"Mother, eating too many chestnuts will make your stomach bloated. How about we cook some porridge tonight? It's easier to digest." The chestnuts are delicious, but Qin San Niang was worried that if the children ate too many, they would feel unwell at night.

Mrs. Liu naturally had no objections, completely ignoring the pleading looks the children were giving her. The chestnuts were sweet and soft, even better than desserts!

Their pitiful appearance amused Qin San Niang! In the end, she gave each of them a piece of candy to appease them!

Liu was packing her luggage. She had recently made braised pork in a jar and collected yams and chestnuts. Fortunately, Gu's cart could bear some of the weight.

Gu Qingshan was strong and didn't feel anything pushing this weight, but Liu felt a little embarrassed, since she had her own mule cart and didn't want to trouble him too much!

This space is great in every way, except that it can't store supplies. This is a huge bug. Qin San Niang sighed more than once, saying that she must not have done enough good deeds in her past life.

"Mother, make some meat dishes for the children. That jar of meat is ready to eat. Take it out, slice it, and steam it. It'll smell delicious! Everyone's been exhausted these past few days; they need some nourishment!"

Hearing her eldest daughter say this, Liu agreed. Now that they were out of the forest, their family didn't necessarily have to follow this group. Why should they hide everything they ate? Wouldn't that just make them suffer?

On the contrary, Qin San Niang did not expect her mother to agree so readily. All the words of persuasion she had prepared were left unused and swallowed back down.

Mrs. Wu smiled and took the pot off the fire. The chestnuts were almost cooked. She didn't know if eating too many chestnuts would cause bloating, but they certainly tasted delicious. Thinking of the taste of grains, she felt that no matter how good this stuff was, it could never replace grains.

Should she set off with the people of Lujia Village tomorrow? This question didn't bother Qin Sanniang much; she'd just let things take their course. They were all heading south anyway, and she couldn't just block their way, could she? Besides, from her observations over the past few days, most of these people seemed quite simple and honest. As for the few troublemakers, they were simply not worth her attention—just like grasshoppers jumping around!

After dinner, Lu Li was smoking his pipe, which had long since run out of tobacco, just to satisfy his craving.

"Boss, I'm going to go check on Madam Qin. Let's see what they're planning."

"Sigh." The eldest son of the Lu family knew his father's plan. He also hoped to go with Gu Qingshan and the others. Their wolf-hunting skills and that Lady Qin's ability to find food were not things that ordinary people could do. This would be beneficial to them.

As the next village head, the eldest son of the Lu family has always been mindful of the big picture. He is a leader among the young people in the village and has some skills, but compared to Gu Qingshan, his skills are somewhat lacking.

Seeing the white-haired old man strolling over, Qin San Niang wasn't surprised.

"Uncle, is there something you need?" Actually, she wanted to ask if he was planning to come out to digest his food. But at this point, being able to eat his fill was the best thing, so why would he need to digest his food?

Of course, this excludes family members, so we quickly changed the subject.

"Hehe, it's like this, our group is still planning to head south. I wonder what your plans are? If possible, I'd like to shamelessly ask if you could take my Lu clan with you. Don't worry, we'll just follow behind. To be honest, we've really benefited greatly from following Madam Qin these past few days. Firstly, we have someone to look after us on the road. There are many young people in our village, and they can help with some physical labor. Secondly, if Madam Qin finds any food, we hope you'll share some with our clan."

Lu Lizheng wore a fawning smile, his silver beard and hair fluttering in the evening breeze.

That was a very reasonable thing to say. Even Liu couldn't think of a reason to refuse. First, they weren't being asked to take them along; they were just following behind. Second, they were outnumbered if anything happened. Although Gu Qingshan was strong and capable, there's an old saying: many hands make light work!

When Qin San Niang saw the look her mother was giving her, she understood everything! The old lady had agreed.

"Uncle Village Head, you're too kind. I only learned about these two foods by chance. But the journey has been arduous, so it would be good to have a few more people to watch over and help each other. Besides, we're all heading south, so let's just consider ourselves fellow travelers!"

"Oh, thank you very much, Madam Qin. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask us. All the people here are at your beck and call."

The old man smiled and thought to himself that this woman was really clever. She neither fully agreed nor refused, but only said that they would travel together. Even if they planned to part ways, there was nothing to say!

However, this result is already very good. He did his best for his clan. Even if he dies and goes to the other side, he will have no regrets for his ancestors!

After exchanging pleasantries, he hurried back. He also intended to give his clansmen a warning, making sure they didn't offend Madam Qin's side.

Most people were quite happy to hear that the village headman would still be following Madam Qin's family tomorrow. They all said it was a good thing, and that the village headman had a long-term vision.

Of course, some villagers felt it was unnecessary, and others thought that Gu Qingshan looked fierce and might have a criminal record. Although the woman was also quite formidable, they had plenty of food stored up now!

Of course, they could only think these words in their hearts. They dared not go against Old Man Lu, who was both the village head and the clan chief, especially at this time. If they were expelled from the clan, they would have no way to survive.

If Lu Lizheng knew what these people were thinking, he would definitely curse them out. There are no ungrateful bastards in Lu Family Village! Don't forget where your food came from? Don't forget who helped you escape from the jaws of death? They really don't know their own limitations!

At that moment, Old Mrs. Chen glanced at Zhao Juhua, expecting her to vehemently object, but to her surprise, the woman quietly stood aside with an expression of approval on her face, which really puzzled her.

Something unusual must be going on!

Old Mrs. Chen didn't know the exact wording of the phrase, but that was roughly the gist of it! She decided to keep a close eye on Zhao Juhua to prevent her from causing any more trouble and harming the interests of the entire clan!

When they first set off, Old Mrs. Chen strongly opposed taking Zhao Juhua with her.

The reason was simple: this woman had driven several men completely bewildered, and they had even secretly given her their own stored food! She had already had a hard time on her journey, and now she had to listen to the complaints of several groups of her old friends.

Why didn't Lu Lizheng listen? It's not right to let an old man listen to those old women's complaints!

No woman is immune to gossip! Old Mrs. Chen was filled with righteous indignation as she listened to the gossip. She was a capable woman who knew that it was only reliable to earn food through labor. She despised such behavior of cheating and swindling with her looks, even though those bachelors who coveted her body were no better than her!

Thinking of his three sons, all of whom were burly men, he knew he couldn't let that woman fall into her trap, so he gave them another long lecture.

The Lu brothers, who had just been inexplicably scolded, were completely baffled when they saw their wives looking at them with approval. Nevertheless, they quickly nodded, agreeing to whatever their mother said, lest they upset her to the point of fainting!