Chapter 174: Saved a Person

Chapter 174: Saved a Person

It was still cold in early spring. Yu Sanbao, bundled up in his cloak, drove the carriage. Meanwhile, Wei Pozi and her group sat inside the carriage, covered with blankets.

Xingxing clutched her warm hand warmer, and she and Ju Geer snuggled up to Wei Pozi on either side.

The road was mostly clear of snow, making the journey smoother.

Suddenly, Yu Sanbao yanked the reins, causing the carriage to jolt.

"Ma, are you guys okay?" Yu Sanbao hurriedly asked.

Wei Pozi quickly pulled Xingxing back into place after the jolt and, seeing that both children were unharmed, replied, "We're fine... What happened outside? Why did you suddenly pull the reins?"

Yu Sanbao sounded somewhat puzzled, "There seems to be someone lying by the side of the road..."

Wei Pozi lifted the carriage curtain and looked ahead, seeing a raggedly dressed person lying face down on the road not far ahead.

In recent years, there had been no rain in summer and no snow in winter, leading to several years of natural disasters and severe famine. The Yu family had tightened their belts to get through those times.

In other places, many had starved or fled. It wasn’t until the early summer of last year, when the rains finally came before the harvest, greatly alleviating the drought, that the situation improved slightly.

From the look of things, this person was likely a refugee from a disaster-stricken area.

Yu Sanbao said to Wei Pozi, "Ma, should I go take a look?"

Wei Pozi nodded, "See if the person is still alive."

After all, it was a human life.

Even though they couldn’t do much, they couldn’t just walk away from someone in need.

Yu Sanbao got off the carriage, holding his horsewhip for protection, and went to check.

The person lay face down on the ground, their appearance obscured, but their body still had a slight rise and fall, indicating they were still breathing.

Their lips were cracked and bleeding, extremely pale.

"Ma, they're still alive," Yu Sanbao called out to Wei Pozi.

Wei Pozi murmured a Buddhist prayer under her breath and took out a package wrapped in oilpaper from beneath the carriage seat, containing baked cakes. These were originally meant for their journey.

Wei Pozi motioned for Yu Sanbao to take the baked cakes to the person. "They might have fainted from hunger."

Yu Sanbao took the water flask, dabbed some water on the person’s lips, and placed the baked cakes wrapped in oilpaper beside them.

He had planned to leave, but then the person suddenly reached out and clung to the hem of Yu Sanbao’s coat.

Yu Sanbao thought the person had woken up, but upon closer inspection, the person was still in a semi-conscious state, yet their hand held on firmly.

Yu Sanbao tried to shake off the hand, but it wouldn’t let go.

Yu Sanbao: …

He turned back to look at his family in the carriage, feeling somewhat helpless.

Wei Pozi jumped down from the carriage and, after assessing the situation, saw that although the person was very weak, they were holding onto Yu Sanbao's clothes with considerable strength.

Wei Pozi tried to pull the person's hand off but couldn’t budge it.

The person suddenly regained some consciousness and turned their face slightly, revealing a visage covered in filth.

In a raspy voice, the person managed to whisper, "Save... me..."

After saying this, they fell unconscious again.

Yu Sanbao and Wei Pozi exchanged a glance, sighed, and, having no other option, carried the person back onto the carriage.

It was as if the person knew they were saved; only after lying in the carriage did they let go of Yu Sanbao's clothes.

However, the carriage was small, and with this extra person, it became quite cramped.

Wei Pozi and Su Rouer had no choice but to each hold Xingxing and Ju Geer respectively, while Shuangyun attended to the unconscious person.

Fortunately, they were not far from Nantuo Village by then.

Yu Sanbao drove the carriage to the Yujia household, where the Yujia family hurried out to greet them.

To their surprise, Yu Sanbao called over Yu Daniu to help lift a tattered figure out of the carriage.

The Yujia family looked at each other in confusion.

How did they end up bringing someone back with them?

"It's cold outside, let's go inside first," Wei Pozi said, noticing Bai Xiaofeng also coming out with her pregnant belly. Frowning, she added, "Second daughter-in-law, you should go back inside. With your condition, there's no need to come out."

Bai Xiaofeng smiled. "I just missed you, Mother, since it’s been a while."

With that, supported by her husband, she went inside first.

The Yujia household didn’t have any spare rooms available, so they had to place the person they saved on the heated brick bed shared by Shuangyun and Shuang He.

Shuang He, who loved cleanliness, saw that not only were this person's clothes tattered, but their face was also dirty. She quickly fetched a basin of water and gently washed the person’s face.

After cleaning the person’s face, Shuang He gasped in surprise and, after a closer look, called Shuangyun over to confirm her observation before reporting back to Wei Pozi.

Wei Pozi and the others had been away for over ten days, and the Lantern Festival was just around the corner. The Yujia family missed them dearly.

But considering how tired Wei Pozi must have been from the journey, they didn’t press her, only exchanging a few brief words.

Both Shuang He and Shuangyun entered together and greeted Grandma.

"Grandma, the person we saved earlier..." Shuang He said, "seems to be a woman."

Wei Pozi was surprised. "A woman?"

Shuangyun also nodded. "Yes, we only realized it after cleaning her face. She’s quite pretty."

Wei Pozi nodded. It was not hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for a woman to escape disaster on the road. Disguising herself by covering her face was likely a form of self-protection.

"Alright, Mother has been traveling for days and must be tired. It's best to rest now," Yu Daniu said, gently ushering everyone out. "Let's all retreat. Mother and Xingxing need some time to rest up."

The Yujia family withdrew from the main room.

Yu Sanbao was young and in good spirits, and he didn't plan to rest just yet.

When he heard that the person they had rescued was a woman, he didn't give it much thought, simply telling Shuangyun and Shuang He to inform him when the woman woke up.

It was in the early hours of the morning when the woman finally regained consciousness.

The kang wasn't big enough for three people to sleep on. Shuang He had set up a makeshift bed on the floor and was sleeping there. Hearing the movement, she rubbed her eyes and sat up. "You're awake? ... Shall I pour you a bowl of water?"

The woman, wrapped in a soft quilt, was still groggy.

She looked down and realized her outer clothes had been taken off, leaving her almost naked.

Noticing the woman staring at her clothes without responding, Shuang He explained, "Your clothes were too dirty, so we undressed you, cleaned your body, and covered you with a quilt... Do you want some water?"

Shuangyun stirred awake at the sound. Seeing that the woman was sitting there dazed and silent, and that Shuang He's offer of water was ignored, she asked sleepily, "... Do you want something to eat? Or are you feeling sick anywhere?"

After a moment, the woman finally asked for a bowl of water.

After drinking the water, she then asked for some food and ate hungrily.

Shuang He, wrapped in her clothes, looked at her sympathetically.

It looked like she hadn't eaten in days.

After drinking the water and eating, the woman, wrapped in a warm quilt, fell asleep immediately.