"We're not unwilling to help, we just can't," Cai Lihua never believed that superficial gestures were genuine.
It was like a person's mouth, just two flaps of skin.
Meng Shaode's heart softened and he was about to speak, but seeing his wife's disapproval, he took a bite of the watermelon with a smack.
All he could do was to give each of them a slice:
"This is our last watermelon, there won't be any more after this. I, Meng Shaode, am not able to defy heaven."
Song Fengshou and Ma Dabiao wolfed it down, then proceeded to eat the rind:
"This… that's it?"
"Yes, that's it, the last one." Cai Lihua grumbled.
There were at most four peaches left in the basket, not enough for this family of seven or eight.
Drinking Jiu'er's water alone wouldn't be filling either.
"I'm sorry, Uncle De, for causing you trouble," Ma Dabiao said, feeling a bit embarrassed after eating.
A Jiu always listened to her parents when it came to decisions like these; she rarely participated.
She squatted on the ground alone, pulling at weeds, while the others called for Xiao Yanyan to quickly take out the tea seeds and dry them during the break.
Just spread them on the horizontal board in front of the cart.
Then, A Jiu started twisting the dry grass.
"Sister A Jiu, what are you doing?" Xiao Yanyan squatted beside her, watching curiously.
"Weaving straw sandals." A Jiu glanced at Tuoba Yan's feet. He was wearing boots, which, although worn out enough to expose his toes on this journey, were still better than wearing nothing.
"Sister A Jiu, you know so much," Tuoba Yan said, pulling at the grass A Jiu had twisted with a look of infatuation.
"When I was little, my family was poor, so I learned to weave baskets out of bamboo to sell. Straw sandals are actually the simplest."
A Jiu lowered her head and wove diligently, explaining to Xiao Yanyan intermittently.
"Poor?"
A Jiu inhaled sharply and looked up at him:
"You don't even know what poverty means, do you? Poverty means not having money to eat or live."
Tuoba Yan scratched his head, "I… I really don't know."
"Heh, then you must have been a young master in your past life. I've also heard that rich young masters never carry money pouches when they go out; their servants always pay for them."
A Jiu lowered her head and continued weaving the straw sandals with concentration.
"Money is like the gold and silver Auntie talks about, right? I know that."
Tuoba Yan was a little embarrassed, but at least he knew this. He had seen Steward Li exchanging gold for his life on the road.
"Master, you… sigh…" Zhao Kun beside him couldn't stand it anymore.
Their experiences in this world were different. He had become a bandit long ago and knew what money was.
He thought about pulling Tuoba Yan far away to give his master a lesson, to tell him why not having money is called poverty.
Not long after, A Jiu had finished weaving two pairs of straw sandals.
When they returned to the woods, Ma Dabiao was pleading with Cai Lihua:
"Sister-in-law, please show some mercy and let us follow you. We absolutely won't ride in the cart, we just need some company."
"Yes, Sister-in-law. We were afraid of the Deng brothers back then, but on the road, we met some bandits. Those three brothers have quick tempers and could stand up to them. Now that we're separated, it's just my brother Fengshou and me leading a large group of men, women, and children, with no martial prowess."
They knew Meng Shaode was skilled with a bow and arrow, and was a master hunter in the past. No matter how much they said, it was better than having no martial skill at all.
Cai Lihua turned her face away, remaining silent.
"Uncle, I've woven two pairs of straw sandals, please try them on." A Jiu squatted down and handed the shoes to the two men.
The two men were stunned at first, their pupils contracting, and the whites of their eyes instantly turned red:
"Thank… thank you, Jiu'er girl." Their voices were choked with emotion.
"Sigh…" Cai Lihua sighed.
"Actually, we really don't have that many supplies left. There are only four peaches, and it's truly impossible to take care of so many people."
A Jiu added, which made Cai Lihua's eyes light up. Her daughter was kind, but certainly not blindly foolish.
"Uncle Ma, Uncle Song, I have something to tell you. Listen to me, and then tell me if this plan is okay."
A Jiu sat down.