“Ah Li, slow… slow down.”
The cart shot forward suddenly, startling Old Mrs. Meng. With one arm holding three-year-old Meng Boyang and the other gripping Meng Lou, she clamped her elbow tightly against the cart frame, terrified that she and the two boys would be thrown off at any moment.
But after a moment, she felt not a single bump—smoother than riding over the stone-paved roads in the city.
Meng Zhu watched helplessly as her eldest sister pushed the wheelbarrow, overtaking one cart after another, the distance between them growing wider and wider.
Who was it that just said they could keep up? Who?
Nan Jianli couldn’t afford to worry about any of that now. She was about to boil alive from the heat, her eyes fixed solely on the shaded spot not far ahead.
She moved as if wind were beneath her feet, her wrist strength perfectly controlled. The wheel barely skimmed the ground—it looked like the wheel was turning, but in truth, she was carrying the cart as she ran.
In no time, Nan Jianli shot ahead, breaking out of the procession.
The villagers she passed couldn’t help but turn their heads. Every able-bodied man responsible for pulling a cart felt utterly crushed.
Pushing three people and still running that fast?
Is she even human?
Is she a girl?
“Heh heh heh, Old Meng Number Two struck gold!” Meng Shande, walking at the front of the group, watched Nan Jianli’s retreating figure and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “We’ve lived in the same village for five years, and I never knew this eldest girl had such strength.”
“Who’s to argue with that?” Meng Shande’s eldest son, Meng Yonglin, wiped the sweat from his face and gazed at Nan Jianli’s back with deep envy.
There were three brothers in their family—two bookish scholars who couldn’t carry a load on their shoulders or lift a thing with their hands. His wife and his two younger brothers’ wives were all delicate women, accustomed only to managing household affairs.
The oldest of the children below was ten, and the rest all needed looking after.
His parents were advanced in years, still hale and hearty, but after just one morning of walking, they already needed someone to support and guide them.
The family had a lot of belongings. Though they’d split them across three carts, as the eldest brother, he still bore the heaviest load of the two.
If only he had the strength of that eldest girl.
Nan Jianli pushed the cart into the village, found a relatively spacious spot in the shade, and stopped.
Old Mrs. Meng gasped for breath, shaking out her already numb arms, unable to hold back her astonishment: “My heavens! Ah Li, when did your strength become so great?”
Meng Lou jumped down from the cart, tilting up his little face, red from the sun, clapping his small hands excitedly and shouting, “Big Sister is number one! Big Sister is amazing!”
Meng Boyang was young and had been baked in the sun all morning. He was listless, without a shred of energy.
Seeing this, Nan Jianli frowned and lifted him off the cart. He opened his little mouth, occasionally sticking out his tongue, looking like he was about to vomit.
“What’s wrong? Yang, what’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell?” Old Mrs. Meng also noticed her little grandson’s discomfort and hurried over to take the child, pressing her wrinkled cheek against his.
“Aiyo! In this scorching heat, how can a child bear it!”
Nan Jianli pulled the water skin from her back and handed it to Old Mrs. Meng: “Grandma, put Yang back on the cart, loosen his clothes, and give him some water.”
Old Mrs. Meng was already flustered and instinctively followed Nan Jianli’s instructions. Nan Jianli, meanwhile, stood to the side, lifting the hem of her clothes to fan Meng Boyang.
After a few sips of water, Meng Boyang regained some vitality.
By then, the villagers had arrived one after another, each finding a shady spot to sit and rest.
Meng Zhu had just plopped down beside Meng Lou when she spotted Meng Chengping pulling a cart in the distance, with Zhang Shi helping push from behind.
She set down her water skin and scrambled to her feet to go over. Nan Jianli pressed her back down, signaling her to drink some water first, then strode toward Meng Chengping.
“Uncle, let me.” Nan Jianli walked over, pressed down on the cart shaft, and without a word of argument, took the shoulder strap from Meng Chengping.
Meng Chengping shook his head in refusal and tried to wave her hand away, but before he knew it, Nan Jianli seized the opportunity to squeeze him out from the shaft.
“Ah Li, the cart’s too heavy—you can’t pull it…” Before the words even died on his lips, he heard a startled cry from Zhang Shi behind the cart. When Meng Chengping turned to look, he saw his wife already sprawled on the ground.
“A grown woman, how do you still manage to trip?” Meng Chengping hurriedly helped her up, muttering under his breath.
Zhang Shi patted the dust off her clothes and pointed at the cart already moving off into the distance. Her cracked lips parted with a wheeze, her throat burning and raw—she didn’t have a single word left in her.
Meng Chengping supported Zhang Shi, watching in disbelief as Nan Jianli pulled the cart alone, her steps as light as if she were hauling an empty one.
His jaw hung open, and it was a long moment before he murmured, “This… when did Ah Li get such strength?”
Without the cart, the couple found a moment of relief, supporting each other as they quickly caught up. When Meng Zhu saw them arrive, she hurried over with the water skin.
Meng Chengping was exhausted too. He plopped down at the base of the wall, took the water skin, and wanted to gulp down a huge mouthful, but in the end, he only took a shallow sip before passing it to his wife beside him.
Seeing that she only took a small sip as well, he coaxed her into drinking two more before he was satisfied.
Little Boyang saw his parents arrive, climbed down from the cart, and listlessly nestled into his mother’s arms. Zhang Shi’s heart ached at the sight of her son, and she nearly shed tears. But when she heard Old Mrs. Meng say the child had already drunk water and was feeling better, she was somewhat reassured.
At that moment, the second son of Village Chief Meng, Meng Yongkang, took up a bronze gong and began beating it while shouting, “Every household, count your people! Set up stoves and cook! We depart again at the hour of Shen, two ke.”
Nan Jianli silently calculated in her mind: Well, the hour of Shen, two ke, is four in the afternoon. The sun hasn’t set yet, but it’s already much better than now. Still, to learn from past lessons, she needed to make some preparations.
The village women had already begun to move. Some households simply took out dry rations to make do, while others set up stoves and boiled water, seemingly preparing to cook a meal.
Zhang Shi stuffed her son into her husband’s arms and got up herself to prepare food.
Seeing this, Old Mrs. Meng quickly instructed, “Daughter-in-law, just take out the baked flatbreads and eat those. You should also rest while you can—we still have to travel this afternoon.”
“All right, Mother, I understand.”
More than food, what troubled the villagers most was water.
The morning’s scorching sun had seemed to bake people dry. Many villagers began gulping down water the moment they sat down, and the water they’d brought was soon nearly gone.
Knowing they still had to travel in the afternoon, after eating, several households short on water banded together and went into the village to find more.
Meng Chengping weighed his own waterskin—there was still some left, but it wouldn’t last to the next destination. After a brief rest, he too got up to search for water.
Nan Jianli watched him leave, then turned her gaze to Old Mrs. Meng and Zhang Shi. Old Mrs. Meng had spread out a straw mat and was already resting with her eyes closed, the three children beside her.
Zhang Shi sat nearby, fanning the three children. When she saw Nan Jianli looking over, she smiled and said in a low voice, “Ah Li, you’ve worked hard. Close your eyes and rest a bit—I’ll keep an eye on the cart.”
Nan Jianli didn’t answer, but curved her lips and shook her head. “I’m not sleepy yet. Aunt, you rest first—I’ll call you when I get tired.”
Zhang Shi hesitated, but seeing that Nan Jianli wasn’t just being polite, she smiled and agreed, then leaned against the corner of the wall and closed her eyes.
Nan Jianli kept watch, and only when Zhang Shi’s breathing grew steady did she quietly rise.
Well, good that she’s asleep—if she weren’t, how could she make her move?
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