She was tricked into marriage for three years, then remarried a childless, tough guy and became preg

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

Using the flash of lightning, Shen Tang was able to see the villagers in front of him clearly.

They stood there, covered in dirt and grime, their faces exhausted, their clothes soaked in mud, their eyes dulled by hunger.

An old man's cries broke the silence: "Please, please save us! Save the children!"

Shen Tang frowned, jumped out of the car, and Huo Xiuyuan frowned as he looked at her.

Shen Tang walked straight toward the old lady at the back of the crowd.

The old woman leaned against the wall, wiping away tears. She held a three- or four-year-old child in her arms, who lay weakly with his eyes half-closed.

"Is he sick?" Shen Tang squatted down and asked softly.

"He has a fever. He was sick before the earthquake, and now it's worse. I'm afraid it might be—"

The old woman raised her withered hand, gently stroked the child's head, and swallowed the rest of her words.

Shen Tang raised her hand and touched the child's head; it was burning hot.

She took a fever reducer out of her bag, broke it open, and squeezed out a quarter of it.

"This is fever reducer, give it to the child first!"

Shen Tang thought for a moment, then took out a piece of candy from her pocket and said to the child;

"Sweetie, take your medicine, and I'll give you candy."

The child opened his eyes, saw the candy in Shen Tang's hand, his eyes lit up, and he nodded gently.

Shen Tang dissolved the medicine in the kettle lid, held it to the child's lips, and said gently:

Hold your breath and swallow it down in one big gulp.

The child was very obedient and swallowed it in one gulp, his little face scrunched up in pain. Shen Tang quickly stuffed the candy into his mouth.

"Is it sweet?" Shen Tang asked with a smile.

"Sweet, thank you, sister." A smile appeared on the child's face.

The burly, dark-skinned man turned to look at Shen Tang, then back at Huo Xiuyuan, and said in a hoarse voice:

"We're not bad people, we're just really starving! As the village chief, I can't just watch everyone starve to death!"

The dark-skinned, muscular man's eyes were filled with tears, which shone brightly in the darkness.

Ge Aihua's eyes welled up with tears. She walked over to Huo Xiuyuan's side. "Commander Huo, perhaps..."

Huo Xiuyuan clenched his fists and turned to look at the supply truck.

"How many people are there in total?" Shen Tang asked.

The burly, dark-skinned man looked at her and said, "Excluding those who couldn't be found, there were a total of eighty-six people, including men, women, and children, and twenty-six children."

"How long does it take to get to town from here? Is the road easy to travel?" Shen Tang asked again.

The burly man frowned and said, "Right after the earthquake, I took a few men out to check. The main roads had collapsed, but there were small paths that were passable, though they were long and roundabout."

He sighed, "Alas, we wanted to go find help, but it's too far. We're also too hungry and weak, it's really—"

"If we drive, will we be able to get there by tomorrow morning?"

"I can get there, I'm sure I can get there!" the man said confidently.

Shen Tang walked over, pulled Huo Xiuyuan and Commander Ge aside, and whispered:

"If we travel through the night, we can arrive by tomorrow morning. Could we give the soldiers the rations they brought with them first, and then have the locals guide us? That way, we can arrive faster and more smoothly."

Ge Aihua nodded and looked at Huo Xiuyuan, saying, "I think Shen Tang's idea is good."

"It's feasible." Huo Xiuyuan's gaze fell on Shen Tang.

Shen Tang glanced at him and then looked away. She could tell that Huo Xiuyuan suspected her, but she couldn't care less about that now.

Shen Tang walked up to the burly, dark-skinned man and raised her voice:

"Our Commander Huo said that supplies must be registered and distributed uniformly once they arrive in town; that's the rule. But he also said that rules are rules, but people are flexible. The villagers have been hungry for three days, and he understands their situation better than anyone else. He decided to distribute the dry rations and emergency food that the soldiers brought with them to everyone, and then arrange for rescue operations once we arrive in town tomorrow."

The man looked at Huo Xiuyuan, his lips moved, and he bowed to him in thanks.

Huo Xiuyuan turned his head and nodded to the soldiers behind him.

The soldier took a large bag, and the soldiers all took out their own dry rations and put them into the bag.

The soldiers from the cultural troupe also got off the vehicle and took out their own dry rations.

Li Meihua gave Shen Tang a cold look.

She's the only one who can steal the spotlight.

The villagers didn't fight or scramble; they stood in several rows, and the soldiers distributed the collected dry rations.

The villagers grabbed the dry rations and started eating them; they were starving.

"Commander Huo, my name is Li Hongshan, and I'm the village head. On behalf of the villagers, I thank you!"

"Thank you! Thank you!" the villagers shouted.

Huo Xiuyuan didn't speak, but Shen Tang noticed that the corners of his eyes were red.

Stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside—Shen Tang looked at his profile and the corners of her mouth curved up.

Huo Xiuyuan turned to look at her, and Shen Tang's smile hadn't faded when she met his gaze.

Shen Tang panicked and quickly turned her head to the side. Huo Xiuyuan lowered his eyes, a smile spreading across his face.

Li Hongshan walked out from behind the crowd, followed by several men.

He said to Huo Xiuyuan, "Commander Huo, we've eaten our fill and have more energy. The road from here to that point was blocked, but I've had some men clear it. If you trust me, I'll go to town with you and show you the way."

Huo Xiuyuan nodded and said, "Thank you for your help."

Li Hongshan raised his hand, his voice rising several decibels: "Folks, eat your fill and get to work! Grab your tools and let's dig the road!"

Immediately, people in the crowd responded; some grabbed shovels, others found pickaxes, and the soldiers joined in. With the combined efforts of the military and civilians, the road was quickly dug open.

Li Hongshan and another man got into the car, and the car continued to drive forward.

As we climbed the mountain road, it became increasingly narrow, with jagged mountain walls on one side and a bottomless cliff on the other.

The wheels rolled over the gravel, making a soft, dense "crunching" sound. No one in the carriage spoke; everyone huddled in their seats, afraid to move.

Yang Xinyue huddled in her seat, one hand tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, the other pressed against her lower abdomen. Her complexion was terrible, sweat beaded on her forehead, and her lips were almost bloodless.

Shen Tang looked at her for a few seconds, then slowly moved closer to her and asked in a low voice:

"What's wrong with you?"

Yang Xinyue bit her lip, her brows furrowed, and silently took a few breaths before looking up at Shen Tang:

"You're here... to laugh at me."

Shen Tang sighed silently, got up to leave, but Yang Xinyue grabbed her arm.

Shen Tang turned to look at her and slowly sat back down.

Yang Xinyue leaned weakly on Shen Tang's shoulder, and Shen Tang could even feel her body trembling slightly.

"Are you cold?" Shen Tang asked in a low voice.

"It's cold," Yang Xinyue huddled next to Shen Tang.

Shen Tang draped the towel blanket that she had prepared in advance over Yang Xinyue's body.

"What's wrong with Yang Xinyue?" a male member of the group asked.

Yang Xinyue nervously gripped Shen Tang's wrist, looking at her pleadingly.

Shen Tang smiled at the person. "She's a little cold."

Yang Xinyue relaxed her tense body, leaned close to Shen Tang's ear, and lowered her voice:

"Shen Tang, I think I'm bleeding..."