"Look, we were looking behind them while they were walking in front, that's why we didn't bump into them."
"Moreover, if we wait any longer, we won't have enough food. During the previous riots by the refugees, many of our belongings were stolen. We're afraid our current food reserves won't last until we reach Huichun."
“Then we won’t wait any longer, let’s go to Huichun.” Li Xiujuan was not one to drag things out. Although she was still hesitant, she rallied herself. She couldn’t let her two daughters be a burden to everyone.
Xiao Guai stayed by Li Xiujuan's side, and when Li Xiujuan reached out, Xiao Guai obediently jumped onto her and gently licked her eyes.
"My little darling is so good." Li Xiujuan stroked the little darling, choked up, and buried her face in the little darling's fluffy fur.
After spending three days on the mountain, Lin Zhaozhao and Lin Yangyang recovered their health, and the three adults, one child, and one vine decisively descended the mountain.
"The official road is much wider." Lin Zhaozhao sighed, shielding Ping An from the glaring sunlight. The three sisters paused for a moment.
"Go back to spring?"
"Well, when everyone was together, they only mentioned Huichun. We were delayed by three days, so my parents will most likely arrive before us."
"I hope Huichun won't end up like Shou'an."
“Speaking of Shou’an, I’ve actually heard some rumors,” Li Yunyun said hesitantly, only to be glared at by Lin Zhaozhao. “Speak like a human being.”
Li Yunyun's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly regained her composure. "I heard it from the three refugees who arrested me. Apparently, it's because there were too many refugees gathered outside the city, which angered the powerful and wealthy. In order to change the situation, the government took drastic measures and bribed the refugees to stir up trouble, so that the government could beat and expel the refugees with a legitimate reason."
Thinking of the stampede outside Shou'an City that day, Lin Zhaozhao's breathing quickened slightly. "It seems that the results were quite fruitful. Shou'an is truly a good dog."
If she gets the chance, she will definitely take revenge.
As spring approached, the number of disaster victims increased, including the Lin and Li families.
Under the scorching sun, the family looked pale and sickly, their lips cracked and peeling from dehydration. They found a shady spot to sit down, their bellies empty, and they all tried their best to tighten their belts.
They saw more corpses on the road from Shou'an to Huichun than they had seen in the previous month or so. There were corpses on the road and in the water, all rotten beyond recognition. The stench was so strong that even if you covered your mouth and nose, you could still smell it, and it made you gag.
At Grandma Li's suggestion, they now drink the leftover water from before, and even when they are thirsty, they only dare to take a small sip. They also dare not eat too much of the stored food, for fear of getting thirsty.
During a short break, the family would each break off a small piece of biscuit and put it in their mouths, then take a small sip of water and swallow it after it softened.
Looking at his suffering mother and wife, Li Minghui handed them the water from his bamboo tube. "Just bear with it a little longer. I asked around on the way, and it's only fifty li from Huichun. We should be able to get there by tomorrow."
Hearing this, everyone remained dejected. No one knew whether Huichun would be the second Shou'an. The excitement they had felt when they arrived in Shou'an had faded into indifference.
The only exception was Zhang Dandan. She suddenly stood up and ran in a certain direction, crying out "Father, Mother!" in a heart-wrenching voice. Old Mrs. Li frowned, thinking that her in-laws had done something to her.
"Dan Niang." The Zhang family members were also good at acting. They immediately burst into tears on the road and coaxed Zhang Dan Dan into revealing the truth with a few kind words. After learning that the Li family had no food reserves, the old man and old woman Zhang's expressions instantly turned pale.
"Mom and Dad, your bundles are quite full. Share some with me and my in-laws. Those flatbreads are so dry and hard. It takes a long time to swallow them. They make my throat hurt." Zhang Dandan was not good at reading people's expressions. Anyone with eyes could see that Old Mrs. Zhang was unwilling, but she pressed for details as if it were a casual conversation.
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