Also traveling with the Yu family was Li Zhong.
The group found a suitable place to rest and decided to stop for a while.
This time, the Yu family had learned their lesson. They deliberately chose a spot farther away from the other refugees, so they could do whatever they needed without attracting attention.
Bai Lan felt sorry for Yu Yangyang after she had been out all night. Her eyes were red, and she insisted on cooking Yu Yangyang a proper meal.
While Bai Lan went to prepare the food, Yu Yangyang learned from the others what had happened the previous night.
The horsemen had clashed with another group. Although the opposing side had far fewer people, they were by no means inferior in combat.
Blades flashed everywhere, frightening the refugees into panic. On top of that, the horsemen killed anyone they encountered, and many people were trampled or hacked to death.
When the Yu family discovered that Yu Yangyang and Yu Lan were missing, they planned to search for them. However, they encountered refugees who were taking advantage of the chaos to rob their food and water.
Fortunately, Li Zhong appeared and helped the Yu family escape.
The two families simply decided to travel together from then on, since there was greater safety in numbers.
The situation the previous night had been extremely dangerous, and Li Zhong had even been wounded by a knife.
Yu Shanghua was extremely grateful.
“Brother Li, we really have you to thank.”
Li Zhong immediately stood up, his expression earnest.
“If Madam and Miss hadn’t been kind enough to give us water and roasted sweet potatoes, my old mother wouldn’t have survived. This little injury is nothing!”
Li Zhong looked at the Yu family, and that complicated expression Yu Yangyang had seen before appeared on his face again.
After a long moment, Li Zhong gritted his teeth and knelt down.
“I will never forget your family’s great kindness. Please take our family in. We are willing to follow you, Master. We can do anything, as long as you give us enough food to survive!”
Yu Shanghua’s eyelid twitched.
They wanted to become servants of his family?
Yu Shanghua had spent his entire life working the fields. Even within the Yu family, he had always been overlooked by Old Master Yu and Old Madam Yu. He had never encountered anything like this.
He helplessly looked toward Yu Yan, Yu Yangyang, and the others for help.
Yu Yangyang’s gaze fell on Li Zhong.
“If you follow us, you will become our servants and lose your freedom. Won’t you regret it?”
Her voice was soft.
“Besides, you’ve seen for yourselves that our family is just an ordinary farming family. We aren’t some wealthy master and mistress.”
Li Zhong wore coarse cloth covered in patches.
Behind him stood his wife, whose exhausted face was sunken and haggard. She looked even older than the elderly woman beside her.
The old woman was frail and stooped, her cloudy eyes filled with unease and guilt. She seemed to feel that she was a burden on her son and daughter-in-law.
The healthiest-looking one was the baby in the woman’s arms. Thanks to occasionally being fed breast milk, the infant still looked relatively plump and fair.
Li Zhong lowered his eyes and hesitated for a moment.
Then he looked back at his wife and mother.
Seeing their condition, he made up his mind and pressed his forehead to the ground.
“We only ask that Miss take us in!”
Compared with staying alive, what did freedom really matter?
Moreover, although the Yu family currently looked no different from ordinary refugees, Li Zhong had a feeling that following them would lead somewhere. He believed the Yu family would not remain ordinary forever.
Yu Yan frowned.
Yu Jin was even more displeased and shot Yu Yangyang a dissatisfied look. He didn’t understand why she had to ask all these questions.
Li Zhong could travel with them, sure—but he absolutely could not become their servant.
Where would they get enough food to support so many extra people? They could barely survive themselves!
So Yu Jin immediately said,
“No.”
At almost the same time, Yu Yangyang nodded.
“Okay.”
Yu Jin suddenly whipped his head around. His sharp gaze stabbed straight at Yu Yangyang.
“Do you even know what you’re saying? Apart from Li Zhong having some physical strength, the rest of his family are either old or young. How are we supposed to feed all those mouths?”
His tone was dripping with sarcasm.
“I think your old illness has flared up again. If you don’t have a young lady’s life, then don’t act like one! Yu Yangyang, don’t you realize what kind of situation we’re in now?”
Was this really the time for her to be willful?
Yu Yangyang felt that they needed Li Zhong.
On the road of fleeing the famine, having more people meant greater deterrence. And judging from what had happened the previous night, the three men in the Yu family couldn’t even compare with Li Zhong alone.
Of course, Yu Jin opposed it because he believed they would eventually reunite with the Yu family and the people from Tupo Village.
But Yu Yangyang knew that people like them, who were destined to be cannon fodder, would only meet disaster if they became involved with the protagonist group.
She had no intention of relying on the heroine to survive all the way to Shuntian Prefecture.
As always, Yu Yangyang merely glanced at Yu Jin.
“You don’t need to worry about it. We’ll have food eventually.”
Yu Jin was furious.
Yu Yangyang accepted Li Zhong and his family.
She said, “Once we reach the county town, we’ll transfer your contracts of servitude to my name. Do you have any objections?”
The young girl’s face was pale and haggard, and her voice was soft and weak. Yet there was an unmistakable confidence and certainty in her words.
From the very beginning, Yu Yangyang had been the person Li Zhong had chosen to trust.
Naturally, he had no objections.
In fact, he had been afraid that the Yu family would reject them.
But when he thought about how his family’s future had caused Yu Yangyang and Yu Jin to argue, Li Zhong felt extremely guilty.
He lowered his head and promised,
“If Miss needs anything in the future, just give the order. And our whole family only needs enough food to survive.”
Yu Yangyang immediately understood what he was thinking.
She reassured him, “Don’t worry. My second brother and I have never gotten along. This has nothing to do with you.”
Yu Jin: “?”
What was that supposed to mean?
When Bai Lan finished cooking and called everyone over to eat, she only learned from Yu Jin that their family had somehow acquired several servants in the short time they had been apart.
Bai Lan was equally shocked.
But she quickly composed herself and sighed.
“That’s fine. Having more people around to take care of Yangyang will make me feel more at ease.”
Yu Jin, who had been reporting everything to her: “?”
Yu Yangyang felt warm inside.
She looked at Bai Lan.
“Mother and Father aren’t angry with me?”
Bai Lan shook her head.
“How could your mother blame you?”
Bai Lan knew that Yu Yangyang had abilities of her own now. Even if she took Li Zhong’s family in, she wouldn’t be unable to support them.
She sighed.
“They’re pitiful too, and they saved us last night. Just think of it as our family gaining a few more people.”
Ultimately, Bai Lan still wasn’t accustomed to the whole master-and-servant business and couldn’t bring herself to call them servants.
“However, the food I cooked isn’t enough… There’s no way I can have them eat with us.”
Li Zhong’s family sat not far away from the Yu family, their hearts filled with anxiety.
Bai Lan took the leftover black flour and brown rice from earlier and brought it to Li Zhong’s family.
“Take this food for now. At least have something for lunch. You all worked hard last night too.”
Li Zhong’s eyes reddened.
“Thank you, Madam.”
Bai Lan waved her hand.
“Don’t call me Madam. We’re all suffering together. Just call me Sister-in-law.”
Li Zhong tightened his grip around the food bag.
As soon as Bai Lan left, he immediately turned toward his wife and mother.
“Juan’er, Mother… we’re going to survive!”
A trace of joy appeared on the numb woman’s face.
The family burst into tears of happiness.
The moment the lid was lifted, the Yu family was stunned.
Yu Shanghua looked at Bai Lan and stammered,
“Wife… this… this is rice? This is ours?”
Inside the pot was a full pot of sweet-potato rice.
Snow-white rice mixed with fragrant, sweet potatoes filled the pot, giving off an irresistible aroma.
The Yu family’s mouths immediately began watering.