Jiang Yuwei looked at the three of them and asked:
Where is the stuff?
Granny He hurriedly pointed to the kitchen and said:
"They're all inside, all inside, except for these that are on display today, everything else is inside."
Jiang Yuwei gestured for Tie Zhu, Ning Wu, and Yun Qing to go inside and move the things. Then, looking at the messy, rummaged-through food on the table, she said:
"Let's leave the grain outside for everyone to eat. Thank you all for your help today."
Seeing that Tie Zhu and the others had moved all their things out, Jiang Yuwei didn't want to linger in Xiaogouzi Village any longer. After all, she had already wasted an entire afternoon yesterday giving Ning Huaizhi acupuncture, and now she had to hurry on her way.
So Jiang Yuwei addressed the villagers who had already sat back down and continued eating:
"Right now, Granny He and her family are still from your Xiaogouzi Village. As for how you want to deal with the three of them, that's up to your village to decide. Whether you send them to the authorities or kick them out of the village, it's all fine. After all, with villagers like that staying in the village, I'm afraid no one can sleep peacefully at night."
The villagers nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
"Yes, how can I possibly get a good night's sleep?"
“Those three of them have stolen things from our house quite a few times!”
"Yes, we can't let them stay in the village any longer!"
"Then let's send those three to the authorities together after we finish eating!"
Seeing how much the villagers resented Granny He's family, Jiang Yuwei felt relieved. She simply didn't have time to handle such matters herself, so letting the villagers do it was a good idea.
After all, the reputation of Granny He's family had long been ruined, and the villagers had long disliked them. Now that they had such a good opportunity to drive Granny He's family out of Xiaogouzi Village, they certainly wouldn't let it go easily.
With that thought in mind, Jiang Yuwei bid farewell to the villagers, packed her belongings and left Xiaogouzi Village. As for the fate of Granny He's family, it was none of her business anymore. After all, their current situation was entirely their own doing.
At this moment, Gou Dan and Ning Zhao were anxiously waiting at the village entrance. When they saw Jiang Yuwei and her group finally coming out, they were relieved and ran back into the woods to report the news.
"Father, Father, Mother brought Xu Qianqian and all the lost things back with her!"
Ning Huaizhi smiled happily upon hearing Ning Zhao's words.
Chen Guixiang, who was standing to the side, was relieved at this moment, knowing that she would no longer have to go to the capital on an empty stomach.
Wang Ma was overjoyed. Now that everything was coming back, she naturally couldn't delay her journey. Every day on the way to the capital, Wang Ma was filled with anxiety, fearing that the Princess Consort wouldn't be able to wait for her to return to the palace with the two young masters.
Jiang Yuwei led Tie Zhu and the others back to the woods, then instructed everyone to pack up their belongings, eat some dry rations, and set off. Xu Qianqian, on the other hand, went back to the carriage to be affectionate with Ning Chunlin.
Sun glanced at the carriage and cursed viciously:
"You slut, why didn't that thief torture you to death? What are you doing back here? Bah!"
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei could only sigh helplessly. She knew that Xu Qianqian's methods were something that Sun Shi alone could not possibly defeat.
However, Jiang Yuwei didn't intend to meddle in other people's business. After all, it was their family matter. Besides, in Jiang Yuwei's heart, this Sun Shi was no good either. Watching the two of them fight over Ning Chunlin, that fool, every day was not without its own amusement.
After finishing breakfast, everyone hurriedly packed their things and set off. After what happened with Granny He, even without Jiang Yuwei's reminder, everyone became more cautious. When traveling, you encounter all kinds of people, and you can't just talk to anyone casually in the future.
Because they were in a hurry to get on their way, the group did not dare to rest and walked for a whole day. When anyone got hungry, they would eat some dry food with pickled vegetables to make do. However, the further north they went, the more barren the land became. Perhaps it was because there had been no fish in the north for many days. They could not find any grass to feed the cattle and horses.
Ning Zhao and Gou Dan traveled to many places but could only barely find some dry grass to feed the cows and horses.
After leaving Xiaogouzi Village, they encountered many refugees along the way. Many people wanted to ask Jiang Yuwei and her group for some food, but Jiang Yuwei refused them all because she knew the wickedness of human nature and really didn't want to get into any more trouble.
"Huaizhi, why are all these people out here as refugees instead of staying at home?"
Jiang Yuwei asked, somewhat puzzled.
Ning Huaizhi sighed and looked at the emaciated refugees not far away, saying:
"If one could have enough to eat at home, who would want to come out and become a refugee, wandering from place to place?"
Jiang Yuwei nodded.
"They are indeed pitiful. Perhaps it's because it hasn't rained for days, and there's no harvest in the fields. They've been forced to do this because they have no other choice but to go out and make a living."
Ning Huaizhi looked at the cracked ground caused by lack of water and sighed:
"Being a farmer means relying on God to give you a good meal."
As the two were talking, a little girl about the same age as Ning Wan suddenly ran to the front of Jiang Yuwei's oxcart, stretched out her thin arms, and weakly called out:
"Kind people, please have mercy! My mother is starving to death, please save her!"
Jiang Yuwei wanted to refuse, but looking at the emaciated child in front of her, who could barely stand and was thinking of begging for food to save his mother, she couldn't help but think about it.
Jiang Yuwei suddenly remembered when she first met Ning Zhao and Ning Wan. The two children were also so thin and weak, with sallow complexions, timid nature, and wearing patched and tattered clothes, all because of Chen Guixiang's torment.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yuwei couldn't help but feel her eyes well up with tears. Now, looking at her two children, who had been fed by her and were now plump and adorable, she felt as if they had been reborn.
Jiang Yuwei looked at the little girl in front of her again and sighed helplessly:
Where is your mother?
The little girl pointed to a woman lying under a big tree not far away. Jiang Yuwei glanced at her from a distance and, seeing that there was no one else around, took out two steamed buns and two salted eggs from her bundle and handed them to the girl, saying:
"Here you go, take it and eat it, but don't let anyone else see."
The girl took the food, knelt down, kowtowed to Jiang Yuwei and Ning Huaizhi, and cried as she said:
"Thank you, thank you."
After saying that, she took the grain and ran to her mother's side to feed her.
Jiang Yuwei sighed as she watched the child's retreating figure. Seeing this, Ning Huaizhi said:
“Yuwei, if you’re worried about them, let’s rest here for the night. It’s getting dark, though, and we probably can’t go any further.”
Jiang Yuwei looked at the sky and nodded:
“Alright, I originally wanted to leave this area before resting, but I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of here anytime soon. I can only rest here for the night and continue my journey tomorrow morning.”
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