Chapter 103: Push Harder
Listening from inside the carriage, Su Chen gave a wry smile.
His horse had bolted the other day, throwing him from the carriage. The animal had then galloped off with the carriage in tow, and he had no idea where it had gone.
He had lain on the ground for nearly an hour before his two guards found him.
His bundle, which he had left in the carriage, was gone—along with all his clothes and luggage. The stamped official document that proved his identity was with his mother. Now, he had no way to prove he was related to an official, which meant he couldn’t stay at any governmental post houses.
Fortunately, he had kept the silver notes hidden on his person, so they weren’t lost.
So for the sake of his own safety, his only choice was to travel with this group.
Zhang Ze gave a wry laugh as well. "If there’s a place to stay, great. If not, we’ll manage."
Uncle Ma smiled. "Is everyone ready? Let’s get moving then."
Uncle Ma arranged the carts into a line. The one he drove with Gu Zhang and the one driven by Gu Qing took the lead. The two carts belonging to the great-aunt’s family were at the rear, with Su Chen’s carriage sandwiched in the middle.
Before they set off, Uncle Ma spoke again. "We need to pick up the pace. Things will be better once we get past West Mountain County and Hedong County and reach Huainan County."
Gu Zhang couldn’t help but ask, "Uncle Ma, how long will it take to reach Huainan County?"
Uncle Ma thought for a moment. "If we can cover a hundred li a day, we can enter Huainan County in a little over ten days."
"But if we’re slow, there’s no telling how long it will take."
Hearing this, the village head called out, "Alright everyone, let’s pick up the pace! We’ll be safe once we reach Huainan County!"
Hearing it would only take ten days or so, everyone’s spirits lifted. From the very back of the line, the great-aunt’s two grandsons shouted in reply, "Alright! Let’s all put our backs into it!"
’A hundred li a day is impossible,’ Gu Fei estimated. ’Seventy or eighty li would be a good pace.’
’It will probably take us closer to twenty days to reach Huainan County.’
The group set off.
Perhaps spurred on by Uncle Ma’s words, everyone picked up their pace.
Uncle Ma’s cart led the way. Whenever he spotted refugees in the distance, he would shout a warning, sometimes cracking his whip to keep the path clear.
Just as dusk was falling, Uncle Ma called for a halt. But the others protested, "Let’s go a little farther! It’s not completely dark yet, and we still have the energy!"
Everyone was eager to reach Huainan County as soon as possible.
The group pushed on for another hour before finally finding a clear spot by the side of the main road to make dinner.
Mrs. Chen had just set up the pot when Uncle Ma sought out Gu Fei. "Is that rabbit meat ready to be eaten? It’ll spoil if we wait any longer."
He held up the wineskin in his hand. "I even brought some wine specially for this!"
Gu Fei smiled. "Of course. I’ll get right on it."
She went over to the carriage and pretended to rummage around for a moment before pulling the marinated rabbit meat out of her space.
Gu Fei took out a cutting board, intending to chop some ginger and garlic, but Lian’er quickly took it from her. "Miss Xiao Fei, you shouldn’t have to do this. Just tell me what needs to be done, and I’ll do it."
Seeing that Li Chunhua had just put the rice on to cook, Gu Fei wasn’t in a rush. She closed her eyes and mentally rummaged through her space for other ingredients.
And she actually found something. Tucked away in a corner was a bag of potatoes that Gu Fei didn’t even remember putting in there.
Potatoes existed in this era, but they weren’t widely cultivated. Few people cooked with them; they were usually just boiled and eaten as a staple grain.
Gu Fei stood up, walked over to their mule cart, and took out two large potatoes. Lian’er took them, washed them, and peeled them.
After the potatoes were cut into small chunks and lightly seasoned for a while, Gu Fei heated oil in the pot and fried them until they were cooked through.
Seeing that the rice was nearly done, Gu Fei started to fry the rabbit meat.
She fried the rabbit meat in the hot oil until it was perfectly crisp, then scooped it out.
Next, Gu Fei added ginger, garlic, and dried red chilies. Mindful of Little Cao, she didn’t use too many. Once the ginger and garlic were fragrant, she threw in a few Sichuan peppercorns, followed by the rabbit meat for a quick stir-fry. Gu Fei added a pinch of white sugar to bring out the flavor, then tossed in the potatoes, some pepper, and a splash of soy sauce.
When everything was nearly cooked, Gu Fei added a generous sprinkle of cumin powder. The aroma that instantly billowed out was wonderfully overpowering.