Chang'an reached into her sleeve pocket, actually taking out a small bag of beef jerky from her spatial storage. It was a crooked little cloth bag she had sewn herself, about the size of an adult's palm.
She took Little Ya's thin, bony hand and placed the beef jerky in it. "Go share it with your little friends."
She couldn't save the whole world, nor did she intend to meddle in such matters, but this child truly moved her heart.
Chang'an's hands were delicate and soft. Little Ya felt the gentle warmth from her hand, and her waxen little face showed a shy expression.
She grabbed the little cloth bag, tilted her head to peek inside, and saw that it was indeed jerky. Startled, she quickly covered the bag and returned it to Chang'an.
Meeting Chang'an's clear, innocent gaze, her naive and gullible demeanor, Little Ya thought it was fortunate that Chang'an had a formidable father. Otherwise, on this famine-stricken journey, she would surely have been swindled to the bone.
Chang'an: ...Her appearance is innate; she is not easily fooled.
"Miss Chang'an, you cannot give this to us. Please keep it safe for yourself. You cannot give it away so freely in the future."
These pieces of jerky may not have seemed like much in normal times, but now they could save a life.
Chang'an did not take it back. "If you don't want to eat it yourselves, you can take it back and share it with your parents. Don't keep passing it back and forth. If other disaster victims see it, it won't be good."
She bundled up the hay, led the mule, and dragged the hay back, while Little Ya didn't follow her back. She watched Chang'an's receding figure for a while, her eyes flickering, unclear what she was thinking.
The four little friends divided the jerky, and the three boys hid it in their pockets. Little Ya also placed the small cloth bag containing the jerky close to her chest, cherishing it.
The biggest of the boys picked up the sickle Chang'an had left behind and went to the lush grass, squatting down and deftly cutting it. His movements were practiced, clearly not his first time doing such work.
Old Gu Six sat on the reed mat, leaning against the tree trunk with his eyes closed, resting. When Chang'an returned, he opened his eyes, his gaze clear, not appearing to have slept.
He stood up and took the hay Chang'an had dragged back, tying it to the top of the carriage, then tethered the mule to a nearby tree.
"Daughter, next time don't go cutting grass. The sickle is sharp, and the grass is coarse. What if you cut your hand? Let your father do it. You don't need to worry about these things."
Chang'an didn't argue, simply agreeing, "Okay, I won't go next time."
If she didn't agree, he would nag her for a long time, so she would deal with next time when it came.
As noon approached, more and more disaster victims stopped to rest, setting up cookstoves, gathering firewood, and venturing into the mountains to find water and food.
Old Gu Six also took Yang Poxiao, Mu, Little Ya's father and four others into the mountains.
Chang'an wanted to go with them, but Old Gu Six didn't agree. The mountains were dangerous, and someone needed to stay behind to watch the mule carriage. They couldn't just let others help watch it, could they? Those people had their own belongings and family members to look after.
This time, it was just their small group, so they couldn't leave only the elderly, weak, women and children behind. Thus, they left Yang Poxiao and five other men to watch over the group.
They didn't plan to cook anything for lunch after finishing their meal. Not long after, Little Ya and her friends returned to their mother, secretly giving her the jerky, and then whispering something in her ear.
Those adults looked at Chang'an with an expression of tearful gratitude. Chang'an blinked her big eyes and smiled, her dimples shallow yet intoxicating.
Many disaster victims ventured into the mountains in search of food and water, and with so many people, conflicts were inevitable. No one knew each other, so they weren't willing to share what they found.
Some argued and fought over a small patch of withered wild vegetables, not wanting others to follow them into the mountains. It was quite lively.
Old Gu Six led his group past them deeper into the mountains. It was impossible to find water at the outskirts. Some people wanted to follow them, and he didn't stop them. If they wanted to follow, so be it.
He would just lead them to find water. Whether they could find food or not was up to their own luck.
Old Gu Six and Yang Poxiao led the way, followed by a long line of people. People tend to follow the crowd. Seeing others following, more joined in, thinking that with more people, they were bound to find a water source.
This time, they didn't encounter any dangerous creatures while searching for water, but they searched for a long time. Several water sources had dried up, so they had to keep going further.
The deeper they went, the more anxious the followers became. Some gave up halfway, not wanting to continue, and formed smaller groups to search elsewhere.
Eventually, only Old Gu Six's group of eight remained. The damp soil and rotten leaves indicated they were headed in the right direction.
Occasionally, a venomous snake would appear, but Old Gu Six dispatched them with his sword. They were fortunate to also catch two wild chickens along the way.
They found a water source behind a thicket - a small waterfall, though now dried up due to the drought, leaving only a trickle.
Two people were left at the bottom of the waterfall to collect water and search the area for any edible wild vegetables. Mu was one of them.
The others ventured further to search, while Old Gu Six continued deeper to hunt. After all, how could they venture deep into the mountains without bringing back some meat?
This time, besides water buckets and pouches, they brought baskets and burlap sacks, well-prepared to find a large quantity of food if luck permitted.
Not every time was lucky. Little Ya's father and his group only found some wild fruits and caught a few small sparrows.
Mu found some wild vegetables and wove a small basket from vines that looked sturdy enough.
He asked the man collecting water with him, "Brother, what is your name?"
The man set down a bucket of water and replied, "My name is Zhang Quan - Zhang for the archer, Quan for the whole."
"I am Mu. You can call me Little Mu, Brother Zhang."
"Alright, Brother Little Mu."
The two continued searching the area, digging up any budding wild vegetables.
Mu was in the most awkward situation, without any belongings. It was only because Yang Poxiao took pity on him and shared a waterskin that he had something to carry water in. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had anything.
He could only swallow his pride and follow along. When they reached the next town, he would have to buy proper supplies and repay Yang's kindness.
His thought was rather naive. Currently, scavenging for equipment was more promising than purchasing it in town. After all, some disaster victims lacked the strength to carry all their belongings due to lack of food, so they had to discard items along the way to survive.
On their way, they saw many abandoned water jugs, crocks, and other heavy objects by the roadside.
Mu had learned hunting before, and seeing that the buckets and water skins were filled, he told Zhang Quan, "Brother Zhang, I'll go look in the woods."
"Go ahead, I'll keep watch. Be careful," said Zhang Quan.
Zhang Quan sat on a rock, waiting for everyone to return, while Mu ran into the woods with a sickle, disappearing from sight after a while.
The first to return were Little Ya and his group of five. They didn't have much luck today, with each carrying basket containing only some sour wild fruits and sweet roots. Little Ya held seven or eight sparrows in his hands.
Little Ya cleaned the sparrows under the waterfall, and Old Gu Six returned an hour later with his usual good haul.
