After resting for about an hour, the Village Head struck the gong and called out, "Pack your things, we're moving on."
Chang'an hoped no one would suffer from heat stroke in this kind of weather traveling at midday.
They didn't carry much, and it didn't take long to load everything into the carriage.
Old Six harnessed the mules to the wagon, and Chang'an got into the carriage. It took about half an hour for the group in front to start moving slowly.
Old Six drove the mules, slowly catching up.
Chang'an wanted to go out and drive the wagon, letting Old Six come in and rest.
But Old Six didn't allow it, reasoning that she was still young, and she was a girl - if she got tanned and dark, what would she look like?
Chang'an closed the carriage curtains, then went into her space and took a watermelon out of the fridge. She cut it up, put it in a juicer, and squeezed out a large basin of watermelon juice.
She emptied two water pouches, filled them with the watermelon juice, and added a couple of ice cubes.
Chang'an took the two pouches of watermelon juice and two pears out of the space.
She first handed the pears to Old Six, "Dad, have a pear."
Old Six took them and bit into one, cool and refreshing.
He thought he was the luckiest refugee fleeing the famine because he had a little fairy daughter - no one could compare.
Chang'an sat in the carriage, hugging and nibbling on a pear. It was cool and comfortable.
The old ladies and children sitting on the flatbed in front saw Old Six eating pears, and they all swallowed their saliva, turning their gaze away silently.
Don't look, don't look, it's too tempting.
The children wanted to cry and ask for some, but the old lady quickly covered their mouths.
Old Six just had him and his daughter, and he was a capable man. It was perfectly normal for them to have enough to eat.
Old Six even ate the core, not wasting a bit.
Chang'an waited for him to finish the pear, then handed him the watermelon juice.
Old Six took a sip of the sweet fruit juice, feeling blissful, like he was floating.
After two sips, he stopped, covered it, and put it back in the carriage to drink later when he was thirsty.
They were at the back, without bothering anyone and no one bothering them, taking it easy.
It was good being at the back for now when there weren't many refugees on the road.
But when more refugees appeared, they'd have to be on high alert in the back, or they might get robbed.
In the afternoon, they traveled for about two hours before reaching the main road.
Once on the main road, there were more and more refugees.
Who knows where they came from - they were all skin and bones, empty-eyed, in tattered rags.
They wore straw sandals, and some didn't even have sandals.
The riverbed along the way had dried up and cracked, yet some were still digging there, trying to find water.
The surrounding forests had withered from the outside in, and all the edible plants along the road had been dug up.
The refugees saw the large group of five or six hundred people from Qingfang Village with loaded flatbeds, so they must have food.
They didn't dare rob them - although thin, the villagers looked energetic and clearly had food.
The refugees urged the elderly, weak, women, and children to beg, hoping the Qingfang villagers would take pity and give them something.
When they set out, the Village Head hadn't instructed the villagers to be generous or softhearted, or else it would bring disaster.
Most wouldn't give away their food - if they gave some out, their own families would have less to eat. In times like these, a handful of grain could save a life.
But some were softhearted and easily swayed, unconsciously feeling sympathy when seeing the elderly, weak, women, and children.
This softness was dangerous - soon they were surrounded by people asking for food, causing chaos in the group.
The women turned pale with fright, sweating profusely.
She had given away half a bun, so why were all these people surrounding her, demanding food?
She had already said she didn't have any left.
Why were they looking at her like that, like she was a bad person?
The Village Head came rushing over from the front with some men.
"What's going on here? Leave, leave at once, or don't blame us for being unkind."
Seeing the fierce men, the refugees didn't dare rob them forcibly.
They all knelt on the ground, begging the kind people for something to eat and drink.
"Please, good people, give us some food, some water to drink. We've been without food or water for days."
"Please, good people."
The Village Head coldly drove them away, showing no mercy. "None. Please leave our group immediately."
Seeing they wouldn't listen, the Village Head called over some young, strong women. "You, drag all these people away. Men, guard the group and don't let anyone near."
People also came to beg from Chang'an and Old Six, but Old Six was truly merciless.
He didn't discriminate between men and women - anyone who approached got lashed, leaving bloody gashes.
Don't hit women? In this chaotic world, were there any women?
Before, except for his daughter-in-law and daughter, all other women weren't women to him.
Now, except for his daughter, no one else was human.
Seeing how vicious he was, the refugees didn't dare approach.
Bah! What kind of man was he, hitting even women.
What a waste of a handsome face.
They looked toward the front of the group - everyone there had also been dragged away. It seemed they wouldn't get any food.
The Village Head reorganized the group, having each family send out an able-bodied person to walk the perimeter, with the elderly, weak, women, and children surrounded in the middle.
He specifically emphasized, "No one is allowed to give food to the refugees. Whoever is softhearted and brings disaster to the group will be expelled from the Qingfang Village group."
The Village Head wanted Old Six to come to the front, "Old Six, it's just you and your daughter, so come walk at the safe front."
But Old Six refused. "Village Head, I'll walk at the back."
Don't think he didn't know what the Village Head was scheming. The ones leading the front were the old fogeys from the Zhao, Jiang, and Yang families.
With them leading the group, if Old Six walked in front, it'd be fine if nothing happened. But if something did happen, he'd be their free bodyguard.
Everyone knew he was skilled in martial arts, with good abilities. They were plotting to use him as an expendable shield.
It was easy enough for him to protect just his daughter alone. But at the front, he'd have to divide his attention protecting all those people too.
Then he couldn't focus all his efforts on keeping his daughter safe. What if she got hurt?
The Village Head saw Old Six wouldn't budge and felt frustrated. At a time like this, Old Six was still being selfish with no team spirit.
But after a while, the Village Head consoled himself.
He thought that normally in the village, Old Six kept to himself, never getting close to anyone.
He might not even know who all the villagers were, so why would he want to protect them if they had no ties?
Why rely on an outsider like Old Gu Six when there are so many men in your own family?
How disappointing!
The Village Head's anger flared up quickly but dissipated just as fast.
Turning back, he cautioned, "Just stick close to the group. The further we go, the more refugees we may encounter, so stay vigilant."
Old Gu Six: "Understood, Uncle Village Head."
The group continued their slow advance, with a small band of refugees trailing far behind them, perhaps fifty or sixty people.
These people had not come begging earlier, but now they followed, hoping to find a way to survive.
