Today, the officials uncharacteristically showed mercy and gave each person a dark steamed bun.
Still, after going without oil and water for days, their stomachs growled incessantly.
Li Rou'er's uninjured hand was clenched into a tight fist, her fingertips dug into her flesh without her realizing it.
Zhu noticed something was off with her and recalled how they were mobbed by the Mo Family people. Zhu was still a little scared.
She quietly reminded Li Rou'er, "Rou'er, we're no match for that wicked woman. Let's not provoke them in the future."
Li Rou'er glared fiercely at Zhu.
She really didn't want to say anything to this mother who only knew how to resign herself to her fate.
She turned her head away, closed her eyes, and pretended to rest. Her mind was filled with the scene of Mo Jiuye squatting by the stove to help He Zhiran make a fire.
She watched them from afar. Although they didn't interact, the harmonious couple scene really stung her.
From the moment Li Rou'er first laid eyes on Mo Jiuye when he stopped a startled horse, she was deeply attracted to Mo Jiuye's aura, unlike that of ordinary men.
Of course, she was also drawn to Mo Jiuye's status as the Duke of Protector.
Her desire to marry Mo Jiuye grew stronger over time.
So much so that when she learned He Zhiran had successfully married Mo Jiuye, she wished she could ruin their marriage herself.
Mo Jiuye was no longer the youngest duke in Da Shun, and reason told her that no matter how good-looking that man was, he would not be a good match for her.
A few days of exile had made Li Rou'er afraid of this kind of precarious life.
The only way to change her current predicament was to get away from here...
After the Mo Family people ate their fill, He Zhiran led everyone to salt and preserve the remaining fish before nightfall completely set in. They tied them with grass ropes and hung them around the wooden carts.
After the busy work was done, the sky had darkened, and the Mo, Fang, and Xie families set up tents.
The tents He Zhiran designed could fit two people. The sisters-in-law tacitly looked for companions to share a tent.
Old Lady Mo stayed with Mo Hanyue.
Undoubtedly, He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye shared a tent.
The officials, aside from those on sentry duty, also crawled into tents following the Mo Family's example.
The He and Li families looked on bitterly, the unnamed fire in their hearts burning even more vigorously.
Why was there such a huge disparity in treatment when they were exiled under the same decree?
Li Yuer and Li Ruer hugged Li Liang's arms on both sides, ceaselessly wiping away tears.
"Father, I don't want to sleep outside. My clothes get drenched with dew in the morning."
"Father, could you please go beg those officials to give us a tent like that?"
Seeing this, Li Liang was already unhappy. Now he was dizzy from his daughters' shaking and scolded irritably, "If you want to sleep in a tent, go beg for one yourselves. I don't have that ability."
If the sisters had that courage, why would they need to plead with their father here?
Rejected, they could only use their tears to express their dissatisfaction, not daring to say another word.
Li Madam's heart ached for her daughters, but she knew clearly that even if she knelt before those officials, they would not give tents to them out of charity.
She hurriedly pulled her daughters aside to comfort them.
The same scene was unfolding in the He family, as they crowded around He Zhiyuan, asking him to find a way to get tents from the officials.
At this moment, He Zhiyuan's mind was very clear. He knew this was impossible, so he poured cold water directly over them.
"The Mo Family people bought oil cloth and made those tents themselves. If you want them, use silver to buy your own, then learn from them how to make tents."
His words silenced the He family, leaving them speechless.
If they had silver, why would they gnaw on dark buns every day?
Not only did they lack silver and tents, but they also lacked the skills to catch fish...
The tents received approval from everyone after the first day of use.
Including the officials, this was their first time feeling that escorting prisoners was not a bad duty.
He Zhiran was not unfamiliar with being alone with Mo Jiuye, so she no longer felt any pressure.
Hearing the steady breathing beside her, He Zhiran's consciousness entered space.
The shops in Taobao had been open for a full day already. She naturally wanted to check the sales figures after listing so many kinds of merchandise.
As soon as she opened the Taobao page, a dialog box popped up.
[Successfully sold item(s) in store. Income automatically deposited into Alipay account.]
He Zhiran hurriedly clicked to check her account balance.
She saw 7,500 yuan had been added to her account.
Seeing this number, He Zhiran was a little confused.
The cheapest item she sold in her store was 15,000 yuan. What was this 7,500 yuan about?
To clear her doubts, He Zhiran went back to the app and checked the store's transaction records.
This casual glance nearly angered her to the point of vomiting blood.
The transaction record showed that the silver hairpin in her store had been successfully sold today for 15,000 yuan.
Understandably, the platform automatically deducted 10% as a fee from the sale price.
But the shipping fee charged was 40% of the sale price, which was 6,000 yuan...
He Zhiran couldn't help but curse in her heart, what blackhearted delivery company was this to charge so much for shipping?
To willingly be a wronged big spender, He Zhiran could only keep looking for answers.
After some searching, she finally found the courier company's name—Ancient and Modern Express!
She had never heard of this one before, but judging from the literal meaning of the name, this courier company was probably specialized in transporting goods across ancient and modern eras.
This meant there were other transmigrators like her using the shopping platform.
However, other users were irrelevant to her. Right now, He Zhiran just wanted to know why the shipping fee was so expensive.
Fortunately, there was a company overview:
Ancient and Modern Express was founded in XXXX.
Business scope: All transmigrators who open stores in the Taobao app.
Fees: 40% of product price.
Contact customer service with any questions.
He Zhiran decisively tapped the Contact Customer Service button.
Soon, a series of formatted text appeared on the screen.
He Zhiran was too lazy to read it carefully. She typed:
Can the shipping fee be discounted?
Customer Service: [Due to the high costs of transporting your goods across time and space to customers, the price cannot be discounted.]
He Zhiran: Why don't the products I bought have such high shipping fees?
Customer Service: Other merchants use different shipping channels.
He Zhiran...
She conceded. Who made her a transmigrator?
The ungreedy He Zhiran quickly accepted this.
In any case, she finally earned income in the Taobao app. This meant she could purchase some necessary items according to her financial ability.
With her first income, the first thing He Zhiran thought of was safety here.
