The village chief saw so many villagers standing up to drive out Old Granny Wu’s family and immediately felt relieved.

As long as the whole village supported expelling them, he naturally wouldn’t object—after all, this family was truly detestable.

“You… you heartless wretches! You’re actually helping that little slut Shen Qingwan force us out! Are you all sleeping with her? Has she warmed all of your beds?”

Zhao Caihua was so anxious that she blurted out whatever came to mind, but this time, she completely enraged the men of the village.

“Zhao Caihua, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you want me to tear your filthy mouth apart?”

“You’re the one with a dirty mind! You see filth everywhere because your own heart is rotten!”

“Exactly! You and that old hag are really two of a kind—no wonder you get along so well. Neither of you knows how to speak like a decent human being!”

The villagers hurled one remark after another at them, leaving the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo too ashamed to even straighten their backs.

Lu Datou, seeing his mother and grandmother being bullied, immediately rushed forward and bit the hand of the man standing in front.

“You dare bully my mother?! I’ll kill you! You filthy bastards, don’t you dare touch her!”

Having grown up hearing Zhao Caihua and Old Lady Wu cursing, Lu Datou was naturally skilled in hurling insults as well.

The bitten man flung him off with a hiss of pain.

The village chief saw that the situation was escalating and didn’t want to delay things any further.

He stepped forward and said to Old Lady Wu, “This matter is indeed Zhao Caihua’s fault. Dahe Village cannot tolerate people who harm their own kin. You three are hereby expelled from the group. This is already a lenient decision—if you continue causing trouble, don’t blame me for banishing you from the clan altogether!”

With that, the village chief ordered the villagers to pack up and continue their journey.

The remaining water was distributed among the families to temporarily quench their thirst.

Zhao Caihua was stunned—she never expected the village chief to truly drive them out.

Old Lady Wu, furious, slapped Zhao Caihua hard. “This is all your fault! Why did you have to provoke that disaster star? Now our whole family has been cast out! The road ahead is long and treacherous—how are we, a group of women and children, supposed to survive?!”

Seeing that the group was about to leave, Zhao Caihua quickly pulled her mother-in-law aside. “Mother, even if we’ve been expelled from the group, we can still follow them from behind! As long as we stay close but not too close, no one will dare lay a hand on us. Come on, let’s go after them!”

At her words, Old Lady Wu’s eyes lit up.

She immediately grabbed her grandson and followed after the villagers.

The people of Dahe Village were irritated to see them trailing behind, but there was nothing they could do to drive them away.

After all, their destination was the same—Suzhou.

It was only natural to be on the same road.

As the scorching heat persisted, the vegetation along the way withered more and more.

Greenery became a rare sight, even on the mountains, where grass and trees had begun to dry up, and the mountain springs had gone dry.

By evening, the group stopped in a valley.

The mountains surrounded them on all sides, making this spot seem relatively safe.

The village chief decided they would rest here for the night.

As they settled in, more refugees arrived and stopped in the same valley.

The setting sun cast a beautiful glow over the land, but the ground was barren and desolate. Crows circled above, cawing incessantly.

Occasionally, they swooped down to peck at rotting flesh on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, one would realize that those rotting remains were the bodies of refugees who had died not long ago.

“Village chief, my grandfather… he’s not going to make it. My father sent me to call you over,” Liu Yong approached, eyes red.

Liu Yong was the grandson of Old Master Liu.

Their family once had an ox cart, but it was stolen by refugees outside Qing’an Prefecture.

Since then, Old Master Liu had been forced to walk the entire way.

The hunger and exhaustion had finally taken their toll—his body could no longer endure it.

Shen Qingwan recalled the kind old man who used to drive the ox cart.

A faint sorrow rose in her heart.

Seeing the village chief walk over, she stood up and followed.

Though they had only been fleeing for ten days, Old Master Liu looked like he had lost a great deal of weight.

His already thin frame now appeared skeletal, his cheeks sunken, and his complexion waxy yellow. Gripping the village chief’s hand, he spoke his final farewells.

“I can’t go on any longer. I can’t walk anymore. This place is good enough for me. I’ve already told Yougui—tomorrow morning, just leave me here. But my heart aches for my old friends… and my ox. That poor beast worked alongside me for decades. I never thought I wouldn’t be able to see it through to the end.”

Tears streamed down Old Master Liu’s face.

His rapid decline was partly due to his missing ox—when it was stolen, it was as if his spirit had left him too.

He had been depressed ever since, and combined with hunger and exhaustion, he simply couldn’t hold on any longer.

He knew his time was up.

Continuing on would only be a burden, so he would rather stay behind.

“Brother, just hold on a little longer! We’ll make it to Suzhou! You still need to see your grandson get married—how can you give up now?”

The village chief gripped Old Master Liu’s hand, his own eyes red.

The old man smiled bitterly. “I’m already an old bag of bones. I’ve lived long enough. I can’t drag my children and grandchildren down any further. Suzhou is still far away… I don’t want to be a burden.”

Lying on the ground, his body was weak.

The moment a person gives up, their strength crumbles.

Old Master Liu had already lost the will to continue.

Shen Qingwan did not approach immediately.

Instead, she went back to build a fire and cooked a small pot of thick meat porridge.

The meat had been marinated before they left.

She cut it into small pieces and added it to the porridge.

Soon, a rich aroma spread through the air, making many people glance longingly in her direction.

She scooped a bowl and brought it over to Old Master Liu.

The village chief was still trying to encourage him when the scent of the porridge wafted over, making even him swallow involuntarily.

“Yougui, feed this to Grandfather Liu,” Shen Qingwan said. “Tomorrow, let him ride my mule cart. Once we reach Linzhou, you can buy a wooden cart to carry him. He can’t walk anymore, but pulling a cart is still doable. This disaster won’t last forever, Grandfather Liu. Dahe Village still needs you to drive the ox cart. If you leave, who will take us to town for supplies?”

Her words sparked hope in Liu Yougui’s eyes.

Old Master Liu forced a smile and said, “My dear child, I’m an old man… feeding me is a waste. You should save this porridge for the children.”

“Grandfather Liu, do you not believe me?” Shen Qingwan lowered her voice. “I said I would get all of us to Suzhou alive, and I will. Don’t worry—I have silver. I stole it from bandits. I won’t let anyone starve to death.”

Hearing this, Old Master Liu’s eyes shone with renewed light.

He nodded repeatedly. “Alright, alright… I trust you.”

Liu Yougui, seeing his father regain the will to live, quickly helped him up and fed him the thick porridge.

As the warm porridge settled in his stomach, Old Master Liu finally felt alive again.

The village chief, seeing his improved condition, was overjoyed.

After returning, Shen Qingwan distributed the remaining porridge among her family members.

Bai Yong’an had never eaten such delicious meat porridge before.

Even though one bowl barely filled him, he didn’t dare ask for more since everyone else had the same portion.