In her past life, how many people had initially only been after food? But as time went on, the evil in their hearts was fully unleashed. After getting the food, they would also violate the women!
Once malice takes root, it spreads rapidly!
No, Jiang Jiang had to find a way to protect herself!
She pulled a dagger from her Spatial Dimension and tucked it on her person.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Look at that! Just like a village girl, she even knows how to climb trees."
"Young Master, your new concubine is putting on a tree-climbing show for us!"
Xu Wangcai looked over, his brows furrowed tightly. "Jiang Jiang, get down this instant! Don't make a spectacle of yourself!"
Jiang Jiang leaped down, landing gracefully using her technique. "Young Master Xu, there are people behind us. I suspect they might be deliberately following us—they could very well try to steal our food."
Hearing this, the other concubines covered their mouths and giggled. "If they're following us, they must know we're the Xu family."
"With the Young Master here, even if you gave them a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare steal our food."
"Exactly. Are you just making up stories to catch the Young Master's attention?" Lianhua sneered with disdain. "Besides, we have so many guards with us!"
Xu Wangcai's frown deepened. "Jiang Jiang, though you've just entered the household and don't know the rules, you can't just spout nonsense. From now on, speak less—the less you say, the fewer mistakes you make. Understood?"
Jiang Jiang nearly laughed in frustration. "This is a famine year! They won't care who you are. Never mind Young Master Xu—even if the Heavenly Emperor himself showed up, if there's food, they'd rob him all the same!"
They were underestimating those fleeing refugees. To survive, those people would do absolutely anything!
As a woman who had clawed her way through five years in her past life, she knew all too well what lay buried beneath suffering!
Xu Wangcai had initially thought Jiang Jiang was pretty and young, worth doting on in the future. But now, she seemed nothing more than an ignorant village girl.
They had only just left the city not long ago. The refugees following behind must have come from the city as well—how could they not have heard of the Xu family's great name?
"Enough! Shut your mouth! From this moment on, if you dare say another word, you won't eat dinner tonight. You'll speak again only when you've learned the rules!"
Seeing that she couldn't get through to him, Jiang Jiang simply turned her back to them and sat down nearby, observing her surroundings.
There was a slope below—the most viable escape route in the area.
If anyone tried to harm her, she could use the terrain to her advantage, roll down the slope first, and then make her getaway!
Jiang Jiang climbed the tree again and took another look. The people behind were even closer now.
They were moving at full speed—within a quarter of an hour, they would cross paths with the Xu family.
She got up and walked toward the slope.
"Hey, what are you doing? You're not planning to run away, are you?" Lianhua had been watching Jiang Jiang closely and called out the moment she moved.
"I'm relieving myself." Jiang Jiang didn't look back.
She quickly found a relatively concealed hiding spot.
There were quite a few of those people, and they were all refugees. If this were the Jiang Jiang of her past life, she might have dared to fight them. But not now.
This body had only just recovered a little—still frail and weak. Never mind fighting; she couldn't even run far.
Lianhua let out a disdainful snort. "What a worthless thing she is. If it weren't for that seductive face of hers, how could the young master ever have taken a liking to her?"
Another concubine beside her spoke in a coquettish tone, "Sister, as long as she keeps making a fool of herself along the way, once we reach the prefectural city, the young master definitely won't dote on her anymore."
Lianhua chuckled lightly. "You're right. No matter what, we have to make her fall out of favor, and we absolutely can't let her have a child. Otherwise, where would we even stand in the rear courtyard?"
The first time she had laid eyes on Jiang Jiang, an overwhelming sense of crisis had flooded her heart.
Because that face—it was simply too eye-catching!
Even now, skin and bones as she was, her features were still so striking. If she were properly nourished, she would be absolutely unstoppable!
Jiang Jiang, however, paid no attention to the malice of these women. She had already felt the trembling of the earth.
Those people… they were coming!
A large group of refugees appeared on the main road, numbering at least several dozen in total.
They were all ragged and covered in dust, some so filthy their faces were barely recognizable.
The household guards saw them too and hurriedly reported to Xu Wangcai, "Young master, quite a few people really are coming."
"Mm, no need to bother with them." Xu Wangcai didn't give it a second thought. "You few, go stand guard over there. Anyone who dares to approach the carriage—cut them down without hesitation!"
"Yes!"
Several guards took up positions near the carriage.
The concubines took the opportunity to crowd around Xu Wangcai, seemingly having all but forgotten about Jiang Jiang.
The refugees halted, their eyes gleaming with greed as they stared at the carriage.
"There must be plenty of food in there!"
"They're the Xu family—a prominent household in the city. Look at them, all plump and well-fed. They've never known hunger!"
"Let's go take the food for ourselves, then we won't have to starve!"
They crept closer step by step.
The guards immediately raised their long blades, fierce expressions on their faces. "Everyone, stop right there! Leave if you're going, and don't linger. Anyone who dares to approach the carriage—don't blame me if my blade doesn't show mercy!"
The refugees at the front halted, plastering ingratiating smiles on their faces. "Young Master Xu, please, we beg you for a little food. Just a bit is all we need."
"We haven't eaten in days—we're about to starve to death. Please, just take pity on us!"
Xu Wangcai let out a cold snort and ignored them.
The concubines, disgusted, raised their handkerchiefs to cover their noses and mouths. "Don't come any closer! You stink to high heaven!"
Seeing this, the guards barked fiercely, "Get lost, now!"
"How can you be so heartless!" A voice rang out from the back of the crowd, fanning the flames. "You already have so much food—what harm would it do to give us a little?"
"We don't want to die—give us food!"
"Everyone, charge together! There's only a few of them. As long as we snatch the blades away, all the food is ours!"
"That's right, the food is all ours!"
"Charge!"