Chapter 4: The Fat Girl
After two hours, everyone got up to pack their things. With the campfire and the moon overhead, they could still see clearly. They noticed that the livestock, which had seemed weak yesterday, appeared to be full of spirit and strength. They loaded the food they had carried on their backs onto the animals again, and each person took a knife and set off.

Once everyone was ready to leave the hollow, Tian Mi said she needed to take care of something and quietly returned to the hollow to release a large amount of river water from her space. It was as if the river in her space was directly connected to this place, and the water flowed in slowly, making a babbling sound. Tian Mi also added a bucket of well water, but the water was quickly swallowed up by the cracked earth.

Tian Mi felt a bit disappointed, not knowing that although the land had absorbed this water, it had gained endless vitality. Large patches of tender grass and vegetables began to grow, sprouting one after another, which indeed saved many lives.

Some people, driven by thirst, dug into the ground to extract moisture from the soil and managed to survive.

Outside the hollow, Tian Dabiao seemed to hear the sound of flowing water. How much did his daughter urinate? He could hear it even from here. He muttered to himself, “Is my daughter sick? She needed to go to the toilet as soon as we were about to set off.”

They knew the route from here to Xingrong County was a major road, about ten miles away. Now they were walking along the mountain path, and it was dark, with uneven footing and tree roots to trip over. Several children fell, and their cries echoed far into the night, making it particularly unsettling.

If one didn’t know better, they might think that someone was killing children in the mountains for meat during this disaster year.

It took nearly two hours to walk from the deep mountains to the outer mountains. Just as they reached the outer mountains, they saw a group of people sprawled on the ground, looking weak. When they saw so many livestock and heard the sound of water, they called out.

“Good-hearted people, please give us something to eat and drink!”

“We beg you!”

If it weren’t for the glint of knives in their hands under the moonlight, they might have rushed to rob them.

Tian Dabiao protected everyone as they walked and pointed toward the deep mountains, saying, “You might find a few old vegetables in there; go take your chances!”

The deep mountains were dangerous, and they only dared to stay on the edges; going deeper could mean becoming food for wild beasts.

The refugees still extended their hands, saying, “We beg you, just give us a sip of water!”

Tian Dabiao flashed his knife forward, saying, “I have a knife in my hand, and I’ve already wasted enough time talking to you. I’ve lost my patience,” which immediately scared them away.

After stumbling forward for two hours, the sky began to brighten slightly.

Tian Dabiao said, “This mountain path is too slow. There’s a small road about three miles ahead that’s much easier to walk on; let’s take that road!”

This group of people was actually quite casual in their approach and didn’t think too much about it.

Uncle Cui had also walked that small road and nodded in agreement.

Uncle Liu said, “There will definitely be more people on the small road, so everyone needs to stay alert. Just focus on moving quickly and don’t worry about others; we’ve already taken care of our own in this chaos.”

Over the years, everyone had treated the escort agency like family; the people from the agency were their own, and they couldn’t care less about others.

Everyone nodded in agreement, even the three-year-old Xiaohua chimed in, as if she understood. Tian Mi also nodded; their group had livestock, food, and water, which was already quite noticeable, so they couldn’t afford to attract any trouble.

It was only a mere three miles, but it had taken them two hours in the mountains to arrive. Before heading to the small road, Aunt Feng handed each man a bun, the women half a bun, and the five children shared two buns. They ate and drank first before heading to the small road.

Tian Dabiao and Tian Mi each carried a large knife, striding confidently to clear the way, making sure others recognized their ferocity.

The children, women, and livestock walked in the middle, while the men walked on the outside and at the back. Although it was a small road, there were still quite a few people on it, but they were only a small group of about ten. Compared to them, Tian Dabiao’s group seemed much stronger, especially since everyone had a knife; those people would automatically avoid them

They left two people on watch while the others went to sleep.

Tian Mi recalled the refugees she had seen along the way, and they were truly pitiful. Some had a bit of food, but they lacked water, their lips cracked and lifeless as they lay by the roadside.

Taking out food would raise suspicion, but water could be managed somehow.

Tian Mi trudged deeper into the mountains with the big bag on her back.

Tian Dabiao called out, “Daughter, if you’re tired, take a break and don’t wander off!”

“Dad, I’ll just check around nearby.”

Tian Dabiao was also tired and soon fell asleep with his eyes closed.

Tian Mi headed toward a lower area.

The heat was unbearable for her. She had cooling items in her space, but it wasn’t convenient to take them out. After looking around to ensure no one was watching, she immediately entered her space, tossed aside the big bag, and hurriedly turned on the air conditioning. A cool breeze immediately greeted her, refreshing! She closed her eyes and enjoyed it fully; air conditioning was definitely the most precious treasure among home appliances, and Tian Mi had never loved an appliance so much.

Glancing at the various milk teas on the table and then at her 250-pound weight, she sighed! You don’t deserve it. She pulled out a watermelon, cut it in half, and took a spoon, sinking into the sofa to eat while collecting the seeds.

Her feet were really sore and painful. Tian Mi looked at her shoes, which were hard cloth shoes. Of course they hurt her feet, but she couldn’t fit into the sneakers she had prepared for her size. Sigh!

Suddenly, an idea struck her: she could swap the insoles! She took out the insoles from her sneakers and replaced them.

Looking at her chubby feet, they were actually a bit cute, with toes that were round and plump like pearls. She fetched a basin of well water and dunked her face in it to cool off, then lifted her head and shook it to dry. She didn’t dare wash her face; if Aunt Feng saw her with a clean face, she would surely give her a beating, no matter how much it hurt. So instead, she soaked her feet, and it felt heavenly.

Comfortably prepared to take a nap.

Just as she closed her eyes, guilt surged within her.

I still need to think of a way! I’m suffering, but many people are truly at risk of losing their lives.

After finishing the watermelon, she mustered her courage, turned off the air conditioning, and left her space.

Taking a few steps, her shoes felt much softer and more comfortable now.

Tian Mi arrived at a hollow and saw two men in their twenties digging a hole. She walked over to take a look, startling the two men since she was carrying a big bag on her shoulder.

“Chubby girl, don’t be impulsive. We’re trying to see if we can dig up some water. If we find water, we’ll share some with you.”

“You’re the chubby girl, and your whole family is chubby girls!”

Tian Mi shot them a glare and said, “Call me Miss Tian!”

But she nodded in agreement anyway.

So she stood by watching as they dug. The two of them alternated digging for over half an hour, exhausted and unable to speak. The hole was about two meters deep, and when they reached the bottom to feel the soil, they detected a slight moisture—it seemed promising.

Tian Mi poured some water from her skin water pouch into their wooden bucket, encouraging them to drink and continue digging.

They looked at the water in the bucket, which was more precious than their lives.

“Is this water for us, Miss Tian?”

“You keep digging, and it’s yours!”

One of them took a small sip, exclaiming, “Wow, this water is really sweet!” After just one sip, they felt their strength return and continued digging. If they couldn’t find water, at least the remaining water in the bucket could give each family member a sip.

Logically, this was the lowest point of the mountain; there should be some water here. They were determined and dug with more enthusiasm.

One person dug at the bottom while the other pulled out the dirt to dump it. When they got tired, they swapped places. After another half hour, the hole was now around two and a half meters deep, and the soil was wetter, but still no water.

They looked helplessly at Tian Mi and said, “There really isn’t any water. Can you spare us some from the bucket?”

Tian Mi nodded and said, “Sure, there’s moisture in this pit, so there might be water tonight. I’ll come back and check tomorrow.”

They nodded in response, saying, “Then we’ll come back