Chapter 11: Jiang Wan’s Frenzied Thoughts on How to Respond

The boxes were neatly arranged in front of her, and Jiang Wan excitedly ran a circle around them. “Little Elf, do these things have an owner?”

Even if they did, she felt like her claws were almost unable to resist.

“Don’t worry, master. These items are from the rebel forces of the previous dynasty. They are ownerless.”

The Little Elf’s words made Jiang Wan feel completely at ease. She waved her hand, and the items were quickly tossed into the space, followed by an excited electronic voice.

“Congratulations, master! The stockpiling mission is 70% complete…”

It was clear that this Little Elf loved wealth too—a kindred spirit. Jiang Wan’s lips curled into a satisfied smile as she looked at the space filled with treasures.

Following the same method, she dove into the pond, climbed back into the cave, quietly changed into a new set of clothes, dried her hair, and then silently approached Song Jiuyuan’s side.

As soon as she sat down, her gaze met Song Jiuyuan’s deep eyes, and Jiang Wan froze in shock, her heart racing up to her throat.

“I… I just went for a small break.”

Oh my god, when did this guy wake up? He shouldn’t have seen her sneak over, right? After all, given his current state, he couldn’t move.

Jiang Wan’s mind raced with strategies on how to handle the situation.

“Rest earlier.”

Song Jiuyuan’s voice still carried a slight hoarseness. He closed his eyes, hiding the complexity and suspicion in his gaze, and started to rest.

Clearly, he didn’t care where Jiang Wan had gone or what she had done.

Jiang Wan let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like he had just woken up and didn’t notice anything. But she’d have to be more cautious in the future.

With that in mind, Jiang Wan didn’t sleep either. She sat by the fire, waiting for everyone to fall asleep before she popped the blisters on her feet and then used some ointment from her space to treat them.

Only then did she feel assured enough to close her eyes and rest. The next day, she was woken up by the shouting of the officials.

“Get up, get up! Everyone, rise! No slacking off!”

These people had previously lived in luxury and couldn’t handle the drop in their status. Now, they were still groggily trying to stay in bed.

As a result, Ren Bang snapped his whip violently against the stone wall. “If anyone dares to waste my time, don’t blame me for being impolite!”

The sound of the whip cracking on the stone wall made everyone, still in deep sleep, jump in fright, and they immediately stopped trying to sleep.

Even Song Jiuchu suddenly leapt up, feeling as if his body had been crushed under a boulder. In fact, not just him—everyone there was in unbearable pain.

Song Jiuli rubbed her eyes and cried, “Mom, my whole body hurts.”

The pampered young lady, for the first time, endured this kind of suffering. But Madam Song had no way to help her, so she could only comfort her softly.

Meanwhile, Song Jiuyuan, who had the most severe injuries, was the strongest of them all. He never uttered a word of complaint. Honestly, Jiang Wan admired such strong people from the bottom of her heart.

For breakfast, each person received a black and hard bun, which was hard to swallow, making everyone’s throats hurt. However, after yesterday’s ordeal, no one dared to complain. They silently accepted it.

But those with a bit of silver left, like Shen Qian, refused to eat it. Instead, she took out the dry food her mother had prepared for her from her bag.

Just as she was about to divide it and give some to Song Chen and the second branch, the old lady stopped her and told her to give it to the third branch instead.

There wasn’t much dry food, and with so many people, there was hardly any left by the time it was shared. This made Shen Qian fume with anger.

On the other hand, the main branch continued to eat the difficult bun. Even though Jiang Wan’s space had delicious food, she didn’t mind eating it.

After all, before her abilities had awakened in her previous life, she had endured many hardships.

The group set off and continued on their journey. Jiang Wan clearly felt that the surveillance-like gaze had disappeared. She guessed that the people sent by the “Dog Emperor” had withdrawn.

As before, Song Jiuchu carried Song Jiuyuan, and it was evident that the weak boy was pushing himself hard.

Most likely, yesterday’s division of the family made Song Jiuchu realize that now, apart from the eldest brother, he was the only man left in their family. If he didn’t carry him, who would?

While walking, Jiang Wan noticed some wild herbs by the roadside. She quickly bent down to pick some, quietly tossing a few into her space. If she could plant them in the future, her space would have its own supply.

Seeing her picking herbs, Song Jiuli sneered, “What are you picking? Don’t tell me you’re going to eat these wild grasses?”

She harbored resentment toward Jiang Wan. If it weren’t for her, perhaps the main branch wouldn’t have been separated yesterday.

Who knows, today she might have even received some dry food from Shen Qian.

Hearing this, Song Jiuchu gave her a glance, his eyes filled with disgust. Instead of thinking about how to help everyone, she was picking wild herbs?

“Stop talking nonsense. Your sister-in-law must have her reasons for doing this.”

After a day, Madam Song’s opinion of Jiang Wan had changed, and her attitude toward her was naturally different as well.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan felt a sense of comfort and smiled at Madam Song, explaining, “This plant is called Artemisia. It typically helps stop bleeding, reduce swelling, or treat abscesses. I thought my husband might need it, so I picked some.”

Afterward, Jiang Wan glanced at Song Jiuli with a half-smile and said, “Actually, my little sister isn’t completely wrong. This thing can actually be eaten—stir-fried or made into a cold salad. At least it’s better than the black buns.”

Her words were clearly sarcastic. Song Jiuli, a pampered young lady who had never touched a blade of grass, had no idea about these things, and Jiang Wan’s mockery made her face turn pale.

“Hmph, who knows if what you said is true or not?”

She turned her face away from Jiang Wan, her disdain unmistakable.

“Whether it’s true or not, it’s none of your business,” Jiang Wan thought. They were all exiles now, who was more noble than the other?

Madam Song, hearing Jiang Wan’s words, immediately became excited. “Wanwan, can this really help Yuan’er? How should we use it?”

She seemed to trust Jiang Wan a great deal, which made Song Jiuchu furrow his brows and call out, “Mother!”

Who knew what she was scheming? He didn’t trust her!

On the other hand, Song Jiuyuan, his gaze faint, landed on Jiang Wan, curiosity mixed in. Jiang Wan seemed to be oblivious to their siblings’ subtle thoughts and patiently explained to Madam Song:

“If it’s just for stopping the bleeding, it can be crushed and applied to the wound. Of course, if it’s for internal use, it can be boiled and consumed.”

“Then when we rest, let Yuan’er try it.”

Madam Song’s eyes were filled with hope. She wasn’t afraid of hardship, but she feared that Yuan’er’s wound would worsen.

“Mom, she’s not a doctor. Why do you trust her so much? What if she harms my elder brother?”

Song Jiuli’s voice was filled with rejection as she shrieked, attracting Shen Qian and the others ahead.

“Li’er, what’s going on with you all?”

Shen Qian, pretending to be the concerned older sister, was naturally hoping to see Jiang Wan make a fool of herself. So, Song Jiuli quickly told Shen Qian everything that had just happened.

After listening, Shen Qian disapproved and said to Madam Song, “Aunt, I used to be quite familiar with Jiang Wan, but I didn’t know she knew any medicine.”

They were old rivals, and no one knew each other better than they did.

But what Shen Qian didn’t know was that Jiang Wan was no longer the Jiang Wan from before.