This time, Yao Chengyi didn't kick Qi Nian out of the cart. Just now, when Xiao Chen pouted and snorted at him, he automatically assumed the child was blaming him.
To be fair, this wasn't really Yao Chengyi's fault. When the cart tipped over, his mind had been full of Niulan Village matters, Qi Nian's strange behavior, and the relationship between the three children—all of which had distracted him. He hadn't even remembered there were two little munchkins in the cart.
Qi Nian had no idea how much inner drama was playing out in the man across from her. She held her two little ones protectively in her arms and closed her eyes to rest.
Before long, Qi Nian felt another little ball of a child burrowing into her embrace.
Xiao Rui insisted on squeezing into a spot between Xiao Chen and Xiao Xi, but Xiao Chen wouldn't allow it. The two went back and forth, shoving each other.
Qi Nian opened her eyes and glanced at the man across from her. Yao Chengyi said nothing. Fine then—that man was no better than a beast. Besides, Xiao Rui was technically someone she'd picked up too. She shifted Xiao Chen aside and made room for Xiao Rui to sit in the middle.
But now Xiao Xi and Xiao Chen were unhappy. Why should he get the middle spot?
And so, the three children began restlessly pushing and shoving each other again.
"No arguing, no fussing. Everyone sits nicely side by side."
The moment Qi Nian spoke, all three little ones stopped in unison and obediently leaned against her, quieting down.
Yao Chengyi frowned in displeasure from across the way. When had his son ever been this obedient? Could it really be the bond between mother and child?
No, impossible! He wouldn't allow it!
"Rui'er, come here!"
"I won't!"
Yao Chengyi refused to accept it. He reached out with his big hands to grab his son, but Xiao Rui clung tightly to Qi Nian, refusing to let go.
"Go back to your father! Don't come stealing my mother!"
Xiao Chen was convinced that Xiao Rui was here to take his mother away.
"My mother doesn't have any fruit left. You should go."
Although Xiao Xi enjoyed playing with Xiao Rui, she instinctively felt that Xiao Rui was hanging around just to eat their family's fruit. Even if he was a good friend, sharing fruit was out of the question.
"No! I won't!" Xiao Rui was like a leech, stuck to Qi Nian so firmly that he couldn't be pried off.
Yao Chengyi tried twice to pull his son back but failed, so he had no choice but to give up.
Qi Nian's body was in poor shape—chronically malnourished, skin and bones. And with all the fleeing these past days, she needed to rest and recover as soon as possible. Now that she had a cart to hitch a ride on, she didn't want to move at all. But with the children making a fuss, she had no choice but to contribute four more fruits.
Apples and pears again—just how many fruits did this woman have in her bundle? Yao Chengyi didn't stand on ceremony either. He took the apple his son handed him and looked at it—it was as fresh as if it had just been picked from a tree. He took a bite and could only say it was the best apple he'd ever eaten, bar none.
The road ahead would certainly be difficult. Did she want the children to starve? As for where the fruits came from or what others might think, Qi Nian couldn't be bothered to care.
Qi Nian fell asleep quickly and didn't wake until the cart came to a stop.
Old Hu was speaking. "Master, I just asked around. There's a river not far ahead, that's true, but the riverbed's been dug up completely—there's only a bit of muddy water left, and even that's been fought over and taken! From here on, there's at least twenty more days of travel with no water. What do we do?"
"Master, Old Hu, you two stay here. I'll go grab some water."
"Who do you think has extra water to spare for you to grab at this time? You stand right there and don't cause trouble."
Shen Lu was about to leave when Old Hu shouted him back.
"Listen to Old Hu. We'll figure something out about the water."
Shen Lu, who had insisted on going to grab water, immediately quieted down the moment Yao Chengyi spoke.
As if remembering something, Shen Lu pulled an apple from his chest. "This was given by Young Mistress Qi this morning. I saved it for the young master."
Seeing this, Old Hu also pulled one out from his own chest. He hadn't eaten his either. He pressed it into Yao Chengyi's hands, saying it was to be saved for Xiao Rui.
Truly the finest servants in the world! What had this man surnamed Yao done to deserve such loyalty? Qi Nian watched with envy.
Qi Nian climbed down from the cart and lifted Xiao Chen and Xiao Xi down one by one. "I'm going to look for a water source. You all wait here for me."
"Young Mistress Qi, I'll go with you." Old Hu moved to fetch their water skins.
"I'll go alone. Please look after Xiao Chen and Xiao Xi for me." Qi Nian pushed the two children in front of Old Hu.
She didn't trust Yao Chengyi, but she trusted Old Hu. She felt at ease leaving the children in his care.
"Old Hu, Shen Lu, go scout around and see if there are any people from Niulan Village here."
"Yes, we're off."
"Master, what about the two children?"
"They stay here."
Yao Chengyi pointed to the straw mat beside him and Xiao Rui, indicating that the two children should sit there too.
Xiao Chen glanced at Yao Chengyi and refused to sit.
Xiao Xi, however, obediently sat down next to Xiao Rui.
"Xiao Chen, why won't you sit?"
"I just won't!"
Children's dislikes never beat around the bush.
Yao Chengyi felt awkward in front of the children. After all, when the cart had tipped over earlier, he had hurt the child's feelings. Although Xiao Chen bore some resemblance to his Rui'er in facial features, Xiao Chen and Xiao Xi were said to be twins. If they were also his children, then this woman had given birth to triplets? He didn't believe it, not for a second.
This was also why he needed to find the people from Niulan Village as soon as possible to get some answers. He had no spare energy to concern himself with other people's children.
Not only did Yao Chengyi refuse to believe it, Qi Nian believed it even less—she thought the children's resemblance was purely coincidental.
Qi Nian's claim of going upstream to find a water source was just an excuse. She wanted to find a secluded spot where she could enter the Secret Realm, drink some water, eat something, and fill both of her gourds before coming back out.
Thinking about how Yao Chengyi, Old Hu, and the others had lost all their water—with this level of drought, how could they survive the journey ahead without finding a water source? She and her two children still needed their protection. Maybe she should get them some water?
But how should she arrange the water? Qi Nian wondered if there was a way to make the Spirit Spring in the Secret Realm flow to the outside world.
"Awroo~ awroo~~"
"Da Bai?"
Da Bai was one of the few old friends she had in the Cultivation Realm.
Looking at the little white wolf running toward her, Qi Nian was overjoyed. This was the spirit of the Secret Realm—she hadn't expected it to come along with the Secret Realm. With its help, there should be a way to make the river water flow to the outside.
"Da Bai, can you make the Spirit Spring water flow to the outside world?"
"Awroo" Yes, but not for long.
"Do your best. I'll find a place to store the water first."
"Aw aw~"
To get the water to Yao Chengyi and the others, Qi Nian found a fairly wide riverbed that had been dug quite deep, and had Da Bai open the Secret Realm's gate to pour out the Spirit Spring water.
The little white wolf exhausted its Spiritual Power but finally managed to fill the riverbed. With this much water, it would be enough for several hundred people to drink and still have some left to store. Qi Nian had done a good deed on the side.
"Good work, little one."
Qi Nian also grabbed some wild vegetables from beside the Spirit Spring, washed them clean, and then carried Da Bai out with her.
Qi Nian returned to the ox cart and said to Old Hu, "Follow the dry riverbed upstream about half a li—there's water."
"Ah?!!!" Old Hu couldn't believe it.
Qi Nian shook the two gourds—they were full.
Shen Lu had already climbed into the cart looking for containers to hold water, while Old Hu slung all the waterskins over his shoulder, grabbed a wooden basin in one hand and a bucket in the other, and ran off.
Afraid that if he was slow, the water would be gone.
What else besides water could make people run like that? Seeing this, the others grabbed whatever containers they had and chased after him.
Yao Chengyi scrutinized Qi Nian from head to toe. If there had been water in that river before, why hadn't so many people seen it?
But the woman before him didn't seem to be lying—she went out and came back not only with water and wild vegetables, but also with a little wolf?
"Where did all this come from?"
"What if I said I picked the wild vegetables by the river and found the little wolf by the river? Would you believe me?"
"No."
"Then I conjured them out of thin air."
That was even less believable than her finding the wild vegetables and the little white wolf by the river.