Chapter 137: The Sound of Hoofbeats

Yan Yu held a small handkerchief to Sanbao’s mouth, letting it spit out a little saliva.

She used it to wipe her mother’s sweat, then vigorously waved the new fan that Big Sister Da Ya had woven, fanning and fanning…

Li Xuemei said, “I’ll do it myself. Stop moving around—moving makes it even hotter.”

She took the fan and gently waved it, careful not to exert too much force.

Just like she said—moving made it even hotter.

“Mom! There’s still no notification!” Yan Yu mumbled with a distressed look.

“That’s why we can’t rely entirely on the platform.” Li Xuemei’s eyes gleamed with wisdom. “Right now, we have grain, water, meat, and wild vegetables… We won’t starve, but this heat is unbearable!”

She sighed, as if convincing both her daughter and herself. “It’ll be better once the sun sets.”

When the sun went down, the ground temperature would drop. That was the most comfortable time of the day.

Yan Yu pulled out her small notebook.

Inside, she had hand-drawn a map tracing their journey.

She flipped through it repeatedly, comparing it to the copied original route map.

And she came to a conclusion.

“Dad was right. We should be almost there. But… why is it still so hot?!” Yan Yu was utterly puzzled.

Li Xuemei remained calm. “That’s normal. Climate changes aren’t confined to one location. There’s no reason why Qishan Prefecture and Leshan Prefecture are suffering from severe drought while Guanzhou, right next to Leshan, is completely unaffected. The greater the temperature difference between day and night, the closer we are to our destination.”

“Mom, I’ll get you something to drink.” Seeing that Li Xuemei was struggling with the heat, Yan Yu hurried off to find her father for a solution.

…

“Dad!” Yan Yu pulled Yan Lao’er aside. “Mom’s overheated—her clothes are soaked through with sweat.”

Even a healthy person would struggle with that much sweating, let alone a pregnant woman.

Yan Lao’er immediately responded, “Sweet and sour water! Yes, I’ll make some. Everyone in our family should drink some to prevent heatstroke.”

Yan Yu instantly recalled the tangy-sweet taste from her childhood. When she’d brought it to school, spilling even a little would leave her hands sticky.

Father and daughter rushed back, ignoring their sweat-soaked clothes.

Yan Lao’er found a bamboo tube and carefully unwrapped the cloth strips bound around it.

He lifted the lid and sniffed it.

Compared to when he first made it, the sour scent had mellowed.

He mixed rock sugar and vinegar, then poured in cooled boiled water, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolved.

Yan Lao’er let his daughter pour herself a cup, then quickly carried another over to Li Xuemei.

Yan Yu called over her big brother and big sister. The three of them drank together before bringing a cup of the sweet-and-sour water to Old Yan.

“Uncle, Dad made this.” Yan Yu played a small trick.

Sure enough, Old Yan had initially hesitated at the sour smell, but upon hearing it was made by her father, he drank it without hesitation.

“What kind of water is this?” Yan Huaiwen asked.

“Dad didn’t say—just that it’s good for hot weather.”

Yan Huaiwen nodded and continued discussing with the village elders. “The heat of the day and the cool of the night make people prone to illness, especially those who are physically weak, the elderly, and young children.”

“Scholar, the heat is too much. Why don’t we change our schedule and travel at night instead?” Village Chief Luo suggested.

“Do we have enough torches?” Yan Huaiwen asked.

Village Chief Luo replied, “We collected a lot of tree oil in the mountains. It should be enough.”

After a moment of thought, Yan Huaiwen nodded.

“If we travel at night, we won’t stop to rest. That way, the exhaustion during the day will help us sleep.”

Yan Yu ran off to share the news with her parents.

“Travel at night? Without resting?” Yan Lao’er frowned. “It’s so hot during the day—how will anyone sleep?”

“That’s why Uncle said we wouldn’t rest along the way. If we’re tired enough, we’ll fall asleep anyway,” Yan Yu explained.

Li Xuemei added, “It should only be temporary. Once we leave this barren area, we’ll adjust.”

“Meow—”

A drawn-out cat cry suddenly rang out, drawing their attention.

“Something’s up?” Yan Yu asked urgently.

The cat’s movements were comical—it mimicked a galloping horse using its feline body…

But no one in the family could laugh.

“There are horses, aren’t there?”

The cat nodded and raised its paw toward them.

“One hundred and three.” Yan Yu confirmed the number.

“Why so many? Are they coming for us?” Yan Lao’er was baffled.

The cat nodded again and looked behind them—toward the direction they had come from.

Yan Yu had a sudden realization. “They’re coming from behind us? Chasing us? That many riders… are they government soldiers?”

“Bandits wouldn’t have that many horses. It’s very likely they’re soldiers. But… why would the authorities be after us?” Yan Lao’er couldn’t figure it out.

Li Xuemei suggested, “Could it be that they mistook us for bandits and are chasing us because of that?”

Yan Yu pointed to herself. “Us? Bandits?”

“They’re coming from behind us. How do we warn the others? The cat’s warning range is five kilometers. If they’re on horseback, they’ll catch up fast.”

A strange unease crept over Yan Lao’er. “Let’s think this through. Is there any other possibility besides government soldiers?”

Something flashed through Yan Yu’s mind.

Hesitantly, she spoke, “Dad, Mom, there’s a drought right now. Even if the government wanted to take action, they wouldn’t send troops after us, right? Bandits have been running rampant for years, robbing people openly on the main roads, yet no soldiers were dispatched to wipe them out… Alright, let’s assume we really were bandits. Would they really pursue us across such a vast distance just to bring us to justice?”

“Besides, there’s no way they’d mistake us for criminals! We killed bandits—we were doing a good deed! Only people who know that are…”

She gasped.

“Only our own people and the refugees we rescued!” Li Xuemei finished her sentence.

Yan Yu grasped the thread of reasoning immediately and spoke rapidly, “It’s the refugees who left! They must have returned to the main road and encountered ‘these people’…”

“They’re probably in league with the bandits!” Yan Yu boldly guessed. “Of course! The bandits kidnapped and sold people—there must be buyers.”

Yan Lao’er added, “The leader of Cloud-Piercing Stronghold could make a round trip to deliver people in ten days. That means the buyers aren’t far from here.”

“We left the mountains seven days ago, minus one day when we didn’t travel. If the buyers found out that Cloud-Piercing Stronghold didn’t make their delivery, checked the mountains, and then came after us… the timeline doesn’t quite match.” Yan Yu frowned.

“Think about it from another angle.” Li Xuemei spoke calmly. “Maybe the problem isn’t limited to that one stretch of road near the mountains.”

“That would explain everything!” Yan Yu murmured.

“We need to find a way to alert everyone,” Yan Lao’er said, sweat dripping from his forehead and hitting the ground with a soft plop.

Li Xuemei stood up, gripping the cart. “Get down and listen.”

Yan Lao’er immediately dropped to the ground, pressing his ear to the dirt.

The mother and daughter held their breath, not daring to make a sound for fear of interfering.

Suddenly!

Yan Lao’er’s eyes widened. “Yes! Hoofbeats!”