This sight was astounding; the man became excited as well, and the stubble around his lips trembled.
Inside was a packet of candy, a few pastries, several steamed buns, and a small bag of rice. These were all taken directly from Qin San Niang's spatial storage, so Hong Ying had no idea how she had put them in her basket. But now was not the time to discuss such things. Let alone the candy and pastries, even that bag of rice was enough for them to survive! No wonder she was so excited!
"Hongying, where did you get this?"
The woman then recounted how she had stopped the carriage, what Qin San Niang had said, and how she had given her the water bucket. Only then did she remember that her son wanted water, so she quickly grabbed the bamboo bucket and handed it to him.
The boy was thirsty, but he was actually even hungrier. There was no food at home, so he could only drink water when he was hungry.
"Mother, it's sweet! The water is sweet!" The boy's eyes widened as he took a sip in disbelief. It tasted like sugar. His father had given him sugar water when he was at home before, and he would never forget that taste!
What?
Hongying took a small sip, puzzled. "Husband, this is sugar water. You should drink some quickly."
The man waved his hand, signaling his wife to put the baby down from her back. He first fed the little one some sugar water. This child was unfortunate; he had to flee with the refugees before he was even a year old. He hadn't eaten much good food, and it was time for him to eat more rice. The woman didn't have much milk left for him either. Even they themselves felt that the child's chances of survival were slim.
The little boy tasted the sweet water, and his mouth moved even more vigorously, drinking quite a bit in no time. Seeing that his younger brother had drunk a lot of sweet water, the boy wasn't worried, thinking that now his parents wouldn't have to worry about his brother not surviving.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, the group quickly ate some snacks and felt their energy return.
Hongying's husband's surname was He, and he was known as Scholar He.
After a moment's thought, He Xiucai decided to leave. These refugees were not his people, and those people were not good either! He had taken good care of them over the years, but when it came to this crisis, not a single one of them offered a helping hand. They were even worse off than complete strangers!
Whether it was because he had food in his stomach or because he had drunk sugar water, he felt much better. He told his wife to pack their things and hurry up and catch up with Qin San Niang's carriage. It would be even better if they could catch up with them before they reached Huozhou City.
Seeing her husband regain his vitality, Hongying naturally nodded. Her husband was always shrewd and calculating, except for a slight mistake regarding the clan matter. Listening to him was definitely the right thing to do!
They planned to take a shortcut into the mountains, walking along the mountainside to avoid the refugees and catch up with Qin San Niang and her cart as quickly as possible. Also, they needed to build a stove and cook firewood, something they couldn't let the other refugees see, otherwise it would be another unnecessary disaster.
As for why Qin San Niang changed her mind and gave Hong Ying the gifts, it was because Hong Ying's manners were impeccable, clearly indicating she wasn't an ordinary housewife. Furthermore, the woman wore a string of beads around her waist; if she had made them herself, she must be a skillful and clever woman. Even though Qin San Niang hadn't agreed to help her, Hong Ying hadn't spoken ill of her; her eyes only showed disappointment. Considering all this, Qin San Niang decided to take the gamble and save as many as possible!
Back to Qin San Niang's side, there were different voices in the Lu Family Village group. Many people had seen Hong Ying begging for food in front of Qin San Niang, and they were very angry about Qin San Niang's actions. Yes, that's right, they were angry!
"What a heartless woman! Didn't she see that the baby on that woman's back was starving? She's a mother too, how could she be so cruel?!"
"Exactly, that's absolutely vicious."
"Such a vicious person doesn't deserve to follow us from Lujia Village. I don't know what the old village head and his family were thinking! They've been blinded by greed!"
"They must have plenty of food in their carriages. We're almost out of food now, so they're even less likely to share with us later!"
"Yes, yes, they're simply heartless rich people..."
“Mother, I think the villagers are right. What that Lady Qin did just now was indeed wrong.” The speaker was the second daughter-in-law of Old Lady Chen’s family.
"Shut your stinking mouth! Use your pig brain! If you give them food, hundreds or thousands of other refugees will swarm around you. At best you'll be injured, at worst you'll die. One spit or a nail from each of them could drown you!"
This second daughter-in-law is usually petty and narrow-minded. In good years, it would be fine, but after fleeing from disaster, it turns out she's utterly brainless! She never liked this girl from the start, and if it weren't for her second son insisting on marrying her, she would never have gone through with a matchmaker! Now, she'd rather send her back!
Zhang held her mother-in-law's hand, "Mother, don't be angry. We can't say anything now. I think most people in the village feel the same way. I'm afraid..."
Old Mrs. Chen sighed and waved to her eldest daughter-in-law, knowing she was right. But if things continued like this, these clansmen would inevitably run into trouble sooner or later. If that happened, it would be better to part ways with that girl Qin's family as soon as possible, to avoid any further unpleasantness later, which would surely lead to them hating her as well!
Lu Dingtian walked side by side with his eldest son, both of them fuming with rage! What a bunch of ignorant fools! Looks like I'll have to teach them a lesson later!
However, before any warning could be given, something went wrong.
That night, someone started a plan, and about twenty men decided to steal grain from Qin Sanniang's house. They discussed it privately, deciding to first tie up Gu Qingshan, then subdue Qin Sanniang. These two were the strongest, but even with two against twenty, they didn't think they would lose, especially at night when they were most exhausted.
However, to their surprise, Qin San Niang and her gang wiped them all out. Those kneeling on the ground were still in shock, completely bewildered!
Having just witnessed Qin Sanniang's ruthlessness, the men felt a chill run down their spines when they saw her sitting on the front of the cart, staring at them expressionlessly. Looking at Liu the Cripple lying unconscious beside them, they were truly worried for themselves.
Besides robbing grain, Liu the Cripple had other ideas; he also had his eye on Qin San Niang's looks.
Although Qin San Niang didn't consider herself a beauty, there were hardly any good-looking men on the street, and she, on the other hand, ate well, slept well, and didn't have to be exposed to the wind and sun, which made her stand out. This was enough for Liu the Cripple to have evil intentions!
He not only coveted the mule carts, horse-drawn carriages, grain, and money, but if he could also find a capable wife along the way, wouldn't that be even better?
So, when everyone was setting a trap for Gu Qingshan, Liu the Cripple slipped to the outside of Qin Sanniang's tent, intending to cover her with a towel soaked in sleeping potion, and then he could do whatever he wanted. Once she was his, wouldn't all the carts, horses, and grain be his? As for those brutes? He'd just give them a token amount!
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