Chapter 2

Su Ci is a medical student from a family with a strong medical background. Her father practices Western medicine, and her mother practices traditional Chinese medicine. Their family holds shares in a well-known private hospital in the province, so they are financially well-off. Su Ci, however, is quite laid-back and not interested in the demanding and competitive medical profession. After graduation, she partnered with her cousin to start an outdoor survival live-streaming business, which had become quite popular domestically and internationally before her time travel. She has been in this new world for a year now, though she spent almost half of that time outside.

The current situation is mainly because the old emperor has no sons. In the Da Qing dynasty, it seems that more than one emperor has been without an heir. Whenever this happens, the royal family members, like sharks smelling blood, engage in fierce and bloody struggles that can last for several years or even more than a decade. The exact duration depends on how long the old emperor can live. From the capital outward, whether in politics or the military, central or local, everyone is either actively or passively drawn into this struggle. The troops stationed on the northern border, where Su Di and his comrades have been fighting for years, are the strongest armed forces of Da Qing, and few can escape involvement. This time, the storm was triggered by the emperor’s injury during a personal expedition. The Sixth Prince, whom the Su and Yang families follow, is at the center of the vortex. At the beginning of the year, seeing the increasingly dangerous situation, Su Ci’s father quickly arranged for several daughters to be sent away quietly. Besides the need to save their lives, it was crucial to protect unmarried girls from the many unspeakable things that happen in prison. Even if they eventually got out, they would be ruined.

Su Ci spent half a year in fear, moving several times. Fortunately, the chaotic weather outside helped her avoid danger. It wasn’t until the dust settled that her father sent someone to bring her back a couple of days ago. If she had thought of it earlier, she wouldn’t have returned at all. Now, she has a plan, but there’s one last step: how can she get both families to change their migration route?

Well, Su Ci blinked, she already had an idea!

The porridge in the clay pot was bubbling away. Su Ci washed her hands, lifted the large pot used for sterilization, and took out the three splints that were boiling inside. She placed them together with the boiled and sun-dried cotton ropes, wrapped them in clean linen cloth. Then she squatted down and dragged out a large basket from beside the firewood pile under the stove. Inside were several cleaned brown roots. Su Ci chopped them up with a knife and threw them into another large pot, scooping boiling water over them to cook. The cutting board had white starchy water on it. Once cooked, these roots could be eaten directly after peeling off the skin, though it was also fine to eat them unpeeled. The skin was rough, but the inside was soft and starchy. The millet porridge was for the sick. She took a portion to her parents’ room, placed a plate of freshly fried millet cakes, and another plate of the chopped roots from the large pot. The remaining millet porridge was poured into small clay pots. She put everything in a basket and carried it, holding the linen-wrapped package in her other hand. As she left the kitchen, the bright sunlight was still quite dazzling. It had been a drought for two years, and even the cicadas had stopped singing. Two girls were squatting by the well, washing clothes, but the well was almost dry. The water drawn up after a day’s storage was mostly used for drinking, with only the murkiest water at the bottom treated with alum for washing clothes. Priority was given to washing the clothes of the wounded, while others could only wash their underwear at most.

“Sister!” One of the girls by the well was Su Yan, sweating profusely as she washed clothes for four people. She looked up and smiled broadly when she saw Su Ci coming out.

Su Ci responded, “The food is ready. You can take it to the house and eat with Mother later.”

“Got it!”

Su Yan was on the left side of the well, and another girl was on the right. The distance between them was neither too close nor too far, appearing natural but subtly distinct. The other girl also looked up, revealing a fair and delicate face. She wasn’t as spirited as Su Yan, nor as exquisitely beautiful as Su Ci, but she had a round face and a very dignified and graceful appearance.

“Second sister, you’ve worked hard.”

This was Su Ci’s half-sister, the original female protagonist, Su Rong.

When Su Ci’s mother gave birth to her, it was a difficult labor, and the doctor said she probably wouldn’t be able to conceive again. Su Ci’s father and mother had been childhood sweethearts and were deeply in love. He was determined to stay with his wife and two daughters and didn’t mind not having a son. However, Su Ci’s grandmother did not agree. She had already brought her niece over years ago, and this opportunity seemed perfect. So, the aunt and niece conspired to drug Su Ci’s father while her mother was in confinement. They succeeded, and Mrs. Bai was fortunate enough to conceive on the first try. Su Di had no choice but to take her in, and she eventually gave birth to a pair of twins. The elder of these twins is the original female protagonist, Su Rong. If Su Ci were to summarize the original story, she would say that Su Rong was a smart person.

In the original story, upon realizing that the only way to deal with a cold and domineering man like Yang Yanzong was to use “gentleness” as a tactic, she immediately softened all her edges, showing no temper but only tenderness. Using gentleness as a weapon, she employed a slow and steady approach for decades to achieve success. In reality, Su Di’s impression of Su Rong was quite good. Although he didn’t love her as deeply as his own daughters, he still treated her well. Su Rong had what Su Ci and her sisters had, and he also cared for her, her brother, and their biological mother.

Su Di was a man of good character and naturally wouldn’t do anything to exclude or mistreat them. However, it was impossible for him to genuinely like Mrs. Bai and her children as much as his own. Especially Mrs. Bai, whom he inevitably disliked. In this situation, Su Rong’s ability to calm her troublemaking biological mother and ensure that her father treated her and her brother kindly was indeed impressive. Su Rong always maintained a respectful attitude towards her stepmother, showed admiration and respect towards her father, and was friendly yet appropriately distant with Su Ci and her sisters. She never quarreled with them, even from a young age.

Su Ci smiled, her attitude unchanged. When Su Rong greeted her, she responded with a smile. She wasn’t the original protagonist and wouldn’t deliberately ignore or snub people. Doing so would only make Su Rong appear more magnanimous and dignified and make their father more sympathetic towards her. That was all there was to it.

Su Ci glanced at Su Rong, who was rolling up her sleeves and continuing to wring out clothes in the sunlight. This original protagonist didn’t have any special skills, so Su Ci didn’t need to be particularly wary of her. They exchanged greetings from a distance, and Su Ci smiled and glanced at her before continuing on her way.

…

Su Ci arrived neither too early nor too late, just as the men in the front yard finished discussing the migration.

“We have to leave. We’re out of food, and the water is almost gone.”

The drought was severe. Even the northern tribes the military town was supposed to defend against had already migrated. The granaries in Yunbei were running low on food, and the higher-ups could only allocate limited supplies to the most critical areas. These dozen or so border military towns couldn’t get any more supplies. The directive from above was to “procure locally,” but after two years of drought, everything was yellow and brown except for some green in the eastern mountains. The nearby villages and towns had long been abandoned. How could they procure anything?

If they didn’t leave, they would be waiting for death.

This military town didn’t have many troops, about three to four thousand, but the situation was quite complex. Many people, like Yang Yanzong, had been demoted and exiled to the border, and few were sent to monitor him or even take the opportunity to eliminate him, along with the original officers of the military town. This military town was under the influence of the Fourth Prince, and the commanding officer was his man. In short, it was a group of ambitious people who wouldn’t just wait to die. Abandoning their post was indeed a crime, but it could be handled in various ways. In such extraordinary circumstances, those with the ability could manage it without much trouble.

“Let’s live first.”

Su Ci actually admired that lover quite a bit. Despite the situation, he still managed to come over. It wouldn’t be fair to say he had no genuine feelings at all, but this private affair was highly damaging to the woman. If discovered, it would be over for her. For the man, however, there was hardly any harm—just another romantic escapade, provided he didn’t demand anything in return.

Regardless of love, being cuckolded is a man’s greatest humiliation.

Alright, Su Ci wasn’t interested in delving into the sincerity of his feelings. In any case, she couldn’t let anyone know about this. There was still a mortal enemy and a rapist in the military town; she definitely couldn’t leave with them!

Su Ci entered the main room with a basket and cloth bag, hearing voices inside. She stood outside the curtain without going in.

“…There are still eight hundred soldiers in the town, which should last about ten days. …Once we reach Pingzhou, we’ll see how things go.”

“Pingzhou is farther from Hanzhou, and the drought there should be somewhat alleviated.”

“The one named Liang will probably cause trouble, so we need to be careful on the road…”

“And the Fourth Prince’s nephew, the town is suffering from drought to the point of running out of food and water. Why did he come here?..”

Everyone frowned deeply as they discussed the situation. Yang Yanzong, who had been leaning against the couch listening, finally said, “Alright, go pack up. Get everything ready tonight, and we’ll set off at the first watch tomorrow.”

The hundred households were notified one by one to gather at the foot of the eastern hill outside the town at the second watch. The entire military town would leave together since they had no stored food and had to move with the main group no matter what.

“Yes!”

Hearing footsteps, everyone knew Su Ci was outside. They responded without delay and immediately got up to leave.

Su Di’s face was still a bit pale, but his steps were steady. As he passed by, he affectionately rubbed Su Ci’s hair.

Su Ci blinked at him and smiled.

A faint male voice came from inside the curtain, “Come in.”

Here it comes! Whether it works or not depends on this moment.

Su Ci immediately adjusted her expression, putting away her playful smile. With a composed demeanor, she picked up the basket from the ground and went inside.

…

With the light, delicate steps characteristic of a young woman, the girl in a blue cotton dress turned past the curtain and entered the inner room. She slightly lowered her head, placed the wicker basket and cloth bag on the table, and greeted him with a slight bow, somewhat nervously saying, “Eldest Young Master.”

Unlike Yang Yanzong’s two younger brothers, the girls of the Su family were somewhat afraid of him and always called him “Eldest Young Master.”

Yang Yanzong nodded slightly, “Sit.” He leaned against the couch, his right hand resting flat on the table without moving, but his fingers twitched slightly, indicating he could control them at will.

In the past, the three girls of the Su family were just vague figures in his mind, including the fiancée his father had arranged for him. This was the first time he had really noticed her.

She looked decent, well-behaved, and very obedient. He vaguely remembered hearing that she liked to read medical books. He had thought it was just a pastime for a girl in her boudoir, but it turned out she had a real talent for connecting tendons and bones.

Su Ci smiled shyly and nodded. She sat down, washed her hands, opened the burlap, took out the splint and cotton rope, and began to fix his right wrist. She said softly, “It needs to be fixed for a month. Once the tendons heal, you can slowly start moving it again.”

“Okay.”

Su Ci’s pure and obedient appearance was, of course, an act. She had the skills, but firstly, her father had also been wounded, and secondly, Yang Yanzong was the one in charge. Convincing her father wouldn’t help. She deliberately didn’t take out the splint all at once, waiting for a second trip and leaving some time for the men to discuss. She arrived just in time.

Su Ci tied the last knot with the cotton rope, cut it off, and said, “It’s done,” but her face showed a hesitant expression.

Yang Yanzong noticed and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Su Ci hesitated for a moment and softly asked, “Do we have to leave with them? Wouldn’t the southeast be better?”

She had just heard that the main group would gather at the western foot of the eastern mountain and head eastward into the mountains.

Su Ci cut the cotton rope, washed her hands, tidied up the table, opened the wicker basket, and took out a jar of millet porridge, some millet bean cakes, and finally, a plate of large roots.

Their food supply was already very low. There weren’t many millet bean cakes, but it was the first time these roots appeared, and there were a lot of them, filling a whole plate. They looked edible.

Yang Yanzong’s gaze immediately fell on the plate of roots. These were called wild kudzu roots. They were edible, rich in starch, and very filling. However, the vines were thin and hard to identify, especially after they dried up. Most people couldn’t recognize them, let alone eat them. Many edible things hadn’t been discovered yet.

Su Ci said softly, “These were found in the mountains. When I was hiding in the mountains before, I saw herdsmen digging them up to eat. My sister and I dug these up in the mountains yesterday.”

“And there is also puffball grass. There will be water under the puffball grass. I’m afraid there won’t be much water in the east, but the southeast should be much better.”

She felt Yang Yanzong’s gaze shift to the top of her head. His gaze was very oppressive. Su Ci wasn’t afraid, but her back seemed to feel this oppressive force, and her hair stood on end silently.

Oh, what a powerful and dangerous man, Su Ci thought to herself, but when Yang Yanzong looked up at her, she showed a slightly nervous and shy smile.

Yang Yanzong picked up a piece of kudzu root, took a bite, chewed it twice, and then threw it down. “A’Kang, go call the second one to come here!”
…

Yang Yanzong actually got up directly. His injuries were worse than Su Di’s, not just his hand tendons but other places, too. His face was somewhat pale with a faint flush.

Su Di had arrived at the military town a few days earlier than him, had been seriously ill and unconscious, and had just recovered. But Yang Yanzong got up directly and, following Su Ci’s gaze, pushed open the west window facing the eastern mountains.

Puffball grass, its scientific name unknown, is in the same family as spiny sandbur. It looks very inconspicuous and has no difference from the wild grass all over the mountains, but it has one characteristic: it’s a nonnative. This is a type of wandering grass. Whenever there is no moisture in the drought-stricken soil, it pulls its roots out of the sand, rolls into a ball, and looks no different from a dead grass clump. It gets blown by the wind and, once it reaches a puddle, it revives, extends its roots, and starts growing again, reproducing quickly.

In other words, wherever there was puffball grass, there was at least a puddle of water. If you find those still half-yellow and half-green and dig deep, you will likely find shallow groundwater.

Finally, the sky turned completely dark. Under the cover of the night, Yang Yanzong led A’Kang, Yang Yanxin, and Su Ci into the mountains.

A’Kang and Yang Yanxin dug vigorously with shovels for about a quarter of an hour, digging over two meters deep. The more they dug, the more enthusiastic they became. The last shovel struck the muddy ground heavily, and under the moonlight, a trickle of murky water slowly seeped out, forming a small puddle at the bottom of the pit.

Yang Yanxin climbed up in a few moves, wiped the mud off his face, and exclaimed with wild joy, “Brother, water! There’s really water!!”

Hearing this, Su Ci blinked and quickly smiled.