The matriarch Wang's eyes widened. She grabbed A Jiu's wrist, her grip like iron.
She sat up, cross-legged, her eyes closed.
"You common folk, don't think you can take advantage of my weakened state. When I recover, I will grind your bones to dust."
With that, A Jiu's hand was roughly shoved away.
Cai Lihua had already seen Steward Hong lying on the ground and was about to step forward to protect A Jiu. Hearing the words, her hands trembled.
"Mother? What... what are you saying?"
Nan Xing also came closer, their eyes wide, their faces almost pressed against Grandma A's.
"What's going on? Grandma A?"
A Jiu was too terrified to speak, merely shaking her head numbly.
Grandma A didn't have a fever; it seemed they would need a doctor to figure out what strange illness had afflicted her.
But now, those refugees had already entered the mountains. It was impossible to find a doctor, and simply avoiding these ruffian soldiers and staying alive was difficult enough.
"Brother, the refugee soldiers are searching this way. Why don't you go up the mountain to find Father and Uncle, and we'll leave quickly."
Nan Xing stood up straight and looked into the distance. The sound of hooves was already faintly audible.
"Alright." The distance was less than five li. "We'll pack our things and head deep into the mountains now. We can look for Uncle and Father then, to avoid wasting time."
"Okay." A Jiu looked at Nan Xing. This was the most they had spoken to each other in years.
For the first time, she felt the warmth of relying on each other as family. But looking at Grandma A sitting cross-legged, what was happening to her?
"Ah? Hurry, hurry and pack up." Cai Lihua seemed to snap out of it, realizing the urgency of the situation. She jumped up and ran into the cave.
They didn't have many belongings. Grandma A's stored grain was only a little over a hundred jin. Nan Xing carried it all by himself.
Pots and pans were insignificant in the face of life itself.
While Aunt carried Gou Dan, A Jiu helped carry stones. Along with her mother and the others, they went up the mountain. The back of the mountain was steep, and A Jiu could easily see a protruding large stone slab on the cliff face.
The terrain here was treacherous. The family squeezed onto a stone slab less than three square meters to take temporary shelter.
"A Jiu, come quickly and help. Grandma A is just sitting there and won't get up." Nan Xing's head peeked out from the cliff.
His voice was urgent.
"What's wrong? Does this old lady want to die? A Jiu, don't bother with her. She was going to sell you a while back."
Cai Lihua was not sentimental. Not only did she have no affection for her mother-in-law, but the fact that she had tried to sell her own daughter was unforgivable.
"Mother, actually Grandma A saved me earlier. If not for her, I might have been captured by Steward Hong."
A Jiu gave a brief explanation and climbed up the steep rocks.
From a higher vantage point, she could see torches in the distance. A group of about five or six horsemen was less than two li from their cave.
A Jiu clenched her fist. The spiritual spring was truly effective. Although she was thin, her strength had genuinely increased. It felt as if her very bones were filled with vigor.
Her previous blow had knocked out the robust Steward Hong.
The siblings didn't hesitate. They rushed down the mountain. The cave was at the foot of the mountain.
As soon as they arrived, they each took an arm of Wang Shi and helped her up.
"How dare you be so insolent!" Wang Shi suddenly opened her eyes, her irises filled with intense malice.
It was not the look of a woman in her fifties or sixties.
Although A Jiu was startled by the gaze, she still had to move her.
"Let go of this venerable one. You ungrateful commoners... hey, hey, hey."
Before Wang Shi could finish speaking, the siblings gritted their teeth and actually lifted her.
Her legs were still crossed. Without her feet touching the ground, they carried her like a statue, running swiftly.
They didn't stop until they reached the mountain and moved the old woman to the stone slab.
This made the already cramped space even more crowded.
A Jiu wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked back. She quickly hid behind a rock. The five people dismounted and first discovered the unconscious Steward Hong on the ground.
Then they fanned out, searching the woods around the cave entrance.
At that moment, the leader shouted, "Who's there?"
A Jiu's heart leaped into her throat. Looking around, she saw no sign of her father or uncles in the forest.
She had a premonition of something terrible.
As expected, several torches converged, and the person emerging from behind a large tree was her father.
It was over.