As Lin Qingqing ran down the slope, she immediately spotted Gu Qinglin crouching beside his family’s grain sack. His clumsy fingers gathered the scattered dried rations back into the bag—food that had once been their hope of making it to Anzhou. Now, less than half a sack remained.
Gu Qinglin’s mother sat on a nearby stone, wiping her tears with her sleeve, her shoulders trembling.
Lin Qingqing’s eyes lit up. She quickly suppressed the anger from being rebuffed by Lin Sisi earlier, pinched her thigh hard, and tears instantly welled up as she rushed forward.
“Brother Gu…”
Gu Qinglin didn’t stop what he was doing. He continued gathering the rations in silence.
Seeing his calm reaction, Lin Qingqing grew anxious. She edged closer and lowered her voice, thick with tears. “Brother Gu, do you know? I just went to beg Sister Sisi to lend you some grain, but she… she flatly refused.”
Gu Qinglin raised his head. His face was dusty and weary, his eyes bloodshot. He only said lightly, “Oh,” then lowered his head and continued packing the grain, though his fingers trembled faintly.
“She was so cold about it,” Lin Qingqing pressed on, leaning closer. “I told her your family lost most of your grain, that Aunt Gu’s health is poor, and without food you won’t make it. She didn’t even frown.”
“I even mentioned your engagement, but she said she wanted to dissolve it long ago. She said the grain is her lifeline and refused to lend even a little.”
As she spoke, she secretly watched his expression, hoping to see anger or disappointment.
But Gu Qinglin simply tied the mouth of the sack tightly and stood after a long pause. His voice was hoarse. “If she won’t lend it, then so be it. The grain belongs to her family. She has no obligation to help mine.”
“How can she be like that?” Lin Qingqing blurted, her voice rising and drawing glances from nearby villagers. “Her family is well-off. Her mother ran an apothecary and stored so much grain, yet she won’t help you! Brother Gu, she doesn’t care about you at all!”
Gu Qinglin turned to look at her tear-reddened eyes. His gaze was heavy with fatigue—and a trace of helplessness.
“Qingqing, stop. Sisi has her own considerations. This theft wasn’t her fault. Why should her family fill this hole?”
“As for the engagement…” His lips moved slightly, forcing a bitter smile. “It was my failing. My family was never wealthy, and now things are worse.”
“If she wants to dissolve it…” His voice tightened. “Then let it be dissolved.”
Lin Qingqing froze. She hadn’t expected this response. Frustration and anger burned inside her like fire, but she had no words to refute him. She could only stand there, biting her lip and crying, looking pitiful.
Gu Qinglin ignored her and walked to his belongings. He pulled out half a sack of dried rations.
The sack was coarse hemp, frayed at the corners. The rations inside looked finer than what remained in his own family’s bag. It was the half-sack A-Shi had secretly given him yesterday, claiming he found it by the roadside while chasing the refugees.
Gu Qinglin hesitated, gripping the sack, then turned and walked toward Lin Sisi.
At that moment, Lin Sisi was sorting dried herbs she had gathered along the road, planning to try growing them in her space. She deftly separated dried mugwort from dandelion, placing them into neat piles.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up and saw Gu Qinglin approaching. She paused her work.
“Sisi,” he said, holding out the half-sack. “This is what I have left. Please distribute it to Uncle Lin Er and Old Wang’s family. They lost a lot too. Without food, they may not make it to Anzhou.”
Lin Sisi’s gaze fell first on the grain, then lifted to his face. Her brows furrowed slightly. “Where did this come from? Your own family doesn’t have enough—how do you have extra?”
“A-Shi gave it to me,” Gu Qinglin replied uncertainly. “He said he found it by the roadside while chasing the refugees.”
Lin Sisi’s eyes sharpened instantly. “A-Shi gave it to you? He’s just a child—how could he find half a sack of grain where the refugees fled? And right after our grain was stolen?”
Gu Qinglin paused. He had found it strange too, but seeing A-Shi’s obedient demeanor, he’d assumed it was mere luck.
“I… don’t know. He said he found it.”
“Gu Qinglin, don’t trust that child so easily,” Lin Sisi said seriously. “His background is unclear. He colluded with refugees to steal grain before. Now he suddenly produces half a sack? It’s too suspicious. I advise you not to keep him with you anymore. Stay away from him before something worse happens.”
She hadn’t intended to interfere, but seeing how large a hole the theft had left in his family’s supplies—two lives might truly hang in the balance.
Gu Qinglin fell silent. Leaning against the old locust tree behind him, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Thinking back—the day of the theft, A-Shi had been at camp. He’d shouted the loudest when the refugees came, yet hadn’t been hurt. Afterwards, he just happened to “find” grain.
The doubts piled up.
But when he looked at A-Shi’s thin figure in the dusk—squatting alone, occasionally glancing their way—his heart softened.
“Sisi, I know you’re worried. But he’s just a child.”
He opened his eyes, conflicted. “Maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe he really was lucky. He did help this time. I’ll observe him longer. If there’s truly a problem, I’ll deal with it.”
Lin Sisi sighed. “You’re too soft-hearted. In these chaotic times, people can be treacherous. Sometimes children’s minds are deeper than adults’.”
“I understand. Thank you for reminding me.” He set the grain on a stone beside her. “Please distribute it. Otherwise I won’t feel at ease.”
She nodded. “Alright. I’ll give it to them.”
She had once thought Gu Qinglin was overly righteous—almost sanctimonious, often generous with what wasn’t entirely his to give.
But now, though his family had suffered the worst loss, he still chose to share what little he had.
If he’d kept it, it might have sustained them ten more days.
Watching his retreating back, Lin Sisi sighed inwardly.
He was a scholar, already holding minor scholarly honors. In times of peace, he might have become someone who truly benefited the people.
What a pity.
Gu Qinglin walked toward A-Shi with heavy steps.
The boy looked up immediately, flashing a yellow-toothed, obedient smile. “Brother Gu, are you done?”
“Little Stone, let’s go. Time to pack up and prepare to move.”
“Yes, Brother Gu!” A-Shi sprang up and slung his small bundle over his shoulder, following closely behind.
Lin Sisi had nearly finished packing and was lifting her belongings onto the donkey cart when a coarse voice rasped behind her like sandpaper on wood.
“Sisi girl, stop right there!”
She turned to see Lin Lao’er dragging Li Shi toward her. Li Shi clutched an empty grain sack, its bottom worn through. Lin Qingqing followed behind, her skirt brushing dry grass, eyes gleaming with barely concealed schadenfreude.
“Something you need?” Lin Sisi placed her bundle onto the cart, her tone cool.
“Something?” Lin Lao’er spat on the ground. “Your second uncle’s family lost all our grain! You’re just going to watch us starve on the road? Hand over some grain!”
“On what grounds?” Lin Sisi raised a brow, tapping her own sack. “At the start of this famine, your family tried to steal our grain. I caught you red-handed and publicly severed ties. Has it been so long that you’ve forgotten?”
Li Shi immediately dropped to the ground, wailing and slapping her thigh. “That’s old history! This is about lives now! If your father were alive, he’d never ignore us! He was soft-hearted—not cold like you!”
“My father is gone,” Lin Sisi said firmly, her gaze sweeping over the watching villagers. “This family is mine to decide for now.”
“And have you forgotten what you did before we fled? For half a sack of rice, you tried to sell my little sister. When I stopped you, you tried stealing grain in the middle of the night.”
She let out a cold laugh.
“If I hadn’t fought to protect it, my siblings and I would’ve starved long ago. This grain is our lifeline. I don’t have any to spare for someone as heartless as you.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Lin Lao’er’s face turned liver-red with fury. “Selling your sister was to give her a way to live! We’re your blood relatives! Even broken bones are still connected by tendons—how can you be so heartless?”