I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

A smart Border Collie and a cheerful Husky.

After his cousin was alright, Wen Zike grinned foolishly all day long.

Zhao Ningning also learned that their team hadn't always been eating such terrible food.

Because Wen Zichuan used to cook.

It was quite rare in ancient times for a proper young master to know how to cook.

Let's break down the stereotypes surrounding Zhao Ningning.

Perhaps sensing Zhao Ningning's thoughts, Wen Zichuan explained, "When we were studying in the prefectural city, the academy didn't allow us to bring servants, and the food was terrible, so many students learned to cook for themselves."

Of course, some students can cook badly, but he couldn't bear to suffer from his own terrible cooking after a hard day at school, so during his time off, Wen Zichuan specially hired a cook to teach him how to cook.

The only thing he regretted was that if he had known they were going to flee the famine, he would have dragged Wen Zike, who was just watching the commotion, along to learn how to cook.

That way, when the team is fleeing famine, they won't have to rely on him alone.

Wen Zichuan's cooking is just average, but Zhao Qi's cooking is much better.

Zhao Qi was a man of few words but easy to talk to. Since he was a man, Wen Zichuan asked him to teach Wen Zike and the others how to cook after he discovered that Zhao Qi could cook.

Thinking that they would be fleeing the famine together, Zhao Qi readily agreed.

After the initial pleasure comes endless regret.

He really couldn't understand why someone could fly ten meters high, yet still manage to make terrible food.

Zhao Qi tried for five days, but Wen Zike's nagging gave him a headache.

He leaned weakly against the carriage and asked Zhao Ningning, "Little sister, am I really not suited to be a teacher?"

Zhao Ningning hissed and said, "Brother, don't doubt yourself, blame others."

Zhao Qi's liver hurts.

He clearly taught it, and Wen Zike clearly studied it diligently, following the steps he taught step by step. Every step seemed to be fine.

Where exactly did things go wrong?!

Seeing that his cousin had made Zhao Qi so angry that he was somewhat deflated, Wen Zichuan quickly stopped him and came over with a box of pastries to apologize.

He made these pastries himself. Among the things the team brought were jujubes. Dried jujubes are easy to preserve and are suitable for cooking porridge or eating directly.

Wen Zichuan got into the car, and Zhao Qi and Zhao Ningning took out the original small table and placed it in the middle of the car so that all three of them could have a place to sit.

After placing the food on the table, Wen Zichuan said apologetically, "Brother Zhao, my cousin has been bothering me a lot these past few days. This is a jujube cake that I made myself. Please try it."

Zhao Qi picked up a small piece of pastry. The pastry was slightly yellow and had a fragrant date aroma.

Seeing that Zhao Ningning hadn't started eating yet, Wen Zichuan smiled and gestured for her to eat quickly, "Miss Zhao, please try it. It's steamed, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Pick up a piece and bite into it. Unlike the soft and crumbly texture I imagined, this jujube cake actually has a bit of chewiness. Inside is a ball of jujube paste filling that melts directly in your mouth.

It has an extremely delicate texture.

And it's not too sweet.

Zhao Ningning's eyes lit up.

Seeing that one of the siblings liked it, Wen Zichuan breathed a sigh of relief and explained the next route and arrangements to them.

It will take at least two months to get to Luchuan County.

The main problem is that the mountain roads are difficult to travel, and the route needs to be estimated based on the terrain.

The closer you get to Luchuan County, the steeper the mountains become.

After Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi finished eating, Wen Zichuan had also finished speaking. He put away the plates and was about to get out of the car when a loud clap of thunder suddenly came from outside.

Wen Zichuan stopped what he was doing and looked up at the sky.

The thunder rumbled and crushed, and the Wen family members who heard the thunder stopped what they were doing and looked at the sky with vigilance or curiosity.

There have been occasional flashes of lightning and thunder these past few days, but thunder as loud as today's has only occurred in the days immediately following a rainstorm.

After the thunder subsided, a blinding beam of light struck down. Wen Zichuan slightly shielded his face with his sleeve, and when he took it off, he saw that on the hilltop he had already passed, a tree had been struck and set ablaze.

This is a rainy day!

There was still half an incense stick's time before the group set off.

Immediately following was another extremely oppressive thunderclap that exploded in my ears.

The sky seemed even darker than before.

Wen Zichuan raised his voice and ordered, "Let's not leave yet, let's stay here for a while."

He held up his umbrella and hurried back to his carriage.

Zhao Qi carefully tidied up the table and soft chairs and placed them in the carriage, then looked anxiously out the carriage window.

"Ningning, it's thundering again," Zhao Qi said.

"It seems like those first few days when it started raining..." As soon as Zhao Ningning finished speaking, the raindrops in the sky began to visibly grow larger.

If you were exposed to the elements, you would definitely be pounded by these peanut-sized raindrops and scream in pain.

The rain that was a few days ago had lessened considerably! Now, it's turned into a torrential downpour again.

Zhao Ningning glanced at it and closed the window.

The rain was heavy, so the Wen family put everything away and tied the horses to a tree.

There was lightning and thunder outside. Zhao Ningning endured it for about ten minutes, then opened the car window and was so frightened that she almost jumped out of her skin.

On the opposite hilltop, several trees were struck by lightning!

Despite the heavy rain, the fire on the tree was extinguished after burning for only a moment.

Looking at the environment the convoy was in, Zhao Ningning thought to herself that something was wrong.

They are high up in the mountains, and if the thunder continues like this, they are very likely to be struck by lightning!

Before Zhao Ningning could even tell Zhao Qi to move, a blinding flash of light exploded in front of her.

The next second, a tree that was only ten meters away from them crashed down.

The horses tied to the tree beside the cart were startled and tried to run away, but they were restrained by the reins. They could only lift their front hooves and circle back and forth by the tree.

Wen Zichuan was also startled by the commotion and couldn't help but stand on the hood of the car and look out.

Zhao Ningning stood in the rain at the front of the car and called out, "Brother Wen!"

"We need to find another place!"

Zhao Ningning shouted, "It's too dangerous here!"

Wen Zichuan snapped out of his daze, saw Miss Zhao standing on the hood of the car, and asked, "Where are we going?"

Zhao Ningning recalled what the textbook said, "We need to leave here, it's too high up here."

"This lightning likes to strike things that are high up and under trees; we need to find a depression."

The main priority is to get off this high ground; it's too dangerous here!

Wen Zike chimed in, "Cousin, there's a depression ahead. I saw it when I went to scout ahead!"

Wen Zichuan: "Let's not delay, let's go!"

Wen Zike agreed, and the convoy immediately sprang into action.

When Wen Zike saw that Zhao Ningning and her family were young and it was raining heavily, he wanted to come and drive their carriage himself, but Zhao Qi declined.

Zhao Ningning wiped the rain off her face. "We'll catch the train! Your cousin's wound has just healed and he can't get it wet. Go help him!"

"My cousin has someone helping him drive," Wen Zike said, sitting down beside him. "You two are too young to control the carriage, I'll take over!"

"The horses were startled by the thunder; it would be better if someone familiar with them shooed them away!"

Hearing this, Zhao Ningning stopped arguing.

Zhao Qi handed him the reins, and Wen Zike grabbed them, leading the horse to the side of the carriage. The two children helped him harness the horse, and they hurried forward in the carriage.

The rain was so heavy, like a veil so close at hand, that you could vaguely see the road ahead, but couldn't see it clearly.

Someone jumped off the carriage, led a horse to the front to guide the way.

Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi sat anxiously in the car.

Another bolt of lightning struck, hitting a tree only five or six meters from the carriage, which then fell to the ground.

Wen Zike tightened his grip on the reins and said, "Why don't you come with me to my cousin's carriage? We can all travel together?"

"Okay." Zhao Ningning nodded, and Zhao Qi nodded in agreement.

They got off the carriage in the rain, and after only ten or so steps, their clothes were already soaked. Wen Zichuan, who was in the carriage, used his left hand to pull them onto the carriage, one in each hand. Wen Zike was the last to get on. Once the four of them were together, the others drove the carriages behind them.

With a flick of his whip, Wen Zike drove the carriage closely behind the person leading the way, speeding down the mountain.

The others covered for them.

Zhao Ningning was slightly surprised.

Even if he were a young master from ancient times, the people he brought were members of a collateral branch of the Wen family, not ordinary servants.

The fact that they are protecting Wen Zichuan like this shows that Wen Zichuan is really important.

No wonder Wen Zike was so hospitable to us just for helping fight the bandits.

If they hadn't managed to get Wen Zichuan's support in time, and something had happened to him, they didn't know what they would have done.

As Zhao Ningning pondered, her gaze followed the person leading the way.

The guide skillfully maneuvered up, down, left, and right along the narrow mountain path, always finding a suitable and slightly flat spot for the carriage to pass.

The path down the mountain was difficult, so everyone had to slow down.

After crossing the highest mountain peak, a forest appeared ahead, and Wen Zike felt somewhat relieved.

As long as it's not the highest point, it should be fine, right?

Thunder was still raging in the sky. Wen Zike was focused on the people in front of him. As he walked, a white light suddenly flashed before his eyes.

The next instant, as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had split open, pieces of wood shot out in all directions.

When Wen Zike came to his senses again, he found himself lying in the car.

The entire roof was gone, leaving only the four walls of the carriage.

Just as the lightning struck, someone pulled him back into the car from outside.

"Just now..." Wen Zike's face turned pale with fright. Raindrops hit his face, and he was panting.

"Lightning just struck our car," Zhao Ningning said helplessly. "Luckily, no one was hurt."

—This is so unlucky! Didn't they say that hiding in the car would be safe?!

—It could also be because of the wooden cart.

"Thank goodness." Wen Zike looked at his cousin, who was also a little frightened. He wasn't wet, as Miss Zhao had somehow managed to shield him from the rain with an umbrella.

Wen Zike swallowed hard. "Cousin, Miss Zhao, shall we go?"

Wen Zichuan took a deep breath. "Keep going!"

Several vehicles in the convoy were also hit, and one person even lost consciousness.

The person was still breathing, so there was no time to worry about anything else. If they didn't leave now, staying here would only become more and more dangerous!

Driving the dilapidated carriage, Wen Zike stared wide-eyed at the road ahead.

He would occasionally look up at the sky.

The sky was still flashing lightning. He glanced at it and immediately pulled his neck back, praying that the thunder would stop. He was willing to do more good deeds for the rest of his life.

The person leading the way jumped onto his horse and continued running towards the depression that Wen Zike had mentioned.

After half an incense stick's time, the group finally reached the top of a depression.

"We have to go around this pit to get down," Wen Zike said. "I didn't go down there when I was scouting the way."

"Hurry up, the thunder in the sky is getting more and more frequent!" Wen Zichuan urged.

"Go!" At the command, the group slowly descended along the edge of the depression from its highest point. When they reached the bottom, Wen Zike exclaimed in surprise, "There's a cave ahead!"

"A cave!"

The convoy drove in one go, and once inside the cave, the raindrops the size of peanuts disappeared, replaced by a lingering, fermenting smell.

Without waiting for Wen Zichuan's instructions, Wen Zike walked in, holding a torch in one hand and a sword in the other.

Three people were left to guard Wen Zike, while the rest of the people followed him into the cave.

After a fierce battle, the cave returned to calm.

Hearing the commotion, Zhao Ningning exchanged a glance with Zhao Qi.

If I heard correctly, what I heard inside just now sounded like a tiger's roar, right?

They had heard tigers roar when they were at the zoo.

Wen Zike, carrying his still-dripping longsword, walked outside, beaming, and said, "Cousin, there's a tiger here!"

As he spoke, he led the rest of the Wen family over, and the people behind them carried a huge object. Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi looked closely and saw that it was indeed a tiger!

Putting the tiger aside, Wen Zike said, "It's a pity the light was too dim, I couldn't see it clearly, and there are two holes in it. This tiger skin is worthless now."

"It's good enough that there are any." Wen Zichuan got out of the car and asked, "Are there any other wild animals inside?"

"That's all. The tiger has taken over this place; all that's left are scraps it ate..."

As Wen Zike spoke, he glanced at Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi, and said, "You can come in after we've cleaned up this filth!"

As they spoke, they unloaded shovels and dustpans from the vehicle and went into the cave in pairs to clean things up.

Despite their best efforts to conceal it, Zhao Ningning still saw the shape of human bones in the winnowing basket they brought out.

Zhao Ningning: ...

They carried several baskets that were clearly filled with human leg bones, but the last one was impossible to hide; it was full of skulls, some still with rotting flesh.

Zhao Ningning glanced away, feeling a bit nauseous.

Zhao Qi quickly lowered his head, leaned against the dilapidated carriage wall, and gagged.

Wen Zichuan:......

After Wen Zike and his group moved their things away, the air inside the cave became slightly fresher. After they turned over the soil and filled in the spot where they had been, there was almost no odor left in the cave.

If you don't get close and don't examine it closely.

Wen Zichuan walked in calmly.

Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi followed behind him, deeply admiring the Wen family.

Zhao Ningning would rather fight ten or so bandits than deal with this one.

Once inside the cave, the group felt relieved and began to cook a meal without worry.

No matter how powerful the lightning is, it can't possibly bend and strike into the cave!

To this, Zhao Ningning can only say: Yes, brothers!

the other side.

The people of Wangli Village fled all the way up a slope before finally joining up with the village head's team.

Only after finding their leader did the scattered villagers feel at ease.

In any case, the village head led them all the way without any major problems.

Following behind the village head has almost become a habit for the villagers of Wangli Village.

Ning's parents prayed that Ning and the others would be able to see the mark they left behind, and that they could meet again soon.

As they walked, the people of Wangli Village had just descended a hill when they were suddenly startled by a bolt of lightning.

"This lightning isn't right..."