Chapter 30
Food Robbery
After everyone had gotten up, Su Ying took food from her bag and distributed it to them. The other prisoners had nothing to eat and could only stare at them.
In front of the many pairs of covetous eyes, Mama Zhao and the others were a little uneasy, and they finished the food in a few bites.
Su Ying took a sip of water and sat down beside Xiao Jin. “We can’t be trapped here forever. Do you have any ideas?”
Xiao Jin’s sword-like eyebrows furrowed. “The only way to leave this place is to cross the river. ”
“Is there no other way? Can’t we take a detour?”
Xiao Jin shook his head. He picked up a branch and drew a circle on the ground. “This is where we are.” Then he drew a long line in front of the circle, “This is River Wu.” He drew another circle across the line. “This is where we’re heading to, Zhuzhou City.”
River Wu divided the two cities. Other than by boat, they could not cross it at all.
“Is there no way to get boats?”
Xiao Jin tapped the ground with his branch and said in a low voice, “Boats will only return to the dock after the water recedes.” However, no one knew when that would be, so they had to rely on their abilities to survive through this period.
When it was time to distribute food rations at night, the official did not make any movements.
One of the prisoners couldn’t help but say: “My lord, it’s almost time. Shouldn’t you give everyone food? We only have one meal a day, and everyone is starving now.”
“Yes, my lord. We’re cold and hungry and can’t hold on much longer.”
The prisoners in the hall all focused their eyes on the bailiffs.
Li Da grabbed the whip and cracked it in the air several times. “What are you talking about? You haven’t moved a single step all day and still want to eat? All of you, stay here obediently. If you don’t want to waste your energy, shut your mouths. I’ll give you food when it’s time.”
The prisoners were a little afraid of the whip and didn’t dare to make a sound.
Li Da’s expression was callous. There wasn’t much food, and they didn’t know how many days they would have to stay here, so they should save as much as possible.
“Go to Yunshui City and ask if you can see the officials. Ask them to make an exception.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to report back to the Ministry of Justice. He couldn’t possibly have a few hundred people die before they reached Zhuzhou City.
“Yes, I’ll go and ask again.”
Without food or drink, some prisoners looked very anxious.
When Su Ying took out food from her bag and gave it to Xiao Jin and the others, she made the fire in front of her smaller so that too many people wouldn’t stare at her.
Bai Shuang and the others were also well aware of this, so they ate very quickly, not daring to make a sound.
The night grew deeper. The prisoners in the hall were exhausted from hunger and cold.
At this moment, a group of strong men quietly surrounded the front hall.
The two bailiffs guarding the door were drowsy and did not notice the approaching danger.
Suddenly, a silver light flashed in front of their eyes. The bailiffs were shocked. Just as they opened their eyes, blood spurted out of their necks. They didn’t even see the attacker’s faces before they stopped breathing.
After taking care of the two bailiffs, a few burly men sneaked under the window and threw the lit sleeping candle in.
Sitting in the corner, Su Ying suddenly opened her eyes when she heard the movement. She immediately looked at the children and found that Xiao Jin had already woken up and was covering his mouth and nose with a cloth.
Xiao Jin reached out and picked up the two children. He looked at Su Ying and said: “It’s sleeping smoke.”
Su Ying furrowed her brows and quickly asked Jiang Yang to wake up Mama Zhao and the rest. Then, she stood up and shouted: “Someone’s here to steal food.”
The bailiffs jolted awake. They had never dared to sleep deeply, so they jumped up the moment they heard the sound.
The man guarding the door heard the commotion and knew they had been exposed. He shouted: “Charge!”
The hall door was suddenly knocked open, and dozens of people rushed in. They held torches and looked for food immediately.
The bailiffs knew these people’s purpose and immediately stepped forward to protect the rations.
“If you want to run, now is the time. We will kill all these bailiffs. No one will know who you are if you don’t go to the northern wilderness.” One of the men shouted.
As soon as he said that, many prisoners were tempted. Who would want to go to the northern wilderness if one could stay in the country?
Li Da saw that the prisoner had been persuaded and said coldly: “Can’t you see what’s going on outside? If you still want to run, I’m afraid you’ll starve to death soon!”
“Cut the crap. Come on!” The burly man charged at the bailiff without another word.
The prisoners were watching from the side, and none came forward to help.
There were only twenty to thirty bailiffs, half the number of the burly men, and they were quickly at a disadvantage.
Li Da panicked as he watched his comrades fall to the ground. He turned around to look for Su Ying. Only this demon goddess could save them.
“Su Ying, Su Ying, please help us. As long as you help us, I, Li Da, will owe you a huge favor. Many of these criminals are unpardonable animals. If we let them escape, they will harm more people.”
Su Ying didn’t intend to stand by and watch. She didn’t care about morality, but if the rations were taken, they would become the target of these people. The danger they would face would be even more severe by then.
“Jiang Yang, you stay here and guard.”
Jiang Yang nodded.
Su Ying picked up a fire stick from the ground and rushed out. As she ran, she shouted: “The bailiff is right. If we follow them, we can still have food each day. If you want to escape now, how many of you can be sure to find food? Rather than starving to death after just two days, it’s better to follow them obediently.”
When the prisoners heard Su Ying’s words, they hesitated. Now that there was a flood around Yunshui City and the city gates were shut, ordinary refugees were not allowed to enter the city. It was even more difficult for the prisoners. They had no food or water. Weren’t they just waiting for death?
With this thought in mind, a few men stood out and joined the battle.
The burly men glared at Su Ying, but they were smart enough to know that they couldn’t fight for long. If the prisoners all stood up and fought back, they wouldn’t be able to win. Therefore, they focused on the rations.
Soon, the burly man got the food. They turned around and ran out.
Su Ying wanted to chase after them, but the men at the back blocked her.
“B*tch! Do you want to ruin our plan? I’ll send you to hell first.” A burly man raised his saber and slashed at Su Ying’s face.
Su Ying’s eyes narrowed, and she bent over to dodge the attack. Then, she raised her leg and kicked the man’s wrist. She stood up, grabbed the man’s hand, and turned it around. The big knife was then stabbed into his chest.