Bai Yong’an looked at her with a smile, his eyes crinkling in amusement, and he couldn’t help but laugh along.

Though his actions were a bit impulsive, he genuinely liked this girl.

If not for the thirteen-year age gap between them, he might have even considered taking her in as his goddaughter.

However, his own son was already fifteen, so recognizing this girl as his goddaughter wouldn’t seem inappropriate.

Bai Yong’an had always wished for his wife to give birth to a daughter, but unfortunately, after all these years, they only had that one mischievous boy.

Now, looking at Shen Qingwan, the more he saw her, the more he liked her.

It was just a pity—she was three years older than his son and had two little children in tow.

Otherwise, Bai Yong’an would have definitely tried to bring her into the family as his daughter-in-law.

But when he thought about his own troublemaking son, he felt that the boy wasn’t worthy of Shen Qingwan.

As Bai Yong’an was caught up in his thoughts, the wolf meat in the pot had already finished cooking.

The meat was soft and tender.

Just as Shen Qingwan scooped some out, Bai Yong’an couldn’t wait any longer and picked up a rib to gnaw on.

Shen Qingwan handed a piece to Xiao Yu and Xiao Chen as well.

The two little ones blew on it impatiently before taking a bite, and the flavor was so rich it seemed to melt on their tongues.

Compared to Shen Qingwan’s savory braised meat, the wolf meat cooked by others in the village didn’t taste nearly as good.

Most of them were reluctant to use salt, so the meat turned out bland.

Though still edible, it couldn’t compare to Shen Qingwan’s flavorful dish.

Even those who did use salt only had coarse salt, which lacked the depth of Shen Qingwan’s seasoning.

Nevertheless, the villagers devoured their meals, their mouths slick with oil.

It had been so long since they’d last eaten meat that they nearly forgot what it tasted like.

For farmers, having meat twice a year was already a luxury.

So, the wolf meat was an absolute treat.

On the other side, the refugees had finished cooking their bone broth.

While some gnawed on meat, others drank soup, creating an unexpectedly harmonious scene.

However, not everyone was content with just drinking soup.

In the shadows of the valley, a few refugees armed with large knives stood in the corner, sniffing the air as the fragrance of cooked meat stirred their hunger.

“Boss, that meat smells amazing. They have so much wolf meat, there’s no way they can finish it all. Why don’t we make a big move tonight?”

A small, shifty-looking man stepped forward, practically drooling.

“Rat, don’t talk nonsense! Didn’t you see how they slaughtered those wolves? Even the wolf pack couldn’t beat them. There’s only three of us—going up against them would be suicide.”

He had seen it with his own eyes—these people had skilled archers and an incredibly strong fighter.

If they tried to rob them, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

“The second brother is right. We can’t afford to mess with those people. But tonight, we’re getting meat no matter what. Same plan as always—find two young ones and take them away. Roasting them tastes even better than wolf meat.”

Upon hearing this, Rat chuckled wickedly. “Boss, you’re the smartest. I’ll go scout the area now.”

Under the cover of night, the three of them slinked toward the refugee camp like rats in the sewers, moving silently.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingwan had already eaten her fill, her belly round and satisfied. It was the first time in days she had felt this full.

The two children were also content. Shen Qingwan carried them onto the mule cart to rest. Bai Yong’an, having not eaten such delicious meat in a long time, found himself overeating to the point of discomfort.

Even Da Huang, the dog, had feasted on plenty of meat, though the leftover bones were too much for him to finish. Unfortunately, the little puppies were still too young and could only drink milk, missing out on the wolf meat.

It was truly a rare sight—dogs feasting on wolves. Da Huang’s life felt complete.

Among the villagers, only Shen Qingwan’s household ate freely. The others rationed their portions, each person having only a little while saving the rest for later. With these wolf carcasses, they had enough meat to last them three to four days.

Because they had spent extra time cooking the meat, it was already past midnight by the time they settled down to rest. The village chief arranged for people to take turns keeping watch.

Perhaps it was because of the fright they had suffered during the day, or maybe it was simply because they were full for once, but everyone quickly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. It was the first night in a long time they weren’t going to bed hungry.

At dawn, as the first rays of golden sunlight illuminated the valley, a woman’s piercing scream shattered the morning stillness. Desperate cries filled the air as people searched for their missing children.

Shen Qingwan got up and immediately saw two ragged women frantically looking for their children. Her heart sank—she had a bad feeling about what had happened.

By now, it was too late. If they had realized last night, there might have been a chance to save the children. But at this point, they were probably already in the stomachs of some beasts.

The village chief furrowed his brows, understanding what had likely happened. In times of famine, it wasn’t uncommon for people to resort to desperate measures. Parents trading or even eating their own children was not unheard of.

He had hoped their situation wasn’t that dire yet, but clearly, things had already spiraled out of control faster than expected.

It had only been eleven days since they started fleeing the famine, and already, cannibalism had begun. How could they not be terrified?

“Everyone, pack up. We need to move on,” the village chief ordered.

Shen Qingwan reminded the chief to have the villagers hang the wolf skins on their carts and keep their blades in plain sight. That way, any potential attackers would know they had the ability to kill wolves and wouldn’t dare target them.

As they traveled forward, the conditions for refugees worsened. Along the roadsides, there were hardly any edible plants left. Some had started eating clay to stave off hunger. At the beginning of their journey, many had provisions, but due to the dangerous and lawless roads, most had been robbed until they had nothing left.

The scorching heat only made things worse. Compared to hunger, dehydration was even deadlier—without food, they could still scrape by eating bark and roots, but without water, survival was impossible.

“Mother, I’m thirsty,”

Xiao Chen, sitting in the mule cart, was drenched in sweat. Xiao Yu’s face was flushed red from the heat. The cart was stifling, offering little relief.

Shen Qingwan handed them a water pouch. The little ones gulped down several mouthfuls.

Bai Yong’an, too, was parched, but his body was too dry to even produce sweat. The moment it surfaced, it was instantly evaporated.

Shen Qingwan passed him some water. Bai Yong’an hesitated, worried they might run out, but Shen Qingwan assured him they had enough. Only then did he take a large sip.

Many villagers were already suffering from dehydration, but they were still far from Linzhou City. They needed to find water.

“Father, I want water.”

“Me too, Father!”

Damao and Ermao clung to Lu Dachuan, their lips cracked and peeling.

Lu Dachuan shook his nearly empty water pouch. “Hold on a little longer. We’ll find water soon.”

“Chief! There’s a village up ahead! Maybe we can get some water there!”

Someone shouted, and everyone turned to look. Indeed, there was a village in the distance.

A village meant wells—perhaps they could finally quench their thirst.

The village chief’s eyes lit up with hope. He quickly ordered Lu Dajiang to take a few men ahead to scout for water.