After traveling for three days, they finally saw the rugged mountains in the distance. Once they crossed these mountains, they could reach the Leling Prefecture in another five days.
The villagers' joy was palpable.
"That's great. I wonder if my relatives are already waiting for us there."
Another villager said with delight, "We've finally made it through! The road from Leling Prefecture is much smoother than this."
"Alas, I've heard that many refugees have gathered in the villages outside Leling Prefecture."
How did you know?
"Mind your own business!" the villager retorted. Who was this guy? He was being questioned for giving him information; good intentions were met with no reward.
"you!"
The villager who was rebuked got angry, but only briefly. After all, the other person was tall and strong, and he couldn't beat him in a fight, nor did he dare to curse him.
Zhen Wanwan was ecstatic! A carriage! A carriage!
This time, she was determined to buy a horse-drawn carriage, because every day she was either walking or sitting in a donkey cart that was shaking like crazy.
People who don't usually get carsick are now getting carsick.
Sweetie lay obediently in her mother's arms, easily noticing Zhen Wanwan's emotional changes.
She felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. But as long as her mother was happy, she was happy too!
Qu Huaiyuan noticed Zhen Wanwan's joy and felt a warmth in his heart. His eyes were full of smiles: "Before the famine, Leling Prefecture was the prefecture with the highest tax revenue every year. Not only were the granaries full, but the supplies were also abundant. We can rest in the prefecture for a few more days then."
This statement was unanimously agreed upon; the Zhou, Qu, Dongzi, and Zhen families were now all openly linked together.
They always consult with each other about anything that comes up, helping each other out. Their relationship is even better than that of blood-related families.
Long ago, they decided to settle in Anqing Prefecture with the Zhen family. This way, they could cross five more prefectures from Leling Prefecture and arrive in Anqing Prefecture ahead of time.
Hope was rekindled in everyone's hearts, and they traveled much faster than usual.
We arrived at the foot of the mountain a few minutes before sunset, and in the afterglow of the setting sun, we could vaguely see the rugged mountain landscape.
As its name suggests, the mountain path was rugged and uneven. Looking at the narrow and small path, everyone present fell silent. The path was even more difficult to walk than they had imagined.
Grandma Li looked somewhat forlorn, as if she were looking back at her grandfather when he was young through those narrow paths. Back then, everyone in the village was forced to come and build roads, and very few people were able to go home.
The better ones, like her father, fell off a cliff and only broke their legs, not dying. The worst ones were left with only a bloody mess of flesh, and the government gave them two taels of silver as compensation to save their lives.
Her memory will always be filled with images of Grandpa Li's severe leg injury, leaving him lying in bed sighing every day, and her mother having to take care of her father after finishing her farm work.
All of this is caused by frequent wars, either to defend against enemies or for the throne. There has not been a single day of peace in these decades.
When Zhen Wanwan saw Old Lady Li secretly wiping away tears, she felt a mix of emotions. It was always the common people who suffered in times of war, and she wondered when the Hua Dynasty would be able to quell the chaos.
If the war continues, it will be extremely difficult for her to live in seclusion. Moreover, in chaotic times, for ordinary people like her with no background or money, life is the least valuable thing.
No matter how difficult the road ahead may be, Zhen Wanwan is determined to create a paradise for her family!
Don't ask her why she's so assertive; with her spatial abilities, she's got the world at her fingertips!
As night falls, we can only find a place to stay at the foot of the mountain tonight and set off again early tomorrow morning.
The villagers spontaneously organized themselves and lit bonfires. The women diligently washed rice and cooked, while the men went out to collect firewood. Before long, everyone was enjoying a hot meal.
After Zhen Wanwan had eaten and drunk her fill, she began to prepare formula for the twins. She set up a simple bed under the tree roots, and the twins were placed on the softest mattress.
Tiger and the other children surrounded the twins, calling out "younger brother" and "younger sister" incessantly, having a great time and not feeling at all that the twins disliked them.
The two children looked utterly defeated; their older siblings were torturing their ears again!
I want to escape... but I can't...
My mind started replaying the songs my mother used to sing from time to time—they were so fitting for the occasion!
"Alright, stop bothering your little brother and sister. Auntie is going to feed them milk. Go sit down over there, and I'll tell you a story in a bit."
Upon hearing this, the younger members of the Zhen family danced with joy, exclaiming, "Great! I want to hear it..."
"No, I want this..."
The group started arguing about what story they wanted to hear that night. This scene seemed familiar, just like when we were kids fighting with our siblings for the remote control to watch TV series.
The two babies, still in their swaddling clothes, were also looking forward to their mother's bedtime story. After diligently finishing their milk, they held onto Zhen Wanwan's collar tightly with their hands and feet.
Zhen Wanwan didn't want to forcibly pull the people down, so she held Guaibao and started telling stories to the younger ones. Tianbao had finished her milk first, so she didn't have a chance to pester her mother.
Grandma Li looked at the little girl with envy in her eyes. She couldn't bear to see the little girl lying alone, so she picked her up and listened to Zhen Wanwan tell a story.
The Zhou and Dong families, who lived nearby, had children who looked longingly at the Zhen family and cast envious glances at Hu Zi and his friends.
Qu Huaiyuan found this scene inexplicably amusing, and waved his hand without any politeness, signaling the child to go over and listen to Zhen Wanwan's storytelling.
Zhen Wanwan didn't have any objections to this, and even became more enthusiastic when there were more people around.
The Qu family home was extremely quiet and deserted because it only had Qu Huaiyuan and Aunt Qu.
When Zhen Wanwan got to the climax of the story, the children would always exclaim in surprise. Although Aunt Qu's eyesight was poor, her hearing was very sharp.
She angrily scolded Qu Huaiyuan, "Envious, huh? Envy won't change anything! If you had listened to me, you would have been married and had children long ago..."
Hearing that his mother was about to start lecturing again, Qu Huaiyuan admitted defeat and said, "Mother, I know what you mean. If you think the house is too quiet, you can go over and help Zhen Niangzi take care of the children from time to time."
"Do you even need to tell me that! If you were any more successful, would I need to be babysitting other people's grandchildren?"
Suddenly, Aunt Qu seemed to think of something bad and began to blame herself, saying, "This is also my fault. When I was young, my eyes were not blind, but my heart was blinded. I only wanted you to pass the imperial examination and then get married."
"Who knew... Alas, I really regret it. Everyone says you should settle down and start a family before building a career. I've put the cart before the horse."
Qu Huaiyuan shook his head helplessly, squatted down and comforted Aunt Qu: "This is my own choice, it has little to do with you, Mother, so please don't always take the blame on yourself."
Aunt Qu sighed and silently patted Qu Huaiyuan's hand: "Son, I used to be arrogant and looked down on this person and that person. From now on, I'll do whatever you want as long as you're happy."
Upon hearing this, Qu Huaiyuan laughed: "Then just don't regret it..."
Unconsciously, his gaze fell on Zhen Wanwan in the group of children. He noticed that when she got excited, she would slap her thigh, making her seem lively and energetic.
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