"Ah!" Jiu turned her head, not expecting to see Tuoba Yan, but instead being seen by him.
Tuoba Yan, with a haggard look on his face, pulled back on the reins, turned his horse, and approached Jiu. He dismounted.
Jiu smiled, her eyes bright, and took out an oil-paper packet from her embrace. "Try this, my mother calls it maltose candy."
The weariness on Tuoba Yan's face vanished instantly. He smiled like a child and popped a piece into his mouth. "It's so sweet, Jiu. I've been a bit busy lately, so I haven't come to see you. You won't blame me, will you?"
Jiu shook her head. "Actually, my family is running low on food. I want to go back to Hebba Village to get another bag from Grandpa Niu's place."
Tuoba Yan's pupils contracted. "Back to Hebba Village?"
"Yes, there's no land here, and nowhere for me to plant anything," Jiu said truthfully, her eyes clear of any pretense.
"Alright, I'll go tell Captain Zhang, and I'll take you there now."
Without hesitation, Tuoba Yan turned and entered the patrol division.
Jiu lowered her head, idly scuffing her shadow with her toes.
Soon, Tuoba Yan emerged. "Let's go, Sister Jiu."
As before, Jiu held out her hands, and Tuoba Yan pulled her onto the horse, settling her in his arms in front of him.
It was Jiu's first time riding out of the city so openly.
The gatekeepers paid them no mind and didn't check their identification.
As soon as they were outside the city, Jiu froze for a moment. Outside the city gates, numerous refugees were eating and sleeping on the ground, their eyes filled with despair.
She remembered those who couldn't get into the city. Now they looked more like a pile of beggars outside the city, merely waiting to die.
"Xiao Yan, doesn't Prince Nanming love his people? Didn't he order them to be properly handled?"
The more she looked, the more oppressive it felt. The immobile elderly were the most pitiable, along with women and children, and even crying infants in swaddling clothes.
"No, with the war about to reach our gates, there's no time to spare. Besides, we can't accommodate them, and water resources are scarce. Even if we did, they'd just be dying in groups."
Tuoba Yan spoke of the war with a seriousness that made him increasingly resemble a patrol cavalryman.
"Sister Jiu, I know you have a kind heart, but you can't manage others. So, if you take care of yourself, I won't worry."
Tuoba Yan ruffled Jiu's hair.
"Mm," Jiu nodded vigorously.
The horses' hooves clattered, and only after they had left Liuxian County did the refugees gradually thin out of sight.
By the time Jiu reached Hebba Village, there wasn't a single refugee to be seen.
However, the entire village was different from when she had arrived. Soldiers in uniform were everywhere.
Jiu's heart pounded. Why were the army stationed in Hebba Village? A bad premonition struck her: they had retreated.
Tuoba Yan had remained silent throughout the journey, taking Jiu directly to Grandpa Niu's doorstep.
It was the same familiar double-panelled black wooden door, but it was not closed.
There were more than a dozen soldiers eating in the courtyard. Jiu didn't examine their food closely, but her eyes immediately fell on a familiar, busy figure.
"Grandpa Niu!" Jiu slid off the horse and ran towards him.
Niu Dasheng also started, rubbing his eyes to see. "Jiu?"
"Grandpa Niu!" Jiu rushed forward and hugged him tightly. "Grandpa Niu, I thought you weren't coming back."
At these words, Niu Dasheng's eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.
"Silly child, this is Grandpa Niu's root. How could I not come back?"
Niu Dasheng patted Jiu's back repeatedly. "Good child, you still remember Grandpa. Grandpa is happy."
"Your granddaughter, eh?"
"She's grown up nicely, quite lively."
The soldiers said, chuckling as they ate.
Niu Dasheng tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Naturally. Esteemed officers, please eat slowly. I haven't seen my granddaughter in a long time and want to chat."
Niu Dasheng bowed and scraped, pulling Jiu into the main hall.
"Silly child, why did you come back? Run!"
Jiu froze, her eyes scanning the main hall. She noticed that the place where she had stored grain when she left was empty.