Meng Qingping's words trailed off, and Fu Xinzi understood his unspoken meaning: find an opportunity when no one was around to eat something palatable.
"Grandfather, I understand." Fu Xinzi kept her inner turmoil to herself. She didn't want her grandfather to worry on her behalf; she would find her own solutions.
That night, everyone camped in the wilderness again, but their mood was different. There was no fear of wolves attacking in the middle of the night, so everyone slept soundly.
Even the occasional bark of a dog from a nearby village didn't bother them. Some even found it comforting, a sign of life and warmth.
Fu Xinzi was the only exception. Her eyes were wide open, sleepless. Her mind was fixated on one matter, determined to devise a workable plan that night or forgo sleep entirely.
Fu Xinzi hadn't expected to dig herself into such a predicament, though the reasons were quite clear.
Perhaps tomorrow, when they passed by a market town, she could find an opportunity to procure some food for her family.
She had noticed over the past two days that her parents had suffered greatly on their journey to find them, enduring hardship, poor food, and lack of sleep, to the point where they had become noticeably thinner.
The more she thought about it, the more she longed to take out items from her spatial realm under the cover of night. However, her rational mind held her impulses in check.
The night passed quickly. As the first rooster crowed in the village, everyone, without needing Jiang Tou'er's instruction, began to stir, still covered in dew.
Jiang Tou'er: A hero with no place to use his talents, truly a lonely existence. He didn't need to worry about them anymore, which he found slightly unsettling.
The dark-faced man called him bothersome.
He shook his head, disagreeing.
He earned another barrage of eye-rolls from the dark-faced man, who seemed to be thinking, "Just pretend."
With a wave of his hand, he declared, "Let's go."
As the group set off, they didn't disturb the villagers. By the time the villagers woke up, they were already on their way.
That day, Fang Shi insisted that her daughter ride the donkey cart, and Fu Xinzi couldn't refuse. Sighing, she succumbed to Fang Shi's maternal "assault" and obediently took her seat on the cart shafts.
It was only proper for a daughter to yield, and it was indeed more comfortable than walking.
Fu Xinzi dangled her short legs, taking in the scenery along the official road.
"Ci'er, what are you looking at?" Fu Yu asked when his daughter remained silent for a long time.
"Father, I'm looking at the scenery along the road."
"Is the scenery beautiful?"
"It's beautiful, more beautiful than places without people."
The morning air was cool, and just as dawn broke, many farmers would head to the fields to work. They would then return when the sun was high and it became too hot, coming back in the afternoon when the weather was milder.
The original body had worked in the fields with her grandparents more than once and understood some things about farming.
"I think it's beautiful too," Qi Ren, who felt similarly to his elder niece, quietly remarked.
"Mm, beautiful," Yu'er echoed. He liked what his sister liked; he had to be like her.
"Mm, I think it's beautiful too," Ke'er, now much livelier, agreed with her cousin.
"Ah ah ah!" Bao'er also joined the commotion, bouncing excitedly in Meng Qingping's arms. His little bottom wiggled incessantly, never still.
Meng Xiaohe, following behind the donkey cart, saw Bao'er's vigorous bouncing. Fearing her second uncle would get tired, she began to scold him, "Bao'er, don't be so rowdy anymore, sit still." However, her voice was soft, and Bao'er paid no attention, bouncing even more energetically.
Qi Ren, sitting nearby, saw that Bao'er's antics were relentless and that his second uncle was struggling to hold him. He then took on an elder's demeanor and began to lecture Bao'er.
"Bao'er, how old are you? Still letting your second uncle carry you. It's hard for your second uncle to hold you, yet you still fuss. You're not obedient, not a good child."
Qi Ren finished speaking in one breath, surprising everyone. Qi Ren was usually as shy as a little aunt, rarely speaking at length, so this was quite unusual.
After speaking, Qi Ren noticed everyone looking at him and lowered his head shyly.
Bao'er seemed to understand, let out two more "ah ah" sounds, and sat down, no longer bouncing.
"Indeed, our Qi Ren truly has the bearing of an elder. Bao'er has stopped fussing too," Meng Qingping said, seeing his nephew act like a little adult for the first time. He was very pleased.
Qi Ren's small face flushed with pleasure at his second uncle's praise, his eyes curving into a smile.
Jiang Tou'er, taking a moment of leisure on Wu Laoda's mule cart, overheard the conversations on the donkey cart. He noticed many of the Meng clan members were listening intently and remarked to the dark-faced man,
"Zhu Zi, have you noticed? Ever since Second Brother Meng's son was found, Second Brother Meng has been like a changed man."
"Mm, I've noticed that too."
"And those Meng clan members, when they see Second Brother Meng's family, it's like they see hope."
"Mm, I've noticed that too."
"So, it's important to be a good person. Like Second Brother's family, even though they were implicated by that scoundrel, their family is still doing well."
"That's true. Since we're only living this life once, why not be a good person?"
"Even if you can't be a good person, you shouldn't be a bad one." Jiang Tou'er spoke while glancing at the Meng clan members. He believed many of them had heard his and Zhu Zi's conversation.
He didn't expect them to be saints and do good deeds, but at least they shouldn't harm others, especially not provoke Second Brother Meng's family. He believed Second Brother Meng's family had better days ahead.
The dark-faced man gave Jiang Tou'er a sidelong glance and then said meaningfully, "If these people can understand your good intentions, then they must have some conscience."
"Whether they have conscience or not, it's not for us to say."
"Then why do you say it?"
"Ah, I'm just being overly concerned. What does their fate have to do with me? I'm just afraid they'll implicate Second Brother Meng."
"Don't worry, they won't be able to. The official document is clear. If the officials in Liaodong can't even figure out this much, they should go home and take care of their children."
"The heavens are high and the emperor is far away. I'm just afraid they'll pretend to be ignorant when they know the truth."
"..." This time, the dark-faced man fell silent. Such things were far too common in official circles.
"When we get to Liaodong, I need to remind Second Brother Meng to stay far away from those corrupt officials and petty clerks. One wrong step and he could fall into a trap."
"Then why wait until Liaodong? Go and inform Second Brother Meng now. Otherwise, it will still take a while to reach Liaodong, and you might forget."
"Yes, I'll go inform Second Brother Meng right now." Jiang Tou'er finished speaking and leaped off the mule cart with a "whoosh." As he landed, he gave the dark-faced man a provocative look, implying, "Still got it, haven't I? The old blade is still sharp."
"Go on, don't be so conceited."