Some people, unwilling to give up, jumped off the dock, trying to reach out and grab the ship's side.

As a result, he was severely beaten on the hand by the servants on the boat and accidentally fell into the turbulent river.

Already too weak from hunger, the man struggled for a couple of moments before disappearing from the water's surface without a trace.

"My husband!" A woman cried out as she lay on the dock.

If her family hadn't stopped her, she would have jumped down too.

The woman's cries of anguish touched the surrounding disaster victims, and for a time the dock was filled with the deafening sound of weeping.

Even before the Li family members got close, their hearts were heavy.

Needless to say, it would be difficult to take a boat to Kyoto to seek refuge with his uncle's family.

But if we walk there, it's a long way, not to mention how hard it is, there are many difficulties and dangers along the way. How can we ensure the safety of the whole family?

Old Mrs. Li gripped her pipe tightly, her heart filled with sorrow.

After a long silence, she pointed to an open space far away from the group of disaster victims and said in a deep voice.

"Let's rest over there first, and then we'll think of a solution slowly."

The Li family quickly settled down. As if sensing the low pressure permeating the adults, even the two mischievous boys, Jiaxi and Jia'an, sat obediently to one side and did not run around.

Grandma Li and her sons wandered around the dock twice, but couldn't find any hope of getting a boat ride, so they had to return dejectedly.

Jiayin nestled in Tao Hongying's arms, her little brows furrowed, and she also had a bit of a headache.

Without food, she could secretly tamper with things, but without a boat…

She can't just conjure a ship out of thin air!

"Let's cook first, the children are hungry too."

Old Mrs. Li looked as if she had aged several years in an instant from worry, and she even forgot to put tobacco in her pipe while puffing away.

If there's really no other way, their whole family will have to walk thousands of miles to Kyoto.

Grandma Li looked up at the dim yellow sky to the south, and her sighs were as if they were on fire.

With Jiayin secretly feeding them, the Li family had another hearty dinner.

The starving refugees by the dock were drooling with hunger. When they smelled the aroma of grain wafting from the Li family's house, their eyes lit up with envy.

But the Li family had many men, and their machetes were gleaming. The disaster victims only dared to look at them and didn't dare to actually come up and rob them.

As night fell, a large and magnificent passenger ship slowly docked at the pier.

Several burly young servants stood by the side of the boat, each holding a wooden stick as thick as an arm, their eyes fierce.

Upon seeing this, the disaster victims who had been eager to try quickly withdrew their heads.

Old Mrs. Li was resting against the donkey cart when she heard the crackling of the campfire two steps away. She opened her eyes and peeked out.

This boat clearly belongs to a wealthy family; it certainly wouldn't be carrying disaster victims.

She sighed, turned her head and saw her little granddaughter sleeping soundly in Tao Hongying's arms, a hint of hope appearing in her eyes.

My granddaughter is so lucky; I hope she can bring hope to the family this time as well.

"Mother, Mother, look! Someone is getting off the boat!"

Li Laosan gently nudged Li Laotai, his voice tense and urgent.

The large ship took a gangplank to the dock, and several people quickly jumped off.

The middle-aged man at the head of the group had his hair neatly combed, and although he wasn't wearing silk or satin, he was dressed in fine fabrics that the Li family rarely saw, making him look like no ordinary person.

The man was followed by two servants. After getting off the boat, he looked around for a while.

Upon seeing the Li family, he walked straight towards them.

"Grandpa, we'd like to buy your dairy goat. Would you like some money or some feed? Name your price."

The man immediately recognized that the old lady Li, who was surrounded by the Li family, was in charge. He walked up to her and stated his purpose directly.

The dairy goat was tied to the donkey cart and was bleating, perhaps because it was hungry.

Grandma Li was taken aback. No wonder these people came straight to them; they had their eyes on her sheep.

But these sheep are for the granddaughter's food, and the fourth son's wife doesn't have enough breast milk.

If the sheep are sold, Fu Niu'er will go hungry.

Grandma Li was about to refuse when Wu Cuihua suddenly grabbed her arm, "Mother!"

She realized that her mother-in-law would even refuse the food that was offered to her for that little girl!

She hurriedly approached Old Lady Li, "Mother, these sheep are just a burden to us. These people clearly have plenty of money. Let's ask for more grain and sell the sheep."

Old Mrs. Li's face turned cold, and she glared fiercely at Wu Cuihua.

"No, Fu Niu'er still needs to drink goat milk..."

Before she could finish speaking, Wu Cuihua, with a sudden burst of courage, interrupted her.

"Mother, don't you know how much food we have left? Hongying has milk, doesn't she? Are you really going to let our whole family go hungry for the sake of a little girl?"

Wu Cuihua jumped up and down, accusing Old Lady Li, completely forgetting that she hadn't gone hungry for the past few days, all thanks to Jiayin.

"Shut up!" Seeing Wu Cuihua's deadly state, Old Lady Li really wanted to strangle her.

How could I have been so foolish as to marry my son such a troublemaker!

Tao Hongying was afraid that her mother-in-law might get sick from the anger, so she took Jiayin and went forward to ask her a question.

"Sir, if I may ask, what do you need the sheep for?"

She understood that if it was just for the goat milk, the Li family could milk some and sell it to them, but if they wanted the goats, it was definitely not possible.

The middle-aged man was a manager who always got things done by paying money, and rarely failed. Unexpectedly, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a group of refugees.

He was somewhat displeased, but he didn't hide it and explained in a cold voice.

“My young lady is only six months old, and the wet nurse we brought with us is seasick. She has lost her appetite these past few days and has no milk. Madam is very worried, and just then she saw a dairy goat here on the ship and ordered us to buy it.”

Hearing him say this, the Li family members finally understood what was going on.

Regardless of their social status, children always need extra care and attention.

When Old Lady Li heard that there were children starving on the boat, she couldn't bear it.

But her own granddaughter also needs milk, so she absolutely cannot sell it.

“Sir, you see, my granddaughter is not even a month old yet. If we don’t have the milk goat, she’ll probably starve to death. I’m so sorry, we can’t sell the goat.”

As she spoke, she pulled Jiayin into her arms and leaned closer.

"Mother!" Wu Cuihua called out in dissatisfaction upon hearing Li Laotai's words, but was then covered by Li Lao Er and dragged aside.

The middle-aged manager looked down and saw Jiayin's big, dark eyes curiously observing him.

Even the hardest heart softens when looked at by those clear eyes.

But when he thought about how his young mistress's face had become thin from hunger, he felt really sorry for her.

While on the boat, I thought I was lucky to have encountered dairy goats, but now I realize it was all for nothing.

He couldn't help but sigh, "If that's the case, then..."

Jiayin was extremely anxious because her hands and feet were bound by the swaddling clothes.

She managed to free one arm and pointed towards the large ship at the dock, shouting, "Ah, ah!"

Grandma Li thought her granddaughter was just curious, so she gently patted the swaddled baby and was about to say a few words to comfort her when a thought suddenly popped into her head!

"Hey bro, wait a minute!"

The middle-aged manager thought that Old Lady Li had changed her mind, and immediately turned around to look at her with a hopeful expression.

"Big sister, have you changed your mind?" He was so excited that he also changed his form of address.

Old Mrs. Li shook her head, "No, no, brother, we absolutely will not sell this sheep. But every family has children, and I can't bear to see your young lady go hungry."

"Here's a suggestion, would you like to hear it?"