-old Xie Lin's lips.
Xie Lin was the Xie family's only grandson, and this child had been educated very well, obedient and sensible since young.
Xie Fang had married Mo Erlang for only three months when the grievous news came that Mo Erlang had died on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, she did not manage to conceive a child of her own after marrying.
Knowing that she would have no children in this lifetime, she devoted all her heart and mind to her sensible and obedient nephew, even thinking of having her nephew provide for her in her old age.
Therefore, Xie Fang's feelings for Xie Lin were much deeper than the average aunt-nephew relationship.
Seeing the blood still oozing from the corner of Xie Lin's lips as he cried, Xie Fang's heart ached unbearably.
She snatched the coarse steamed bun from Xie Lin's hand and threw it on the ground, then turned to argue with the yamen runners.
"Although we've been exiled, we haven't been sentenced to death after all, so we still have the right to live.
Giving us these rock-hard steamed buns that have been sitting who knows how long to eat, how are we supposed to stay alive to reach the northwest?"
He Zhiran knew things were taking a bad turn, and hurriedly ran towards Second Sister-in-law.
Because her sharp eyes had already noticed the yamen runners taking out their whips when Second Sister-in-law started reprimanding them.
It could be said she came just in time.
Seeing the whip about to land on Xie Fang, He Zhiran dashed forward and steadily caught one end of the whip, saving Xie Fang from a bout of pain and lost skin.
These yamen runners had been escorting prisoners for many years, but this was the first time they had been thwarted by a prisoner, and a young woman at that.
The yamen runner's face immediately darkened as he turned his pent-up frustration towards He Zhiran, cursing at her.
Lying prone on the cart, Mo Jiuye was like burning coals listening to everything happening.
He even had the urge to get up and stop it.
His tense body was noticed by the attentive Old Lady Mo, who gently patted his back to signal him not to act rashly.
After calming Mo Jiuye, Old Lady Mo also went to stand beside her two daughters-in-law.
In Old Lady Mo's understanding, the Mo family men were heroic, and the women could not be cowards either, they had to face things together.
Xie Fang knew that it was her own rashness that had caused trouble, and seeing the yamen runner about to whip her ninth younger sister-in-law, she quickly shielded her.
"I was the one who said those things, vent your anger on me alone, don't take it out on my ninth younger sister-in-law."
He Zhiran was already prepared to resist the yamen runner, but unexpectedly she was blocked by Second Sister-in-law.
In her anxiety, she grabbed Second Sister-in-law's collar and pulled her back, while her other hand caught the whip lashed at her again.
With a clever exertion of force, she wrested the whip from the yamen runner's hand and took it into her own.
The other yamen runners who had been deliberately eating the white flour steamed buns ostentatiously, planning to provoke the prisoners and enjoy the show, now could no longer watch their entertainment since their companion's whip had been seized.
Putting down the steamed buns in hand, they drew the short swords from their waists and closed in on the three women.
He Zhiran's morale surged.
"You bunch of cowards, my Mo family's men shed their heads and spilled hot blood to win you your peaceful days of today.
Now my Mo family has been framed and reduced to this, yet you people kick someone when they are down, bullying us weak women to flaunt your might.
Looking at your pathetic manner, this is the only skill you have left. If you were sent to the battlefield to contend with the enemy, I'm afraid your heads would have rolled home long ago."
He Zhiran's words rang with righteousness. Old Lady Mo instantly felt her hot blood boil.
"Well said, this is how a Mo family woman should be."
As she spoke, Old Lady Mo scanned the yamen runners' expressions.
It could be seen that not all the yamen runners were villainous people, some had already quietly put away their weapons and assumed a wait-and-see posture.
