Jiang Zhi and Xu Errui quickly climbed back up the steep slope and returned home.
Xiaoman's grandfather hadn't expected them to return so soon. With the roads in poor condition, even traveling empty-handed from the village to the mountain would take at least two hours.
Moreover, he noticed something else: "Errui's Mother, why do you both look so pale?"
Nearby, Qiaoyun, who was grinding Cyclobalanopsis acorns for the family, also saw that her mother-in-law and husband were pale-faced: "Mother, are you cold?"
Jiang Zhi had been wearing the same clothes since yesterday—soaked by water, dried by the mountain fire, and covered in mud and ash—they had long since hardened into a stiff shell.
Seeing everyone gather around, Jiang Zhi finally said to Xiaoman's grandfather: "We didn't enter the village. We just reached Zhao Li's house below, and his entire family has disappeared. Zhao Li's Father and his wife are dead… murdered! The fire was also set by those people."
She didn't dare to elaborate further; it was simply too horrifying.
Robbery? Kidnapping people to sell as slaves? Or had they already been killed and discarded in the great fire?
The outcome was unknown, and no one had the heart to care where those people had gone.
Silence—deathly silence. Everyone's faces turned ashen.
For these farmers who had spent their lives working the soil, murder and arson were almost unimaginable events in their lives.
Xu Errui's teeth chattered uncontrollably. On his mother's orders, he didn't dare mention that the roving bandits had nearly come up the mountain.
But even if he didn't say it, someone else would think of it. Xiaoman's grandfather trembled, his lips quivering: "That path… we need to block it more securely!"
As soon as he spoke, Xiaoman and Xu Errui immediately agreed: "Alright, let's go now."
Before Jiang Zhi could speak, the terrified Xiaoman's Grandmother said they should leave.
With the mountain fire still burning and murderous roving bandits around, staying meant either being burned to death or killed.
Xiaoman's grandfather and Jiang Zhi were in agreement: they would not leave!
Xiaoman's grandfather relied on experience; Jiang Zhi relied on deduction.
What was the cause of the mountain fire?
It was because chaos had already erupted below.
The village being burned was the work of either refugees or rebellious soldiers.
Now they only knew that Zhao Li's two families had been murdered. As for Xu You Cai and his group, who lived in the village, their fate remained unknown—likely grim.
Moreover, Jiang Zhi suspected that the fact people lived on the mountain and that Zhao Li's family had been harmed was information leaked by the villagers themselves.
If they were to flee down the mountain now, given the survival capabilities of their two families, they might not last three days.
As the old saying goes, the most dangerous place is often the safest.
Now that the mountain had been scorched by fire, no one would expect anyone to still be alive up there.
After Jiang Zhi said this, everyone's expressions eased slightly. Even Xiaoman's Grandmother stopped mentioning leaving.
Xiaoman's grandfather bit down on his bamboo pipe, long devoid of tobacco, and said: "Errui's Mother, the fact that our group survived the fire is all thanks to you. From now on, whether we stay or go, we'll follow your arrangements!"
Although he and Jiang Zhi were from the same village, the separation between men and women meant they rarely interacted. He only knew that Madam Jiang was not a gentle or kind woman.
Now, thinking back, Errui's Father was in poor health, and it was a woman managing everything inside and outside the home. With several children being unruly, it was understandable that she might lose her temper and scold or hit them.
Besides, the root of Errui's Father's illness was caused by the trouble brought by Xiao Tian and his mother. It was only natural that some resentment would linger.
This time, when Xiao Tian left, Errui said the child had taken everything he should have. Madam Jiang hadn't withheld anything, which showed that some rumors were not to be believed.
From recent events, it was clear that Madam Jiang was decisive, methodical, and reliable in handling matters.
In chaotic times, the greatest fear was a lack of leadership and disunity, with everyone pulling in different directions.
Xiaoman's grandfather looked at his own family—frail, elderly, and weak—and then at Xiaoman, who was still too young to shoulder responsibilities. He knew that among this group, only Madam Jiang could take the lead.
Today, he decided to voice this thought early.
Jiang Zhi wasn’t particularly surprised by Xiaoman's grandfather’s decision, as she felt the same way.
To survive, unity and avoiding internal strife were key. In times of crisis, there was no need for her to put on a show of false modesty and refuse.
However, talk of entrusting lives to her felt too heavy. Jiang Zhi’s awareness hadn’t yet reached the point where she could take responsibility for others’ lives.
If she could help while ensuring her own safety, that was acceptable.
So, Jiang Zhi nodded and said, “Uncle Changgeng, from now on, let’s support each other! I have limited experience and will need your guidance in many matters!”
Since they intended to continue hiding and staying here, Jiang Zhi suggested that the path down the mountain should remain untouched.
She hoped the traces she left today wouldn’t be discovered.
They would wait for the ash from the mountain fire to cover everything, making it seem as though no survivors remained on the mountain.
Xiaoman's grandfather nodded repeatedly. “You’re right. I, an old fool, only thought about piling more soil and nearly messed things up.”
If they piled fresh soil now, it would clearly signal to the roving bandits that someone had been active here recently.
Once she calmed down, Jiang Zhi handed over the chickens that had been trampled to death to Xiaoman's grandmother, asking her to stew them all so everyone could have a good meal.
Eating a whole chicken in one meal was something unimaginable in the past. Ordinary families would usually salt and preserve it to last ten days or half a month.
But now, with one unexpected event after another, no one knew if there would be another meal after this one.
Xiaoman's grandmother no longer worried about saving food. One meal had been plain flour porridge, and the next was dried vegetables stewed with chicken.
Although they had agreed to avoid cooking and lighting fires during the day as much as possible, with smoke everywhere now, there was no fear of being discovered by those below the mountain.
Both families ate their fill, and even Xu Da Zhu drank a large bowl of oily chicken soup.
As she gnawed on a chicken bone, Jiang Zhi marveled at how delicious the chicken tasted—raised on mountain spring water and natural food, the meat was tender and flavorful. In the future, she planned to raise chickens all over the mountain and eat chicken every day.
After the meal, she took her son and daughter-in-law back to their home. They had eaten and drunk their fill, but life had to go on.
Meanwhile, in the stone pen, the mother hens that had survived the ordeal were flapping vigorously, reminding their owners of their presence.
Ah! They had been hungry for almost a whole day. They hadn’t been burned to death or trampled, but now they were nearly starving.
Qiaoyun, who usually took care of the chickens, felt heartbroken. She hurriedly opened the gate of their stone pen.
Just one day after their panic, the chickens had already forgotten their fear. They fluttered into the nearby forest, drank a few mouthfuls of mountain spring water, and then eagerly began foraging for food in the scorched earth.
The burnt Cyclobalanopsis acorns were their favorite. With their sharp beaks, they pecked through the hard shells to pick out the flesh inside, happily clucking as they ate.
Watching these carefree chickens, Jiang Zhi suddenly laughed.
She had appeared calm in front of Xiaoman's grandfather, but deep down, she knew how difficult it would be to lead such a group to survival. It felt like starting in hell.
Well!
If even chickens knew how to find food in the mountains and forests, how could humans fail to survive?
Jiang Zhi never imagined that her confidence would be built upon a flock of chickens.
Now, the grain sacks at home could no longer be touched—they had to be saved for seeds.
If Cyclobalanopsis acorns were to serve as the staple food, poultry, eggs, and meat had to keep up; otherwise, their stomachs would suffer.
Could such things be found on the fire-scorched mountain?
Suddenly, a chicken frantically scratched with its claws and managed to peck out a burned mountain rat hiding in a crevice.
The rat tried to turn and flee, but several chickens clucked excitedly, surrounding it from all sides. In the end, the rat was pecked to death and devoured piece by piece.
Watching with great interest, Jiang Zhi raised her voice and called out, "Er Rui, let's go gather meat!"
"What?"
Xu Errui was busy trying to repair the house when he heard his mother call him. He ran over, his face covered in soot.
Beside him, Qiaoyun, who was once again shelling Cyclobalanopsis acorns, also looked puzzled: What was Mother talking about?