Zhou Mianmian once again extended her small, fair arms—which looked just like a pair of tender white lotus roots—and waved them vigorously in front of him.
Her soft, chubby little display was utterly endearing.
Consequently, Zhou Erlang no longer hesitated; nodding his head, he prepared to run toward the water well.
Before leaving, he actually did something unprecedented—he took the initiative to lift Zhou Mianmian up.
Cradling this soft little meatball in his arms, he carried her over to Song Nianxi’s side.
“Sit here with Mother. It’s chaotic here, don’t wander off and get lost.”
Zhou Erlang was worried that because Mianmian was far too lovable, she might be abducted by outsiders.
For some inexplicable reason, a massive surge of protective care for Mianmian suddenly welled up within his usually cold and detached heart.
Song Nianxi was slightly startled, but she couldn’t help but smile with profound comfort and tenderness.
Beside them, Old Mrs. Zhou also widened her eyes in pleasant surprise. “Oh my, Erlang has truly changed. He finally knows how to care for Mianmian.”
Zhou Erlang’s face flushed a faint red. Clutching the several empty water pouches, he turned and ran out.
Watching him go to fetch water, Zhou Mianmian gleefully waved her little hands.
Even as a mere baby, she understood the principle that while hunger could be endured for a time, thirst was truly unbearable.
The primary reason these villagers were fleeing their homes was the severe three-year drought; the soil back in their village had cracked wide open, and absolutely nothing could grow.
Naturally, they used to care deeply about water.
However, after traveling for over a month, the area where they were currently resting wasn’t nearly as arid, making it quite easy to find a mouthful of water to drink.
As a result, everyone had grown lazy, disliking the extra weight and choosing not to carry too much water on the road.
What the refugees didn’t know, however, was that if they continued onward, they would face at least three full days of mountain paths.
Zhou Mianmian had already seen through her spiritual pool that the mountains ahead were severely affected by the drought—not a single blade of grass grew, and any water sources had long since dried up.
If they didn’t hoard a substantial amount of water right now, they would likely suffer terribly from thirst later on.
The place where Zhou Erlang went to fetch water was a well located a short distance away.
There were no villages nearby, and this single well had been dug many years ago; it was already on the verge of drying up completely.
Erlang had to draw from it several times before he finally managed to fill two water pouches.
Just as Zhou Erlang was about to draw water one more time, a sudden thud echoed from inside the well.
If it had been any other seven or eight-year-old child, they would have turned and fled in terror. Zhou Erlang, however, remained exceptionally calm, continuing his task unperturbed.
Yet this time, when the wooden bucket rose from the well, it didn’t contain water.
Instead, it held a large basket.
Piled inside the basket were several ears of corn and a small sack of taro roots.
These were all excellent provisions produced from Zhou Mianmian’s spiritual pool.
Zhou Erlang’s eyes instantly lit up with joy. Corn! They had dry rations to eat now!
With these highly filling taro roots added to their stash, they wouldn’t have to worry about food for the next few days of travel.
By the time Zhou Erlang returned with the food, Old Mrs. Zhou was sitting on the ground excitedly pounding the dirt, while Zhou the Third was looking up at the sky letting out a carefree, sweeping sigh.
Both of them were on the verge of being completely dazed by this sudden onslaught of good fortune!
“What on earth is going on? If the pig’s legs and the fruits mean we just struck it lucky, these things can’t possibly be attributed to mere luck as well, right?” Once Zhou the Third finished his celebration, he hurriedly sat down to murmur stealthily.
Old Mrs. Zhou pulled Zhou Erlang over, asking with immense excitement, “My sweet grandson, how did you happen to pick up these treasures?”
Zhou Erlang then explained how Mianmian had insisted he go fetch more water. Hearing this, Old Mrs. Zhou instantly understood the situation clearly in her heart.
It was Mianmian again!
It appeared that the old Daoist’s prophecy from years ago was entirely accurate; Mianmian truly was the lucky star of the Zhou family!
Although Old Mrs. Zhou kept this realization to herself, she didn’t make a scene, not wanting to place any burden on Mianmian.
She was also deeply afraid that if those two lazy creatures—Zhou the Second and Zhou the Fourth’s wife—caught wind of this, they would harbor wicked designs against her precious granddaughter.
Right at this moment, the refugee crowd was preparing to set out together.
Old Mrs. Zhou hurriedly urged her family members to start traveling.
Catching sight of Zhou the Second trying to skulk far away to avoid work, Old Mrs. Zhou felt a sudden surge of anger.
She kicked out forcefully!
Her tattered straw sandal with its worn-out sole nearly flew straight into Zhou the Second’s face.
“Second Son, get over here and carry me on your back! What do you think you’re doing, slacking off?!”
Zhou the Third also smoothly lifted Zhou Mianmian up, cradling her safely and tenderly within his arms.
After gently pinching Mianmian’s chubby cheek, he turned back to instruct his three sons, “All of you grip tightly onto my clothes and your mother’s. There are too many people, don’t get separated.”
Noticing that the bundle on Song Nianxi’s shoulders looked far too heavy, Zhou the Third reached out and snatched it away, slinging it onto his own back.
“Third Son, let me do it. You still have to look after Mianmian.”
Though Song Nianxi was gentle and compliant by nature, she was the one most capable of enduring hardship.
Looking at the red indentations chafed onto her wrists and shoulders, Zhou the Third turned his face away with heartache.
Assuming a forcefully commanding tone, he stated, “In the future, you don’t need to carry these heavy things. Listen to me!”
Song Nianxi’s heart softened significantly. She didn’t argue further, merely lowering her head silently, her lips curving into a faint smile.
The villagers from several villages traveled together, and the group marched for most of the day.
Sure enough, an endless stretch of mountain paths quickly loomed before them.
However, these mountain paths were rugged and exceedingly difficult to traverse. What was originally expected to be a single day’s journey was forcefully stretched into three days by the slow-moving crowd.
By the evening of the second day, the villagers were truly too exhausted to walk further. Cursing and grumbling, they halted to rest on the spot.
The moment they stopped, quite a few villagers began running around everywhere in a desperate search for water to drink.
Regrettably, not a single person could find any. In the end, they could only return empty-handed, having wasted their physical energy for nothing.
Watching one another suffer with parched mouths and cracked lips, everyone’s tempers flared violently.
An atmosphere of anxiety and even despair permeated the crowd of refugees, resembling a powder keg on the verge of exploding.
Zhou the Third had recognized the danger early on, so he hurriedly led his entire family to find a secluded corner, staying far away from the throngs of people.
Meanwhile, Old Mrs. Zhou rifled through their bundle. Clutching the single water pouch that was still half-full, she exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
“Mother, do we still have water to drink?” Zhou the Third inquired in a low voice.
Old Mrs. Zhou leaned back comfortably. “Rest assured, my son. We still have enough to last us for over a day.”
Another day—at most one more day—and they would be able to emerge from these wretched mountains and enter the territory of Lingzhou City.
Having said that, Old Mrs. Zhou turned her head to look at Zhou Mianmian, who was sound asleep, and couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her sweet granddaughter’s little hand.
“It’s all thanks to Mianmian. If she hadn’t insisted Erlang go fetch more water, we would likely be driven mad with thirst just like them.”
This was equivalent to little Mianmian rescuing the entire family!
Zhou Erlang also shifted his body, gazing at Zhou Mianmian. Suddenly, it felt as though he could never look at this younger sister enough.
When Zhou Mianmian was fast asleep, her chubby face puckered up, making her look like a little doll carved from pink jade.
Her tiny mouth would pout from time to time, occasionally trailing a silver thread of drool, making her look exceptionally adorable.
Noticing that a small portion of Mianmian’s fair, lotus-root-like leg was exposed, Zhou Erlang hurriedly shifted closer to cover her leg up, deeply afraid she might be spotted by any passing outsiders.
Once night fell, terrified that the aroma of cooking food would be detected by others, the Zhou family didn’t light a fire. Instead, they ate the raw corn to serve as their meal.
The only two remaining peaches were both given to Zhou Mianmian.
The family ate until they were full enough to burp constantly. Finally, crowding tightly together, they lay down to sleep.
Because Zhou Mianmian had slept excessively during the day, she was entirely awake at night. Pillowed against her second brother’s shoulder, she could only look up to count the stars.
Right at this moment, a barrage of shouting erupted a short distance away.
Both Song Nianxi and Zhou Erlang frowned slightly from the disturbance.
Zhou Mianmian looked unhappily toward the commotion, her soft, round little face wrinkling into a tight bun.
Yet at that exact instant, a flash of cold light suddenly gleamed before her eyes. It was a knife!
Astonishingly, several villagers clad in tattered rags were wielding large pig-slaughtering cleavers, rushing toward the earthen slope where the old village chief’s family was resting.
“On what grounds does he refuse to lead us to the outskirts of the capital?!”
“My entire family is both parched and starving. On what grounds does he get to seek out his relatives immediately, while we can only continue to suffer? We might as well rob him tonight!”
Zhou Mianmian’s heart jolted with shock. Her little feet kicked out wildly, happening to strike Zhou the Third right in the face.
“What is it, Mianmian?” Zhou the Third woke up groggily.
“Got bad guys!” Zhou Mianmian was so startled she used her small hands to cover her eyes.
She merely peeked through the fleshy gaps of her white fingers, exposing a pair of grape-like eyes that were blinking rapidly.
“Don’t be afraid, Mianmian. Father will go check it out.” Seeing that the old village chief was actually in danger, Zhou the Third couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
With that, he grabbed the shit-stirring stick they had brought from home, preparing to rush over.