latelenovela Chapter 354 It's Hailing
Chapter 354 It's Hailing
Upon seeing this, Jinse and Tingxue quickly sprang into action. They tidied up the items on the small table and then carefully placed them all back into the carriage's hidden compartment to prevent them from falling or being damaged during the bumpy ride.
Meanwhile, Su Nuannuan sat steadily in her seat, her body swaying gently with the carriage's swaying. Although the carriage's movement made her somewhat uncomfortable, she showed no panic whatsoever, instead appearing unusually calm.
Jinse had been keeping a close eye on the weather. When she saw that the carriage had veered off the main road and entered a narrow alley, she immediately lowered the curtain and turned to Su Nuannuan, saying, "Your Majesty, we have strayed off the main road."
Su Nuannuan nodded slightly, indicating that she was aware of the situation.
She couldn't help but sigh as the carriage began to sway more violently, as if it were about to throw her off her seat. If Tingxue hadn't caught her in time, she probably would have already lost her balance and couldn't have sat up.
Su Nuannuan thought to herself that the transportation conditions in ancient times were truly appalling. Not only were the journeys long and time-consuming, but the road conditions were also extremely poor, with constant bumps and jolting along the way, making it an unbearable ordeal.
However, just as Su Nuannuan was secretly complaining, the outline of a temple began to appear faintly in the distance. As they drew closer, the full view of the temple gradually came into view.
When they finally arrived at the temple, Commander Wu took a closer look and discovered that the temple had been abandoned for a long time and no one cared about it. Moreover, the building itself looked dilapidated and on the verge of collapse.
Nevertheless, Commander Wu dared not let his guard down, and he immediately dispatched his men to enter the temple to investigate. After a thorough search, his men reported that although some buildings inside the temple were severely damaged, one main hall remained relatively well-preserved.
Upon receiving this news, Commander Wu hurriedly came to report to Su Nuannuan. After a moment's thought, Su Nuannuan decided to have Li Desheng drive the carriage directly through the dilapidated gate of the temple and head straight for the intact main hall.
Once the carriage came to a smooth stop in front of the main hall, Su Nuannuan slowly alighted. Li Desheng quickly sprang into action, directing everyone to move the carriage to a nearby house that could provide shelter from the wind and rain. Although the house looked somewhat dilapidated, it at least had a roof, offering some protection for the carriage.
After everything was arranged, Li Desheng rushed to Su Nuannuan's side to serve her.
After Su Nuannuan and her group entered the main hall, Jinse and Tingxue quickly cleared a clean area and laid out a pre-prepared mat for Su Nuannuan to rest on.
Meanwhile, Commander Wu and his men remained at the entrance of the main hall. They were divided into several groups, each with their own duties, and carried out strict guard work.
Just as everything was arranged, suddenly, large raindrops began to fall like a torrential downpour.
However, that wasn't the worst of it. Just as Su Nuannuan was catching her breath, she suddenly heard a series of "bangs," as if something had hit the roof hard.
"Your Majesty, it's hailing outside, and the hailstones are quite large!" Jinse ran in, holding a hailstone in her hands, and reported to Su Nuannuan.
Su Nuannuan looked closely and saw that the hailstone in Jinse's hand was as big as a pigeon egg, and she couldn't help but gasp.
"These hailstones are so big, it's unbelievable! Fortunately, the autumn harvest is over now. If such large hailstones had fallen in the summer, the crops would have suffered a severe reduction in yield," Su Nuannuan said with some relief.
"Yes, thankfully Sister Jinse is good at observing the weather and helped us get into the main hall in time, otherwise we probably would have been hit by the hailstones." Tingxue echoed with lingering fear.
“That’s right. If it weren’t for Miss Jinse’s reminder, this servant and Commander Wu would not only have been covered in bumps from the hail, but the horses would have been terrified if they had been hit by the hail.” Li Desheng said with a sense of sympathy.
"This servant was only slightly aware of the humidity in the air, and thought that the weather might change and it might rain, but I never expected that there would be such huge hailstones mixed in!"
Commander Wu and his men gasped as they watched the large hailstones crashing to the ground, secretly marveling at their spectacle.
Fortunately, they were all very obedient and did not question the Empress Dowager's decision in the slightest. Otherwise, they would probably be suffering from the fierce attack of the hail right now, and the consequences would be unimaginable!
Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate, and at the same time, they admired the Noble Consort's wise decision even more.
Zhixiang had already skillfully set up the pot and was preparing to cook. Her movements were practiced and efficient, clearly indicating that she was very familiar with the process. At the same time, two roaring fires were lit in the main hall, their flames licking the air and bringing warmth.
After all, it's already late autumn, and the weather is gradually getting colder, especially as you go further west, the chill becomes more and more pronounced. Adding to that, it's raining today, making the cold air even more unbearable.
Just then, several guards noticed Zhixiang busily setting up a pot to cook. After exchanging glances, they hurriedly asked Commander Wu if they could come and help. Commander Wu thought for a moment and decided it was a good idea, so he nodded in agreement.
Having received permission, the guards were overjoyed and hurried over to surround Zhixiang. Seeing that someone was coming to help, Zhixiang didn't stand on ceremony and began ordering the guards around without any hesitation. She would send one to fetch some firewood, another to fetch some water, keeping the guards running around in circles.
Fortunately, since having a capable assistant, Chika's cooking speed has improved significantly.
However, before the meal, Zhixiang didn't forget to prepare a special "appetizer" for everyone—a large bowl of steaming ginger soup. This ginger soup not only dispels the cold from the body but also makes everyone feel warm and comfortable in the cold weather.
Su Nuannuan was no exception. Although she disliked the spicy taste of the ginger soup, she reluctantly pinched her nose and forced herself to drink the whole bowl of ginger soup at Zhixiang's insistence.