Chapter 6

On the other side of the mountain…

The village chief, Laifu, shouted as the large group struggled forward, climbing over the chestnut mountain, descending the slope, finding the official road, and then taking a turn to reach their destination.

It’s easier said than done. Everyone was both thirsty and hungry, the children couldn’t bear the hardship and cried loudly, and the adults struggled to move their feet. The elderly couldn’t walk anymore and sat down, fearing they might never get up.

But despite their bony figures, the villagers’ hollow eyes still held a glimmer of hope for survival.

Among the crowd, Ding Rong, the eldest brother, cracked his dry and cracked lips and glanced back at the mountain peak, but didn’t see anyone.

He quickened his pace to catch up with his second brother, Ding De. “Second brother, the third brother’s family didn’t follow, do you think they’re really dead?”

Ding De didn’t even bother to look at him and continued trudging forward with the dog stick. “What’s the matter? You’re concerned? Why not go back and look for them?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Can I not be worried? Didn’t you see my family is just as hungry and thirsty?”

“Hah, big brother, stop pretending. Our family was the most prosperous. When the drought first started, you were already preparing food, weren’t you? Look at you and your wife’s basket—it’s bulging, full of biscuits, right?”

“What are you talking about, third brother?”

Ding Rong quickly stopped, distancing himself from Ding De, and cautiously looked around at the villagers passing by. Thankfully, everyone was too disoriented by hunger to notice what Ding De had said.

In these times, without food, people would starve to death, but those with food were in great danger.

If the starving people found out they had food, no one could predict what they might do in their desperation.

Ding Rong, being shrewd, had three children: his eldest son, seventeen; his second daughter, fourteen; and his youngest son, ten. They were all at the age when they could eat a lot. Before they set off, they had indeed stored some food, which was now split among the family members’ backpacks, each responsible for carrying a portion.

But none of that food would be shared with anyone else.

Even when he saw Ding Gui’s family nearly being trampled to death, Ding Rong didn’t go to help them, afraid that the village chief might entrust him with their care.

Still walking ahead, Ding De kicked a small stone harshly, cursing. He had two children, the older one was thirteen, and the younger one, a girl, was nine. His family wasn’t as prosperous as his eldest brother’s, and they didn’t have as much food, which left him feeling bitter.

Now, his resentment was growing. He had worked hard for the Ding family, but when it came time to divide the family, his eldest brother had cast them aside, taking all the food and the best house.

To this day, the old Ding family had not recovered.

Luckily, he had used marriage as an excuse to leave early. Otherwise, the third brother’s family would have become his burden sooner or later.

At that moment, his wife, Sun Shi, tiredly raised her hand to pull him, “Why argue with him? If you have the energy, you might as well save it to beg for food later.”

“Damn it, he knows that the old lady is definitely going to die, but he doesn’t want to care and wants to drag me into it. He’s a real jerk!” Ding De cursed fiercely.

Sun Shi said, “What does the old lady’s life or death have to do with you? Since she’s with the third family, it’s their responsibility to take care of her. Big brother is just afraid of being struck by lightning, so he’s trying to drag you into this mess!”

Ding De spat, “Tch, whether the old lady lives or dies, it’s none of my business. If anyone gets struck by lightning, it’ll be him and the third brother, not me.”

“Alright, alright, stop talking and save your energy. Xing’er can’t walk anymore, carry her,” Sun Shi said, pulling her young daughter to him.

At that moment, Laifu, still walking ahead, called out loudly toward the mountaintop, “Hey, Ding Gui, keep it up, you’re doing great!”

Hearing this call, everyone turned around in surprise…

At the mountaintop, there was Ding Gui and his wife, both as thin as sticks, supporting an equally emaciated old lady, Wang Dafeng. Beside them was a little girl who looked so frail that she could be blown away by the wind.

The four of them looked just as ragged as the others, but their backs were straight, and in the morning light, there was an unexpected sense of determination about them.

The villagers of Aozi Village were stunned.

In fact, most of them thought this family was as good as dead.

They had always been one of the most destitute families in the village, and it was clear that they had no food when they left. After several days of hunger on the road, and with the incident last night, no one had expected them to survive and make it over the mountain to catch up.

Truly, some lives are tougher than others!

Somehow, a faint, fleeting smile appeared on the faces of the villagers, who had been like ashes of despair, but no one said anything more. They turned around and continued their journey.

But Ding Rong and Ding Gong, the two brothers, felt uneasy.

Not dead? Would they become a burden to them in the end?

On the mountaintop, the wind howled past their ears.

Even though the sun hadn’t yet reached its hottest, the air was already thick with heat.

Ding Gui and his wife exchanged a complex look as they helped Wang Dafeng.

From the mountaintop, they looked down at the endless line of hungry travelers, which seemed like an entire beggar’s gang.

Ding Xiaodie, with a voice as soft as a kitten’s, said, “Guess how many people here wish we wouldn’t catch up?”

Indeed, fewer people meant more food for them, and at times like this, survival instincts kicked in—who could say people were inherently good? Who knew what others were thinking?

Zhang Xiu’s face darkened immediately.

Then Ding Xiaodie said, “That’s why we must live well, live brightly, and live with flavor.”

“Right, right, Bao’er is right,” Ding Gui immediately responded with a smile.

Wang Dafeng gave them a strange look, as if she were looking at a bunch of crazy people. “Hungry and sick, and they still want to live with flavor?”

She had been forced to climb the mountain earlier, and now, she was furious. “Stop standing there spouting nonsense, Ding Gui, hurry up and carry me. If we can’t beg for food, I’ll make sure you starve tomorrow.”

Ding Gui had promised her that if she made it to the top of the mountain on her own, he would carry her downhill. Without a word, he hoisted the old lady onto his back.

Zhang Xiu turned around and took Ding Xiaodie’s small hand, worried that the child might trip on a stone.

After all, eating rabbit meat made a difference—even though it was little, it at least provided some fat in their empty stomachs.

With energy from the oil, they quickly descended the mountain, catching up with the main group and even surpassing Ding Rong and Ding Gong’s families, moving to the front.

When Ding Rong and Ding Gong saw them, they were stunned.

How could they walk so fast? Were they reincarnated hungry ghosts?

What made them even more uncomfortable was when Ding Gui, carrying the old lady, passed them, and she cursed, “Beasts.”

What did that mean? Was she cursing them?

Before Ding De’s wife and the eldest brother’s wife could react, the family had already walked far ahead.