Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 16 Bamboo Whistle
The bamboo whistle has an extremely clear and crisp sound, like birdsong at dawn.

After two whistles, the Pei family members, young and old, quickly came out. The old woman carried the toddler into the car, while the rest formed their own groups.

With another whistle, the formation became perfectly aligned at a visible speed.

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly, then turned to the stunned Captain Sun and said, "Captain Sun, we are ready and can set off."

Captain Sun's expression was somewhat complicated: "Sixth Miss Pei, this bamboo whistle..."

Pei Qinghe calmly explained, "The elders are hard of hearing; they can't hear you even if you shout until you're hoarse. My younger cousins ​​are young and mischievous and like to run around everywhere. I use the bamboo whistle to remind them."

For good reason.

Not too much at all.

Captain Sun nodded in understanding, then cracked his whip loudly after mounting his horse and shouted that they should set off immediately.

The soldiers mounted their horses and led the way. Several palace guards rode alongside them, proceeding at a leisurely pace.

The Pei family, young and old, started walking forward after the whistle sounded.

After half a month, the formation has taken shape and they are particularly spirited and well-organized today.

After walking for an hour, Pei Qinghe blew a bamboo whistle to signal everyone to stop, drink water, and rest.

Captain Sun glanced at Guard Gao.

The guard coughed and said, "The Pei family is honest and obedient, which saves Captain Sun a lot of trouble."

This is also true.

This wasn't the first time Lieutenant Sun had served as an escort officer. In the past, it was a truly arduous job, involving daily scolding, beatings, and herding a group of weeping people forward. Every now and then, a corpse would be carried away and thrown to the roadside—a truly unlucky task.

This escort of the Pei family was quite lucrative; they were well-fed and watered along the way. The Pei family, young and old, remained silent and quiet, traveling thirty li each day. At this rate, they would reach Youzhou in two months. This would allow the escorting officer to complete his mission and return to the military camp sooner.

Fine, let Miss Pei do as she pleases.

Lieutenant Sun picked up the water pouch, gulped down a large mouthful, and then exclaimed, "Why is this water warm?"

The square-faced soldier craned his neck and replied, "Sixth Miss said that drinking raw water is bad. Boil it, let it cool down, and then drink it; that way, you won't get sick."

"When we were steaming buns over a fire in the middle of the night, we also boiled more than a dozen pots of water. That way, everyone would have hot water to drink."

Finally, the square-faced soldier added, "Sixth Miss has thought of everything so thoroughly!"

Lieutenant Sun twitched his lips: "Sixth Miss is so good, why don't you just join the army? When you get to Youzhou, you can stay and become the Pei family's son-in-law. Wouldn't that be great?"

The square-faced, dim-witted soldier didn't realize the sarcasm and actually started to seriously consider it: "That's not a bad idea."

Enraged, Captain Sun kicked him.

The square-faced soldier chuckled and dodged away, then beckoned the other soldiers to catch pheasants. The Pei family had a wife who was an exceptionally skilled cook; her pheasant soup was incredibly fragrant. He had tasted it once and couldn't forget it.

With nothing else to do, Pei Qinghe turned around and called out, "Cousin Yun, Cousin Yan, let's go for a walk in the woods over there." To stretch our muscles and find something to eat.

Pei Yun and Pei Yan nodded with a smile.

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng, the two loyal followers, immediately caught up: "Cousin Qinghe, let's go too."

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed with a smile as she reached out and pinched Pei Xuan's round, adorable little face: "Okay."

Pei Feng silently stepped forward, pushing Pei Xuan aside, and brought his handsome little face closer. Pei Qinghe chuckled and pinched her cousin's cheek as well: "Let's go!"

Pei Feng then grinned.

Pei Xuan rolled her eyes.

This Pei Feng looks honest, but he's actually very cunning. He loves to compete with her and vie for Qinghe's attention and affection.

Pei Feng also pursed his lips at Pei Xuan. He was Qing He's direct cousin, while Pei Xuan was from a different branch of the family. In terms of blood ties, he was not as close as Pei Xuan.

Pei Xuan's biological mother was a courtesan in her youth. After being redeemed by Pei Xuan's father, she became a concubine in the Pei family. She died in childbirth while giving birth to Pei Xuan. Pei Xuan grew up without a biological mother, and her stepmother also disliked her.

I don't know why my cousin Qinghe chose Pei Xuan to be the leader of Team Seven, and why she is so affectionate and fond of her.

Pei Qinghe saw the two little rascals winking and making faces at each other, and secretly found it amusing, but didn't say anything.

The woods were near the official road; it was only a few hundred meters from there. Pei Qinghe took out a dagger, chopped off a branch about the thickness of her forearm, quickly sharpened it into a spike, and handed it to Pei Yun: "Make do with this."

Pei Yun responded, took the simple and crude wooden gun, and flicked her wrist, creating a few spear flowers.

Pei Yan's eyes lit up: "Cousin, I want one too."

Pei Qinghe smiled and nodded, then raised her hand and slashed down with a dagger, causing another tree branch to fall.

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng are still young, so the branches were specially selected to be thinner.

Pei Qinghe carried a dagger, small yet a truly deadly weapon. She led the way and soon discovered a nest of wild rabbits.

Pei Qinghe turned around and made a hand gesture.

Pei Yun and the others nodded and dispersed in tacit agreement.

Pei Qinghe darted forward, light as a swallow and swift as an arrow, and captured two rabbits alive. The other rabbits were startled and scattered, with Pei Yun and Pei Yan each catching one.

Pei Xuan was young, but she was exceptionally fierce when she attacked, killing one rabbit instantly. The wild rabbit was left hanging on a splinter, covered in blood.

Pei Feng was a step too slow and missed, which made him already frustrated. Seeing Pei Xuan's smug look, he was so angry that he almost cried.

Pei Qinghe suppressed a laugh and stuffed one of the rabbits in her hand into Pei Feng's arms. Pei Feng hurriedly caught it, then grinned.

That night, everyone was served unlimited white steamed buns and a bowl of fragrant pheasant soup. Several wild rabbits were stewed over a large fire, and each person received a small piece.

The delicious food soothed the hardships and pain of their journey.

The following day, after three whistles, the Pei family set off again.

Three whistles to assemble, two whistles to start, and one long whistle to stop. Short whistles urge acceleration, while long whistles signal to slow down.

Pei Qinghe would occasionally blow his bamboo whistle to adjust and control the speed and rhythm of his journey.

Of course, there were also some minor incidents. For example, every time the bamboo whistle was blown, the puppy would urinate, often wetting Mrs. Feng's clothes.

For example, Pei Feng was unwilling to let his team be outdone by Pei Xuan's team, so he would aggressively beat up anyone who disobeyed the whistle and ran around.

Pei Yue was beaten the most, and he came crying to his cousin Qinghe to complain: "Cousin, my cousin hit me."

Pei Feng, his face tense, said angrily, "The whistle told us to stop, but you kept running around. If I don't hit you, who should I hit?"

Pei Yue felt extremely wronged: "I don't understand."

Pei Feng was even angrier: "There are only a few whistle sounds, how can you not understand them? You're so stupid! Stupider than a pig!"

Pei Yue cried even louder: "My cousin called me a pig."

Pei Qinghe stood by Pei Feng's side without hesitation, upholding the captain's authority: "It's been several days, and you still can't understand a few simple whistle notes. You're really stupid."

Pei Yue was about to burst into tears when Pei Qinghe gave him a cool look and said, "Don't cry."

Pei Yue hiccuped, swallowing back his sobs.

……

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(End of this chapter)