Lu Wenzhi had no idea that after he left, his son and daughter-in-law were picked up by others.

Two freshly dead children and a newly deceased woman—these were an absolute feast for the starving refugees.

Though the woman’s flesh was a bit tough with age, her body was still enough for them to indulge themselves.

When Shen Qingwan drove the mule cart back, the night watchmen were shocked.

She explained that she had gone to relieve herself and saw two refugees driving her mule cart away, so she took it back.

The night watchmen guessed that Lu Wenzhi had stolen the mule cart but was quickly robbed by refugees.

That must have been why the refugees were driving it toward them.

Shen Qingwan didn’t bother to explain further and simply led the mule cart away to rest.

With Da Huang (the dog) keeping watch, she had a good night’s sleep.

Early the next morning, Shen Qingwan was woken up by the startled cries of Old Madam Lu.

Seeing the family’s mule cart return, Old Madam Lu was both shocked and overjoyed.

But then she thought of her third son—if the cart was back, why wasn’t he?

She didn’t dare to ask Shen Qingwan directly, but Old Man Lu took the opportunity when he saw her awake.

Shen Qingwan repeated the same story she had told the others.

Old Man Lu and Old Madam Lu believed her words.

They figured that scoundrel hadn’t gotten far before being robbed.

It was karma.

Shen Qingwan returned the belongings of Lu Wenguang that were in the mule cart, but Zhou Huiniang refused to take them.

“Big Sister-in-law, you’d better keep them for now,” Zhou Huiniang said. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to hide them properly, and if someone steals them, we’d be heartbroken.”

Zhou Huiniang was a sensible woman.

She knew Shen Qingwan wouldn’t covet their belongings, so she might as well leave them in her care. With Shen Qingwan’s skills, she was more capable of protecting them than they were.

Shen Qingwan didn’t argue. Carrying them around wasn’t convenient or safe, so she decided to store them in her secret space.

“Alright, just let me know when you need them.”

Zhou Huiniang nodded repeatedly, and Lu Wenguang had no objections either.

Old Man Lu sighed and didn’t bring up Lu Wenzhi again. With the mule cart back, their journey would be much easier.

Everyone got a piece of flatbread for breakfast before preparing to continue on their way.

Bai Yong’an, however, gave Shen Qingwan a scrutinizing look.

He hadn’t been asleep when she slipped out last night. If his estimation was correct, she had been gone for a whole hour.

He didn’t believe she had done nothing in that time, nor did he buy her story about taking the cart from refugees.

He suspected that she had already taken care of Lu Wenzhi and his wife.

After observing her for some time, Bai Yong’an had come to understand her nature—ruthless and vengeful, someone destined for great things.

Who would have thought that such a person was merely a widow from a small village, a stepmother to two children?

“Girl, got any more jerky? Your second uncle here is nothing but skin and bones now.”

Bai Yong’an walked up to her, stretching out his hand and lowering his voice.

Shen Qingwan pointed to the mule cart. “It’s in the cart. You can get some when you sit with the kids later.”

She wasn’t stingy enough to deny him food. After all, he was a valuable ally.

Bai Yong’an had gone from calling her “Heroine” to “Madam Shen,” and now just “girl.”

Though she was already a stepmother to two children, she was only eighteen.

Bai Yong’an, in his thirties, didn’t find it inappropriate to call her that.

With the mule cart, the three children could continue riding, and Old Man Lu and Old Madam Lu could take turns resting.

Lu Jiaojiao, however, had been walking the whole way, her feet blistered and bleeding.

If not for her limping, Shen Qingwan wouldn’t have noticed.

She let Lu Jiaojiao sit on the cart and had Old Madam Lu treat her blisters, which provided some relief.

“Up ahead is Yunxi Mountain. There are many springs on the mountain, so once we get there, we can find a water source.”

The village head walked in front, pointing toward a small peak in the distance.

Though it looked close, they would still need half a day to reach it.

Since they were traveling on the main road, they encountered many refugees.

Along the way, they saw abandoned elderly people lying on the roadside, barely clinging to life, their bodies reduced to mere skin and bones.

On the road to escape disaster, the elderly were always the first to be left behind.

Some were abandoned because they couldn’t keep up with the group.

Others were left behind to save food.

Some children resented their elderly parents for slowing them down, while others left them behind at the elders’ own request—to save rations for the younger generation.

There were those who refused to abandon their elders, struggling to carry them along.

Some would rather sell their daughters than leave their parents behind.

Along the journey, they had witnessed the full spectrum of human nature—the cruelty and warmth of the world laid bare.

Among them, Bai Yong’an was the most affected.

He had always heard the phrase, “Behind the rich man’s doors, meat and wine go to waste, while the poor die of hunger in the streets.”

Before, he thought it was just a saying.

But now, seeing it firsthand, he realized that compared to the lives of these people, wealth and gold were meaningless.

“Grandfather! Don’t leave Grandfather behind! I want Grandfather!”

Suddenly, the group heard a child’s wailing ahead.

Shen Qingwan looked up and saw an elderly man in tattered clothes leaning against a tree, his eyes cloudy with tears.

A little girl, sobbing uncontrollably, struggled against her father’s grip.

“Go on, live well,” the old man whispered, waving her away.

“No! I want Grandfather! Please, Father, Mother, don’t leave Grandfather behind! He will die! I’ll give him my food! Please don’t leave him!”

The little girl screamed and sobbed as her father dragged her forward, but she fought desperately, refusing to abandon the man who had raised her.

The child’s father and mother also had reddened eyes, clearly heartbroken but left with no choice.

The mother was carrying a one-year-old baby in her arms, with a bundle strapped to her back.

The father carried a pole on his shoulders and still had to hold onto his daughter.

It was no wonder they couldn’t take the old man along. Perhaps they truly had no way to continue supporting him.

The old man, likely in his sixties, leaned on a cane.

His legs were weak—escaping disaster would be a death sentence for someone like him.

The only question was how long he could hold on.

Finally, the little girl broke free from her father’s grip and ran to her grandfather, stumbling along the way.

Though she was already ten years old, her malnourished frame made her look like a child of seven or eight.

Throwing herself into the old man’s arms, she wailed, calling out for him over and over.

The old man could no longer hold back his own tears and hugged her tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Oh, Heaven! What sin have we committed? Do the common folk have no path left to live?”