After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

At the end of March, no matter how reluctant I was, I had to set off.

They were still riding horses. Even though there were women this time, it was just two more horses, so the group of six became eight.

Neither Lin Yueniang nor Jiang Xiyue brought any maids; the two of them, on their own two horses, joined the southward-bound group.

Jiang Xiaoqi also wanted Wenbin, Li Mo, and A Niu to stay, but the three of them cried and wailed, clinging to their young master's legs like glue.

Finally, he was worn down by the three of them and gave up, so he brought the three of them along.

Landlord Jiang, along with his wife, Jiang Wenqing, and the rest of his granddaughters, saw his grandson off.

As the eight people mounted their horses, Old Madam Jiang realized something was amiss: "Grandpa, when did Yue Niang and the others learn to ride horses?"

"You ask me, who should I ask?"

"Sigh, your bad temper has only gotten worse since you became a scholar."

The elderly couple exchanged a few words but then stopped arguing. It was good that he could ride a horse, so as not to slow down their grandson's journey.

However, the two elders of the Jiang family lived under the same roof with their daughter-in-law every day, and they didn't know when their daughter-in-law and granddaughter learned to ride horses. It was all thanks to the good teamwork of the women.

Now that I can see the outside world, do I feel like I don't need to pretend anymore?

Of course not. It could be said that Jiang Xiaoqi's support gave Lin Yueniang, as a mother, more confidence to be herself.

Everyone says that a woman should regard her husband as her heaven, but Lin Yueniang no longer believes that.

As her son grew older, she felt that it was more reliable to consider him a genius.

When her son returned this time, he worked hard to secure opportunities for his wife and daughter to travel, which further solidified her resolve.

At this time, Lin Yueniang had not yet escaped the stage of "relying on others," obeying her father at home, her husband after marriage, and her son after her husband's death.

This is a concept deeply ingrained in ancient women's minds. They were instilled with this idea by their elders and believed it by those around them. Even if they had doubts, they would gradually be assimilated.

Lin Yueniang has awakened part of her powers, but not all of them, though she has already taken a big step forward.

Jiang Xiwen and Jiang Xiyue, on the other hand, are more like women from later generations. After all, studying literature and martial arts and occasionally sneaking out to do chivalrous deeds have already allowed them to see a bigger world.

Jiang Xiwen, who is currently pregnant, is extremely envious of her mother and sister. Why did she have to get pregnant at this time?

If it weren't for this baby in her belly, she could have stayed home and ridden her horse to catch up with her mother and younger siblings. Sigh~

Those traveling on the road naturally cannot know Jiang Xiwen's thoughts.

The group headed south, moving much faster than when they arrived in Xinghe Prefecture.

Although Lin Yueniang and Jiang Xiyue were women, their riding skills were superb and no less than those of the men. They never fell behind the group along the way.

On the third day of their journey, the group reached the foot of a mountain, only to find the path ahead rugged and difficult for the horses to traverse. They had no choice but to dismount and proceed on foot, leading their horses along the way.

Walking along the narrow path that hugs the mountainside requires caution with every step, as even a slight deviation to the side could easily lead to falling into the valley beside it.

Only Lin Yueniang and her daughter were traversing this treacherous path for the first time, so they were sandwiched in the middle, with Li Haisheng leading the way in front and Li Mo bringing up the rear.

"Mingfei, did you encounter similar difficulties when you passed through here two years ago?"

This road is too difficult to travel. The road is only wide enough for one person to pass at a time. How did Mingfei, who was so small before, manage to travel thousands of miles?

“Yes.” Mingfei nodded. “This mountain path is the most difficult to walk on. After passing this point, it becomes much flatter.”

Jiang Xiaoqi didn't find the path difficult. His martial arts skills were now better than before. He was a little worried the first time he crossed it, but this time it was much better.

It took them an hour to walk just two miles. When they reached an open area, even Ouyang Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Xiyue glanced at her younger brother, who was half a head shorter than her, and felt a lingering fear. Her brother was not even seven years old at the time, and she was the one who had survived such a perilous situation.

One wrong move and she lost her younger brother! Her little brother is incredibly brave.

Traveling is difficult, traveling is difficult, which is why most people don't easily travel far at this time.

Limited transportation options are only one of the reasons; more significant factors are the unpredictable dangers.

Mountain roads are prone to landslides and mudslides, and sparsely populated areas are prone to bandits.

After a short rest, everyone set off again. After traveling for another ten days or so, they finally arrived at Fuzhou, where Mingfei had temporarily rested.

Fuzhou was not as prosperous as Xinghe Prefecture. It was only because I met Master Su by chance that I was delayed there for a day.

However, things are different here this year. There are many more shops on the street, and more pedestrians.

After entering the city, I found the same inn where I had stayed before, preferring to stay in a familiar place rather than an unfamiliar one.

This time, he didn't plan to take the official boat. After all, he was just a scholar, and so was his senior brother. They could bring one or two attendants on board, but only officials were qualified to bring their female relatives.

These are not explicit rules, of course, but rather unspoken rules known to everyone in this industry.

The main reason was that the memory of the last time they rode on the official boat was not pleasant; the river water, stained red, would occasionally force its way into the minds of the master and servants.

As a result, the group ate vegetarian food for several days before their condition improved. Now that they had arrived at the dock near the official ship, that memory was brought back to mind.

Not wanting her mother and sister to notice anything amiss, Jiang Xiaoqi instructed the waiter to deliver the food to each room, a matter of simply giving them a little extra "tip".

The food was served quickly. Although it wasn't as exquisite as it was in Xinghe Prefecture, it had its own unique flavor.

Anyway, Lin Yueniang and her daughter ate with great relish, though it's also possible they were too hungry from the bumpy ride.

When people are hungry, everything tastes delicious. Foods that are only two or three points delicious normally taste seven or eight points delicious when hungry.

So it's normal that they thought the food at this ordinary, even a bit old-fashioned, inn was delicious.

After the meal, the group rested early. The next day, they didn't delay, feeding the horses plenty of hay and filling their water bags before setting off.

"Afei, should we not take a boat from Fuzhou city, or should we travel by land from here on out?"

"My first trip south by land was on an official boat in Fuzhou. The river scenery was always the same. This time I wanted to see a different view."

Of course, the main reason was to continue drawing maps of the Great Zhou Dynasty, real maps, not fragmented maps of provinces or prefectures.

“Alright, although my master and I have never been on an official ship, we have been on the ships of wealthy salt merchants, which are no less impressive than official ships.”

"Senior brother, you're mistaken. You may not have ridden on an official boat, but Master certainly has!"

Li Haisheng was taken aback, then instantly realized that of the eight people present, only Aunt Jiang and Miss Jiang had never ridden on an official boat before, besides himself.

Without realizing it, he turned his gaze back to Jiang Xiyue.

Miss Jiang was busy admiring the scenery and had no idea that a silly goose was watching her.

After leaving Xinghe Mansion, Lin Yueniang and her daughter changed into men's clothing, but not in the kind of mindless period dramas where a woman disguised as a man is easily recognizable.

The two of them put a lot of effort into their outfits, and their skin tone has now darkened by three shades, second only to Ah Niu and Li Haisheng.

Her hair was tied in a ponytail with a tattered strip of cloth, her clothes were dusty and gray, and her dark face was covered with freckles painted on, her eyebrows were drawn thick and bold.

It's a mystery how Li Haisheng could be so infatuated with Miss Jiang's stunning appearance.