I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

She couldn't help but start crying softly.

Dr. Kang sighed and left, but before he left, he stuffed the two pieces of dried fish that Luo Xiaozhi had brought back into his possession.

Everyone in the village knew about Xi Ershun's situation. He was a doctor, and the village head and village chief provided his family with food subsidies, so they didn't take the life-saving food that the mother and her two daughters needed.

After Dr. Kang left, Luo Xiaozhi carefully fed Xi Ershun a little water again.

Seeing that Ershun still hadn't woken up, Luo Xiaozhi said dejectedly to Wang Yan, "Xiaohua's mother, why don't you leave us here when we set off later?"

She felt bad about occupying someone else's car all the time.

Wang Yan glared at him and said, "What time is it?"

"Anyway, we don't have many packages, so just use it. If you really feel bad about it, when you get some food later, share some with me." Wang Yan didn't say how much to share, leaving it entirely to her conscience.

She only offered her help because she thought Xi Ershun and his wife were nice people.

After all, as a widow in the team, she had no one to take care of her, and she had to worry about everything more than the average person. She was exhausted!

Luo Xiaozhi stammered, "Thank you, thank you!"

The village head said he would rest for half an hour, and then he would have to leave.

Even if he didn't say to leave, the people in the group couldn't sit still. There was still a rumbling sound behind them, like a volcano was still erupting.

They need to travel as far as possible so that they can rest properly and without worry later.

The team sprang into action again.

It is Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

At this time of day, the sun would have already risen.

But it was still dark outside.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and looking up, fine dust was falling.

Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi exchanged a glance, and simultaneously thought of the same word—volcanic ash!

"How could I have forgotten about that!" Zhao Ningning quickly got out of the carriage and said to her father, "Dad, don't rush, go tell the village head that this volcanic ash will pollute the water!"

Their team hadn't gone to find water for a whole day and night. His family might not lack water, but the team might not!

We need to prepare water in advance, because we don't know how long this volcanic eruption will last, or how long the volcanic ash will drift!

Ning's father nodded, drove the mule cart next to the village head's car, and loudly told the village head about the volcanic ash from inside the cart.

Instead of directly mentioning volcanic ash, he went around in circles, saying that the ash from the sky would make the water dirty and difficult to find. The village head immediately thought of this and told the people in the team to stop and find water.

With so much rain recently, the mountainside has no shortage of water.

The village chief's family, the village head's family, and the Wen family each sent people out.

Wang Xiufeng rode his own horse and soon found a place.

When the three returned, they all found a water source. After discussing it, they concluded that the river Wang Xiufeng had found was the best, so they moved to the riverbank.

Standing by the river, the village headman instructed, "Fetch plenty of water! Otherwise, this black ash will stay in the sky for who knows how long!"

The villagers obediently went to fetch water.

Ning's parents also carried buckets to the riverbank, looking quite professional.

Madam He hurriedly asked Zhou Jian to help, as they only had one small bucket left, and they would have to rely on Ningning's family's carriage for the rest of the journey.

He owes so many favors that she doesn't know how to repay them.

Wang Yan and Luo Xiaozhi also went to fetch a bucket of water each.

The buckets were much heavier than the luggage. Luo Xiaozhi moved Xi Ershun, who was lying in the car, so that he could lie on his side. She stuffed two buckets behind him, and seeing that there was still room to stuff things behind his head, she also stuffed another package in.

I also told Wang Yan to put the package in the car so she wouldn't have to carry it around.

After fetching water, the group returned to the main road and continued their journey.

More and more black ash was appearing in the sky. This time, without the village head's reminder, the villagers spontaneously tore off pieces of cloth from their bodies and covered their mouths and noses.

The same was true for Zhao Ningning's family; only after covering their mouths and noses did the stench from the volcanic eruption outside lessen.

As they walked, they reached the edge of the Baihe Mountains.

There are no mountains behind it.

Before they even reached the town, they arrived at a village.

Having not seen a village for a long time, the village head was initially delighted, but then cautiously called over two men to go with Wang Xiufeng to gather information.

The village was deserted, not a soul in sight. The locks on the courtyards had long been broken, suggesting that passersby had stopped here to rest.

Inside the house, only large items like bed frames and cabinets that couldn't be taken away remained. In some places, the beds had been dismantled and burned as firewood. There was nothing left in the house.

After leading the group on a tour, the village head said, "There's no one left in the village. Let's rest here for a bit!"

The people in the group relaxed and walked quickly towards the village.

Fearing that something might happen and we wouldn't be able to notify everyone in time, the village chief didn't allow everyone to live too far apart and wanted them to live together in a concentrated area.

The Zhao Ningning family and the Zhou family simply lived in a small courtyard with only three rooms. One room was a kitchen separated from a small bedroom and a small main room, and the other room was a large main room and two small rooms.

Ning's parents shared a room with Zhao Ningning, He Shi shared a room, and Zhao Qi and Zhou Jian shared a room.

Just right.

Fearing the black ash would damage the mule's wounds, Ning's mother led it directly into the main room.

After resting, Ning's mother couldn't bring out the big pot, so she went to the kitchen and cooked on a small stove. Ning's father and He's mother helped out—but there wasn't much to help with; the three adults just chatted casually.

After wandering around the yard and finishing her meal, Zhao Ningning mysteriously pulled her mother aside and said, "Mom, I found a cellar in this yard."

"A cellar?!" Ning's mother blinked. "Is there something in there?"

"No!" Zhao Ningning said, "But you can put it in!"

Ning's mother's eyes lit up. "That's right!"

After finding out the location, Ning's mother secretly went to put five large bags of grain and some clothes of various sizes there.

She also added salt, and considering they would be traveling together soon, she added some dried fruit.

Just treat it as a snack.

After doing all this, Ning's mother asked Zhao Ningning to stay in the yard and act with Zhao Qi, while she took Ning's father out.

Having finally seized this opportunity, she wanted to do something for the villagers!

The rice and noodles they eat are mostly from Zhao Ningning's space; the grains that Ning's father bought in the county town and the prefectural city before are basically untouched.

Ning's mother kept one bag of each for herself, and gave the rest away.

Along with that, the salt we bought earlier was also put out.

These are the two things that the team is currently in dire need of.

Besides these two, Ning's mother also added some dried meat.

After she put it away, she stayed there while Ning's father went off to find the village headman to perform.

In the courtyard, Zhao Ningning called Zhou Jian to play hide-and-seek with her.

Zhou Jian was a little tired. He thought that after fleeing the famine all the way, he had finally found a relatively safe place to stay, so it wouldn't hurt to spend some time with his niece.

Playing with just the two of them wasn't fun, so he also dragged Zhao Qi along.

Zhao Ningning insisted on being the ghost, so she told the two of them to hide first.

After several rounds, Zhou Jian skipped the places where he had hidden before and looked for a new hiding place in the courtyard.

While Zhao Ningning was still counting, Zhou Jian was searching around when he suddenly discovered a raised patch of land behind the yard.

He hadn't seen it at first; he tripped over it while walking and then noticed that there was a raised patch in the ground.

I squatted down and cleared away the dirt on the ground, revealing a heavy board with a handle.

Zhou Jian's eyes widened.

He instinctively lifted the board, revealing a dark cellar.

"cellar!"

Zhou Jian cautiously peeked down.

The light was dim, and he could only see bags and pouches inside.

He didn't have time to play with Zhao Ningning; he quickly went to the front to call his mother!

Upon hearing what Zhou Jian said, Madam He hurried to the backyard, and also called Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi along with her.

Zhao Ningning breathed a sigh of relief.

—Finally found it!

The four of them returned to the backyard together. Madam He cautiously asked Zhou Jian to fetch a torch. She left the cellar entrance open to let out some air before lighting the torch and looking down.

After going down the stairs, there was a small cellar inside.

Inside the cellar, there were several large bags that looked like grain!

Mrs. He excitedly called out to Zhou Jian, "Xiao Jian, hurry! Go find your brother-in-law and the others!"

"Why!"

Zhou Jianfei ran out quickly.

Madam He then instructed Zhao Qi: "Xiao Qi, go and close the gate properly. Don't open the gate unless it's your parents."

Only Zhao Ningning remained. He Shi took a torch, opened the bag, and took a look. Inside, there really was grain!

Feel the other bags; they're all full of grain too!

There was even salt on the ground!

With a smile on her face, Mrs. He emerged from the cellar and sat on the cellar entrance. She extinguished the torch, touched Zhao Ningning's face, and said, "Our Zhao Ningning is such a lucky girl! If you hadn't asked to play hide-and-seek, how would we have found her!"

Zhao Ningning laughed dryly: "Hahahaha."

She only found an empty cellar; it was where Ning's mother had put things.

A short while later, Zhou Jian returned.

Seeing that no one was behind him, Mrs. He asked anxiously, "Where are your sister and the others?"

Zhou Jian, panting, said, "Mother, the village... the village has also discovered cellars! They're calling people out to move grain, calling people out to collect grain!"

Overjoyed, Madam He came out of the cellar. After thinking for a moment, she was worried about leaving her children at home, so she sent Zhou Jian to find his sister. Before he left, Madam He told Zhou Jian to collect the food and not to go anywhere else, but to come straight back!

Outside.

The village headman stood guard outside the cellar with a beaming smile.

Only twelve households remained in the group, and there were more than twelve bags of grain in them!

He counted them and knew in his mind that, based on the number of people, each person could get at least a small bag, and four people could share a large bag!

One big bag weighs over 50 pounds! If we eat it sparingly, it'll last us a long time!

When the villagers heard that there was food to eat, they all came with their families. The village head counted the food in front of everyone and took out two bags to give to the Wen family.

Some villagers were reluctant to share these two bags of grain with outsiders, but they didn't say anything, since the Shang family was also in the group!

This free grain is enough for every household to receive, so there's no need to anger the village head over it.

Zhao Ningning's family received a large bag of grain per person, and Zhou Jian also received half a bag. Ningning's mother carried it with him, while Ningning's father carried their own grain back home.

Back home, Ning's parents were "surprised" to hear that there was also grain in their cellar. They closed the door and laboriously carried the grain out of the cellar.

After the grain was moved upstairs, He Shi naturally asked Zhou Jian to help carry the five bags of grain into Ning's parents' room, which startled Ning's mother, who immediately stopped her.

"Mother... what are you doing!" Ning's mother pressed down on her hand. "Didn't Xiao Jian find out?"

"But..." Mrs. He said, "it was found in your yard."

"What do you mean 'yours' and 'ours'? Don't we live here together?" Ning's mother said, holding her hand. "Besides, it was Xiao Jian who found it."

Ms. He: "On your way..."

"Okay!" Ning's mother interrupted her, "I'll decide, we'll take one bag, and you can take four bags."

The five bags were originally intended for the two of them.

Mrs. He refused, and only after much persuasion from Aunt Ning did she agree to take three bags for her family.

The remaining salt was divided in the same way.

When it was time for dried fruit, Madam He refused to take any, leaving only some for Zhou Jian and letting Ning Ma take the rest.

Back in her room, Ning's mother lay wearily on the bed and said, "If only we could find a county town where we could buy things."

Let them "find the money" and buy it themselves! No more wasting time trying to persuade them.

After the grain was distributed, everyone in the team was overjoyed!

They were already at their wits' end, but they never expected to find so much food in this village!

Because Zhao Lao Er discovered the grain and said he wanted to share it with the villagers, the village head wouldn't let him suffer a loss and even gave Zhao Lao Er some gold.

Some villagers with a conscience took a small portion of the silver they had received and gave it to the village head.

Those heartless bastards are busy looting food right now.

Old Man Xi blocked the doorway and shouted into the house, "Xi Ershun! You heartless bastard! How much can your two daughters eat?!"

"Luo Xiaozhi! You're carrying such a big bag of grain, aren't you afraid that ungrateful wretch will choke to death!"

In the courtyard, Luo Xiaozhi, who was cooking porridge, angrily put down the firewood she was holding and was about to go out when Wang Yan stopped her, saying, "If you go out, you'll fall into his trap!"

After persuading Luo Xiaozhi to come back, Wang Yan said indifferently, "Anyway, he's just making a few noises outside. The right thing for you to do now is to cook the porridge and feed it to your husband."

Xi Ershun was awake for a while before entering the village!

Luo Xiaozhi listened to the advice, cooked the porridge and set it aside to cool, then added water directly to the pot and asked Wang Yan to cook the porridge.

After letting her two daughters eat their porridge by themselves, Luo Xiaozhi went inside and took a bag out of her bundle.

She divided the newly acquired grain into two bags, took half a bag out, and handed it to Wang Yan.

"Wang Yan, thank you so much for being with us on the journey." Luo Xiaozhi stuffed the food into her hands. "This is what we agreed on beforehand, here you go."

She also left two silver ingots, which were the "rewards" that the village head had secretly given to her husband when he beat up thieves.

Wang Yan nodded, "Okay."

With that debt of gratitude settled, Luo Xiaozhi breathed a sigh of relief and took the porridge to feed Xi Ershun.

Outside the courtyard, Old Man Xi cursed until his throat was dry, but no one came out, which made him so angry that he sat down at the door.

—I refuse to believe it! I can't hide forever!

Old Xi stubbornly squatted at the door, but unexpectedly, while he was sitting there, something cool dripped down his head.

He reached out and wiped the water, which was covered in blackish-gray!

Old Man Xi smeared his hand on the door in frustration, cursing, "Damn bird, it actually shit on my head!"

After he finished cursing, another drop of water dripped down his head.

Soon it started to rain heavily from the sky. Old Man Xi couldn't stand it and limped back home.

When he got home, Old Man Xi felt a burning sensation all over his body.

"Ouch... Ouch..." Old Man Xi shouted loudly, but this time no one asked him what was wrong.