"That's quite a coincidence, but it solved a big problem for us. The whole team is still excited about it." Captain Xiao said with a smile. With everyone in a better mood, their travel efficiency also improved.

Actually, Captain Xiao misunderstood. It was because everyone was afraid that the other party would go back on their word and the salt they had obtained would slip away, so they didn't dare to stop and hurried on their way.

"Now that I think about it, it's no wonder these people were unwilling to accept refugees before. Those stockpiled supplies might have become the private property of some people now." Captain Xiao's tone was inevitably a little sour when he talked about this. He knew all too well what kind of life these refugees had lived before, otherwise he wouldn't have been so happy about a pound of salt.

Si Cheng, “Take it easy. At least the supplies they’re taking are part of maintaining order in this area. Otherwise, who knows what kind of suffering this region would have endured.”

"Village Chief Si?" Just as they were busy chatting, a timid voice called out, drawing everyone's attention.

They saw the mother of the deceased standing in front of them with a child.

Looking at the child, who was about the same age as Lele and the others, clinging tightly to the old lady's clothes and looking at them, Yunqi suddenly felt a little sad. This was a generation of children who had never experienced peace and had stepped into an era of disaster without even realizing it.

Seeing his timid appearance, Yunqi tore off a piece of roasted rabbit leg from the fire and handed it to him, saying, "Auntie is inviting you to eat something."

Perhaps startled by Yun Qi's sudden show of goodwill, the little boy immediately hid behind the old lady.

"Thank you, young lady, we've already eaten." The old lady took a step back with her grandson, patting his head reassuringly. She felt sorry for the expectation in the child's eyes, but still reluctantly refused Yun Qi's offer.

Yunqi said, "Take it. It's nothing special. We have too much meat here. Let the children help us finish some."

The old lady could tell that this was a kind gesture, and she couldn't bear to see her grandson looking so pitiful. "Gangzi, thank you, Auntie."

The boy named Gangzi thanked him in a weak voice, and Yunqi probably wouldn't have heard him if they hadn't been so close.

Touching the child's head, Yun Qi straightened up and looked at the old woman. It had only been half a day since he last saw her, but the old woman looked much older.

Si Cheng said, "Auntie, is there anything we can help you with? We'll do our best to help if we can."

“My surname is Zhou, and those who know me call me Old Lady Zhou. We shouldn’t have come to you in the first place, but I’m no longer able to raise Gangzi. I have no choice but to come here and beg you to take in this child. As long as you can give him a bite to eat and let him grow up, that’s enough.” Old Lady Zhou was silent for a while before she said these words.

"Don't you have any other relatives? We can provide some supplies to help you." Si Cheng hadn't expected this kind of request. Raising a child is not the same as receiving material compensation; it requires much more effort.

“Our family fled here before. Before we came, my daughter-in-law was forcibly kept by her family and we don’t know where she is now. Originally, three generations of our family depended on each other for survival, but who knew such a misfortune would happen.”

Speaking of this, Grandma Zhou couldn't help but wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Gangzi, who was behind her, saw his grandmother so sad, and forgot about the rabbit meat in his hand. He grabbed her sleeve and tried to comfort her.

After calming herself down, Grandma Zhou patted Gangzi's head and continued, "I know I shouldn't have come to you about this, since it's not your responsibility. Since the disaster, we've made the worst-case scenario plan. All I can say is that it's all fate."

At this point, Old Lady Zhou was about to kneel down in front of Si Cheng, which startled Si Cheng and Yun Qi, who had been watching the scene. They quickly helped her up, saying, "Let's talk things out properly, don't do this. And I promise to help as much as I can."

Grandma Zhou pushed Gangzi forward a little. "Gangzi is already eleven years old. He can help with some light work. Let him stay with you. As long as you give him food, that's enough."

They looked at the skinny child in front of them, thinking he was only five or six years old, but they didn't expect him to be over ten years old.

Yunqi said, "Auntie, it would be better for the child to stay with his relatives. Besides, as we travel back, you can find his biological mother. After all, it would be better if his biological mother took care of him."

Grandma Zhou shook her head. "Even if we could find his biological mother, I wouldn't feel comfortable entrusting the child to her. The problem is that when we left, our in-laws found her another partner. Under these circumstances, they certainly wouldn't be willing to take Gangzi in."

Yunqi said, "Then you can ask when you get there. Maybe the mother and child are connected by heart, and the biological mother will be willing to accept the child."

Grandma Zhou kept shaking her head. "I know that family too well. It's simply impossible. Besides, they suffered such a severe drought before. They might not even be there waiting for him. I just beg you to give him some food so that he can have a chance to grow up."

Yunqi said, "You're entrusting the child to us, but what about you?"

Grandma Zhou glanced back at the spot where her son's body was. Because they were in a hurry to get on their way, they couldn't find a place to bury him, so Captain Xiao had to lead his men to carry him over in shifts, planning to find a place to bury him on the spot later.

"What could an old woman like me possibly have?" Old Mrs. Zhou was unwilling to continue the topic and looked directly at Si Cheng. "Village Chief Si, I only have this one request. If you refuse, I won't force you."

Si Cheng glanced at Grandma Zhou, then at Gangzi behind her, and said, "You two stay with us for now. If his biological mother doesn't accept him when we get to your hometown, you and the child will stay with us. Although we can't give him a very good life, we should be able to raise him to adulthood."

Si Cheng also knew that in the future, it would be quite difficult for an elderly woman like Grandma Zhou to continue living with her grandson.

When making this decision, Si Cheng already had a clear idea in mind, and even had a general outline of how to settle the two of them in the future.

"I'm relieved to hear what Village Chief Si said. Can the child stay with you for now? His father's funeral arrangements are still waiting for me to handle, and I really don't want him to see the last things," Old Mrs. Zhou pleaded.

Si Cheng said, "Anyway, we'll all be traveling together in the future. Let the child get used to things here first. Do you need any help over there? I'll send a few people over to help you with that. We'll bring the luggage over later, and then you can all travel with us."