Chapter 54: Anxious to Leave One’s Hometown

“Go wake the two boys up and have them kowtow.”

Even though they were going to retrieve the ancestral tablets and take them into the space later, tradition was tradition. Before leaving home for a long time, the younger generation should still pay their respects.

So, He Yanxin went into the next room to wake the two brothers, while Song Yeqing went to the kitchen to check on the porridge that was cooking.

It was almost five in the morning, still dark outside—exactly the time they had agreed upon the day before.

After breakfast, He Yanxin went next door to see how things were progressing.

The Wu family was all ready. There was already some luggage placed by the main entrance, not much, clearly packed lightly for travel.

By the firelight, he could see that everyone was wearing thick, dull-colored clothes, some even patched.

He Yanxin smirked. Before coming over, he had thought about reminding them to dress modestly—after all, they were fleeing famine.

But clearly, they had more experience than he did.

He didn’t see Wu Erlang and his wife, nor their child. He had no idea where they’d gone.

Since they didn’t mention it, naturally, he didn’t ask.

“Let’s go.” The ox cart was already waiting outside.

Everyone loaded their belongings onto the cart and tied them down tightly. The food was placed in the center, covered with quilts, and on the outer edges, they placed several kitchen and hatchets.

Each person worked in silence. No one spoke.

The atmosphere was slightly heavy. After all, they were leaving their hometown behind—it was unlikely anyone felt happy.

Neither He Yanxin nor Song Yeqing were the kind of people who would let children suffer for the sake of appearances.

So on the ox cart with the covered compartment, aside from the mobility-impaired Qi Niangzi, they also placed the two He brothers.

“You two behave. No horsing around and don’t bump into your third aunt, understood?”

After teaching the boys how to address people properly, Song Yeqing knelt on the soft mat at the base of the cart and gave them a low warning.

Then she glanced at Qi Niangzi’s belly, hesitating over whether to remove some things to leave more space.

The compartment was quite spacious—more than enough to seat two children and Qi Niangzi, who was still a young teenager.

The only issue was that the inner part of the cart also held some of the food she had packed and some quilts.

“It’s fine, sister-in-law. My body isn’t that fragile,” Qi Niangzi said with a sweet smile, still showing some youthful innocence on her face.

She leaned back against the cart wall and pulled her legs in to make more room for He Chengze and Song Chengsi.

“If you need anything, just tell auntie. Auntie will help you,” she said gently to the children.

Then she turned to Song Yeqing. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. I’ll look after the children.”

Hearing this, Song Yeqing wanted to say, “Just take care of yourself,” but the words caught in her throat and didn’t come out. She ultimately stepped down from the cart in silence.

She really wasn’t used to expressing care or concern to unfamiliar people.

But… she lifted the curtain again. “If anything happens, call me.”

Although she wasn’t skilled in gynecology, she was at least half a healer—and had medicine in her space.

“Okay, I will, sister-in-law.”

The cart was dimly lit, with only the faint light of the setting moon shining in.

So Song Yeqing didn’t notice that beneath Qi Niangzi’s smile, there was also a trace of nervous anxiety.

Qi Ying knew she was lucky to be able to sit in the cart, so she was determined not to cause any trouble.

She touched her belly.

Baby, please be strong. Don’t let anything go wrong.

Once everything was packed and ready, the ox cart began to move, setting off along the planned route.

After walking for more than half an hour, Song Yeqing made an excuse about forgetting something and returned alone to the area near Anshan Village.

Since she ran daily for exercise, her body was already used to it. She took a shortcut and ran back, not asking the group to stop and wait for her.

“Huff… Cough, cough…” Her chest felt like it was burning, but what came out of her mouth was cold air.

“Oh my, you ran too hard. Catch your breath,” Aunt Ge said with concern, gently patting her back and handing her a bamboo flask of water.

Song Yeqing waved her hand and took her own water pouch from the cart shaft.

“You keep yours.”

Right now, water was scarce, and it was unclear how long it would be until the next water source.

There were ten people in the Wu and Qi families who needed to drink. Who knew if the water they brought from home would even be enough?

She was different. Before leaving, she had used the purification equipment and filled her water pouch with well water. She wasn’t lacking.

He Yanxin had bought five identical water pouches. If one ran out, she could secretly switch it for a full one.

“What did you forget? I even offered to have your brother go back for you, and you refused.” Aunt Ge was curious.

“It’s something very important,” Song Yeqing said. She wasn’t good at lying, so that was all she could say.

Thankfully, He Yanxin arrived at that moment, and Aunt Ge didn’t press further.

The two of them slowed their pace and stayed at the back of the group.

“Are you okay?” He Yanxin was actually asking about her.

“I’m fine. Everything went smoothly,” Song Yeqing assumed he was asking about the drone flight.

The message had been sent—she just didn’t know whether the people of Anshan Village would believe it.

He Yanxin was silent for a moment. “That’s good.” Then he added, “Do you want to ride for a bit?”

Song Yeqing had already caught her breath and shook her head. “Maybe later.” She’d get on if she truly couldn’t walk any farther.

On a long journey, the worst thing you could do was push yourself too hard. Forcing it would only mean being completely unable to walk the next day, dragging everyone down even more.

So she leaned in close and whispered in his ear:

“Tell everyone not to tough it out. If they get tired, they should ride for a bit.”

He Yanxin stiffened slightly, then relaxed and continued walking, grinning as he teased her.

“Why don’t you tell them? Just shout it out right here.”

Then he stretched lazily and asked with mock confusion, “Don’t tell me… are you shy?”

Song Yeqing: …

That annoying little smirk of his—she really wanted to smack him, did he know that?

“There are some people who are really afraid of public speaking. Their faces turn red and they stumble over their words on stage,” He Yanxin said, sneaking a glance at her expression.

“You’re not one of those people, are you, Celestial Master Song? That would be something to see… you, with a red face.”

If she couldn’t tell he was teasing her on purpose, she’d be a fool.

What was he looking forward to seeing? Her stammering like a fool?

Heh. Not going to happen.

So, with rare youthful bravado, she picked up her pace and walked ahead.

By now, it was fully bright outside. Aunt Ge saw her catch up and gave her a knowing, teasing smile.

The others also wore friendly, understanding expressions.

What’s going on? Why is everyone smiling at me like that? Song Yeqing was confused.

She looked back at He Yanxin—he was smiling too. But his smile seemed to carry a hint of encouragement?

After thinking for a moment, she spoke:

“If anyone gets tired, feel free to take a seat on the cart. Don’t be shy—conserving strength is important.”

Once she started, it wasn’t as hard as she’d imagined, so she continued:

“We’ll try to cover as much distance as possible during the day. At noon, we’ll just have to eat some dry food. Once we set up camp in the evening, we’ll cook a proper meal.”

Maybe it was her calm and reliable tone, or the maturity in her voice—but it helped settle the unease in everyone’s hearts.

No one felt that following the arrangements of a young girl made them lose face. They all agreed readily.

He Yanxin: You noticed the stammering, but didn’t notice your face turning red?

Song Yeqing: Don’t ask. Let’s just say… I’m a steel-hearted straight girl.

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(End of Chapter)