"We are guilty, and if we really encounter bandits, the children will only become food, and the women will suffer even worse; they might..."

Liu stared blankly at her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law, her eyes filled with fear. The two women held their two sons' ears and shrank back in fear.

"Mother will not let such a thing happen. As long as we work together, the whole family will definitely reach the border safely."

Grandma Zhu didn't want to reveal her thoughts because she was afraid that it would frighten everyone.

Upon noticing that her daughters-in-law looked unwell, she immediately put on a faint smile and encouraged them.

"Yes, didn't the second and third brothers already go to scout ahead? If there really are bandits, we'll discuss what to do then."

Although Tao was the daughter of a bodyguard, she grew up in a secluded mansion and never went out with her father.

Hearing her mother-in-law's words, she felt flustered, but she reluctantly said some comforting words to reassure her sisters-in-law.

Old Mrs. Zhu understood the unspoken meaning in her second son's wife's words, smiled and patted her shoulder, then looked into the woods with a worried expression.

Zhu Haotian and Zhu Chenfeng, who had already entered the woods, held torches in their hands and carefully looked around.

"Third brother, the forest is so dark, how could there be prey?" Zhu Haotian nervously held up his torch and carefully surveyed the surroundings.

Zhu Chenfeng knew how to answer his second brother's question, but he had a feeling that he would not leave empty-handed tonight.

"Do you remember when Mother told us to go fishing? Since Mother thinks there are good things here, let's look carefully."

"If you've searched everywhere and still can't find it, then leave and explore the way ahead."

Zhu Haotian felt that his third brother's words made perfect sense, so he had no choice but to muster his courage and continue to investigate.

I don't know how far I walked, but suddenly I heard a rustling sound ahead.

The two men instantly became alert, gripping their sickles tightly, and walked step by step toward the bushes from which the sound had come.

When the two reached the bushes, they exchanged a glance, then quickly parted the bushes, ready to strike with their knives.

There was a creamy white goat, slowly grazing in the grass, with a chewed rope hanging around its neck.

"Third brother, what is this...?"

Upon seeing the goat in the grass, Zhu Haotian was so excited that he couldn't speak. He stammered and pointed at the goat, speaking haltingly.

Zhu Chenfeng didn't expect to make such an unexpected discovery in the middle of the night. He quickly stepped forward and led the goat away to prevent it from running away.

“Brother, this goat is here so late. It must have gotten lost from the mountain village. It’s dozens of kilometers away from the village.”

“The journey alone would take a day and a night, and it’s impossible to return it. Why don’t we take it back with us? It’ll be perfect for Xixi to drink goat milk.”

Zhu Haotian had the same idea. Even if it had an owner, these days even if they didn't take it away, someone else would.

"Okay, let's take the sheep back first."

Zhu Chenfeng held up a torch and looked the milky-white goat over, his brows furrowing with worry.

“This sheep is too eye-catching, let’s find some coal and smear it all over with black.”

Although Zhu Haotian thought his brother's idea was good, everyone else wasn't blind, so how could they not distinguish between sheep and sheep?

"Third brother, is this... going to work?"

"Never mind, it's getting late. Let's get this over with quickly, we still need to scout ahead."

Zhu Chenfeng understood Zhu Haotian's thoughts, but at this point, this was the only way to cover up the goat's identity.

Left with no other choice, Zhu Haotian, urged by his younger brother, picked up some coal from the surrounding area, crushed it, and smeared it on the goat.

After about an hour, Zhu Haotian and Zhu Chenfeng finally finished blackening the goat's entire body, clapped their hands, and headed towards the camp.

Everyone in the camp had gone to bed early, except for Old Lady Zhu, who sat anxiously by the fire, holding the sleeping Zhu Xixi in her arms.

Just then, a flickering light, sometimes near, sometimes far, moved from the woods into the camp.

Grandma Zhu stood up in confusion and looked in the direction of the firelight. After seeing that it was her two sons, she realized that they were firelight.

She excitedly ran forward, "Second brother, third brother, why are you back?"

"Mom, look what we found!" Zhu Haotian pointed mysteriously to the dark animal behind him.

Grandma Zhu's eyesight wasn't very good, so she squinted and peered curiously closer, becoming more and more puzzled the more she looked.

"This little thing looks a lot like a sheep, but there are no sheep this black."

Zhu Chenfeng felt that their behavior was too eye-catching, so he took his mother's hand and whispered, "Mom, let's talk about it when we get back."

Old Mrs. Zhu noticed something amiss on her son's face, nodded, and carried Zhu Xixi toward the camp.

After the group sneaked up to a locust tree, Zhu Haotian held a torch close to the goat and said excitedly.

"Mother, it's a sheep. We found a sheep in the woods."

Grandma Zhu didn't believe it at first, but when she saw the animal that looked just like a sheep, she stared in surprise.

"It really is a sheep."

She lowered her head in surprise and excitedly kissed her little granddaughter in her arms, "Sure enough, our Xixi is a lucky star, she can find food for herself now."

Although Zhu Chenfeng did not understand the meaning behind his mother's words, he could understand it from what had happened today.

He began to believe his niece's story about bandits. He looked up at the time and continued.

"Mother, hide this sheep well, we still need to scout ahead."

After hearing the third son's voice, Old Lady Zhu came to her senses and quickly took the reins, whispering instructions.

“Be careful, I’ll have the women lift this sheep onto the cart and cover it with a blanket.”

Knowing that his mother would take good care of the sheep, Zhu Chenfeng smiled, pulled his second brother, and turned to leave the camp.

After the two left, Old Lady Zhu tied the goat to a tree and jogged to where her daughter-in-law was sleeping.

"Qinru, Jiayan, wake up."

The two huddled together, and when they heard their mother-in-law's voice, they groggily opened their eyes.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Tao asked, rubbing her eyes as she struggled to crawl up from the withered grass.

At the same time, Sun, still dazed and confused, yawned and got up.

"The second and third brothers caught another sheep in the woods. You guys help tie it up and carry it onto the cart."

Grandma Zhu knew that both of her daughters-in-law were very sleepy, but the situation was urgent and she had no choice but to wake them up by force.

"Sheep?" Tao seemed to hear the word "sheep" in her drowsy state, and instantly woke up, quickly getting up.

Even the still sleepy-eyed Mrs. Sun followed her sister-in-law's steps and stood up from the ground. "Mother, you just said sheep?"

Grandma Zhu didn't want too many people to know about the sheep, so she nervously gestured for her two daughters-in-law to shush.

"Keep your voice down, don't wake up the others."

Understanding what Old Lady Zhu was thinking, the two quickly covered their mouths with their hands, not daring to make a sound.

Quietly following behind Old Lady Zhu, we walked towards the locust tree.

Just then, Zhu Yanyan, who was getting up to relieve herself, came out of the tent and, in her drowsy state, saw three suspicious-looking people in front of her.