After picking a pile of firewood, about half an hour later, the four of them entered the house by agreement.
By this time, Dai Fa and Zheng Wuniang's emotions had calmed down considerably. Seeing them enter, Dai Fa wiped away some tears and asked if they wanted to eat noodle soup.
It seemed Zheng Wuniang had communicated well with him, as Dai Fa's emotions were visibly agitated.
Gu Qingcheng felt it was a particularly happy day today!
The system, in turn, rewarded her with 100 pleasure points.
Next, Gu Qingcheng and her companion accompanied them for another 10 days.
Having traveled such a long distance, they had a general idea from their personal experience along the way about the kind of material aid needed by those fleeing famine towards the south.
For instance, on the second day, they realized everyone's shoes were unsuitable for trudging through the snow. Gu Qingcheng immediately replenished the supply point with boots suitable for snow travel. Later, she added instant noodles, and then added biscuits and other supplementary snacks.
After all, when people are tired on the road, they sometimes doubt their destination. Despair can weigh them down, hindering their progress.
But eating small snacks like biscuits can bring them joy and encourage them to face life with courage.
They continuously adjusted the supplies at the replenishment points based on the needs they experienced firsthand as they traveled.
After traveling together for more than half a month, one morning, Dai Fa and his group woke up in a cave to find that Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo had already left. A note was left on the ground, stating they had to leave due to an urgent matter and would meet again in the south if fate allowed.
Although the group didn't know why they left so suddenly, the note indicated they had left calmly, not due to any accident.
The four felt that the two had been quite considerate and good companions. Seeing them leave, they couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
However, having been tempered by the cataclysmic natural disasters, their minds had become much stronger. They understood that life's encounters are unpredictable, and sometimes, permanent farewells happen in an instant.
Therefore, their sadness didn't last long. After a breakfast of roujiamo, they set off again.
As they traveled south, they felt the air getting warmer. Even the plants by the roadside were changing from being clad in silver to showing hints of green.
Another ten-odd days of travel would bring them to the south they yearned for, where life would surely be better than before, filling them with hope.
Along the way, for safety and convenience, the four began to claim to be a family of four to outsiders.
Luo Juan was called Xiao Juan, and Da Ya was simply called Da Ya. Since Da Ya was a few months older than Luo Juan, she was designated as Dai Fa's elder daughter, and Xiao Juan as the younger daughter.
Despite the cold, they were not struggling much, thanks to the food provided by the supply points.
Three days after Gu Qingcheng and her group left, as dusk approached, they found an abandoned village to stay in for the night.
Zheng Wuniang's spirits had improved significantly, though she was not completely recovered, fluctuating between good and bad days. When Da Ya and Xiao Juan were by her side, a smile would appear on her face, and she would converse with them clearly, showing no signs of illness.
Dai Fa observed this, deep in thought.
The dilapidated house they were sheltering in that night had been uninhabited for a long time, with a layer of dust on the ground. The four cleaned it up before creating a clean space for resting.
Dai Fa had to look after Zheng Wuniang, while Luo Juan and Wang Da Ya went to gather firewood.
As night was falling, the two dared not stray too far. There was a small thicket nearby where they could gather firewood.
While gathering, the two gradually separated.
Luo Juan soon collected a large pile. As she was struggling to gather it, someone suddenly rushed out of the woods and grabbed her from behind.
Luo Juan's mind went blank. Before she could figure out what was happening, she was pressed to the ground by the person.
Immediately, a strong smell of sweat and unwashed body odor hit her, making her gag.
She looked closely and saw it was a middle-aged man with a pockmarked face. Seeing that he had subdued Luo Juan, he let out heavy breaths and reached out to grope her forcefully a few times.
A chill ran down Luo Juan's spine. Feeling ashamed, angry, and scared, she stammered, "Who are you?"
"What are you shouting about? Your voice will crack, and it'll be useless! This is our territory. You came here to be enjoyed by us!"
The pockmarked man said, while forcefully tearing at her clothes.
"Da Ya! Da Ya!"
Luo Juan, terrified, screamed loudly.
But she didn't hear Da Ya's response. After a while, she heard Da Ya's cries for help from not too far away.
Luo Juan understood. These bandits operated in groups, and Da Ya had also been attacked.
A wave of despair washed over her. She hadn't expected to encounter such a thing so close to the south.
She had been so cautious all along. Now, letting her guard down, was she going to lose her purity here?
Luo Juan felt her sleeve. The scissors she carried were not with her. Otherwise, she would have stabbed the man through.
Luo Juan was quite spirited and unwilling to be captured passively. As the man, thinking she was powerless to resist, excitedly pulled down her skirt, Luo Juan seized the opportunity and kicked him forcefully in the head.
The man let out a pained cry. Luo Juan scrambled up and ran out of the thicket.
After running a few steps, she suddenly remembered Wang Da Ya and turned back, running towards where Da Ya had cried for help.
She had only run a short distance when she saw a man straddling Da Ya. Luo Juan casually picked up a thick stick from the ground and struck the man hard on the head.
Unexpectedly, the man ducked his head at that moment. The stick missed its target and hit his shoulder. The man cried out in pain, and Wang Da Ya broke free and scrambled towards Luo Juan.
The man was not incapacitated. He touched his shoulder and then chased after them.
Luo Juan and Wang Da Ya looked back as they ran, a sense of despair filling them. They saw that in addition to the two men who had attacked them, four or five more bandits were encircling them from all directions.
"Brothers, catch these two. We'll have our fun tonight!"
"It's been so long since we've seen such delicate women. Now we can have a feast!"
The bandits had been running fast at first. Later, they realized the direction the women were fleeing was towards the dilapidated house, and they slowed down. They advanced in a pincer movement, taunting and telling vulgar jokes, clearly treating them as easy prey to toy with.
Luo Juan and Wang Da Ya trembled with fear. They suddenly realized that even if they ran into the dilapidated house, what then?
Inside were only Dai Fa and the sickly Zheng Wuniang.
And these seven or eight ferocious bandits were more than enough to make a meal of the four of them.
Just then, Dai Fa seemed to have heard the commotion outside and rushed out.
Seeing the situation, Wang Da Ya and Luo Juan, though aware of his limited strength, cast pleading eyes towards him.