Chapter 14: Hurrying On With the Journey
Ji Xiao Ying asked curiously when she saw the ointment in Su Qing's hand.
Su Qing's heart skipped a beat when she heard Ji Xiao Ying's question. She was definitely not the only one in the team who had a foot injury. Wouldn't she be able to upgrade her merit points and medical skills by giving them ointment?
She handed the ointment to Xiao Ying and specifically explained how to use it.
"Cooling ointment. It can reduce inflammation and stop pain. If there are blisters on your feet, you can apply it and it will become better."
"Really? That's great. The children's feet are all worn out. I'll put it on for them later," Ji Xiao Ying looked at the ointment and said happily.
Su Qing smiled at her. A kind lady would always think of others.
"Master, you're smiling."
Little seven's surprised voice made Su Qing's lips pause. She could smile now? It was as if this was the first time she had laughed in her life.
It turned out that a warm and quiet life could really make her relax. She yearned even more for the life that Xiao Ying had talked about. She would grow a large plot of fertile land on Jingshi Road, have a house of her own, and would not need money. If she wanted to eat meat, she would go into the mountains to hunt. If she wanted to eat grains and vegetables, she would grow them herself.
When Ji Xiao Ying was about to leave, she realized that she had done something wrong. Her sister had not applied the ointment yet, so she returned it to Su Qing in embarrassment.
"Sister, you first."
"You go and apply it on the children first. I still have some."
Su Qing shook her head and continued to weave the grass shoes. It had already started to take shape, so she had to quickly finish weaving to ensure that her feet would not suffer.
"Sister, you're so good at making things."
Ji Xiao Ying looked at Su Qing's straw sandals curiously, not hiding her admiration for her.
"I'll make you a pair later. "
Su Qing loved her innocent look and smiled at her.
She realized that she could not help but smile in front of Ji Xiao Ying, just like an old mother. Looking at Ji Xiao Ying made her feel good. This might be fate between people!
Ji Xiao Ying took the ointment and applied it to the children, and Su Qing saw that her merit points and medical skills were increasing in the system. If this continued, she would be able to level up very soon.
Ding! Ding!
The system's voice rang out when Level 1 was maxed out.
"Congratulations, host. Your [medicine] and [merit points] have both reached Level 1. Your [spiritual power], [combat power], and [physical strength] have both reached Level 2. Your [God of War] ability has reached Level 3. Keep up the good work!"
As the system's voice rang out, Su Qing's body underwent another transformation. Her footsteps were no longer heavy, and her strength had increased.
However, Su Qing did not show any signs of joy. The first level of any skill was the easiest to level up. The further one advanced, the more progress one was required to make.
As soon as she finished weaving a pair of straw sandals, the system's happy voice rang in her ears again.
[Congratulations, host. Your [weaving skill] has reached Level 1. Your spiritual [power], [combat power], and [physical strength] have all been upgraded. Your God of War ability has reached Level 4.]
Su Qing was very satisfied with the progress. She placed the newly woven straw sandals on the ground and asked little seven to make a tube of cooling ointment to apply on the soles of her feet. When the cooling ointment was applied on her feet, the blisters on the soles of her feet visibly disappeared, and the heart-piercing pain stopped.
Su Qing put on her straw shoes expressionlessly and knelt on the ground to tie her shoelaces. This method of weaving straw shoes required shoelaces to prevent the shoes from falling while walking. Ji Xiao Ying ran back with a smile like a flower.
Before she even arrived, her happy voice rang out, "Sister, your ointment is really effective. The children don't feel pain after applying the ointment. Even the blisters are gone!"
Ji Shui Sheng could not help but turn around to take a look. What medicine could be so effective?
Seeing that Su Qing had already put on her straw sandals, his eyes flashed for a moment before he retracted his gaze and continued to pull the carriage forward.
"Aiya."
Ji Xiao Ying was in such a hurry that she had forgotten about the blisters on her feet. As she ran, she stepped on them and her face convulsed in pain.
"Let me see."
Su Qing pulled her to a rock by the road to sit down and asked Ji Xiao Ying to take off her shoes.
"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt. "
Ji Xiao Ying was in so much pain that she sucked in a breath of cold air, but she still smiled and said that it didn't hurt. When she took off her shoes, she saw that there were patches of blood on the bottom of her white socks. It was clearly pus and blood that flowed out from the blisters.
Su Qing asked Ji Xiao Ying coldly, "You said it didn't hurt? If you have medicine, why don't you apply it to yourself first?"
Ji Xiao Ying playfully stuck out her tongue.
"The children are young. Even adults can't stand it when their feet are worn out, let alone the children. I can bear it."
"Apply the medicine."
Su Qing looked into Ji Xiao Ying's innocent eyes and did not say anything else. She passed the ointment over.
"Yes."
Ji Xiao Ying happily took the ointment. In the end, the little girl was embarrassed, so she turned around before taking off her long socks and applying the ointment on her feet.
"Sister, this medicine is really good. It doesn't hurt anymore," Ji Xiao Ying's joyful voice rang out.
Su Qing's lips curled up, "Let's go, we're going to be left behind. "
The team was moving forward slowly, mainly because the old, weak, sick, and disabled delayed their progress. Su Qing and Ji Xiao Ying quickly caught up.
Ji Shui Sheng was just looking back, and when he saw the two of them running back, he retracted his gaze and shouted at Li Daniu and the rest, "Daniu, Yongkang! Look out for anyone who's left behind."
"Don't worry, we're all watching!" Li Daniu shouted. He walked to the back of the group and was the first to see those who fell behind.
Su Qing returned to the front of Ji Shui Sheng's carriage and continued to weave straw shoes with cattail grass. This time, she was weaving them for Xiao Ying. The cloth shoes were soft, but they were uncomfortable to walk on the mountain roads and were not as comfortable as the straw shoes.
This time, the progress bar was much slower. The amount of experience required to level up from Level 2 to Level 3 was three times that of Level 1.
However, she wasn't in a hurry. She could make four pairs of straw sandals in an hour, and she would be able to fill up the progress bar if she worked until night time.
The team walked, not stopping until they arrived at a small river in the evening. It was a basin surrounded by mountains.
"Alright, we'll set up camp here tonight!" Ji Shui Sheng turned around and shouted as he pulled the cart under a big tree.
Women, children, and the elderly could no longer hold on. They sat on the ground and could not get up.
"I'll help Aunt Qiu cook. "
Ji Xiao Ying was wearing the new straw sandals that Su Qing had made for her as she volunteered to help with the cooking.
"I'll go too,"Su Qing walked over to Ji Xiao Ying and told her. If she wanted to level up her cooking skills, she had to start from cooking.
"Sister, you should rest."
Ji Xiao Ying felt that Su Qing had suffered such heavy injuries and had walked such a long distance. Her heart ached for her, so she didn't want her to work too hard.
"I can't just eat for free."
Su Qing's excuse was very good. After she finished speaking, he did not give Ji Xiao Ying a chance to reject her, and walked towards Aunt Qiu.
Ji Shui Sheng didn't care about women's affairs. He unloaded the big pot from the car and organized people to go hunting for food.
Seventh brother and Qiu Yongkang were left behind to guard and protect the villagers of peach blossom Cove.
The disaster victims behind them did not catch up, so they were safe for the time being.
Chopping wood and fetching water were the men's jobs. The women started the fire, washed the pot, and washed the rice to cook. Su Qing took the initiative to help, so Aunt Qiu was quite happy and arranged for Su Qing to cook with Li Daniu's mother, Aunt Li.
Women loved to gossip.
Auntie Li asked Su Qing as she worked, "Miss, did you encounter bandits the day before yesterday?"