At night, the Zhou family lay on two large, tattered straw mats, making do for their sleep.
By now, winter had passed and spring had arrived, so crowding together kept them reasonably warm.
Wrapped in a small, thin padded jacket, Zhou Mianmian lay nestled between Zhou the Third and Song Nianxi.
The couple doted on their daughter to an extreme; they wanted nothing more than to press Mianmian right into their skin, terrified that if they loosened their grip even slightly, she might vanish.
This left Mianmian feeling rather suffocated.
Consequently, the little creature wiped away her sweat, crawled up, and eagerly sought another spot to sleep.
On the other side, the moment Old Mrs. Zhou saw her sweet granddaughter move, she instantly spread her arms wide.
“My sweet Mianmian, come sleep with Grandma! You can pillow your head right on Grandma’s big belly!”
The Zhou family’s Sanlang and Silang hadn’t fallen asleep either; they were currently scrambling to gnaw on the meat their mother had given them.
Seeing their sister get up, the two of them watched with eager eyes.
“Mianmian, come to Third Brother’s side, there’s meat to eat.”
Even the second son’s wife, Sun Pinghua, couldn’t quite help herself, stealthily waving her hand at Zhou Mianmian.
She and Zhou the Second had no children, so the one she cherished most normally was this little girl of the household.
Every member of the Zhou family looked as though their eyes were about to drop onto Mianmian, all desperately wanting to coax the little creature to sleep.
Regrettably, Zhou Mianmian scanned the circle but ignored everyone.
In the end, her gaze landed precisely upon Zhou Erlang.
In the entire family, her second older brother, Zhou Erlang, was the only one who didn’t actively try to curry favor with her.
It wasn’t that Zhou Erlang didn’t care for his sister, but his affection simply wasn’t as utterly consuming as the others’.
Zhou Erlang was only seven years old this year, yet he possessed an exceptionally cold disposition.
He was aloof toward everyone, so naturally, he didn’t show much overt warmth toward this younger sister who usually did nothing but eat, sleep, and smile sillily.
Since she was originally vexed over finding a peaceful spot for a sound sleep, Zhou Mianmian beamed, exposing a row of tiny baby teeth. She quickly shifted her short legs and toddled right over to him.
Zhou Erlang was fair-skinned and handsome. As little Mianmian drew closer to look, she surprisingly discovered that this boy was actually a child of destiny!
It was just that his karmic merit from his past life was insufficient, causing his immense fortune to be sealed prior to the age of ten.
Zhou Mianmian excitedly bit her little hand. I must fatten him up and wait to ride his coattails in the future!
Finished with her delight, her small face plopped right against Zhou Erlang’s body, and she fell fast asleep.
Just as Zhou Erlang was hesitating whether to pull his arm back, Zhou Mianmian’s tiny snores instantly commenced.
His arm froze, and he mumbled in a soft voice, “Falling asleep so quickly.”
The bright moonlight cascaded onto Zhou Mianmian’s soft cheeks, making her look exceptionally innocent.
Zhou Erlang merely cast a casual glance, yet in his heart, he felt something was different.
Little Mianmian, who always used to look completely foolish on ordinary days, actually seemed normal today.
After wrestling with his thoughts for a moment, Zhou Erlang’s heart ultimately softened, and he let his arm serve as her pillow for the entire night.
The very moment the sky showed the faintest hint of dawn, the group of refugees heading east prepared to set out once again.
The village chief of their original village came over specifically to inform the Zhou family that after traveling for a few more days, they would reach the territory of Lingzhou City.
“Old Mrs. Zhou, and also Third Son, once we reach the next town, I’ll be heading off to seek out my relatives. I won’t be able to lead you all any further.”
The old village chief was so starved he was literally swaying, his complexion a waxen yellow. He truly could not walk any further.
It was likely he hadn’t had a single bite of dry food in his stomach for several days.
Originally, they had agreed to lead the villagers straight to the outskirts of the capital to settle down. But looking at it now, if they truly attempted to go that far, they would likely starve to death on the road.
Zhou the Third knew the old village chief had it hard, so he didn’t harbor the slightest resentment.
“It’s all thanks to your decisiveness that our entire village managed to escape instead of remaining behind to wait for death. You’ve done more than enough for us.”
Having said that, ensuring no one else was watching, Zhou the Third shoved several large peaches into the old village chief’s hands.
The old village chief was also entirely famished, so he accepted them with a sigh.
“Third Son, it’s only your Zhou family that remains honorable. The others are all… Ah, forget it.”
This hesitant speech left Zhou the Third somewhat dazed.
What was wrong with the other people in the village?
Once the old village chief departed, the Zhou family huddled together to deliberate on how they should proceed next, simultaneously eating some peaches to stave off their hunger.
“At worst, we’ll just walk to the outskirts of the capital ourselves. That area is wealthy; we’ll definitely be able to eat our fill!” Zhou the Fourth was brimming with drive, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Zhou the Second hung his head listlessly. “That wealth belongs to other people, what does it have to do with us? Fourth Son, you’re the only one dreaming big.”
Zhou the Fourth grew a bit displeased and was just about to snap back when Zhou the Third barked a reprimand at him.
“What are you arguing for? Save your strength for traveling. We’ll take things one step at a time!”
Zhou the Third was a man of action and had already silently formulated two plans in his mind.
They would press forward for now; if they could settle down quickly, that would naturally be best. Otherwise, they could boldly venture further out.
While the sons were murmuring over there, Old Mrs. Zhou was solely concerned with whether her granddaughter had eaten well, terrified Mianmian would starve on the road.
Thus, she went to boil another bowl of sugar water, adding a tiny bit of the few remaining crushed peanuts into it.
Old Mrs. Zhou caught hold of the little creature who was just about to dodge and coaxed her into swallowing down more than half the bowl.
“Be good, Mianmian. You must eat more to grow some meat.”
Zhou Mianmian despised drinking thin, watery things.
Firstly, it wasn’t effective at staving off hunger; secondly, it didn’t taste good; thirdly, drinking too much of it actually bloated her stomach uncomfortably.
Seeing that her grandmother wanted to feed her more, Mianmian bloatedly let out three water hiccups in a row.
Only then did Old Mrs. Zhou hurriedly stop. “Alright, alright, then your mother can drink it. Your mother didn’t really eat her fill last night.”
Before she could finish her sentence, Zhou the Second shuffled over with a dejected, shame-faced expression to beg for the remaining half-bowl of sugar water.
“Mother, since this girl isn’t drinking it, give it to me instead. I didn’t eat my fill either.”
Old Mrs. Zhou’s hand froze, and she shot a sideways glare at her lazy son.
“Out of everyone last night, you and the fourth daughter-in-law ate the most pork. The third daughter-in-law didn’t even get a bite, so why are you still hungry?”
“Didn’t she save it to feed her own kids?” Zhou the Second shrugged his shoulders, silently snatching the bowl of sugar water.
He then curled his lips in disdain. “Besides, she’s just a woman, what’s the point of her eating so much? It’s a waste of resources.”
The moment these words left his mouth, it wasn’t just Old Mrs. Zhou who hated hearing it.
Even Zhou Mianmian couldn’t help but grow thoroughly enraged.
Throughout this entire journey of escaping the famine, Zhou the Third and Song Nianxi were the ones who exerted the most effort—constantly managing the food, carrying the luggage, and hauling the pots, bowls, and ladles.
In contrast, Zhou the Second didn’t do a single thing. He was even lazier than Li Chunzhu, refusing to help even by gathering a single branch to burn for the fire.
Since her mother couldn’t drink it, then her second uncle shouldn’t think about drinking it either!
Zhou Mianmian executed a koi fish flip in Old Mrs. Zhou’s arms, her little feet kicking out wildly.
She happened to kick that half-bowl of sugar water flying.
The sugar water splattered all over the ground, and the wooden bowl flew directly toward Zhou the Second’s forehead without veering an inch.
With a sharp thud, Zhou the Second had no time to dodge, and a large patch of his forehead turned instantly red.
It hurt so much that he began crying out in pain.
“My sugar water! It’s completely spilled! Oh, Mother, see if my head is swollen!”
“Serves you right!” Old Mrs. Zhou stared with wide eyes as she rapped Zhou the Second. “This will cure your greedy sickness. Also, today it’s your turn to carry me on the road. Don’t always make the third and fourth sons carry me. You’re a grown man, yet all you know is how to act like a lazy beast.”
At this moment, Zhou Mianmian’s three older brothers happened to return from fetching water.
The moment they returned, they saw Mianmian unhappily puckering her lips and glaring at someone.
Thinking that their second uncle had bullied their sister, Zhou Sanlang frantically threw down his water pouch and ran over to shield Zhou Mianmian.
It was only when he saw Zhou Mianmian gleefully waving her little hands in triumph that Zhou Sanlang finally set his mind at ease. It was fine as long as Mianmian hadn’t been bullied!
“Mianmian, you can speak now. Can you call me Third Brother for me to hear?” Zhou Sanlang wiped away his sweat, leaning in to tease his sister.
Zhou Mianmian tilted her small head, peering at the dirty, dark-skinned boy before her who looked like a mud monkey.
No matter how long he begged, she simply refused to open her mouth.
Right at this moment, Zhou Erlang happened to turn and walk past.
A faint aroma of green grass drifted along with him.
Zhou Mianmian loved cleanliness, and smelling this brought a surge of delight to her heart.
“Second Brudder!” She turned around, shifting her pair of short legs, and ran right over to Zhou Erlang’s side.
Zhou Sanlang split his mouth into a grin, though it was hard to tell whether he was laughing or crying.
Zhou Erlang was also rooted to the spot, a look of surprise flashing across his face which had not yet lost its childish innocence.
He hadn’t misheard; the one Mianmian opened her mouth to call was actually him.
Feeling Mianmian’s favoritism, even the usually aloof Zhou Erlang couldn’t help but feel a bit proud at this moment.
“Second Brudder, fetch water,” Zhou Mianmian observed the water pouch in Zhou Erlang’s hand and, like a little adult, milkily spat out these few words.
Zhou Erlang nodded. “Fetch water? Sanlang and I just fetched some; we filled two water pouches completely.”
“Go again!” Zhou Mianmian reminded him with slurred speech. “Fetch more!”
“Go again?” Zhou Erlang hesitated slightly.
It wasn’t that he was being lazy and disliked going, but on the escape route, luggage shouldn’t be too heavy.
Traveling was already grueling, and they had suffered from starvation for many days; the villagers were all trying their best to lighten their loads.
Yet Zhou Mianmian merely blinked her watery eyes, continuously gazing at Zhou Erlang.
Her saying this naturally had a profound reason!
“Second Brudder, hurry go! Mianmian wants water-water!”
Zhou Erlang’s heart was nearly melted by her calls. How could he possibly bear to refuse her?