After feeding the exiled criminals, she was forced to reveal herself

Chapter 254: Eat and Drink Full and Don’t Be Idle
"Ton?"

Xie Yuchuan, who was building a wall with other exiles, suddenly heard the question from the house god and stood there in a daze.

Zhang Dayi, who was standing beside him, had put a stone mixed with weeds and mud in the gap with great effort. Turning around, he noticed that Xie Yuchuan's expression had changed, and couldn't help asking, "General, what's wrong with you?"

He asked casually and continued to bend down to move stones. When he stood up, a pair of hands held the weight in his hands and helped him pile it against the wall.

Zhang Dayi looked at him and asked, "What's bothering you? Tell me about it."

The two of them were talking, which attracted the attention of the guards not far away. A voice of rebuke came: "Don't talk! Hurry and finish the work before dark!"

Zhang Dayi looked back, pulled Xie Yuchuan around, and whispered, "Let's talk while we do it, so as not to be caught by the guards."

After lunch, Xiong Jiushan thought again and again. Although Tian Su'e suggested that all the food and accommodation for the next few days would be taken care of by the fort, the people he was escorting were fugitives after all. Even if they were wearing shackles and shackles in the fort, it was not foolproof. In order to prevent these people from living here for too long and causing trouble when they were idle, the escorts found some work for the fugitives after lunch to keep them busy.

The convicts were complaining. They had thought the team would not move and they could rest more in the fort. But what happened was that a group of officials whose consciences had been eaten by dogs did not want to let them have an easy life. They forced them to work after just three or two days.

They were so busy that they were staggering left and right, hanging on for dear life. How could they have the energy to get up and work? !
Unfortunately, the order to escort the prisoners into exile is like an imperial decree. Do you want to disobey it?

Can you try saying it again?
As soon as the officials started to threaten, not many people were still delaying. They stood up reluctantly and followed the officials to work where they were assigned.

You will have enough food and accommodation, but you won't be left idle either.

When Xiong Jiushan made this request, Tian Su'e was also stunned, "Sir, I am really willing to give money and food to thank you, why bother to work harder..."

Xiong Jiushan's expression remained unchanged. "Miss Tian, ​​the people I am escorting are all fugitives. The most taboo during the escort is to be lazy and disobedient. Miss, just find some chores that need to be done in the fort, and I will take care of the rest."

Since the officer had said so, Tian Su'e would naturally not disobey, so she asked her subordinate Tian the shopkeeper to go outside to find someone and ask if there were any chores that could be arranged for the convicts to do in the fort.

So after lunch, all the prisoners, except the old and weak, the other young and strong and female prisoners, went to work together. The men did the heavy work and the women did the light work such as washing and carrying.

There hadn't been such a lively scene in Wulibao for a long time. All of a sudden, all the people in the fort couldn't wait to stay lazy in their houses. Some came out to watch the convicts work, and some even wanted to work with them.

The eldest lady and Shopkeeper Tian have returned. The people in the fort have always been paid for their work. Even if they don't get much, it's good to get out and move around and see something new and exciting. What's more, there are so many good-looking people in the group of exiles.

Xiong Jiushan and other main escorting officers were at the highest positions to keep an eye on people. No matter if they were in the fort or fugitives, no one was causing trouble and the situation was relatively peaceful.

Life can be big or small, difficult or easy, and even in windy, snowy or cold weather, you can choose to live it.

The yamen runners were very happy when they suddenly got this job. They liked this little difference that allowed them to feel the joy of holding a little power.

Making a small profit can help you avoid harder work. Some people privately curry favor with their superiors. They cannot avoid work, but they can choose easy labor.

The escorts all knew that the Xie family was "rich" and there were many Xie family members in the team. When the leading yamen runner came to assign tasks, his expression was almost like asking for benefits. Many exiled prisoners also looked at the attitude of the Xie family. Xie Yuchuan glanced at the female family members and did not want to be a self-righteous person. The men of the Xie family did not care, but the women were always more delicate. He did not want the female family members in his family to work too hard.

Just as she was about to signal Xie Wenjie to take something and follow the officer's wishes, she was stopped by her second sister Xie Zhen.

"Sixth brother, grandma said that since we are all working together, what others do, we in the Xie family can also do."

Xie Yuchuan frowned: "It's cold outside..."

"That's fine. Grandma and the aunts all think so."

As a result, the Xie family rejected the "good intentions" of the officials and were all assigned to the most difficult working places.

The men were dragged to build the outer wall of Wulibao to defend against the enemy, while the women were taken to carry sand and mud, fetch water for washing. The tasks of cutting grass, collecting firewood, sweeping, drying and so on were "distributed according to needs".

Almost all the work that could be found in the fort was found. Tian Su'e looked at a group of ragged convicts who were not well fed or warmly clothed and had to work in such weather. She could not bear to watch any longer, so she used the excuse of preparing dinner for the large group of people and temporarily asked Xiong Jiushan to leave.

Xiong Jiushan didn't stay or explain, he just nodded.

With the officials guarding the place, there was no need to worry about the safety of the fortress. Tian Su'e took Manager Tian back to the Tian family's old house to prepare for other important matters.

"I never thought that the life of the exiles would be like this." It was also the first time that Tian Su'e got to know the situation of the exiles up close.

Shopkeeper Tian was well-informed and was not too moved. "It is because you are kindhearted that the prisoners can stay in a fort like ours for a few more days during their exile. This is already a rare blessing. Besides, you will have to provide carriages, horses, money, food and labor in the future, so it is not a big deal."

"In today's world, there are many natural disasters, little food, and many poor people. We can't sympathize with them all. After seeing the escort, I know what Mr. Xiong is thinking. There must be a reason for this action."

The master and servant were in the house, talking about their sympathy for the exiles, and about how Shopkeeper Tian had met Xie Yuchuan, the former general of the Northwest Army who had a say in the Xie family. Then, they wondered whether the bandits in the mountains would really come down to cause trouble in the next few days. While pretending to be calm and anxious, Tian Su'e received an emergency letter from the general store in Yucheng.

Xie Yuchuan and more than 40 other exiles followed the person in charge of Wulibao and worked along the stone wall on the northwest side while drinking hot water.

The people of the Tian family were much more humane than the escorting officials. When they learned that the escorts made the convicts work, they boiled several large pots of hot water, carried them to the place, and burned firewood under the stove to prevent it from getting cold too quickly outside.

It was a pity that the officials stared at them fiercely and few people dared to scoop up some water to drink.

There were also those who didn't care, like the Xie family, the Chai family father and son, and Fan Wu and others. They had a lot of things to loot, so their work was easy. There was nothing to sweep the ground in winter, so they worked for a while and then rested, watching a group of fools building the wall.

People from the Chai and Xie families took the lead. Gradually, those who were too cold and too tired could not help but bravely move closer to the fire. First one followed by another. As they worked, they found that people from the Xie family did the most work and worked the fastest. They were all puzzled.

What are they doing?

(End of this chapter)