A Jiu stared blankly at her mother, feeling a bit embarrassed as she turned her back to Auntie Li.
"It does hurt a little when you press it here."
A Jiu pointed to her chest. "But I understand, so I didn't think much of it."
Cai Lihua looked at her sensible daughter and stroked her head.
"It's good that you understand. If it happens, you must tell your mother. You need to be hygienic about these things."
A Jiu pursed her lips and nodded. She understood her mother was talking about her period, but according to her memories, it was still a while away.
Meng Shaode shoveled food into his mouth, gulping down water this time without worrying about his wife and child being thirsty.
If there was more, he really wanted to take a bath.
"Do you two want some?" Meng Shaode handed the water skin to Tuoba Yan.
Tuoba Yan waved his hand. "I'm not thirsty. Zhao Kun, are you thirsty?"
"I'm not thirsty either."
As soon as he said this, Meng Shaode listlessly stoppered the water skin and grumbled, "Am I getting old? Why am I so thirsty?"
"Uncle is in great health," said little Yan Yan, his words sweet and smooth.
"You kid, you're the only one who knows how to talk."
Meng Shaode was pleased and tossed the water skin back into the carriage before continuing on their way.
"Let's find a secluded spot to rest."
"Okay," Cai Lihua in the carriage agreed.
"Giddy up!" Meng Shaode heard the command, gripped the reins tightly, and flicked them. The horse continued forward.
"Actually, I have an idea. From now on, we'll travel at night and rest during the day. That way, we won't have to worry about the heat. What do you think?" Meng Shaode discussed with his wife.
"We've already entered the territory of Nanming. See how polite those two officers I met were? It means there's no war here, and the public security must be better than in our Meng Hua City."
"That makes sense. Our daughter can also sleep well then."
Cai Lihua wholeheartedly agreed.
Before long, it was the hottest time of the day, and Meng Shaode drove the carriage into the woods.
However, the woods grew denser, and he abruptly pulled on the reins and jumped off the carriage.
"Uncle Meng, what did you find?"
Tuoba Yan, seeing his uncle's solemn expression, quickly followed.
"The soil here is much more humid than before."
Meng Shaode saw that beneath the half-dead trees, a few tender sprouts were growing from the roots, looking fresh and green.
As soon as he said this, A Jiu and her mother, along with Auntie Li, got down from the carriage.
The children, Tie Chui and Tie Dan, hadn't seen greenery for years. They ran up and picked them.
"Mommy, look, they're so pretty."
Six-year-old Tie Dan held them high for his mother to see. Eight-year-old Tie Chui was calmer.
"Mom, I only saw such beautiful leaves when I was little."
To A Jiu, this sight was actually sad. Three years of drought, and this was the fourth year.
This meant that Tie Chui, at the age of five, was already rarely seeing green plants.
Tie Dan was only six, meaning he had never seen them since he could remember.
Tuoba Yan stood up and walked a couple more steps into the depths. Suddenly, a cliff appeared beneath his feet.
No wonder their journey had been uphill all the way.
Although the dirt road looked flat, it was clearly built on the mountainside.
"Master, be careful," Zhao Kun pulled Tuoba Yan back.
A Jiu came closer and looked. Indeed, the ground was covered in dead leaves, making it hard to see the cliff below.
"Little Sister A Jiu, don't go forward, be careful you don't fall."
Tuoba Yan pulled A Jiu back behind him.
But in that instant, A Jiu's eyes were fixed on the bottom of the valley. It was desolate, but a faint trace of green could be seen amidst the withered yellow.
"Mrs. Li said it rained once in this area of Nanming last year."
Meng Shaode finally understood why.
"Yes, I heard about it too, so the further south we go, the less severe the drought becomes."
Mrs. Li, Mao Junlan, chimed in.
"I remember the Wu brothers saying the same thing," Cai Lihua added.
Hope flickered in her eyes. It seemed their situation would improve the further south they went. She longed to settle down.
"Then let's each eat something and rest," Meng Shaode said, his eyes gleaming with hope.
He was tired of the constant worry and wandering. He wanted to live a stable life with his wife, children, and elders.
"We can't reach Nanming City in just a day or two. At most, we'll reach Liu County outside Nanming City."
Cai Lihua remembered this very clearly.
"It's safe in Liu County, isn't it? Don't you remember those two constables we met?"
Meng Shaode had thought this through on the way. Nanming City wasn't experiencing war, so there were no refugees or conscription issues.