By the time they returned home, most things were already packed. Aunt Yang’s voice soon sounded from outside the door.
“Sisi, your brother is injured—he shouldn’t move around. I’ll have my eldest help you drive the cart.”
“Auntie, how could we trouble you like that…”
“What trouble? Besides, I have my own selfish reasons. Our family has too much grain—we’d like to load some onto your donkey cart.”
Although her brother had drunk the spiritual spring water, his wound still needed proper rest. After thinking it over, Lin Sisi agreed.
Letting her brother recover was the most important thing. And traveling together would be safer.
“Auntie, let Brother and Niannian ride the donkey cart first. I’ll walk. There are still some odds and ends in the house—I’ll grab them and catch up.”
After they left, Lin Sisi began storing things into her space.
Large furniture. Quilts with nowhere to put them. A huge water jar…
By the time she was done, the house looked as if bandits had swept through—nothing was left behind.
When she hurried to the end of the village, she realized that the fleeing group wasn’t just from Little River Village.
“Brother, where are those people from?”
She moved naturally to Lin Zheng’s side as she asked.
“…They’re from Big River Village.”
His expression was complicated, though his tone remained gentle. “Our village is small. The village head feared danger on the road, so he arranged earlier for both villages to travel together.”
As they spoke, the procession slowly began to move.
In the past, fleeing famine meant searching for a place to settle. This time, they were escaping forced conscription—so they could only follow small paths along the mountain foothills.
Fortunately, their destination remained the same: the prefectural city of Anzhou.
Little River Village was poorly located. Not only had it suffered drought, but it also lay near the border, where conscription was constant.
Anzhou governed vast territory—nearly the entire northern region fell under its jurisdiction. Before leaving, Mother had mentioned she would first go to the Anzhou Protectorate to look for Father.
Thinking of the jade pendant in her space, Lin Sisi sighed.
Her mother’s background seemed anything but simple. The jade was of exceptional quality—clearly not something an ordinary village woman would possess.
Aunt Yang had also once said that her mother wasn’t originally from Little River Village…
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the sun had already set. Many villagers began clamoring to rest.
They had left the boundaries of Qingshan Town, so there was no immediate fear of officials arriving to seize men. Only then did the village head agree to stop.
“Brother, how’s the wound on your back? Has it reopened?”
After he shook his head, she relaxed and handed him a bamboo tube filled with diluted spiritual spring water. “Drink some water, Brother.”
The road of fleeing famine was filled with danger. His wound needed to heal as soon as possible.
Families had begun cooking, but Lin Sisi was staring helplessly at a fire striker, completely at a loss.
Just as she was worrying, she heard villagers chatting with her brother beside the donkey cart.
“Siyi, you’ve done well—bringing back a whole cart of grain like that.”
“Exactly. We left in such a hurry, we couldn’t bring all our grain. Your family’s grain—could you…”
Lin Sisi stood and smiled obediently.
“Aunties, if you want to buy grain, just talk to me. My brother is injured and shouldn’t be tired.”
“Outside, coarse grain costs thirteen wen per jin. Since we’re fellow villagers, I won’t overcharge—twelve wen per jin.”
The two women had only wanted to take advantage. Now that money was mentioned, they immediately hesitated.
“It’s not that Auntie wants to criticize you, but at your age, it’s good to suffer a little. Isn’t there a saying—suffering brings blessings?”
“Exactly. A girl who’s too sharp and competitive won’t marry well in the future.”
Lin Sisi wasn’t angry. She merely smiled lightly. “Better to not marry than to starve to death. Don’t you think?”
Just as the two women stood awkwardly, a crisp voice rang out.
“Some people really talk without back pain! If it were certain others, they’d raise a fuss even over one grain of rice missing from their bowl!”
Lin Sisi smiled warmly. “Aunt Yang.”
The two women choked on their words before muttering, “With that temper, no wonder Scholar Gu doesn’t fancy you.”
Aunt Yang put her hands on her hips. “Our Sisi doesn’t fancy Gu Qinglin either! Speaking of which, Lin Qingqing is practically his little sister-in-law—seems all his studying went to the dogs!”
Gu Qinglin was the fiancé her father had arranged before. He was known for kindness.
Lin Qingqing was the youngest daughter of Second Uncle and Madam Li. They’d had little interaction before, but recently had grown suspiciously close.
Even during this hurried escape, the Gu family chose to travel with Second Uncle’s family. The villagers had noticed—naturally, rumors spread.
Lin Sisi didn’t care. If Gu Qinglin wasn’t worthy of trust, she wouldn’t wrong herself.
After sending off the freeloading aunties and thanking Aunt Yang, silent Lin Zheng finally acted.
He took the fire striker from Lin Sisi’s hand.
“I’ll cook with Niannian. Go to the woods and gather some fodder for the donkey.”
Lin Niannian had been quietly lying on the cart. After Lin Sisi left, she asked curiously,
“Brother, why won’t you let Sister cook? Your cooking tastes terrible.”
“Your sister… doesn’t know how to cook anymore.”
“Why? Like Da Niu from the next village—because his brain broke and he forgot how?”
Lin Zheng stroked her head, a complicated look flashing through his eyes before settling into acceptance.
“Yes. She forgot some things. So Niannian must be good and not make Sister dislike you, okay?”
“Niannian is very good! Sister likes Niannian the most!”
By then, Lin Sisi had reached the woods. Hearing Niannian’s words faintly, she shook her head with a soft laugh.
The woods had clearly already been searched. Aside from fodder for the donkey, there was little edible left.
After much effort, Lin Sisi found a small nest of bird eggs. As she gathered grass, she saw someone unexpected.
“Lin Qingqing?”
Lin Qingqing was thin and small, not as tall as Lin Sisi, with the delicate, pitiful look of a fragile white flower.
“Sister, I saw your family has a donkey. You probably don’t have to walk much, right?”
“I envy you. Our family doesn’t have one. I have to carry our basket the whole way—my feet are already blistered.”
“Father and Mother don’t even let me eat enough. I feel like I might die on the road…”
In her memories, Lin Qingqing had been the only one from the second branch who treated the original owner kindly. Naturally, they had been close.
Her parents had doted on her, often buying little trinkets others wouldn’t. Lin Qingqing had benefited from that closeness.
But in Lin Sisi’s eyes, if Lin Qingqing truly cared, she wouldn’t have stayed silent when the original owner was nearly bullied to death.
Nor would she have grown so close to Gu Qinglin while pretending ignorance of the engagement.