Tonight, the Lao Mei Family didn’t cook. The whole family gathered around the campfire, discussing the events of the evening.
“How is it possible that we still ran into those Han family people?”
Mei Erhu, whittling a wooden stick in his hand, couldn’t make sense of it and brought up the topic.
Although Han Shi had already admitted her mistake earlier and explained the situation roughly, the family was still surprised by the sudden appearance of the Han family.
“The villages aren’t that different; they probably suffered disasters around the same time. It’s possible to encounter the same wealthy family’s convoy on the road south and follow them. It’s just that we hadn’t paid attention before.”
Grandma Mei also felt it was unlucky. Running into acquaintances was one thing, but why did it have to be someone they didn’t get along with?
“Today, I saw my mother, eldest brother, second brother, and third brother looking a bit disheveled, but their spirits were still good. They didn’t seem to have suffered much on the road… but I didn’t see my father…”
Han Shi hadn’t forgotten the appearance of the people she saw today. Even though she had cut ties with her family, she still felt a pang of sadness at the thought that her biological father might already be gone.
Grandma Mei noticed this too, so she didn’t dwell on the topic with her eldest daughter-in-law. Instead, she said:
“Judging by how energetically Huang Guifen spoke, it’s clear she wasn’t hungry. Could it be that their family had plenty of stored food when they left?”
At this thought, Grandma Mei pursed her lips, unwilling to accept that someone she disliked might be living better than them.
“But when that old lady came looking for us, she kept staring at our Little Gray. The look in her eyes… didn’t seem like someone who had been eating well all along, though she must have had enough to eat recently.”
Mei Qian chimed in at this point.
In times of hardship, not everyone’s moral standards would decline, but Mei Qian didn’t think the Lao Han Family could be judged by ordinary standards. After all, they were capable of trying to “sell” their daughter even in normal times.
Mei Qian said, “If they weren’t well-fed from the start, then how they managed to eat well later is worth pondering.”
Her words drew a curious glance from Madam Jiang, who was sitting nearby. However, her mother wasn’t about to scold her. Instead, she turned to Grandma Mei and said, “Mother, I think what Qianqian said makes sense. That woman… the way she looked at our family wasn’t exactly friendly.”
As soon as Madam Jiang finished speaking, Grandma Mei clicked her tongue and gritted her teeth, saying, “If she dares to covet our food… I’ll beat her to death!”
“As soon as she arrived, she claimed to be our relative. Although the Chen family doesn’t allow outsiders to enter freely, there are sometimes guards patrolling nearby. But with the way she warmly called us relatives today, unfamiliar guards might really think they’re related to us. Next time, they might just let her come over to ‘chat’ with us. How can we guard against thieves every single day? If they truly have ill intentions, it’ll be hard for us to defend against them.”
Hearing her grandmother’s words, Mei Qian immediately followed up. The more she spoke, the angrier Grandma Mei became.
If Mei Qian hadn’t returned in time today, Huang Shi would likely have already approached Mei Qian and her mother. And with Madam Jiang heavily pregnant, if Huang Shi tried anything, Mei Qian would have to worry about protecting Madam Jiang even if she wanted to intervene.
Upon hearing Mei Qian’s analysis, Grandma Mei immediately turned to Mei Erhu and said, “Later, take some of the horse jerky we made earlier and chat with the stewards and retainers from the Chen family. There’s no need to deliberately ask them to look after us.
But you must make it clear that our family has no in-laws! No relatives or anything! Understand? If asked, just say they’re all dead!”
At this point, Grandma Mei no longer cared whether family scandals should be kept private. As she spoke, she glanced at her eldest daughter-in-law.
Yet Han Shi seemed completely unaware of what Grandma Mei was implying and continued weaving straw shoes with Madam Jiang!
Seeing this, Grandma Mei felt another pang of frustration.
For heaven’s sake, it seemed her worries were all for nothing!
Grandma Mei quickly waved her hand, urging Mei Erhu to go handle the matter.
If it weren’t for the fact that other families were nearby, Grandma Mei would have already started shouting curses, even targeting Han Shi’s ancestors for generations.
The Mei family couldn’t spend the whole night discussing such unpleasant matters.
“Qianqian, stretch out your foot, let’s try?”
Hearing Madam Jiang’s words, Mei Qian turned her head and saw Madam Jiang handing her a pair of newly woven straw shoes.
It was Mei Qian’s first time wearing straw shoes, and she was so excited that she was about to stick out her foot. But when she looked down, she saw her worn-out cloth shoes, with the soles completely separated from the uppers.
Her dusty toes were exposed, and Mei Qian instinctively felt embarrassed.
“Quick, put them on and try.”
Madam Jiang handed the woven straw shoes to Mei Qian. Compared to cloth shoes, straw shoes resembled a certain retro-style sandal from modern times.
Mei Qian took the straw shoes, glanced again at her dusty toes, and couldn’t help but say she would go wash her feet first.
Every time they set up camp, it was always near a water source. Mei Qian couldn’t help but marvel at how favorable the geographical environment of Xing’an Fu was.
If she were here for tourism instead of fleeing, it would probably be even better~
Taking off the cloth shoes that had finally worn out after more than a month with her, Mei Qian dipped both feet into the chilly stream water.
She instinctively looked around, then turned her gaze toward the direction of her family’s campsite, which was clearly visible, and felt a slight sense of relief.
A cool evening breeze blew as Mei Qian sat on the grassy bank of the stream. Suddenly, she looked up and saw a young woman in a white dress standing under a tree on the opposite bank, looking in her direction.
The girl was strikingly beautiful, and under the moonlight, she appeared even more ethereal, like a celestial being descended from the heavens.
For so many days, Mei Qian had mostly seen disheveled common people. Suddenly encountering such an exquisitely dressed woman who stood out so starkly from their surroundings, her mind went blank for a moment. She even couldn’t help but raise her hand and say, “Hello?”
Unfortunately, the other party showed no intention of speaking. She gave Mei Qian a cold glance at her gesture before turning and walking away.
The hem of her dress brushing past the bushes reminded Mei Qian that it looked quite familiar.
Hadn’t this beautiful woman also appeared in the evening?
And even observed what was happening with her family?
For a moment, Mei Qian’s mind raced with thoughts. She stood up and looked toward the opposite bank, quickly recalling that the camp on the other side belonged to that Junzhu’s entourage.
Could that woman from earlier be the Junzhu?
Mei Qian lifted her damp feet from the water, rubbed them back and forth on the grass a few times, and finally put on the straw shoes Madam Jiang had woven for her.
At first, they felt a bit prickly, but after stepping around a few times, Mei Qian no longer felt any discomfort. She then turned and left.
The girl she had just met by the stream was now completely forgotten by Mei Qian. After all, given her current circumstances, dwelling on it was pointless, wasn’t it?
With that thought, Mei Qian’s mind shifted back to the fact that she only needed one more food exchange to unlock the System Space!
She began pondering what kind of food she should prepare next for the exchange.