After passing through Tongzhou City, the three people were utterly exhausted. Tiancheng turned back and asked, "Nurse, we've gone past the rest stop, and there are no inns ahead. Should we press on or find somewhere to rest for a bit?"
"Let's wait till it's completely dark," Ruan Jingliu replied without thinking, instructing Wan'er, "Hand him the water and dry rations."
Wan'er obliged, went out to replace Tiancheng in driving the carriage, while Tiancheng sat aside gnawing on a biscuit with cold water.
As darkness fully descended, Tiancheng looked around for a place to rest but spotted a glimmer of light in a crevice between two hills near a stream. He smiled and said, "Nurse, there's a family ahead; we might as well ask to borrow a fire and spend the night there."
"Okay." Ruan Jingliu rubbed her forehead; she was indeed a bit tired from the whole day of jostling in the carriage. But since Xiqiu had sent her personally, she assumed the injury wasn't minor and dared not delay.
