Qiao Xiaomai and Tong Sanlang's family didn't sit with the coachmen and servants. Tong Sanlang got to work, chopping some thick branches from the trees and tying them together with hemp rope, then he used his light-footed skills to return and fetched several blankets to throw on top, creating three very basic tents.
He also brought back three wooden planks and several bags of wheat straw, which is used for feeding cattle and sheep, now spread over the wood to serve as mattresses.
In the three tents, Qiao Changshun, Zhuang Lühe, and Qiao Dami each lay in one; Qiao Zhaodi and Qiao Yindi shared another; and Tong Sanlang and Qiao Xiaomai were in the last one.
As for Qiao Qinghe, he had already become a vegetative person, so it was better for him to continue lying inside the house.
Lying on the straw, Qiao Xiaomai and Tong Sanlang huddled together, exchanging information in hushed tones.