Most people were pushing carts or wheelbarrows, but Widow Wu, carrying her elderly mother and eight-year-old son, had only large bundles on her back.

Unlike others who lacked carts because they couldn’t afford them, some simply hadn’t been able to buy one.

The wooden carts were typically made to order, so few were readily available.

The hurried escape left many without time to purchase one.

Before, apart from Shen Qingwan’s family, Widow Wu’s family was the poorest in the village.

With no able-bodied men, two widows relied on two acres of poor farmland to survive.

Now that they had to flee, they couldn’t even afford a single wheelbarrow.

Shen Qingwan, however, had suddenly become the wealthiest in the village, making Widow Wu’s family the poorest by default.

Perhaps because of their recent turmoil, most people remained silent on the road, except for the lively chatter of children in Shen Qingwan’s mule cart.

The excitement was mainly due to the hidden weapons on Xiaoyu and Xiaochen’s wrists.

Shen Qingwan had rescued the people from her old home, but as soon as she left, three more bandits arrived.

Lu Wenguang, grabbing a hoe, rushed to fight them.

He was about to be overpowered when Xiaoyu and Xiaochen raised their wrists and fired silver needles from iron wristbands, striking the three men, who collapsed instantly.

When Lu Wenguang checked, he found they were only unconscious.

Fearing they would wake and harm his family, he decisively ended their lives.

It was his first time killing, and he was terrified, but for his family’s safety, he had to grow stronger.

The children’s display of skill stunned everyone.

Even eight-year-old Lu Xiaojian and seven-year-old Lu Mingxuan looked at their hidden weapons in envy, while four-year-old Lu Minghao kept clamoring for one.

However, Shen Qingwan had warned the children never to remove them, so they refused to share.

…

By noon, when Wang Biao arrived with over two hundred men at Dahe Village, it was already empty.

Furious, he ordered the village burned down.

Luckily, after the morning’s events, even the elderly had left with the group, so nothing remained.

Wang Biao knew their escape route and destination, so he wouldn’t let them go easily.

However, since he still had other villages to raid, he sent Zhao Gang with a hundred men to pursue the fugitives while he continued looting and pillaging.

Since they were fleeing with families, he was certain they wouldn’t move fast.

He figured the pursuit would only take a day or two. But after losing so many men, he couldn’t ignore the need for revenge.

..

At Dahe Village, fearing pursuit, the village head led everyone forward without stopping until they reached an abandoned temple ten miles outside Ping’an County in the afternoon.

Along the way, they encountered several other refugee groups, some large and others as small as a dozen people.

The refugees looked disheveled but still had some spirit.

Occasionally, they whispered among themselves.

Older children walked on their own, while younger ones were carried.

The elderly leaned on canes, helping each other along.

At the ruined temple, Shen Qingwan approached the village head to discuss their baggage situation.

She had noticed that the carts were overloaded, leaving no space even for children.

Some required multiple people to push.

The roads were rough and uneven, and the wooden wheels made pushing or pulling incredibly difficult.

Shen Qingwan suggested reducing the load, fearing the excess weight would slow them down.

“Village Head, I’d like to discuss something with you,” she said as she approached.

The village head gestured for her to sit across from him. “There’s no need for formality. Just call me Uncle.”

As the eldest of Lu Zhiyuan’s generation, he was indeed like an uncle to Shen Qingwan, so she didn’t hesitate to address him as such.

“Uncle, our journey to Suzhou is a thousand miles long, with many dangers ahead. Bandits could catch up at any time. If everyone carries too much, we won’t just be slow—we may not even make it.

The elderly over sixty and children under five can’t possibly walk the entire way. Instead of loading carts with unnecessary belongings, why not free up space for them? That way, we can move faster, and they can reach Suzhou safely.”

The village head nodded in agreement. “You’re right—I hadn’t considered that.”

His wife, Zhang Yingniang, sighed. “But people in the village are used to treasuring every possession. Asking them to leave things behind won’t be easy.”

“Then they must decide: do they want to save their elders and children, or do they want to cling to lifeless belongings?” The village head stood up and walked toward the villagers.

He gathered a representative from each household while the others rested.

After explaining the situation, the villagers understood.

Though reluctant, they realized their families were more important than material goods.

They returned to their carts, sorting through their belongings. The women were especially unwilling, but they had no choice—if they carried too much, they wouldn’t keep up.

By the end of the first day, nearly half of their possessions were discarded.

Though the carts still carried a fair amount, they now had space for children.

Families with elderly members too weak to walk placed them on carts instead.

The carts were tied with ropes to make pulling easier, but after hours of walking, even that was exhausting.

As the weather grew hotter, Shen Qingwan fashioned a straw hat to shield herself from the sun.

Lu Jiaojiao recovered and started walking, while Shen Qingwan occasionally stepped out of the cart to stretch her legs and let the elderly couple rest.

Sitting for too long made her sore, and she also wanted to build her endurance.

Fortunately, the old man could drive the mule cart, so she sometimes let him take over.

Xiaoyu and Xiaochen also wanted to walk occasionally, and since Shen Qingwan believed in training their bodies, she encouraged it.