The brothers Jiang Fu and Jiang Shou leaned against the cartwheel, looking up at the increasingly dark sky, their eyes vacant, too lazy to even move their lips.
The entire team fell into a deathly silence of exhaustion.
The only sounds were the rustling of the wind through the withered grass and the occasional mournful cry of some unknown bird in the distance.
Jiang Chan silently put away the water pouch, put Xiao Tao in her arms, and gently patted her back.
Xiao Tao's tense body finally relaxed, and she leaned against Jiang Chan.
Looking at the lifeless scene and then at the sky, Village Chief Chen wearily struck the gong once. "Hurry up. We'll need to find a place to spend the night later." His voice was dry and weak.
The brief silence was broken by Village Chief Chen's gong.
"clang--"
"Get up! No more rest!" The village chief's voice was still weary, but it carried an undeniable urgency. "There are only a few miles left on the map! We must reach the next village today! If we continue to camp in the wilderness, whatever happens... we won't even have time to cry!"
These words struck everyone like a whip.
The thought of the starving refugees by the riverbank sent a shiver down everyone's spine; immense fear instantly overwhelmed their exhaustion.
No one spoke.
The bundle was picked up again, and the cart was straightened.
Even the Jiang family members who had been paralyzed were driven by this fear and struggled to get up.
The intense pain of having food looted had to give way to the urgent need to survive.
"Let's go!" The village chief struck the gong and took the lead, his steps heavy.
The team set off again, the atmosphere even more oppressive and somber than before.
There were only heavy breathing sounds and the rustling of wheels and footsteps.
The sun slowly sank towards the western horizon, turning the sky a hazy yellow.
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