Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The exiles to the Northwest were not just the criminals of Sui Yu's family; there were others as well—those imprisoned for petty theft and other minor offenses. They trudged along the snow-covered road, each carrying a thick bundle of straw on their backs.

The harsh winter brought biting cold, and without warm clothing to protect them, few people ventured out onto the streets. Vendors huddled behind walls, wrapped in straw mats and wearing straw shoes, trying to stay out of the wind, wishing they could burrow into the earth. Everyone else stayed indoors if they could.

Sui Yu had imagined being pelted with rotten eggs, spoiled vegetables, and stones, but no such scene unfolded. There were no onlookers; only those living in houses by the roadside peered through cracks in doors or drafty windows, watching intently.

Sui Yu gritted her teeth and walked against the wind, no longer interested in observing her surroundings. She squinted at the snow that covered her shoes, following in the footsteps of those ahead, struggling with each step.

"Endure a little longer. When we rest, we'll tie the straw around our bodies," said Sui Hu.

Sui Yu did not respond. She dared not speak, for every word would release a puff of warm breath.

Outside the city gates, hundreds of people waited, some pushing carts, others carrying only a wicker basket on their backs, all wearing whatever they could to keep warm.

Sui Yu pulled her neck in and looked up, meeting a gaze filled with hatred. She asked softly, "Are there flood victims among these people?"

Sui Hu gave an ambiguous grunt.

The guards finished their handover and left. Soldiers clad in iron armor and wearing leather caps approached to count heads, waving whips to drive the male prisoners forward.

"Take your younger brother with you; he'll walk with you," Sui Hu shoved Sui Liang toward Sui Yu before hurrying forward under the whip.

Sui Yu looked at Sui Liang, wondering if this child, barely six years old, could survive the journey to the Northwest. Her heart softened. "During the day, you'll be with me; at night, with your father."

Sui Liang kept his head down, refusing to look at her, and tried to pull his hand away.

"Do you fear me?" Sui Yu asked.

Sui Liang stiffened.

A whistle blew, signaling the start of the march. Sui Yu hurried to catch up, whispering, "Follow me quietly. No fuss, or I'll eat you."

She heard a laugh and turned to see Sui Hui and Sui Ling, the sisters.

"Still laughing?" she said irritably, muttering, "We're all suffering because of your family."

Sui Hui's smile faded, her spirit suddenly drained, her shoulders slumping.

"You've also benefited from my father's power," Sui Ling retorted. Having seen her older brother, she felt reassured and scoffed at the idea of a concubine-born sister daring to show disrespect to her elder sister.

"Ling'er," Sui Hui called sharply.

Sui Ling turned away, silent.

Sui Yu also fell quiet, unwilling to waste energy on arguments. Both sides spoke the truth.

But she truly felt wronged, blaming her misfortune on bad luck.

Her warm breath froze into ice mist on her eyebrows, and gradually, her hair frosted over. Clear snot dripped down, and she wiped it away, smearing her hand in the snow before wiping Sui Liang's face.

In the past, she would have shouted in disgust. After nearly a month in prison, she no longer cared about such things.

After walking for what seemed like an eternity, a pavilion appeared by the roadside. The soldiers blew their whistles, and everyone stopped to rest. Sui Yu quickly put down her straw bundle and stuffed the straw inside her thick linen robe, filling it to the brim before stuffing the excess into her pants.

Sui Hu came over and saw her unhesitatingly unbuckling her belt, frowning but swallowing his words. He untied his own straw bundle and wrapped his dazed son in it, stuffing straw into his clothes.

"Don't just take care of yourself; look after your younger brother too," Sui Hu instructed while working.

"Aren't you here to do that?" Sui Yu removed her straw shoes, finding her socks soaked. She rubbed the straw soft and stuffed it into her shoes.

Sui Hu found her words grating, sensing a significant change in his daughter, one that seemed to disregard familial bonds.

"Why did we start our journey so late in winter?" Sui Yu asked after finishing her task, rubbing snow on her hands and face. This journey would leave her with frostbite even if she survived.

"The further north we go, the colder it gets, with snow deep enough to bury a person. Starting now means we'll reach Chang'an just as spring begins," Sui Hu pushed Sui Liang toward her. "Rub him to warm him up. You're his sister; take care of him."

"The one who could have taken care of him hanged herself after hearing your words," Sui Yu sneered.

Sui Hu remained silent, stuffing the remaining straw into his linen robe and tying the excess around his waist and legs.

"Third Uncle, it's time to move again," Sui Wen'an approached, calling Sui Yu "Yu sister."

This was Sui Jiushan's only son. Sui Yu remembered he was already married but saw no sign of his wife.

As they resumed their journey, Sui Yu asked Sui Hui, "Where is your sister-in-law?"

"She went back to her parents' home," Sui Hui replied.

Sui Yu understood. Families with power and influence had retrieved their daughters, leaving only the unfortunate relatives of the nobility to be exiled.

Ahead, a young girl slipped and fell, pulling the woman holding her hand into the snow. The straw tied to her body scattered. The woman hurried to gather the fallen straw, knowing how difficult it was to find dry straw in this desolate wilderness.

"Keep moving," the soldiers yelled from behind.

Those nearby helped pull her up and collected the scattered straw for her, sparing her from the whip. As Sui Yu passed, the child she was holding suddenly squatted down to pick up the remaining straw.

"Give it to me; I'll add it to the bundle. Keep your hands in your sleeves," Sui Yu reached out.

Sui Liang ignored her, hiding his hand behind his back.

"Fine, keep it then. It's not me who will freeze," Sui Yu sniffed, feeling the biting cold.

With no sun in the snowy sky, the group pressed on, driven by the soldiers. No one dared stop unless ordered, even exhausted children were dragged along, tears freezing on their faces until they could no longer cry.

Sui Yu could hardly walk anymore, dragging Sui Liang along with her. Every time they fell, she pulled him up, unable to shake off the snow that seeped into the straw tied around them.

She kicked a wooden stick and realized it only after passing. She turned back, dug it out from the snow, and used it as a support. Seeing Sui Liang still clutching a handful of straw, she snatched it and tucked it into her waist, scolding, "Keep your hands in your sleeves. Your fingers will freeze off. Are you stupid?"

Sui Liang stared at her as he cried, tears streaming down his frozen face, which felt like it was being cut by knives. He wanted to wipe away his tears, but his hands wouldn't lift.

Sui Yu also wanted to cry. She used her hand to wipe away his tears and saw herself reflected in his eyes, looking terrible.

"Your aunt didn't take you with her; you're left to suffer. Come on." She had no choice but to continue the difficult journey, leaning on a stick with one hand and pulling him along with the other.

As the sky grew dim and gloomy, the crows in the trees called out eerily. Sui Yu felt drained of strength, thinking that if she fell now, she might not get back up. Just as she was contemplating how to die, a wooden whistle blew, signaling they had reached the station. Finally, they could rest.

The group entered the compound like puppets, relieved to be out of the wind. Seeing the flickering yellow flames inside gave them a glimmer of hope once again.

Sui Hu picked up Sui Liang and stood next to Sui Wen'an. The second brother's family had been killed by bandits, leaving only these three men as the closest relatives of the Sui family.

"How will you settle your two sisters in the Northwest?" Sui Hu asked.

"There's no way. We've already survived this far by sheer luck," Sui Wen'an said with a bitter smile.

Sui Hu didn't believe it. He didn't think the eldest hadn't made arrangements for the younger ones, so he stopped asking questions.

The station was spacious but only served officials. There was no place for refugees, so hundreds of people crowded into stables and woodsheds. Sui Yu and the other prisoners had to wait until others chose their spots, finding places where the wind didn't blow snow through and laying down straw to sleep together. Even the warm porridge was given to others first, reaching them cold.

"Better to die than live like this," someone whispered, crying softly.

Sui Yu was too exhausted to complain. She sat on the straw, warming the cold porridge in her mouth before swallowing it bit by bit. She wondered if she would die on the road but then thought about her miraculous return to over two thousand years ago and doubted she would die so easily.

After finishing the bowl of porridge, she regained some strength. Sui Yu took the pot outside to collect snow, then came back in, gritting her teeth as she rubbed snow on her face and hands. She then removed her socks and rubbed snow on her calves and feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sui Liang crawling over. Thinking he wanted some snow, she moved the pot closer to him, but he avoided it, instead grabbing the bundle of straw tied to her waist and crawling elsewhere.

Sui Yu watched indifferently as he slowly crawled back, the bundle of straw returned to her.

The woman who had dropped her straw earlier had forgotten about it and didn't care about an extra piece or less. She glanced at Sui Liang and continued tending to her child.

"Rub his hands and feet, and his ears too," Sui Yu nudged the pot of snow toward her father. "My hands and feet are starting to warm up."

Hearing this, Sui Hui immediately got up and pulled Sui Ling outside to dig for more snow.

As for the others, after drinking the porridge, they huddled together to sleep. After a day of hunger and cold, they fell asleep quickly.

Sui Yu held the silver coin mixed with straw in her socks, considering going out. As soon as she moved, Sui Hu called out, "It's dark. Don't wander around. Be careful you don't get lost. Go to sleep."

Outside, hurried footsteps were heard as Sui Hui and Sui Ling rushed in. They had just sat down when a hunched figure appeared at the door. It was too dark to see who it was.

Sui Yu lay down quietly. Once the figure left, she asked Sui Hui who it was.

"I don't know," Sui Hui replied briefly. "Yu, let's huddle together to stay warm."

Sui Hu pushed Sui Liang over, saying, "Sleep here. I'll sleep outside with your brother. Shout if you need anything."

They kept their clothes on, stuffing the straw back into their hemp garments. Huddled together, they covered themselves with more straw, trying to conserve as much warmth as possible.

Sui Yu held Sui Liang, feeling how thin he had become. She lifted his feet and placed them between her legs, whispering, "Sleep. I won't eat you tonight."

"Don't talk nonsense," Sui Hui chuckled.

Sui Yu smiled, grateful for another day of survival, and drifted off to sleep.

She woke up several times during the night due to the cold. By the early hours, many were shivering awake, coughing one after another in the darkness.

At dawn, everyone rose without needing to be urged by the soldiers.

In the morning, the station provided ginger water. Sui Yu pushed her way through the crowd to drink a bowl of the warm liquid, though the ginger flavor was weak.

"Here, come closer," she held the pot to Sui Liang's mouth. "Drink it all."

As for the others, those who didn't push forward didn't get any.

The whistle sounded again, and hundreds of people lined up as they had the previous day, carrying their bundles of grass and stepping into the snow to continue their journey.