Chen Yan, carrying the large carp whose tail was still twitching slightly, silently followed Jiang Chan and Xiao Tao back.

Little Peach skipped and hopped all the way, her little mouth chattering nonstop, "The Mountain God is so kind! He gave us big fish to eat! Sister Jiang, did the Mountain God really like the grass rings we made, that's why he gave us the fish?"

Jiang Chan gave a vague "hmm".

Chen Yan remained silent throughout, his brows furrowed, his eyes glancing at the fish in his hand from time to time before quickly looking away, as if trying to confirm whether it was real.

The cool, slippery touch and heavy weight reminded him that this was not an illusion.

His mind was in turmoil. One moment it was Jiang Chan's strange act of weeding grass and making rings, the next it was the absurdity of a big fish jumping out of a murky puddle, and then there was Xiao Tao's confident "mountain god's intervention"... All of this was too eerie!

Back at the mountain god temple, Zhou was sitting in a corner packing her luggage.

Seeing Chen Yan come in, I was about to greet him when my eyes were immediately drawn to the big carp in his hand!

"Oh my!" Zhou was startled and stood up, rushing forward with wide eyes. "Yan-ge'er! Where...where did this fish come from? It's so big!"

Her voice was full of disbelief.

Chen Yan opened his mouth, his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he subconsciously looked at Jiang Chan.

Xiao Tao immediately answered, "It was given to us by the Mountain God!"

Her face lit up, and she spoke with absolute certainty.

Jiang Chan quickly nodded, trying her best to keep her expression calm, "Yes... the Mountain God has appeared."

She didn't even believe that excuse herself.

Chen Yan's lips twitched, and he nodded with difficulty, tacitly acknowledging the "mythological story".

Zhou looked at Jiang Chan, then at Chen Yan, whose face clearly showed "we didn't lie" but was obviously strange, then at the excited Xiao Tao, and finally her gaze fell back on the fish that was so fat it was unbelievable.

She gave a helpless smile and waved her hand, "Alright, alright, if you don't want to tell me, fine. But why make up some story about the mountain god delivering fish... Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Chen Yan silently carried the fish to the open space in front of the temple.

He took out the short knife he always carried, squatted down, and began to scrape off the scales.

The cold blade sliced ​​through the fish's body, making a "shh" sound.

The fish scales are hard and have a distinctive fishy smell.

Chen Yan's hands were steady, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused.

He stared intently at the fish beneath him, feeling its weight, the faint breath as its gills opened and closed... everything was real.

But this very truth is the most absurd!

How could such a large fish possibly hide in such a small, muddy puddle, so shallow that it barely covers your ankles?!

Not to mention it popped out on its own!

He couldn't help but look up at the temple.

Jiang Chan and Zhou Shi were building a small fire with some dry branches they had gathered in a sheltered corner.

The flickering firelight illuminated Jiang Chan's expressionless profile.

As Zhou carefully added firewood to the fire, she couldn't help but ask Jiang Chan, "...Miss Jiang, you two sisters...you just went on your own? You're so bold! This world is so chaotic!"

Her tone was genuinely worried.

Jiang Chan poked at the fire without looking up, "Don't be afraid, I can protect myself."

"You've practiced it?" Zhou pressed.

"Yes, I learned some martial arts from someone before," Jiang Chan replied casually.

Mrs. Zhou sighed, "Alas, it's good to be capable, but you are, after all, a woman, and you have a child with you... You'll attract attention wherever you go!"

She looked at Jiang Chan's young but expressionless face, then at the bewildered Xiao Tao beside her, and felt troubled.

The two sisters looked pitiful, but she herself was struggling to make ends meet and simply couldn't afford to feed two more people...

The fish was quickly cleaned.

Chen Yan strung them together with tree branches and roasted them over the fire.

The grease dripped onto the embers, sizzling and releasing an enticing aroma that quickly overpowered the musty smell in the temple.

Little Peach stood anxiously by the fire, swallowing hard.

The fish was large and grilled to a perfect crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

After Jiang Chan nodded, Chen Yan divided the fish into four portions.

"Miss Jiang, here you go."

"Thank you." Jiang Chan took it without hesitation, tore off a piece of tender white fish meat, blew on it, and handed it to Xiao Tao, "Eat slowly, be careful of the bones."

Xiao Tao cheered, took the fish, blew on it gently, and ate with a happy expression.

"Here you are, Master's wife."

"Okay, okay." Zhou took it and carefully blew on it to warm it.

Chen Yan picked up a piece himself and ate it silently.

The fish meat is tender and juicy, with a smoky aroma from charcoal, making it a rare delicacy during the escape from famine.

The fish meat was quickly devoured, leaving only bare fish bones.

All four of them ate their fill, and the warmth in their stomachs seemed to have dispelled much of their fatigue from the past few days.

Jiang Chan got up, walked to the corner where she had put her bundle, and groped for her water pouch.

She unscrewed the lid, poured out about half a bowl, and handed it to Xiaotao, saying, "Drink some water."

Xiao Tao gulped down the drink and let out a satisfied sigh.

Jiang Chan poured another half bowl and handed it to Zhou Shi, saying, "Aunt Zhou, have some water."

Zhou was feeling thirsty, so without thinking much of it, she took the drink and drank a sip.

The moment the water entered his mouth, Zhou's movements stopped!

This water... is so clear and sweet!

It's cool and refreshing, with an indescribable pure taste!

It doesn't taste like well water at all, nor is it muddy water with sand in it!

"This water..." Zhou looked at Jiang Chan in surprise, "Miss Jiang, where did you get this water from? How come it tastes so good?"

Chen Yan was surprised, and a bowl was handed to him. He thanked the bowl and drank it.

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