Song He'er didn't say anything and followed Chun Di back.
When they returned to their tents, everyone was dressed, carrying large cleavers for chopping vegetables and some other sharp weapons for defense, watching the movements ahead with predatory eyes.
"He'er, how was it? Were there any wolves over there?" Qin Xiaoniang asked hurriedly.
Song He'er shook her head. "Nothing was found. We are still safe."
Li Qiang's wife hugged her two children tightly, sighed, and replied, "Alas, we were able to save ourselves today thanks to those few candles. If wolves come again tomorrow, we won't have any extra candles to light."
Zhang Xiue smiled nonchalantly: "To paraphrase He'er, there's always a way out, and things will work themselves out. There's always a way tomorrow."
Song He'er was indeed in a dilemma after hearing this, after all, there would be many troubles to be encountered tomorrow.
The first problem to solve is the firewood problem, and the second problem is the candle problem.
Moreover, there aren't many vegetables left; the freshest thing we have every day is the bean sprouts we grow ourselves.
But now the desert is arid and water-scarce, and these bean sprouts don't have enough water to grow, so they probably won't last more than a few days.
"I see the noise ahead has subsided, is everything alright now?" Li Qiang's wife asked.
“We placed the candles far away from here, and in a low place, so they won’t find us at all. As long as we don’t light the candles or talk, we should be fine, because if these wolves can’t find food, they’ll move on to the next place,” Chun Di explained patiently from the side.
“Then let’s lie down in peace and not say a word. If we survive this ordeal, tomorrow will be a good day.” With that, Li Qiang’s wife took the child and returned to her tent.
No one got a good night's rest; everyone was on edge. They finally made it to dawn, only to be harassed again by the group of prisoners ahead.
Zhang Xiue went out to argue with them, "Didn't we give you food? Why are you causing trouble now? You're so untrustworthy!"
The leader clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "My name is Wang San. Madam, please don't misunderstand us. We're not here to ask you for food, but to help you."
"Help us? Help us with what?"
Wang San sighed, his expression somewhat displeased. "My lady, you seem to be judging us by your own petty standards. Although we are prisoners being escorted to the southern border, we were once a prominent family in the capital, well-read and educated. We would never do something so dishonest. I admit that it was wrong of us to steal your food, but that was only to survive! Now that you have saved us, we will certainly not harm you again."
Seeing that their story sounded plausible, Qin Xiaoniang came out of the tent and persuaded Zhang Xiue to come behind her.
"Madam Zhang, let's talk this out."
After saying that, she walked up to the man who called himself Wang San and said, "Are you from a wealthy family in the capital? Have you done something wrong? My sister is straightforward, but what she said is not entirely unreasonable. Please be lenient with her and let's talk it out."
After pondering for a while, Wang San straightened his attitude and continued, "This lady speaks very kindly. We are from the Wang family in the capital. Wang San is just an alias of mine. As for who I really am, I cannot say. I have come to you today only to help you get through this difficult time together. I have no other intentions."
"So, how do you heroes plan to help us?" Qin Xiaoniang asked directly.
Wang San looked around and said calmly, "I think you all know about the wolf pack that appeared yesterday, right?"
Qin Xiaoniang nodded. "We saw it."
"In this vast desert, we are already insignificant. To withstand the attacks of wild beasts, we need sufficient firepower to resist their invasion and survive to leave this desert. We also narrowly escaped death yesterday. I imagine you all stayed up all night as well?"
Qin Xiaoniang smiled and said, "Since you know so much about this, you might as well just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."
Wang San was a straightforward man. Seeing Qin Xiaoniang's easygoing attitude, he put aside all his concerns and said directly, "Why don't we team up and travel together? Don't worry, from now on, we'll each eat our own food, and we won't take a single grain of rice from you!"
Song He'er was puzzled. If they didn't eat their food, how would they survive?
As she was thinking this, her gaze drifted to a spot not far away, and suddenly she spotted two blood-soaked wolves on the ground.
Song He'er exclaimed in surprise, "You...killed the wolf!"
The burly man next to Wang San nodded, glanced casually at the wolf's corpse behind them, and turned back to reply, "Miss, don't be afraid, it's completely dead!"
Zhang Xiue stared at them in disbelief, "What...did you use to kill them?"
"He was strangled with his hands and then stoned to death!"
Zhang Xiu'e felt a chill run down her spine at the thought of the bloody scene. "You... if you can kill wolves, why are you traveling with us? We... we don't have the ability to kill white wolves with our bare hands."
Upon hearing this, Wang San smiled and waved to the people behind him. The next moment, a young boy, not very old, led a boy of about two years old over.
“I’m a straightforward person, so I won’t beat around the bush. I have a two-year-old son. His mother suffered from hunger and cold on the way to exile and then fell ill and passed away. He’s my only child, so I have to make plans for him. That’s why I thought I’d let him sleep in your tent. It would be warmer and he could stay healthy. If you agree, we’ll protect you women tonight. What do you say?”
Song He'er looked the ragged boy up and down. He was about the same age as Su Yu's wife's child, but his face was very pale and sickly. His hands and feet were also injured, dark and festering.
Qin Xiaoniang and Su Yu's wife were timid. When they heard that someone would protect them, and the conditions offered by the other party were not too difficult to agree to, they thought about agreeing.
Song He'er thought to herself, instead of living in fear every night, why not find someone to help them? That way, they wouldn't have to move things around in their space without a suitable excuse.
Thinking of this, she readily agreed, "Mother, I feel sorry for this little brother. Taking him in will also be a way to find a playmate for my younger siblings..."
Qin Xiaoniang and Zhang Xiue nodded together. "I think it's settled then. But I'll make this clear from the start: we don't have much food left and can't feed all of you. We can help you find food, but you're not allowed to take anything from us. After all, we have many children and need food to survive."
Upon hearing this, Wang San burst into laughter, "Lady, don't worry. These two wolves we hunted aren't just for show; we can roast them and eat them. We won't touch your things."
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