Ono wanted to say something more, but seeing her sister's insistence, she had no choice but to give up. In her heart, she secretly made up her mind that she must grow up quickly and protect her family.
Carrying Wang Fengqin on her back, Jiang Yimian's steps became heavier, but she could also feel that the other had suffered a lot. Her legs were basically just bones, and they felt rough to the touch.
He felt light as a feather, almost just a skeleton.
It's hard to imagine that Wang Fengqin usually serves the entire Jiang family with such a thin body.
No wonder he ruined his health.
After traveling and stopping frequently, it took Jiang Yimian and her group more than three hours to finally reach the top of the mountain under the scorching sun.
As soon as she stopped under the shade of the tree, Jiang Yimian lost all her strength and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
They overestimated her physical abilities. If she hadn't rested a few times along the way, and if she hadn't been so determined, she probably would have collapsed halfway up the mountain and wouldn't have been able to get up.
Once she's settled in on the mountain, it's time to get some exercise and strengthen her body, otherwise she won't be able to run away if she encounters danger.
Seeing her daughter looking pale and exhausted, Wang Fengqin quickly handed her some water and wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck with her sleeve before saying with some concern, "How are you, Yi Mian? Are you exhausted? Drink some water."
Xiao Nuan'er and Xiao Ye also looked at Jiang Yimian with concern.
The two little ones were tired from the journey, but fortunately they weren't carrying much weight. After stopping to rest several times, they didn't feel too tired. Seeing that Jiang Yimian's face was pale from exhaustion, the two quickly found some leaves to fan her.
After resting for a while and drinking a lot of water, Jiang Yimian finally felt that she had regained her legs and said in a hoarse voice, "I, I'm fine."
Seeing that her complexion had returned to normal and was no longer as pale as before, Wang Fengqin breathed a sigh of relief. She took out an oil paper package from her bag, which contained the vegetable pancakes she had specially prepared that morning.
After distributing the food to the group, she said, "You must all be hungry. Have some vegetable pancakes to tide you over. Once the sun is a little lower and we find a place to stay, I'll cook you something delicious."
Xiao Ye and Xiao Nuan'er took the pancakes and agreed in unison.
Jiang Yimian couldn't eat much at this moment, so she shared half a pancake with Xiao Ye and Xiao Nuan'er before chewing on the vegetable pancake and thinking about where to put her feet.
Here, mountains stretch out one after another, with one mountain peak leading to an even larger one. No matter where you stay, there is no absolutely safe place. The best option is to find a hidden cave, but that is quite difficult.
Those caves are either inhabited by ferocious beasts or hidden in various deep forests, and the dangers that may be encountered on the way are countless.
Finding a cave can't be rushed; at least not right now. We'll have to search the forest slowly.
Just then, I heard heavy footsteps, accompanied by heavy breathing.
The group looked towards the mountain path and saw several people carrying large and small bags coming up. They weren't surprised to see Wang Fengqin and the others. After a brief greeting, they sat down on the ground under the shade of a tree not far away, clearly exhausted.
Wang Fengqin was somewhat surprised, and sighed softly before saying, "I didn't expect that the Liu family members didn't leave with the village chief either."
Jiang Yimian glanced at the Liu family of four. Logically speaking, it was acceptable for a young couple to take a child and an old man with them to escape the famine, at least they wouldn't be too much of a burden.
But this family didn't leave, probably because they couldn't bear to leave the village where they had lived for decades and the land where they worked every day.
Yes, if given the choice, who would want to leave the place where they've lived most of their life? Who would be willing to travel around and start from scratch in a strange place? This is their hometown!
After resting for a while and having a simple lunch, the Liu family members got busy. They found some dead trees in the woods and took out the tarpaulin they had brought, clearly intending to build a shack there.
Jiang Yimian glanced at the dense forest around her, then looked down the mountain, and instantly understood.
The view here is expansive, offering a clear view of the village's land. It's a large, flat area, and although it's in the woods where there might be birds and animals, it's still on the outskirts, so there's no need to worry about any large wild animals.
This place is a good place to stay.
Wang Fengqin was clearly also considering it. "Yimian, why don't we settle here too? It'll save us from having to keep looking for a place. If we go too far in, we might run into some wild animals, which would be troublesome."
Jiang Yimian simply shook her head. "It's not safe here. If anyone comes from down the mountain, they'll be discovered."
The view is so open that you can see the village land, but the villagers can also notice it, especially since there are shacks built there. When they light fires to cook, the smoke from the cooking fires will surely let people down the mountain know that there are people living on the mountain.
If it's just some refugees, that's fine; at most they'll steal some food. But if they encounter some vicious bandits or rebels, they might kill them to silence them.
She couldn't say these things now, after all, the bandits were just speculation, and no one would believe her if she said them. They were all just peasants who only knew how to toil in the fields, and had never seen any desperate criminals. They might even say she was exaggerating.
Wang Fengqin was about to say something more, but seeing her daughter's serious expression, she had no choice but to give up. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "I'll go tell them."
Although she felt her daughter was worrying unnecessarily, she also thought it made sense. If people came down from the mountain and saw many people living there as soon as they came up, they might have some ideas.
Jiang Yimian nodded.
Wang Fengqin walked over and said a few words to the Liu family, but they waved their hands, clearly intending to stay there.
Jiang Yimian didn't say anything when she saw this; no one knows how terrible it is until the danger arrives.
After resting for a while, the group shouldered their belongings and headed deeper into the woods.
The sun was high in the sky, but the trees in the forest provided ample shade, and the occasional mountain breeze made it feel cool.
After walking for another quarter of an hour, they finally passed through the grove of trees. Seeing another lush forest in the distance, Jiang Yimian gave up and said, "Let's stay here for now."
It's unlikely we'll find any caves anytime soon, and if we go any further, we might encounter even deeper dense forests, which could be dangerous. We'll just set up a shelter here for now and figure out what to do next.
Wang Fengqin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly, "This place is good. It's shaded by the woods behind us, and there's a cliff on the right. If we're careful, even if people from the village come, they won't be able to see us."
Jiang Yimian nodded, took out a machete from her basket, and began clearing away the surrounding bushes.
Ono and Wang Fengqin used sickles to cut the surrounding weeds and roots.
Seeing that everyone was busy, Xiao Nuan'er didn't stay idle either. She stretched out her little hands to pull at the grass on the ground, but she was too weak. The roots of the grass leaves clung tightly to the soil. When she tried to pull, she only broke the tender shoots on the ground and fell on her bottom, rolling over on the ground.
It looked like a round little dumpling, which made everyone smile.
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