The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

"Let's spend the night under the bridge, and tomorrow morning we'll try to rent a bullock cart to go home."

Although Qin's decision was helpless, it also revealed a kind of determination.

As for staying at Xie Tianyi's place? That thought only flashed through his mind, and was immediately suppressed by practical considerations.

On the one hand, they were afraid that Chen Xi would make trouble in the government again, and it was uncertain whether he could get away successfully next time; on the other hand, as soon as Qin raised an objection, she was stopped by Mr. Xie's stern look.

Although the sheltered corner under the bridge was a bit shabby, it at least provided them with a temporary haven.

The family huddled together in a circle, trying to use each other's body temperature to resist the cold of the night.

……

As night falls, the world under the bridge seems exceptionally quiet. Only the occasional gurgling sound of water, accompanied by the breathing of the Xie family, interweaves into a silent hymn about the difficulties of life but still tenaciously moving forward.

"A new face? Do you know whose territory this is?"

With this sudden shout, the Xie family, who were originally immersed in the hazy morning light, were suddenly awakened, as if a gust of cold wind had blown away the fog.

A few people rubbed their sleepy eyes and were shocked to find that they were surrounded by seven or eight ragged men. Their clothes were so worn out that they looked like homeless people who had been sleeping in the open for days. Every tear in their clothes told of the hardships and difficulties of their lives.

"Hey~ wake up, big brother, there are three girls here!"

One of the men was grinning with a malicious look on his face. The smile was particularly dazzling in the morning light, like a cold breeze in winter, which made people shudder.

"Who is this old one? There's another one whose mouth looks swollen from being beaten. The remaining one is okay, but he's as thin as a bamboo pole and looks malnourished."

The leading brother's rough voice was filled with a bit of contempt. As soon as he finished speaking, Qin's face turned pale, and her body involuntarily shrank back and hid behind Boss Xie, her eyes full of fear and helplessness.

"Who are you? What do you want to do?"

Boss Xie stepped forward and asked in a deep voice while protecting Qin behind him. His voice was firm and powerful, trying to find a glimmer of hope in this predicament.

"What are you doing? You occupied our territory and now you're asking us why?"

The other party's questioning was like a sharp arrow, piercing people's hearts. The arrogance and disdain in his tone made the air freeze a little.

"There's no name carved on the ground, so why do you say this is yours?"

Boss Xie refused to be outdone and retorted with an unyielding gleam in his eyes, even though he was facing an absolute disadvantage in numbers.

The men on the opposite side sneered when they heard this and surrounded them even more tightly, like a pack of hungry wolves, staring at their prey that was about to be caught.

"Brother, don't be angry. Brothers, we really didn't know there were people here. Let's retreat now, okay?"

Seeing this, Mr. Xie hurriedly walked out of the crowd and tried to ease the tense atmosphere. His voice was gentle but with a hint of imperceptible anxiety.

As he spoke, he secretly gave Mr. Xie a look, a secret code that only they, father and son, could understand.

Boss Xie understood what he meant and glanced around calmly. All the seven or eight men were holding rough wooden sticks in their hands, and each one seemed to foreshadow the coming storm.

"Everyone calm down, we are leaving now, right now."

Mr. Xie tried his best to calm down this group of aggressive men, and at the same time signaled with his eyes that others should prepare to evacuate.

"Just leave like that? Do you think we are vegetarians?"

The other side obviously had no intention of letting them go, and they surrounded them even tighter, forming an impenetrable human wall.

"Run!"

Boss Xie suddenly shouted loudly, breaking the deadlock.

In an instant, the Xie family fled in all directions like a flock of frightened birds, and the scene was in chaos.

Unfortunately, because Mr. Xie was in a front position, he was quickly caught by several beggar-like people, while the others took the opportunity to escape.

His sacrifice bought precious time for his family to escape.

"You old man, you're the only one getting in the way, right?"

These beggars who were rampant in the land showed no mercy to Mr. Xie, beating him and swearing at him.

"How dare you, old man, occupy our land? Bah!"

Seven or eight hands fell on Mr. Xie like a violent storm. The old man could not resist and could only curl up on the ground in pain.

Not far away, Qin looked back anxiously, feeling extremely anxious.

"Big brother, second brother, hurry back to save your father, or he will die!"

Her cries echoed in the morning air, but her two sons were already driven by fear and only cared about their own safety, and did not hear their mother's call at all.

As the night deepened, the streets were empty. Qin sat alone in the middle of the road, tears silently falling, looking particularly desolate.

"Uu——"

The sound of a carriage brake broke the silence of the night.

"Where did this crazy woman come from? Miss, please wait a moment, I will chase her away."

Inside the car, Mo Shiyu was wondering why this voice sounded so familiar.

She leaned out and looked out. Under the moonlight, wasn't that Xie Tianyi's mother? Why was she sitting on the street in such a mess?

Before the driver could take any action, Mo Shiyu jumped off the carriage lightly and walked quickly towards Qin.

"Ma'am, why are you sitting here so late at night?"

Mo Shiyu's voice was gentle and caring, like a ray of warm sunshine in spring, making Qin feel as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"Girl, please save my old man. He is in trouble."

Qin's eyes were filled with tears, and her fingers were trembling as she pointed in the direction where Mr. Xie was taken away, her heart filled with despair and pleading.

Fortunately, Mo Shiyu had just returned from the Marquis' Mansion, and her uncle was thoughtful and equipped her with several well-trained guards. These guards were all extraordinary, with swords on their bodies and imposing manners. As soon as they appeared, the gangsters were frightened and fled in all directions.

When they found Mr. Xie, the old man was already breathing weakly and was in critical condition.

Mo Shiyu's heart tightened, and she quickly arranged for someone to send him back to her own residence.

In the county lieutenant's mansion, the court physician's superb medical skills saved Mr. Xie's life. Although a rib was broken, he was finally out of danger.

Mo Shiyu placed them in the servants' room and went to rest early because she was exhausted.

The next morning, when the sun once again shone on the earth, Mo Shiyu remembered the two guests in the mansion after being reminded by her maid.

She decided to give them her uneaten breakfast as a token of her appreciation.

Qin had no idea that these exquisite snacks were nothing more than leftover food on the table in Mo Shiyu's eyes.

The medical skills of the county lieutenant's office were indeed superb, and Mr. Xie miraculously woke up overnight.

Qin finally coaxed Mr. Xie to drink some porridge, and after Mr. Xie lay down, she began to eat without caring about her image. To her, although this breakfast was hearty, in the face of hunger, any food was precious.