When Bai Suihe and the others closed the door here, the two of them appeared in the space simultaneously.

After eating and drinking to their fill here, and resting well for three days, the wound on Bai Suihe’s sole scabbed over, and only then did she head out again.

Hearing the noise still outside, the two of them simply chose to sleep in the room.

They ate and slept well here, unaware that the Gu Family was tossing and turning with anxiety.

They were all pondering where on earth Gu Kaiyuan and his wife had gone?

Before going to bed, Gu Kaiping was still unwilling to give up and specially ran to inquire of Ma Zhi, who coldly glanced at him and said, "Just mind your own business; some things are not for you to ask about."

Listen to this – it’s his own brother, yet looking at the whip in the other’s hand, he dared not speak further.

That night, Chen Dafu also kept an eye on the Gu Family, whose three sons hadn’t returned all night.

With the crack of a whip, everyone immediately opened their eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. Another day of suffering was about to begin.

Only half a day more, and once out of the capital, the shackles on their bodies could be removed, yet they did not know that by then, their daily travel distance would increase.

After receiving the buns, Gu Kaiyuan put the shackles back on, stored the water properly, and returned to the team.

He saw the Gu Family coldly glaring at them.

"Good morning, everyone. We didn’t expect you to be faster than us today." Gu Kaiyuan greeted them, still quite surprised. "Did you buy more skins? Wouldn’t that be wasteful?"

"Not as wasteful as you. Last night certainly cost a pretty penny, didn’t it?" Xu Huizhen remarked sarcastically.

If it weren’t for the attentive escort nearby, she might have erupted into curses.

She felt these escorts were meddlesome, hitting if they walked slowly, and scolding for speaking loudly. Sometimes they even interfered when she scolded her son—such busybodies. No wonder he’s merely a small government official in this life.

It’s only because the Gu Family is in trouble, otherwise a small fry like him wouldn’t catch her eye.

"Yesterday, due to being too exhausted, I forgot to report to Father and Mother.

Suihe, being pregnant, walked all day and couldn’t live peacefully, so I could only find a quiet room for her to rest for a night.

I intended to settle her in and join everyone, but the journey tired me out too much; I just leaned in and fell asleep."

As Gu Kaiyuan said this, he brushed a shy smile, "Hopefully Father and Mother can understand the hardships Suihe endures for the family and be considerate." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Gu Kaiping and Gu Kaicheng looked at Gu Kaiyuan as if he was a stranger; this younger brother had been inconspicuous at home, was he this adept with words?

Now that you’ve finished saying all the nice things, what are they supposed to say? How to answer?

Gu Baijiang said, "I didn’t expect Kaiyuan to mature and consider his wife; it’s a good thing.

Ms. Bai indeed has worked hard for the continuation of our family line. As parents, we shouldn’t dispute with you.

Just remember to inform us first before doing anything, or we worry something happened and fret all night."

Bai Suihe spoke, "It’s my fault; I blame my frail body for fearing harm to the unborn child. If Father and Mother disapprove, I won’t dare act this way, no matter how unwell I am."

So annoyed! Even during a forced journey, these tactics are still in play.

Bai Suihe grumbled in her heart while continuing to sip her tea.

"It’s my incompetence that puts you in such danger," Gu Kaiyuan supported Bai Suihe, "if you can’t handle the journey, I can carry you."

The Gu Family silently thought, "..."

"Hurry up and get moving, what are you dawdling here for?" Seeing the people ahead walk far away while they lingered chatting, Ma Zhi couldn’t resist cracking his whip again.

Though he frequently cracked the whip, it seldom landed on people; if he really injured someone, it would delay everyone’s journey.

"What’s their purpose? Performing for whom?" Bai Suihe couldn’t figure it out, preferring her mother-in-law lashed out just like before, allowing everyone to be straightforward.

"They aim to control us," Gu Kaiyuan saw more clearly than Bai Suihe.

"Only, they seem to forget now that Vice Minister Gu is long gone, and everyone is a criminal now; as long as we don’t aspire to advance in officialdom, they have no hold over us.

The only threat is filial piety."

Bai Suihe said, "I understand that; otherwise, I would have argued back then.

However, let’s set it straight first: if they go too far, I won’t hold back anymore."

Bai Suihe coldly eyed Gu Kaiyuan; this person recorded in the book had shown a strong longing for family bonds. Though deeply hurt in the end, she wondered if he might lose sight again.

"Now, I know only to protect you and the child. Our parents are the responsibility of us three brothers, and that’s all I can do."

Bai Suihe was not entirely satisfied with his reply, but not so disappointed either; let’s see for now.

After hiding in space to heal her foot, Bai Suihe felt much more at ease that day, her foot not as painful.

But the Gu Family wasn’t so lucky; they tripped over while walking, ultimately supporting one another.

Fortunately, all the women in the team were like this, avoiding more scolding and beating.

After days of eating buns, drinking water here and there, even an iron-willed body couldn’t sustain it. Before reaching the next post station, many fell.

Gu Antong was the first in the Gu Family to collapse; everyone gathered around her but didn’t know what to do.

"Give her some water to drink," Old Madam Chen couldn’t bear it, reminding them.

The child fainted; you feed her some water, or help her walk. Just idly standing around, what use is it?

But their waterskins were already empty, so they turned to Gu Baijiang and the others for help.

Xu Huizhen had feelings for this eldest granddaughter, "I’m out of water too. Does either of you, the second or third, have any?"

Gu Kaiyuan opened his waterskin, pointing it downwards, and not a drop came out.

Gu Kaichen still had some left; in this situation, he couldn’t withhold it.

"Use it sparingly, our whole family needs to drink too." Xu Yulan was unwilling, but also realized she couldn’t outright refuse.

Liu Yun took it, hurriedly trying to feed Gu Antong, but not managing properly; the water flowed down the corners of her mouth.

This bothered Gu Kaichen and his family greatly; even though the post station was soon to be reached and they could replenish water, this was his hard-earned resource.

Xu Yulan still voiced her complaint regardless, "Sister-in-law, be careful, we still have to drink."

Being frugal and enduring all the way, who expected waste like this? If only she drank it earlier.

A bit panic at seeing so much water wasted, Liu Yun quickly pinched her chin to let it go down.

Only, she felt just after wetting her mouth, the waterskin was empty.

"Gone?" Liu Yun shook it unwillingly, the last two drops fell straight to the ground.