Chapter 18: Hand Over the Tiger Tally
Mama Zhao was a little worried when she saw the situation. "Madam did this out of kindness. But the hearts of the people cannot be satisfied... I am afraid that those people will have some wicked thoughts."
"I understand Mama Zhao's concerns. A person's heart has to be tested. Yet we have to take the first step. We are too few. Even if we reach the northern wilderness, we don't know what awaits. So gathering more people to form a larger team will not harm us in the long run."
Even though Mama Zhao was certain that Su Ying had changed, these words still surprised her.
Her eyes reddened with relief. "Madam... You have finally grown up."
The prisoners fought for food and returned. The strong men looked at Su Ying without saying a word. Instead, a young woman with a boy slightly older than Ling came and kneeled in front of Su Ying.
"Many thanks to Madam for this meal. My husband also followed His Highness through life and death in the army. I ask Madam to take us in. We are willing to follow Madam and His Highness all the way."
The woman held her child's hand tightly. As a house-bound woman, she didn't know much about the country's affairs. Yet she had seen Su Ying's strength these past few days and knew they had to rely on a powerful and reliable person if they wanted to live.
Su Ying turned around and glanced at Xiao Jin. After seeing Xiao Jin look back at her calmly, she nodded at the woman. "Sure. What is your name?"
"My name is Zhang Cuiniang. This is my child, Lin Sheng. Sheng, salute Madam."
The little boy obediently kowtowed Su Ying, and Su Ying didn't step aside. Although the speech was everyone would support each other in the future, a team had to have a leader. It was only fitting for the team members to respect the leader.
"I, Lin Sheng, thank you, Madam."
"You can both get up. Since we have decided to go together in the future, let's put all our strength in one place. If there's anything you don't understand, you can also come and talk to me."
"Yes. Yes."
Su Ying ignored the others. After eating and drinking, she fed Ji his medicine.
When it was dark, Ji's low fever had subsided entirely.
The little boy weakly opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Jin, sitting beside him, in a daze.
"Father..."
Xiao Jin heard the movement and reached out to pick him up from the bed. "Ji, you are awake."
"Father, I'm fine." Ji didn't want Xiao Jin to worry, so he forced his weak body to sit up and tell Xiao Jin that he was fine.
However, the moment he moved, the wounds made him groan in pain.
Su Ying was walking in holding Ling, who was just washed, and saw Ji sit upright in Xiao Jin's arms, face pale as a sheet.
Su Ying frowned and placed Ling on the bed. "Ji's back is not healed. Why did you make him sit upright? Aren't you worried that his wound will open?"
Xiao Jin knew that Ji was stubborn, and he was also worried about the wounds. "Ji, your injuries haven't healed yet. Lean on me, and let me take a look.
Ji's face tensed up as he stared at Su Ying warily. "Daddy, I... I'm fine. It... It doesn't hurt anymore."
Su Ying looked at his tightly knitted eyebrows. He looked exactly like his father.
Su Ying asked Bai Shuang to bring some meat congee.
"You've been unconscious for two days and must be hungry. This is meat congee. Eat it quickly."
Ji snorted and turned his face away. "I won't eat your food, you bad woman. Take it away."
Ling, about to eat the remaining peach biscuit, held it in her tiny hand. She did not know whether to eat it or not...
Su Ying didn't want to force a child, so she put the meat congee in Xiao Jin's hand. "You deal with it." With that, she turned around and left the room.
She found a small bathroom at the back of the yard, also built with black bricks, and was still strong. Since there was such a facility, she wanted to shower so that she could rest more comfortably at night.
Su Ying used a broken wooden bucket to carry water into the bathroom.
As she entered, a black shadow appeared on the courtyard wall.
He was like a dormant nighthawk, observing the situation in the yard in the dark.
Su Ying returned after the shower.
Most people in the room were asleep.
She found a seat in front of Mama Zhao and the two children, then leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
The night was getting late, and the abandoned mountain village was particularly quiet.
As it was the wet rainy season, there wasn't even the chirping of insects or birds outside.
Bai Shuang was soundly asleep when she felt someone pulling her. She opened her eyes and saw Ling looking at her with a frown.
"What's the matter, young miss?"
"I... I want to go to the toilet." Ling said softly.
She had eaten two bowls of congee and drank a lot of water that night, and felt bloated and uncomfortable.
"Then I will take you." Bai Shuang stood up and carried Ling.
Su Ying opened her eyes and followed them out.
Su Ying didn't disturb them. Instead, she stood a short distance away from them and watched them enter the toilet.
However, Su Ying didn't see them come out of the toilet for a long time.
She realized that things were not right. She hurriedly ran to the toilet and opened the door. Bai Shuang had been knocked unconscious and fell to the ground. But Ling was nowhere to be seen.
Su Ying helped Bai Shuang up and pierced a silver needle into the web between her thumb and forefinger.
As soon as Bai Shuang woke up, she subconsciously jumped up. "Young miss!"
"Bai Shuang, where's Ling? Where did she go?"
When Bai Shuang saw that Su Ying had come, she said in a trembling voice: "Just now, when I brought young miss here, a black shadow suddenly jumped out and snatched young miss away. I had no time to call out before he knocked me down."
Su Ying's face darkened. She had been watching and was sure that there was no one outside. The culprit must have climbed over the wall behind the toilet after kidnapping her.
"You go back to the room first. I'll go find her."
Su Ying leaped onto the wall and flipped over.
She first checked the footprints on the ground to determine the direction the party had left in.
She took out a searchlight the size of a thumb and wore it on her ear. She could clearly see footprints heading to the bamboo forest behind the yard.
The bamboo forest swayed in the dark night like ghosts.
Su Ying slowed down as she reached the depths of the bamboo forest. Suddenly, an arrow flew toward her.
Su Ying's pupils contracted, and she dodged the attack with a flip.
A black figure walked out of the darkness. When he saw the person clearly under the moonlight, a hint of shock flashed in his eyes.
"Su Ying, why are you here?"
Su Ying clenched the dagger in her hand and glared at him. "You ordered to take the child away. What do you want?"
"Of course, I want to get what I desire. Go back and tell Xiao Jin that if he doesn't want his daughter to die, he'll have to hand over the tiger tally!"