# Chapter 35: Old Yan Has a Poor Sense of Direction

After another hour of walking, they finally saw the faint silhouette of the relay station in the night.

Second Yan immediately halted, and the group began searching for a connecting path between the official road and a smaller trail. Once they veered off, they walked a good distance before settling in an open and level spot.

Altogether, they had walked for nearly four hours. By now, the night was past midnight, and the entire village was utterly exhausted.

Some, who weren’t particular about comfort, simply rolled out a worn blanket and collapsed into sleep.

Those with elders and children couldn’t be so careless. They spread wheat straw on the ground, laid out mats or thin quilts, and soon, the children—who had been running wild during the day—slept soundly. The elderly curled up with their eyes closed, though it was unclear if they were truly asleep.

Village Chief Luo, along with his sons and grandsons, used torches to gather firewood, lighting three fires.

The wagon frames were all removed so the animals could rest.

The men, despite their fatigue, unconsciously gathered closer to where Yan’s family was.

Spending the night outdoors for the first time made people uneasy, making them miss their homes.

In times of insecurity, people instinctively gravitate toward the strongest figure.

And at this moment, Yan Huaiwen was that figure in their eyes.

A scholar with the rank of Xiucai—it seemed that such a status meant he could handle anything.

“Everyone is exhausted today. Each household should send one person to stand watch in shifts. The rest should rest first. We’ll set out later tomorrow. Any discussions can wait until morning,” Yan Huaiwen instructed.

Second Yan dutifully went to arrange the watch schedule.

When he returned from his watch duty, his wife had already climbed into the upper bunk with their daughter and Big Sister Ya. They had stuffed some belongings around the four wheels to stabilize the cart and were now sleeping soundly, nestled together.

His eldest nephew had already dozed off, but his older brother, alert and energetic, was still sitting at the small modified table, vigorously writing.

“Brother, why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Second Yan glanced at the nearby fire and frowned. “You should write tomorrow instead, or you’ll ruin your eyes.”

“Come take a look,” Yan Huaiwen handed him a few pages.

Second Yan took one look and wanted to die.

The characters were tiny and densely packed.

Even if they were larger, he wouldn’t recognize all of them. Nope, not reading them. Absolutely not.

“My eyesight is bad at night—I can’t make it out,” he smoothly came up with a perfect excuse.

“Oh!”

Yan Huaiwen suddenly understood. No wonder his younger brother never studied at night.

“I’ve compiled a record of each household: how many people, their ages, the number of men classified as working adults, youths, children divided into toddlers and older kids, and elders categorized by those who can walk and those who are frail…”

“From tomorrow onwards, we can’t continue traveling as we did today. Except for frail elders, young children, and the sick, everyone else must take turns walking and riding.

“Adult men will walk the most, followed by teenage boys and women, then the elderly.

“Each day, we’ll walk for a total of three hours—half in the morning, half in the afternoon. We’ll rest for the hottest two hours at midday.

“Three meals a day.

“Each night, one person from each household will take turns standing guard.”

“Brother, you’re a genius!” Second Yan first praised him, then carefully thought about his brother’s plan.

The idea of rotating people between walking and riding was exactly what his daughter had suggested!

Walking a bit was good for their health. Sitting in the carts all day wasn’t healthy.

He had no objections to the three meals a day or night watch arrangements either.

But only three hours of walking per day? That meant just six hours total.

“Brother, isn’t three hours of walking per day too little? At this pace, when will we ever reach Guanzhou?”

The villagers were already slow-moving, dragging their families along.

But there wasn’t much choice—women and children lacked stamina. It was impressive enough that they were keeping up.

“This is just for now. Once the weather cools and people adjust to the travel, we’ll revise the plan,” Yan Huaiwen said.

“Brother, let me see that route map,” Second Yan suddenly remembered the term.

“You said you can’t see at night.”

“I’ll look at it in the morning. Just let me hold onto it for now.

“Brother, you’re planning three meals a day—I have no objections—but do the villagers have enough food for that?”

“I considered that, too. But if they don’t eat enough, their bodies won’t hold up. The best approach is to eat more frequently but in smaller portions. Once we leave Qishan Prefecture, things should improve.”

“Brother, I have an idea—hear me out.”

“Go on.”

“If we only stick to the official road, we’ll pass fewer villages, and we’ll be far from the forests. That’ll make finding water and food difficult.

“Since we already know the locations of the post stations, why not travel straight based on the route map? Even if we stray a little, we can always ask for directions. As long as we avoid deep forests and dense woods, we’ll always find a way through.”

Yan Huaiwen pressed his lips together. “Tianyou, do you… have a good sense of direction?”

“Of course! My sense of direction is excellent,” Second Yan proudly declared, shaking the route map. “Trust me, Brother. Tomorrow morning, I’ll figure out the fastest and straightest path for us, so we won’t have to keep circling near the post stations, sneaking around like we’re fugitives.”

“But let me be clear—I can only navigate in the daytime. At night, don’t rely on me. I’m blind as a bat in the dark.” Second Yan laid out the truth beforehand.

Reading anything was still beyond him, but during the day, his wife and daughter could help him fake it.

Yan Huaiwen sighed in relief.

So, neither of them was perfect.

“Tianyou, I… have a terrible sense of direction. In familiar places, I manage. But in unfamiliar terrain, I get lost easily.”

Second Yan: …

So that’s why his brother insisted on following the official road while also trying to avoid the post stations—because he was terrible at finding his way?!

Seeing his older brother lower his head in slight embarrassment, Second Yan immediately realized—this was something difficult for his brother to admit.

“That just makes us the perfect team, Brother! Don’t worry, I’ll handle navigation—it’ll be smooth sailing from now on.”

“Sigh! I’ve failed as the older brother. I didn’t even know your night blindness was this bad. Wait… didn’t you drive the cart tonight?” Yan Huaiwen was puzzled.

Second Yan didn’t even blink as he lied, “My blindness is just an expression—it’s not that bad. Besides, I had you giving directions, Brother! You pointed, I followed.

“No real problem. Just… reading tiny letters at night? Not happening.”

—

The next morning, Yan Yu woke up to a chorus of noise.

Daylight had fully arrived, and she had slept soundly through the night.

Looking around, her mother and Big Sister Ya were gone, leaving her sprawled out alone.

She rolled over lazily, not rushing to get up, and instead peered down from her perch.

Her father was teaching her older brother to drive the cart, repeating the same few instructions over and over. It was hilarious.

After all, Sanbao was voice-controlled. Why did he even need to learn?

But to keep their secret safe, her father was really putting in the effort. Poor guy.