Where had such a large bundle of wild vegetables come from?
They were so fresh and green that they looked almost irresistible.
Could Jin’er have gone out and robbed someone?
Bai Lan hurriedly said, “No matter how difficult things get, we must still have some dignity. We absolutely cannot become like those refugees outside and lose our conscience as human beings.”
Yu Jin: “……”
He rolled his eyes. The teenage boy’s voice, still in the middle of changing, sounded somewhat rough.
“Mom, what are you thinking? With these skinny arms and legs of mine, do you really think I could beat someone else in a fight?”
Bai Lan was extremely surprised.
“Then where did all this come from?”
It wasn’t unreasonable for Bai Lan to have such suspicions.
Their family’s luck really had been terrible.
Along the way, the villagers of Tupo Village hadn’t found absolutely nothing. Some people had picked mushrooms, some had gathered leaves, and others had even managed to peel tender tree bark.
The luckiest was Big Uncle’s daughter, Rongrong, who had even found wild rabbits and bamboo rats.
Only their family had worked diligently to search for food and still found nothing.
Everyone had gone out looking, except for the sickly Yu Yangyang. Even seven-year-old Yu Lan had joined in.
Yet they had returned empty-handed every time.
The bitter wild vegetables they’d eaten that morning were the only food their family had managed to find during several days of fleeing the famine.
That was why the second branch of the Yu family was having such an especially difficult time, and why Yu Yangyang had been so desperately hungry.
Yu Shanghua and Yu Yan came over.
Yu Yan spoke steadily.
“Second Brother, hurry up and tell Mom where you got them. Don’t make her keep guessing.”
Yu Jin answered,
“We found them in the woods.”
He paused before reluctantly adding,
“Yu Yangyang found them.”
Bai Lan’s eyes lit up.
She immediately looked toward Yu Yangyang.
“Our Yangyang found them? That’s amazing! As expected of my good girl!”
Yu Yangyang was extremely tired.
While she had been walking, she hadn’t felt too bad.
But now that she had stopped to rest, she felt as though a ball of air were stuck in her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
She simply sat down on the ground while everyone talked.
When she heard Bai Lan sincerely praising her, her cheeks turned slightly red, and warmth spread through her heart.
So this is what it feels like to be praised by your mother.
The young girl looked as delicate as a slender willow branch.
Her delicate brows and beautiful features looked almost like a painting.
Whenever she looked at someone with those soft, gentle eyes, it was enough to melt their heart.
Bai Lan stared at her for a moment.
Is my daughter… really this beautiful?
In the past, Yu Yangyang had been full of resentment and constantly caused trouble. She had also been pale and gaunt, so no one had paid much attention to her appearance.
Now that she was quiet, obedient, and soft-spoken, Bai Lan finally realized how exquisitely beautiful her daughter actually was.
But Bai Lan immediately became worried.
What use is beauty during a famine?
Little Yu Lan swallowed.
“Mom, I’m hungry!!”
Bai Lan snapped back to reality.
Only then did she notice that it was already getting dark outside.
She gently touched Yu Yangyang’s face.
“Yangyang, you’re hungry too, aren’t you?”
“Your body is so weak. You mustn’t wander around like that again.”
Then Bai Lan looked at Yu Jin, her tone turning cold.
“And you. Don’t take your sister out recklessly again.”
Yu Jin answered impatiently,
“Got it.”
He didn’t want to take Yu Yangyang anywhere in the first place.
He liked little sister Rongrong much more.
Yu Yangyang was so annoying.
His mother had simply been deceived by Yu Yangyang.
He absolutely, definitely would never like her.
Bai Lan turned around and went to prepare dinner.
Dinner was still porridge that night.
Even in prosperous times, farmers couldn’t afford to eat rice at every meal, let alone during a famine.
They ate two meals a day.
Each meal consisted of a little bit of grain mixed with several large bowls of water.
Everyone was becoming thin and sallow, with sunken cheeks.
Yet even so, their remaining food supply was almost gone.
Bai Lan stared at the nearly empty grain sack.
Her mind went blank for a moment, and another wave of anxiety slowly crept into her heart.
She carefully scooped out two handfuls of crushed corn to make porridge.
Combined with the wild vegetables they had gathered that day, it would be an unusually substantial meal.
Yu Yangyang happened to be sitting where she could see what Bai Lan was doing.
Seeing her mother’s expression, she could roughly tell that their food supply was running low.
Then she looked at the crushed corn in Bai Lan’s hands.
Yu Yangyang: “……”
She really didn’t want to eat another bowl of that throat-scratching gruel.
Yu Yangyang slowly moved over to Bai Lan.
Bai Lan, who had been hesitating over whether to add another handful, temporarily stopped worrying and gently asked,
“Yangyang, are you hungry?”
“Mom will have your porridge ready soon.”
Yu Yangyang’s voice was soft.
“Is it because we don’t have enough food?”
Bai Lan’s heart ached.
Fleeing from famine was already difficult enough.
With their food nearly gone, their journey would become even harder.
But these weren’t things children should have to worry about.
Bai Lan was afraid Yu Yangyang would throw another tantrum like she used to, so she could only comfort her.
“Yangyang, don’t worry. Mom won’t let any of you starve to death.”
“Once we set out and catch up with your grandparents and your uncle’s family, we’ll borrow some food from them first. Once we reach a prefecture or county town, we’ll be able to buy grain.”
Yu Yangyang took Bai Lan’s hand.
“Mom, do you think Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle will lend us food? Grandpa and Grandma have never liked me.”
Yu Rongrong was clever, gentle, sweet-tongued, and blessed with extraordinary luck.
Meanwhile, the original Yu Yangyang had been sickly, lazy, selfish, and constantly causing trouble.
The hearts of the Yu family had long since shifted toward Yu Rongrong.
The novel had even mentioned that the Yu family had already been considering abandoning the second branch.
Yu Yangyang’s behavior had merely given them a convenient excuse.
Before the family set out to flee the famine, the second branch had also received the smallest share of food and water.
In the eyes of the Yu family, the second branch, which had accomplished nothing, was nothing more than a complete burden during the famine.
They would never lend them food.
Bai Lan’s expression became complicated.
“Your grandparents just misunderstand you. Once they realize you’ve become obedient, they’ll like you too. We’re all family. How could they possibly watch us die without helping?”
Although she said that, Bai Lan was also somewhat uneasy.
During a famine like this, human beings were living worse than animals.
Yu Yangyang pursed her lips.
She hadn’t planned to change her family’s opinion of her overnight.
The most urgent thing right now was improving their food situation.
Yu Yangyang squeezed Bai Lan’s palm.
“Mom, look. Do you know what this is?”
Bai Lan took a closer look.
She saw her daughter pull a small cloth pouch from inside her clothes.
Bai Lan: “?”
Is my daughter a hamster? Why does she keep hiding things?
Bai Lan took the little pouch and opened it.
She almost screamed.
Inside was beautiful, lustrous brown rice, and it gave off a rich, fragrant aroma.
Forget about during a famine—even before the famine, their family had never eaten such high-quality rice.
Bai Lan immediately closed the pouch.
Her eyes quickly swept across the ruined temple.
The others were either resting or tending the fire and hadn’t noticed what was happening.
Only then did Bai Lan breathe a sigh of relief.
She grabbed Yu Yangyang by the wrist and pulled her into a dilapidated room.
Bai Lan’s eyes were frighteningly bright.
“Good girl, tell Mom. Where did you get this rice?”
Since Yu Yangyang had decided to take the rice out, she had naturally prepared herself for Bai Lan’s questions.
She quickly recalled the excuses protagonists in novels often used and immediately came up with a story about receiving a gift from an immortal in a dream.
Bai Lan’s expression became complicated.
Is there something wrong with my daughter’s head?