At that moment, Lin Qingqing hurried over, carrying a bowl of hot porridge. Seeing the two standing together, her eyes briefly darkened before she quickly masked it with a look of grievance.
“Brother Qinglin, I made some porridge. Drink it to warm your stomach—you must have frozen last night while keeping watch.”
She placed the bowl in front of Gu Qinglin, deliberately positioning herself between the two. “Sisi, you should have some too. I made an extra bowl for you, though there isn’t much rice.”
Gu Qinglin instinctively reached for the bowl, but Lin Sisi had already turned away. “No need. I need to check on Gu Niannian.”
Watching her retreating figure, a flicker of disappointment crossed Gu Qinglin’s eyes.
Lin Qingqing quietly curled the corners of her mouth and spoke softly:
“Brother Qinglin, see? Sisi is always like this—cold and distant nowadays.”
“Actually, I know… she’s doing it for everyone’s sake. But… she’s too strong-willed now. Not like a gentle girl anymore.”
Gu Qinglin frowned, saying nothing, his gaze fixed on Lin Sisi’s direction.
He knew her strong demeanor was shaped by circumstances, yet in his heart, he couldn’t help but miss the girl who once wept over an injured bird.
After dawn, the group prepared to depart. The bound refugees cried and begged for mercy, hoping for forgiveness.
Seeing their cracked lips and swollen faces, Gu Qinglin’s heart softened again.
“Village Chief, maybe… maybe we could leave them some food? If we just abandon them here, they won’t survive.”
Lin Sisi’s eyes turned cold. After all she had said last night, it seemed he hadn’t listened at all.
“Do you forget how they tried to steal food last night? Let them go now, and they’ll raid others, maybe even bring more thieves!”
As the two argued, Lin Qingqing suddenly gasped, pointing at one of the refugees.
“Brother Qinglin, look at that boy—he seems only thirteen or fourteen. How pitiful! He must have been forced, not willing to do wrong.”
Gu Qinglin followed her finger and saw a small, trembling boy huddled in the corner, his clothes tattered.
His heart softened further. He looked at Lin Sisi: “Sisi, at least let him go? He’s just a child… can’t just die like this.”
Lin Sisi scrutinized the boy. Though fearful, his eyes flicked toward the food cart from time to time.
She sneered. “Don’t be fooled by appearances. The one who stole Uncle Wang’s cake yesterday—probably this child. Being young doesn’t mean being good. In chaotic times, hearts can be crueler than knives.”
The small handprints on the stones clearly weren’t from the burly men.
“No way!” Gu Qinglin immediately protested. “He’s so small… how could he do such a thing? Sisi, are you mistaken?”
Lin Qingqing supported him: “Yes, Sisi. You must be wrong. The boy looks so pitiful… and Brother Qinglin only wants to help. Don’t make it harder for him.”
The villagers around them softened as well.
“The boy does look pitiful… maybe… just let him go?”
“Probably forced into it. Better to release him.”
Watching them agreeing so easily, Lin Sisi felt fatigued. But she saw movement in Village Chief Li’s expression and pressed her temple lightly.
Now was the time to keep the villagers united. She couldn’t let them think she was too cold, or future decisions would be difficult.
The boy was alone. If he had ill intentions, she could keep an eye on him.
“All right, he can be released,” Lin Sisi finally relented. “But he must keep his distance. If he dares approach…”
Village Chief Li nodded in agreement.
Gu Qinglin’s joy was evident. “Good, good! I’ll ask him!”
He hurried to the boy, speaking gently. The boy nodded repeatedly, swearing never to do wrong again.
Gu Qinglin immediately untied him and secretly gave him half a piece of bread. The boy grabbed it and devoured it greedily.
Once the group set off again, Gu Qinglin treated Lin Qingqing more kindly, seeing her as gentle and sensible.
Lin Qingqing took the opportunity to cling to him, wiping his sweat, handing him water, and occasionally praising Lin Sisi under the guise of casual conversation—each word subtly manipulative.
Lin Sisi paid no attention. She was busy harvesting vegetables under Lin Zheng’s cover.
After the night’s unrest, the villagers hadn’t rested well. Village Chief Li decided they would rest half an hour before moving on, allowing everyone to conserve energy for the road ahead.
Lin Sisi lay on the cart, drifting into her space, planning to clear a small patch of land to grow fodder for the donkey.
The journey had been hurried, the terrain increasingly barren, and the donkey hadn’t been fed enough, struggling to keep pace.
She had planted some fodder before, but the patch was too small.
Most of the food and large items had been stored in the space, but she couldn’t leave the cart empty—it would be too conspicuous.
Gu Niannian was still very young. She and her brother didn’t want her to overexert herself, so the daily travel was halved, with the remainder of the journey spent resting on the donkey.
Occasionally, when she and her brother were tired, they also rested on the cart.
The donkey, always overworked and underfed, naturally struggled to run.
Lin Sisi set to work. Using her mind, she expanded the patch of fodder slightly with white mist, sowed the collected grass seeds, and retrieved the previously planted crops.
“Eh?”
As she scattered the wheat seeds and prepared to step out, she noticed something unusual in the space.
“This is… the area of the space has expanded?”
The seeds had been calculated to cover all cultivable land, yet after sowing, a square three feet across remained!
Lin Sisi couldn’t hide her joy.
Just as she had counseled Gu Qinglin, she was also reminding herself:
Everything else is fleeting. Only survival is real.
But if she could spare the strength to help others, she would do so selectively and thoughtfully.