The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 2259 - 2234: Happiness

The emerging water is clear, though it becomes slightly turbid upon entering the pit’s bottom. But gradually, the water clears up, and the stones at the bottom become visible, completely different from the earlier muddiness that obscured the pit’s floor.

Manbao and the others: ...

Feeling a bit guilty, they scratched their heads and quietly hid.

Assistant General Nie then remembered to praise them, picking up the hierarchical relationship, "Lord Zhou is really impressive, actually dug out water, hahaha..."

Only then did Manbao recall, she is the chief officer, there’s no need to feel guilty, so she returned and, with a laugh, accepted Assistant General Nie’s compliments. Then she squatted beside the pit, watching the growing and clearer water as she asked, "Should we set up camp here?"

Assistant General Nie surveyed the surroundings and shook his head, "Better to camp by the riverbed over there; there’s a patch of sandy ground that’s spacious and sheltered from the wind, better than here."

So this could only serve as a water collection point. The two locations are not far apart, and they have carts, so there’s no need to worry.

Because the water was dug by their own hands, all six were very excited, so when the water cart arrived, they rolled up their sleeves, ready to collect a few buckets themselves.

Mr. Zhuang trotted over on horseback, saw them all muddied up, and angrily shouted, "Quickly go clean up; what if you get sick?"

Manbao pointed to the sun on the horizon and said, "Sir, it’s summer now. The weather is hot, we’ll dry off quickly, and only our pant legs are wet, not our clothes."

Mr. Zhuang: "Do you think you’re a clothesline? Dry off quickly and change."

Manbao hesitated a bit before admitting, "Sir, we want to bathe."

Mr. Zhuang couldn’t help but glance at the pit water and pondered, "We might not have enough firewood."

Manbao replied, "With the sun so bright, we can wash in cold water; just boil water for you and Yin Huo."

Da Yu glanced at them, thinking they were wasting water. It’s been only eleven days without bathing; it’s normal for them to not bathe for three to five months.

Nonetheless, he offered a suggestion, "Gather those hot stones from the riverbed and put them in the water to warm it up. Though it might not make the water hot, it can make it less cold."

Manbao thought this idea was good. They hurriedly took buckets to find stones and then let the collected water settle and sit under the sun.

The guards found a spot to set up a bathing area for them. Not only them, but even Assistant General Nie and the soldiers couldn’t help but scratch their backs. Seeing the water in the pit continuously bubbling outward, they also fetched water to clean themselves.

To let the water flow faster, Assistant General Nie moved aside two other stones, and three springs in the water pit bubbled outwards.

When the moon was high and stars sparse, everyone had finished cleaning themselves. Manbao tied her dry hair up, inhaled the fragrant scent, jumped off the carriage, and ran towards the fire.

Mr. Zhuang and others were sitting around a fire. Sister-in-law He was by the fire baking cakes, and the fragrant smell Manbao caught was coming from the cakes.

Bai Shan was faster than her, and when he saw her coming, he split the cake in his hand in half, handing one part to her. Manbao took it and sat closely next to him. She glanced around and asked, "Bai Er and the others aren’t ready yet?"

"They finished earlier, and went to the water pit to enjoy the view."

Manbao took a bite of the cake; it had a bit of meat in it, fragrant and crispy, making her very happy. She asked, "Have all the necessary water supplies been filled?"

Bai Shan nodded, "Da Yu says in two to three days we’ll reach Lop Nur. There, not only is there water, but also a town. We can rest for a day and replenish some food and water."

Considering whether to gather some water through the night, Manbao dismissed the thought and asked Da Yu across from her, "What kind of town is there?"

Da Yu lazily replied, "Not much of a town, just a group of people living together. It doesn’t even have a name. There used to be an ancient city to the north, but now there are only dilapidated houses and the city wall. The watercourse has changed, so everyone built houses on the other side and stayed. Going to the Western Regions, the road passes through there, and in recent years, more people traveled through there, increasing the residents. It’s the best place to buy rice and dry food."

Having escorted caravans to the Western Regions several times, he was quite familiar with the route, "After reaching there, we can follow the river for a few days ahead. We’ll encounter water and people; it’s on a grassland, so it’s a bit easier. After that section, it’s back to the desert."

He said, "That’s the last desert; beyond it is a vast grassland with large fields of wheat and barley, which is the Gaochang Kingdom you planned to visit. Oh, now it shouldn’t be called Gaochang Kingdom anymore; it’s now called Anxi."

In her mind, Manbao traced the journey and marveled, "It’s truly far. The Emperor actually dispatched troops over a thousand miles to annihilate the Gaochang Kingdom."

Bai Shan commented, "The troops were assembled from various parts of Xiazhou. Hou Ji only brought part of the troops from the capital; not everyone departed from the capital."

"Still, quite far."

Bai Shan chuckled, "Gaochang Kingdom repeatedly antagonized and slighted Great Jin, backed by the Turks’ power, if the Emperor hadn’t taken action, it would’ve been unrest in the entire Northern lands afterward."

Not noticing after Gaochang’s downfall, both the remaining Turk forces and the Huihe and Tubo have been much more subdued?

The current unrest stems only from rumors about the Emperor’s health; once the Emperor’s decree is issued, perhaps few will dare to emerge.

Da Yu, curious, looked at them, unable to resist asking, "Is the Emperor really okay?"

Manbao glanced at him and answered, "What could possibly be wrong with him?"

She stated, "There aren’t many sick in the capital; most illness is in Xiazhou, and the Emperor’s still in the palace. Smallpox can’t reach the palace, rest assured, he’s fine. Looks like he’ll live for another twenty or thirty years with no problem."

Da Yu smacked his lips in disbelief.

Initially hearing such news, many brothers in the Small Town considered going out for profit. However, the leader wasn’t willing, thinking they weren’t short of money, life in Small Town was good, no need to risk their lives again. Thus, he suppressed the others.

Now, it seems not going was the right choice.

This Emperor isn’t generous; his officials are quite stingy too. At such times, kicking someone when they’re down might result in their Small Town being leveled afterwards.

Curiosity got the better of Da Yu, and he asked, "What does the Emperor look like?"

Regarding such casual inquiries, Manbao was willing to answer, as long as they weren’t inappropriate questions. So she replied, "Fierce and commanding, even when not angry, he’s imposing. Just looking at him inspires trust."

Assistant General Nie couldn’t help but look at her.