Chapter 9: On the Road

Everyone woke up late today. After breakfast, they continued on their way. Wang Li checked her pocket watch—it was already ten o’clock. The heat was unbearable. She wasn’t sure if it was just this time of day or the fact that they were wearing too many layers, but everyone was drenched in sweat. They all agreed—it was hotter than usual today.

After walking for two hours, the children started whining, saying they couldn’t walk anymore and wanted to rest. Originally, since they got up late, Wang Li had planned to walk a few extra miles to make up for it.

“Alright then, let’s rest. Liu family—you cook. Han Ya, go check if there’s any water nearby. The horse needs a drink, and we need water for cooking. The water on the wagon is almost gone. Don’t forget to boil some hot water to take with us.”

Zhao Sanniu found a shady spot under a tree, laid out a mat for Wang Li to sit on, then went off to gather firewood.

Wang Li looked around—everyone was covered in dust, their faces grimy, hair all over the place. They had just washed up the night before, but the sun today was too fierce and the road was all yellow dirt.

She thought back to the 21st century—how even rural roads were paved with cement.

She reminded herself: have them boil water with a little sugar and salt mixed in. With this kind of heat, someone might get heatstroke.

It really was too hot, and something didn’t feel right about the weather. She glanced around—there was only one tree here, and no farmland in sight, just low hills. The kids had nowhere to hide from the sun.

When they got to the city, she had to buy a piece of oilcloth. That way, even when there was no shelter, they could set up something themselves.

Seeing that everyone looked too exhausted to go on, Wang Li spoke up, “Let’s push a little further—if we make it into the city today, I’ll treat everyone to a night in a real inn and a nice hot meal. We can’t stay long in this place—it’s wide open, and if bandits show up, there’s nowhere to hide.”

Hearing this, everyone looked around. In a desolate place like this, they really weren’t safe.

Zhao Sanniu looked ahead and said, “I wonder if there are any wild chickens or rabbits around?”

His wife gave him a smack and muttered, “Everyone’s worried about running into Japanese soldiers or bandits, and all you think about is food!”

Sigh… this couple… there’s just no talking to them.

Liu’s family, while cooking, muttered to herself,
“I wonder how the old man’s doing. It’s been days now, and the young master hasn’t sent word… Ai…”

Sanniu’s wife also sighed,
“With the world like this, who knows what’s going on? We can’t even fill our bellies, and now there’s a war on top of it all.”

Han Ya cut in, “Enough of your whining—it’s hot enough to kill someone. Let’s just eat and move on. If we find a cool place to lie down later, we’ll get more rest than standing here sweating.”

After eating, they boiled some more water and filled it into jars, placing them on the rack at the back of the wagon. Then they hit the road again. It was so hot, it felt like you could fry eggs on the ground.

By around four in the afternoon, they turned a corner and saw a car stopped on the road. A Japanese man stood nearby while two women were taking pictures in a cornfield.

Suddenly, one of the women ran over to their wagon, speaking in rapid Japanese. They couldn’t understand a word, and Wang Li’s heart sank—Don’t make her mad, or what if she shoots us?

Wang Li kept her face calm, but inside, she was panicking.

The Japanese man walked over and barked at her:
“You, line up by the cornfield. Miss Junko wants a photo.”

Then he pointed to Zhao Sanniu’s daughter.
“You, carry a corn bundle.”

He made them all pick up their bags again and even told Wang Li to hold a rock.

What kind of madness is this? Not obeying might get them shot—but doing it was humiliating beyond words. She was fuming.

These Japanese devils are insufferable! And Han Ya was even foolishly smiling—Wang Li’s chest tightened in frustration.

The two Japanese women and the man stood off to the side, laughing gleefully. The man taking the photo seemed to be their driver. Wang Li figured the guy was trying to impress the women.

Not once did they show any hint of shame.

After they finished taking photos, the man waved them off,
“Go on, don’t block the road.”

They wasted no time. In a flash, they clambered onto the wagon and rode off as fast as they could.

After walking past the cornfield and crossing a small hill, they still hadn’t arrived. Could it be they’d misread the map?

Just as night began to fall, they finally spotted it—a patch of forest ahead. Hanya shouted loudly, “There’s a forest… a forest! Everyone, run!”

The group looked ahead and saw a dense thicket of trees looming in the distance.

Wang Li frowned. We must’ve taken a wrong turn. According to the map, we should’ve arrived yesterday. How are we still not there today?

They ran to the forest, plopped down, and immediately started eating. One of the Liu women suggested, “Soak the buns in water. That’ll soften them and make them easier to eat.”

Her son disagreed, “Too hungry and tired to care.”

“My throat’s too dry. I can’t swallow even if I want to,” someone else muttered. “How much farther is it? I’m about to drop.”

“Last time we went to the city with Master, we even got to eat meat on the way—he bought pork ears for Dad and a whole pork leg for me. It was huge! I roasted and nibbled at it all the way to the city and only finished when we got there.”

Then someone whispered, “Ma… do you think Madam doesn’t actually know the way? We must’ve gone the wrong route. We didn’t pass a cornfield last time.”

“You silly brat,” his mother scolded. “Last time you rode in a car. Now we’re walking. How could it be the same? Stop your yapping, eat, and rest a bit. If Madam hears you complaining, she might leave us behind.”

Wang Li overheard the grumbling. She quietly tucked ten pieces of rock sugar into a bundle, then opened a tin of biscuits and added that too.

“Liu family,” she called softly, “I’ve got biscuits and rock sugar in my bundle. Give some to the kids. We won’t need it when we reach the provincial capital.”

“These are all things Master brought back from the capital. I’d been saving them, but we might as well eat them now. I had a bite earlier—they’re really tasty. Go on, let them enjoy it.”

Everyone was happily munching on the biscuits and rock sugar when suddenly—gunfire erupted from the hillside.

Just beyond the forest was a slope, and the shots made everyone freeze. Terrified, they didn’t know what to do. They were all just farmers—none of them could handle the sound of gunfire.

Wang Li stood up and scanned their surroundings. “Everyone, grab your things. Circle the carts and put them in the center. Sit with your backs to the inside and keep your eyes on the outside. Don’t speak loudly. I’m going to take a look. If I don’t come back, don’t come looking. I might return from another direction—and if you come looking, I’ll have to rescue you too.”

Hanya called out nervously, “Auntie… Auntie… what if there are Japanese soldiers? Don’t go!”

But Wang Li didn’t wait for anyone to respond. She dashed out of the forest and climbed the hill. Peering down, she saw Japanese troops on the opposite hillside—alongside Eighth Route Army soldiers. At the bottom of the hill were two vehicles, one mounted with a cannon, the other with a machine gun. A gunner lay prone, firing steadily uphill.

What to do…?

The path below seemed to run close to the vehicles—maybe ten paces away? If she sprinted, she might make it unnoticed. If no one’s watching this way, I might be okay. But still… what if I’m not?

She hesitated. First, I’ll take the vehicles. Then I’ll sneak up and knife the gunner. If he spots me, I’m done for.

No—don’t think. Just do it. If they catch me, I’ll slip into my space.

Determined, Wang Li crept low down the slope and darted toward the vehicles. In a flash, she stored both into her spatial dimension. Then she dashed up behind the machine gunner and slipped into her space again. Inside, she could see that the gunner hadn’t noticed her.

She stepped out, slashed his neck with a blade, and vanished into her space again. Then she came out and gave him another slice, grabbed the machine gun, and bolted.

She scrambled back over the hill, down the other side, and returned to her group. Let’s see how the Japanese fight now, without their guns!

Back at the camp, Wang Li saw the others still preparing dinner.

“Hey, stop cooking! Pack up! Move out! If the Japanese come and find people here, we’ll be in trouble.”

Everyone panicked and rushed to gather their things. It wasn’t too dark yet—they could still see the way. And after eating biscuits and candy, morale was high. They ran fast and didn’t stop until they’d covered a solid five li (about 2.5 kilometers), reaching a sheltered cliffside spot out of the wind.

Wang Li took charge again, helping them set up and settle down for the night.

Lying on her mat, she thought: Today I took the Japanese guns and artillery. They probably can’t continue fighting. The others up there might be saved now. As for these weapons—I can’t use them. I’ll hand them over when we meet the Liberation Army. Better in their hands than mine—at least they can use them to take out more of those bastards.