“No need. We’ll be on our way.”
Jing Yin had only pulled the donkey cart two steps forward when Wang Dafu called out to her again.
“Miss, you saved my son’s life, so let me offer you one more piece of advice. Whatever you do, don’t go to Kaitai Prefecture. If possible, head toward Yanghua Prefecture instead. The Dafu Restaurant in Yanghua Prefecture belongs to me. If you ever run into any difficulties in the future, as long as it’s something I can help with, I won’t refuse.”
Wang Dafu still felt that he hadn’t given her enough.
A sack of rice, several pieces of meat, and one thousand taels of silver were nowhere near enough to repay his son’s life.
“Alright. Thank you.”
The donkey cart had been cleaned thoroughly.
Wang Dafu had even placed an extra sack of fodder on the cart, enough to feed the donkey for two days if it was rationed carefully.
The rice and cured meat were packed into sacks and hidden beneath the fodder.
As long as no one came close, there was no way to tell what was actually inside the cart.
【Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have completed the treatment mission. Rewards: 2 points and one set of premium silver needles.】
As the system’s voice rang out, Jing Yin leisurely drove the donkey cart back to the Old Jing family’s resting place.
Grandma Jing, who had been standing on tiptoe and looking around for Jing Yin, stared in disbelief when she saw the scene.
What had her Little Silver brought back?
Was that… a donkey?!
“Donkey… donkey… donkey…”
Grandma Jing pointed toward Jing Yin, unable to even speak properly.
That was a donkey!
“Mom, calm down, calm down…”
Jing Da’s eyes lit up as he wanted to go over and take a closer look.
Unfortunately, his mother was viciously pinching his arm, making him wince in pain.
“Eldest Son, do you think I’m dreaming?”
Grandma Jing increased the strength of her pinch.
Jing Da nearly burst into tears from the pain.
Mother! It’s not your flesh you’re pinching, so of course it doesn’t hurt!
“Little Silver, where did you get the donkey?”
As soon as Jing Yin jumped down from the donkey cart, Grandma Jing rushed over and began circling around the donkey, examining it from every angle.
“I traded some things with someone. Let’s eat something, rest for a while, and then continue on our way.”
Jing Yin didn’t elaborate.
None of the members of the Old Jing family pressed her for details.
As long as the donkey belonged to their family, that was enough.
Why bother asking how she got it?
“The porridge has cooled down enough. Come eat.”
Grandma Jing hadn’t cooked much porridge, just enough for one bowl per person.
There were some pieces of dried meat mixed into it, and every bite was filled with the rich fragrance of meat.
Jing Erdan had a smaller appetite, so one bowl of porridge was enough to fill him up.
Jing Yin and the others each ate an extra flatbread.
Just as they were almost finished eating, a ragged old woman suddenly walked over with a half-grown boy.
Without saying a word, she threw herself to her knees in front of them.
“Please, kind sirs, please give us something to eat! My grandson hasn’t eaten for three days. He’s starving! I’m old, and if I die, then so be it, but my little grandson is still young. He shouldn’t have to suffer like this…”
The old woman knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing and wailing.
Her voice was mournful and heart-wrenching.
Zhao Xiao’e couldn’t stand seeing something like this.
The moment she saw the scene, her heart ached.
She was afraid she might say something irrational, so she hid behind Jing Da and muttered under her breath, pretending she hadn’t seen or heard anything.
Grandma Jing frowned.
She swept her gaze around from the corner of her eye.
Quite a few starving refugees were already watching them with greedy, hungry eyes.
The moment they opened the door, the surrounding refugees could tear them apart.
On one side was another family’s pitiful grandson.
On the other was her own family.
She wasn’t foolish enough to confuse right and wrong.
“Stop wailing. My family has no food. Even if you cry yourself to death right here, I still won’t be able to give you anything.”
Grandma Jing snorted and directly refused.
Did this old woman think she didn’t know what was going on?
Wasn’t she simply targeting their family after seeing Little Silver return with a donkey cart?
Hmph.
As long as Grandma Jing was still here, they could forget about it.
“Auntie, I saw it with my own eyes. Your donkey cart has several sacks of grain on it! I’m only asking you to take pity on my grandson. You can’t have so much food and just watch someone starve to death!”
The old woman had no idea whether those sacks actually contained food.
That didn’t stop her from talking nonsense.
With so many people starving around them, once everyone learned that this family had plenty of grain, they would definitely try to rob them.
Then, as long as she moved quickly, she would surely be able to snatch some food.
“Bullshit! My family has no food! What does your grandson dying have to do with me?!”
Grandma Jing was trembling with anger.
This old woman was far too vicious!
Not only did she want their food, she was trying to get their entire family killed!
After all, Grandma Jing knew exactly what would happen once so many starving refugees set their sights on someone.
“If you dare keep spouting nonsense, I’ll cut out your tongue!”
Jing Da stepped forward menacingly with his knife.
“I saw it! Your family has rice, meat, and flatbreads! You just don’t want to give me any! You’re all bad people! I want food! I want food—!”
The little boy beside the old woman suddenly began screaming.
His eyes were filled with hatred as he stared at the members of the Jing family.
Their family clearly had food but refused to give them any.
They were all bad people.
Why didn’t they just die?!
“Fuck!”
Jing Da stepped forward and kicked the old woman away.
Then he grabbed the little boy and threw him aside as well.
“Let go of my grandson! I’ll fight you to the death! Everyone, I saw it with my own eyes! Their donkey cart has several sacks of grain! They’re all filled with bright white rice! If you don’t rob them now, there won’t be any left!”
The old woman’s eyes were filled with viciousness.
She screamed like a madwoman, cursing continuously.
If she couldn’t have a good life, then neither would this family!
After the old woman shouted those words, the surrounding refugees began to stir restlessly.
Three relatively strong-looking men exchanged glances before charging toward the donkey cart.
“What? You want to rob us?”
Jing Yin and Jing Zhao stepped forward and blocked the donkey cart.
Many people around them knew that Wang Dafu had food.
Yet no one had dared rob him.
Those guards beside Wang Dafu had already killed quite a few people.
Who would dare steal from him?
These people were simply bullies who preyed on the weak.
Did they really think the Jing family looked easy to bully?
“There’s food! Everyone, hurry and grab it! It’ll be gone if you’re too late!”
The three men at the front shouted as they charged forward.
As long as there were enough people, they weren’t afraid they wouldn’t be able to seize the food.
The people who had still been hesitating immediately rushed forward after hearing the shout.
Jing Yin launched a side kick, sending the man at the very front crashing to the ground.
She immediately stepped on his back, grabbed his hair with one hand, and decisively slashed his throat with the dagger in the other.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The man’s eyes remained wide open as he died, unable to accept what had happened.
Jing Zhao had been practicing the body-tempering technique with Jing Yin for several days, and his body had become much more agile.
At this moment, he also pinned down one of the men who had rushed forward and beat him mercilessly.
The knife in his hand carved several deep, bone-visible wounds across the man’s body.
Even if he didn’t die immediately, he wouldn’t last more than two days.
After killing one man, Jing Yin fixed a fierce gaze on another.
The man, whose eyes had been bloodshot with greed for food, abruptly stopped in his tracks.
His face was filled with terror.
“Dead… someone’s dead…”
Accompanied by fearful murmurs, everyone who had charged forward stopped in their tracks.
They had never expected this family to be so ruthless.
They actually dared to kill someone!