The shore near the road was narrow and not suitable for setting up camp. The village chief led the villagers toward the riverbank, where the terrain was more open—they could camp close together and still look out for one another.
Nan Jianli looked at the flat riverbed before her and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
The riverbed looked dry, but the ground beneath was surely still damp. If they slept on it for a night, the moisture would seep up from below while the night wind battered them from above—no one could withstand that.
On top of that, the damp underground was a natural haven for snakes, insects, rats, and ants. If they all crawled out at night for air…
That scene alone was enough to make one shudder.
Scanning her surroundings, Nan Jianli spotted a steep embankment not far from the riverbank. The ground beneath it was relatively open and flat, and that embankment could also block the night wind—it was a good camping spot.
Nan Jianli quickly reached out and grabbed Meng Chengping, who was about to head down to the riverbed, signaling him to hold off. Then she strode directly toward the village chief.
She walked up to the village chief and laid out her concerns in full detail, pointing to the spot she had chosen for his inspection.
The village chief followed the direction of her finger, squinting as he carefully examined the area beneath the steep embankment. A look of approval gradually spread across his face.
“Da… Ah Li, you’ve got sharp eyes. That spot is far better than the riverbank.” The village chief patted Nan Jianli on the shoulder as he spoke.
Then he turned and shouted to the two or three households that had already gone down to the riverbed: “Licheng, Heng, get up here now—we’re not camping on the riverbed.”
Meng Licheng and Meng Heng each had one hand supporting their elders, while their wives held the children—both families were preparing to settle the old and young first before fetching their luggage.
Hearing they weren’t staying on the riverbed after all, they turned back to look at the village chief, confusion written all over their faces.
The villagers gathered at the shore, ready to head down to the riverbed, also stopped in their tracks. Only then did they notice Nan Jianli standing beside the village chief.
The young girl stood with her back straight, a spirited sharpness in her slightly heroic features—none of the former foolishness or dullness remained.
“The riverbed’s likely damp. Let’s go over there—it’s dry and sheltered from the wind.” The village chief pointed to the steep embankment not far away.
Though the embankment wasn’t far, it was still a good four or five hundred meters away. The villagers, already exhausted from the day’s journey, didn’t want to move an inch—they just wanted to settle down and lie flat for a good rest.
The crowd immediately erupted, whispering and murmuring among themselves.
“This riverbed looks plenty spacious—why can’t we stay here? It’s so dry, where’s the dampness coming from?” An elderly man frowned, muttering in confusion.
“Exactly. How much better could that spot under the embankment be than this? Might as well just stay here—we’ve been at it all day, why make more trouble?” A middle-aged woman chimed in, her sun-darkened face wrinkled with reluctance.
“Hey, dummy—was it you who told the chief that?” Someone suddenly shifted the topic, pointing straight at Nan Jianli. “I heard you’re not stupid anymore, but don’t go bossing everyone around, alright? It’s that much farther to walk—are you going to carry all our luggage for us, all hundred-plus of us?”
Nan Jianli’s expression didn’t change. She straightened her back, swept her gaze across the crowd, and decided to hold her temper for now.
Her tone was calm, her voice steady as she spoke: “Folks, I understand everyone’s tired after a long day and doesn’t want to move again. But when we camp, safety and comfort come first.”
“This riverbed sits low and follows the wind’s path. It looks dry on the surface, but it’s damp underneath. When the temperature drops at night, that moisture rises. If we sleep on top of it, our bodies won’t be able to take it—we might even end up with chronic ailments.”
She turned and pointed to the steep embankment in the distance: “Under that embankment, the ground is higher, dry, and sheltered from the wind. With our backs against it, it’s safer at night too. Walking that little extra distance for a good night’s sleep beats suffering in this dampness, doesn’t it?”
The villagers stared at Nan Jianli, who spoke with confidence and a radiant self-assurance, their eyes wide, unsure how to react.
“Heh.” It was that same unpleasant voice again, sneering: “You’re not actually going to believe what a fool says, are you?”
The village chief’s face darkened as he glared at Zheng Lao’er, who was hiding in the crowd, and bellowed: “Zheng Lao’er, don’t think I can’t tell it’s you just because you’re hiding! With that cracked voice of yours, who couldn’t recognize you? Get out here!”
Zheng Lao’er flinched at the village chief’s roar, then squeezed his way out of the crowd with dragging steps, still wearing a defiant look as he craned his neck and said:
“What? Did I say something wrong? She used to be a fool, couldn’t even tell north from south…”
“You’re the one who can’t tell anything! You’re the fool!” Old Mrs. Meng burst out from behind Zheng Lao’er, shoving him to the ground. She glared at him and cursed: “You idiot, you rotten, pus-filled wretch! My Ah Li has good intentions, thinking of everyone—how dare you insult her?”
“Number one, chop him down.” Old Mrs. Meng waved her hand grandly. Meng Chengping, not far away, responded as if summoned, grabbed his sickle, and charged over.
The nearby villagers quickly grabbed hold of him and talked him down for a good while before he finally calmed.
“Zheng Lao’er isn’t wrong either!” A strange, mocking voice rang out. “We all know what Big Simple used to be like. Now she suddenly starts spouting all this know-how—could she have gotten herself possessed by some evil spirit? Don’t tell me this drought is all because of that plague-bringer of hers!”
At the sound of the voice, Nan Jianli’s gaze cut through the crowd and landed on an old woman in a gray cloth robe. Her surname was Gou. When she married into Mengjia Village, it was her second marriage, and she’d brought along a somewhat simple-minded son.
A year ago, Old Mrs. Gou had set her sights on the just-turned-fourteen “Big Simple” to be a wife for her idiot son.
Mrs. Liu had accepted the betrothal gifts behind the Meng family’s back, and they were only waiting for the auspicious day to send the girl over.
But on the very next day after the date was set, Old Mrs. Gou’s simple-minded son somehow wandered into the back mountain and got his chest torn open by a bear. When the body was carried back, even his face was unrecognizable.
The marriage naturally fell through, and Old Mrs. Gou kept insisting that Big Simple had cursed her son to death, spreading word around the village that she was a plague-bringer.
Now Old Mrs. Gou was dredging it all up again, and even more viciously, pinning the natural disaster on her head—she truly hated her to the bone and wanted her dead.
“Old hag Gou, you really are a dog!” Old Mrs. Meng planted herself in front of Nan Jianli and jabbed a finger at Old Mrs. Gou’s nose, cursing at the top of her lungs. “My second son helped your family plenty while he was alive—he even fished your youngest boy out of the water! And now you dare slander his daughter? Are you even human?”
Seeing that Old Mrs. Meng was about to lunge forward, Nan Jianli quickly stepped up and steadied her, one hand rubbing her back while she soothed her in a gentle voice: “Grandma, you just said she’s a dog—how could she be human? Now, now, don’t get angry. We can’t go picking fights with a dog.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to everyone’s ears. The villagers were stunned for a moment, then a few couldn’t help but let out low chuckles.
“We’ve said what needed to be said. Whether they want to move elsewhere is their choice—we can’t interfere. Come on, let’s go set up the tents up ahead.”
Nan Jianli helped Old Mrs. Meng back to the cart. Meng Chengping had already hung his sickle back on the shaft in a huff, pulling the cart out of the line and heading toward the spot Nan Jianli had chosen.
Doctor Feng patted his son and daughter-in-law, signaling them to stop gawking and follow along quickly.
Faster than them were the Shen brothers, who only had a wheelbarrow with very little luggage—they were traveling light.
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