As for why Chen married Wang Erlang, there were naturally her own reasons, but her stepmother-in-law Qin's influence was also undeniable.

Firstly, she was picky and had been choosing for so long that she was getting old; if she didn't marry soon, she'd be an old maid. Besides, Wang Erlang was Wang Dalang's younger brother, so if she couldn't marry him, then it wouldn't hurt to annoy that couple! Besides, Wang Erlang was at least somewhat handsome. Secondly, Qin Shi had her eye on her dowry, and Chen Shi's own mother was spreading rumors that her daughter was capable, equally at home in the drawing room and the kitchen, and that her embroidery was so lifelike it could fetch a good price in town! Heaven knows, Chen Shi put in a tremendous amount of effort and could only manage to make a simple knot.

In short, Chen successfully married into the Wang family, which she had longed for, although her husband was not the one she had initially chosen. Chen deeply resented her sister-in-law, Qin Sanniang, and their daily rivalry and infighting went without saying.

At the beginning of their escape, she and her mother-in-law, Qin, hit it off immediately and left Qin San Niang and her children behind. If Wang Da Lang were alive, they would never have dared to do that. But Wang Da Lang is dead! Chen felt that after all these years, she had finally outshone Qin San Niang! Her deep affection for Wang Da Lang had long since evolved into resentment for unrequited love.

Originally, Chen thought that without Qin Sanniang on the journey of fleeing, her life would be much more comfortable. After all, she only had a six-year-old son, and her mother-in-law had plenty of food, so she certainly wouldn't go hungry. But once she was on the road, she realized how truly tragic her situation was!

Previously, all the odd jobs in the house were done by Qin San Niang, and as Qin's daughter-in-law, she naturally received a lot of preferential treatment.

But now, most of these tasks have fallen on her shoulders, and she has only just realized what it feels like to be busy from morning till night! She regrets not bringing Qin San Niang along; even her big brat, who always glares at him fiercely, can do a lot of work!

One or two days would have been fine, but the famine escape seemed endless. Gradually, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who had initially gotten along well, began to have disagreements, not to mention the subsequent drought and several bandit raids.

Along the way, the originally lazy and gluttonous Chen family suffered a lot. After passing Guocheng, they started eating tree bark and grass roots. Rice bran mixed with coarse grains to make cakes was considered a rare delicacy. Now there was not a single grain of rice in the house. They ate cakes made from tree bark powder mixed with rice bran.

Chen raised her head and looked in the direction Qin's withered hand was pointing. The woman sitting in the carriage had jet-black hair, which was casually tied into a bun at the back of her head with a wooden hairpin. She was wearing a dark blue cotton coat, a gray apron around her waist, and a cotton scarf around her neck, which covered half of her face. However, her fair skin could still be seen, so she could tell that she had not suffered much on the journey.

Chen was somewhat bewildered. Was this Qin San Niang? How could it be?! That wretched woman should have died on the road long ago, right when they fled the famine! How could she have traveled so far? And in a carriage? Wearing fine cotton clothes?!

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that it couldn't be Qin San Niang at all. The woman on horseback suddenly cracked her whip, and the force was far beyond that of the delicate and frail woman she was known for!

“Mother, how could it be my sister-in-law? Look at that outfit, it’s worth a lot of money.” Chen’s eyes gleamed with envy and jealousy. She wished she could strip that person’s clothes off. She was freezing to death, but she didn’t dare. She continued to shiver as she said, “Besides, if she’s the eldest son’s daughter, where are those boys?! This woman probably just looks like my sister-in-law!”

"Really? That makes sense. That little slut wouldn't throw away those brats! I guess I misjudged."

Madam Qin sighed, genuinely disappointed. If only it were the eldest son's family's! They were out of food, even tree bark cakes were running low! After all, she was the mother-in-law, the eldest daughter-in-law, and had to be filial! Filial piety was paramount! Besides, there was Old Man Wang, Wang Dalang's father and Qin Sanniang's father-in-law! With that label pinned on her, she wouldn't be afraid to give up her grain and cart!

Wang Erlang craned his neck, convinced his wife was right! How could it be his sister-in-law? His usually timid sister-in-law, how could she possibly drive a carriage?! Besides, the man in the lead carriage looked strong and powerful, not someone to be trifled with. Looking at his own small frame, he didn't think he had the ability to rob grain! He'd barely escaped the clutches of bandits; he couldn't risk it for his father's sake!

Old Man Wang, who had been slashed by bandits while saving him, was now lying on a cart, barely alive. Perhaps his lungs were injured, as he coughed incessantly all day. There was no doctor at the moment, so he could only rely on the village quack to prescribe herbal medicine. If it weren't for the village head of Wangjia Village watching over him, Qin and the others would have abandoned him long ago! Living like this was miserable enough; he was lucky if he could get one meal a day.

Therefore, Old Man Wang spent most of his time in a coma, and he was not far from passing away!

"Mother, Grandma, I'm hungry! I want meat! I want white flour buns!" Chen's son, Da Bao, cried. He hadn't eaten anything since he ate half a wild vegetable and tree bark cake that morning!

Seeing her son's face go from chubby to barely two ounces of flesh, Chen felt heartbroken. Before, when they passed through the city, she could buy him a meat bun to satisfy his craving. But since they encountered the bandits, all the two ounces of silver she had on her had disappeared somewhere. Forget about meat buns, she didn't even have enough to buy a steamed bun!

Chen looked at her mother-in-law; only Qin had the right to distribute the food.

"Mother, Da Bao is starving. Shall we give him a piece of bread?"

Qin's furrowed brows could trap a mosquito. "Eat, eat, all you know is eating! How many pancakes do we have left? How many days will that last? Da Bao is a little kid, he doesn't have to walk while sitting in the car, he'll get through this in a bit! This place is much better now, there are quite a few wild vegetables by the roadside, Er's son, don't just keep your head down and walk, pick some while you're at it!"

Normally, Madam Qin wouldn't have refused; after all, Da Bao was her only grandson. But along the way, Da Bao and his mother, Madam Chen, had been completely lazy and ignorant of farming, unable to even forage for wild vegetables! Not to mention, once they picked some mushrooms and excitedly served them to her, only to find they were poisonous, nearly killing her! Madam Qin was truly heartbroken and frustrated, lamenting that it was still her own son who was capable, at least he had some strength and didn't make her walk.

Wang Erlang, who was doted on by his mother, was now working hard driving a donkey cart! This was all thanks to the things that Wang Dalang had bought while he was a traveling merchant.

Da Bao cried even louder when he didn't get the cake. But no one in the village cared; these days, any child still alive was lucky! What's wrong with crying?! It's good that he has the energy to cry!

Although she verbally agreed, Chen cursed Qin's entire clan for eighteen generations in her heart!

As for Da Bao? He wasn't stupid. When he saw that his mother hadn't been able to get any food from his grandmother, he stopped crying after a few moments. If that attracted bandits, it would be all over!

With no interest in anything else, the group lowered their heads again and numbly followed the group forward.

At this moment, Qin San Niang and Liu Shi were unaware of what was happening not far away. These refugees all looked the same. Not only did they have pale complexions from eating wild vegetables and tree bark for a long time, but they also had bruises under their eyes due to a lack of vitamins.

However, the drought has now passed, and there is more greenery along the way. If we are diligent, we can find plenty of wild vegetables and certainly won't starve!

Even if Qin Shi and the others were standing right in front of them, let alone from this distance, they might not be able to recognize them at a glance.