Because of the rain, they were delayed for three days before they finally decided to go to the county.

Lin Xue originally wanted to go to the town first, but Zhou Xiaocang told her that their place was closer to the county than to the town.

Even so, it would still take them a whole day to get to the county.

So when they arrived in the county, it was already dark, so they could only stay overnight and go to the market the next day.

Lin Xue was utterly speechless at this result.

Moreover, getting to the county requires traversing a long mountain road, which is far from safe and is home to various wild animals.

This is also why the villagers rarely leave the village, because the risks of going to the county are too great.

Lin Xue was also worried about leaving the children at home, so she finally decided to bring them all with her.

The family of six locked the door early in the morning and headed out of the village in a grand procession.

As they left the village entrance, they saw the house at the entrance suddenly open its door and look in the direction where Lin Xue and her family of six had left.

"What is this troublemaker up to by leaving the village so early in the morning?"

The man watched Lin Xue and the others leave, his expression unreadable.

After a day's journey, Lin Xue, leading the Zhou family's five children, finally arrived outside the county town.

The county town gates were already closed; the only way to get in was to wait until the next morning.

And there are quite a few people who have come from afar, just like them.

They gathered in twos and threes outside the city wall, either finding a place to sit and rest or sleeping directly on the oxcarts they had brought.

Others went to a dilapidated temple not far away, where many beggars and traveling merchants gathered.

Lin Xue looked around the environment and realized that no matter where she stayed, it wouldn't be a good place.

After all, there were two young girls in their group. If they were targeted by some clueless person, it would be bad if something happened to them if they weren't kept in sight.

Lin Xue glanced around and then led the Zhou siblings to the side.

They found a large tree that was so thick it would take three people to hug it, cleared the space under the tree, and lit a campfire.

"It's not completely dark yet, I'll go check around the neighborhood. Xiao Cang, you take your younger siblings and heat up the rations!"

"Remember, don't trust anyone who comes to you, and absolutely do not go with anyone else. You must wait for me to come back!"

Lin Xue took out her personal dagger from her bosom and handed it to Zhou Xiaocang, then stood up and looked around.

There is a grove of trees outside the county town. People probably come and go in the grove often, so there are not many weeds.

However, this forest is quite large, and we might be able to hunt some prey further away from the city gate.

The children are exhausted after a long day of travel; they can't just eat cornbread.

If we can hunt some meat, we can help everyone get some nourishment!

With that thought in mind, Lin Xue left with light steps and quickly disappeared from the Zhou family's sight.

Sure enough, after Lin Xue left, several people with ill intentions came up to her and started talking to her.

Unfortunately, Zhou Xiaocang kept fiddling with the dagger in his hand, giving those people a cold glance.

After being swept over by that gaze, the group immediately lost interest in probing and left the Zhou family's area dejectedly.

"Second brother, your gaze just now was amazing!"

"You've got a bit of your sister-in-law's vibe, but compared to her, second brother, your eyesight is still a bit lacking!"

"Next time, Second Brother can be even more ruthless, so that others won't dare to bully us!"

Seeing that no one was crowding around them anymore, the siblings started chatting away.

Zhou Xiaocang never let his guard down. With his sister-in-law away, he was the pillar of support for his younger siblings and had to put on a strong front. If he showed any weakness, he would easily be bullied by others.

After driving away the first group of ill-intentioned people, the siblings were quiet for a while. However, after their cornbread was baked, an old lady came over with her granddaughter.

"Young men, could you spare a bite to eat? My granddaughter hasn't eaten for days!"

Zhou Xiaocang glanced at the old woman, then at the little girl she was holding hands with.

Although the old lady was not tall, she was quite sturdy, and there was a silver sheen on her exposed wrist.

Let me tell you about her little granddaughter. She has big, round eyes and a chubby little face.

This grandfather and grandson clearly have plenty to eat and drink; their complexions are rosy, their voices are strong, and they don't tremble at all when they walk.

"Auntie, you look even better than my siblings and me. You must have plenty of food at home."

"That's right, Auntie, look how fat your granddaughter has become! She's even twice the size of my little sister. How can she have the nerve to ask us for food like that?"

Zhou Xiaohai couldn't help but complain as soon as Zhou Xiaocang rejected the other party.

"You children, our complexions aren't rosy at all, we're clearly burning up with a high fever!"

"If you don't want to give it, then don't! Honestly, kids these days! The world is going to the dogs; they don't know anything about respecting the elderly or caring for the young!"

Seeing that she couldn't get any food, the old lady had no choice but to leave dejectedly, leading her little granddaughter away.

After taking a few steps, he gave Zhou Xiaocang and his siblings a fierce glare.

"Hmph, are all the people outside this wicked? They're all so fat and bloated, yet they still try to cheat us poor people out of our food?"

Zhou Xiaomei glanced at the old woman's back and felt that the old woman definitely didn't have good intentions and wouldn't let it go so easily.

Suddenly, I regretted coming out with my sister-in-law and the others. The world outside is really too dangerous. I could tolerate those fierce-looking men, but this seemingly kind old lady was no good either!

Is there still any trust between people?

"Sisters-in-law, you must be vigilant and not be fooled!"

"Can they be poorer than us? Can they be in more difficult circumstances than us? At least they have elders to support them. What do we have?"

"If it weren't for my sister-in-law's willingness to take care of us, given the character of those people in the village, they would have taken over our house sooner or later!"

Zhou Xiaocang had already seen more than one malicious look. Originally, they were the only family on their side, but gradually several campfires appeared around them.

There were men and women in the neighborhood, and they would occasionally cast greedy glances their way.

Zhou Xiaocang had no idea what he had that those people coveted, just this little bit of cornbread?

Or perhaps these people were trying to abduct his younger siblings? The thought sent a chill down Zhou Xiaocang's spine.

"What's wrong? The cornbread is ready, why don't you eat it first? It looks like it's gotten cold!"

Just as Zhou Xiaocang was feeling panicked, a gentle female voice came from behind him.

"Sister-in-law!"

"Sister-in-law, you're finally back! Several groups of people came over to talk to us, but don't worry, we ignored them!"