Not only that, the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled were all trembling in fear. The village chief and Third Uncle’s faces turned deathly pale, and even Xiao Yanzhi felt his stomach churn.
Only Jin, Mu, Shui, and Huo—who had luckily not witnessed the rat swarm passing—were still looking at Song Jin with curiosity, waiting for her to continue speaking, completely unaffected.
Seeing how terrified everyone was, Song Jin’s mouth twitched. She quickly tried to reassure them again:
“Don’t be afraid, everyone! We just need to head south. According to storytellers, the south has a warm climate, green all year round, abundant rainfall, and people eat white rice with fresh vegetables of many kinds. The main reason I suggest going south is that the farther south we go, the greater our chances of finding drinkable water.”
Song Jin wasn’t sure about the exact geography of the Great Hao Kingdom. She had simply been born in the south in her previous life and had a deep emotional attachment to it, so her first instinct was to persuade everyone to head south.
“Why not go north? It’s closer. We’d arrive in four or five months, and the capital is also in the north. Under the emperor’s feet, there would be more chances for resettlement.” Xiao Yanzhi suppressed his nausea and asked in confusion, voicing what everyone else was thinking.
Song Jin was surprised that Xiao Yanzhi would actively question her—this was the first time since she had come into this world that he had spoken so much to her.
After a moment of surprise, she explained:
“It’s July now. Even if we travel fast, by the time we reach the capital it will already be winter. We don’t have cotton clothes or blankets, we lack water, and the climate is unpredictable. If we’re unlucky enough to encounter extreme cold, we might not even make it to the capital before dying on the road. That’s why I don’t recommend heading north.”
“I see.” Xiao Yanzhi nodded, his dark eyes fixed on her, his heart unable to calm for a long time.
After hearing Song Jin mention that the rat swarm might cause an epidemic, he had already been the first to support heading south. He had asked about going north only as a test—but he soon realized that Song Jin had truly changed. Not only had she become more rational, but her words were also clear and well-reasoned. Although she was still as sharp-tongued as before, her intelligence was no less than that of any man.
That was a frightening realization. After living under the same roof for two years, he suddenly found that he didn’t understand this woman at all.
Song Jin, however, did not notice his thoughts. Instead, she suddenly remembered something and said seriously:
“There is one more very important thing we need to be careful about if we go south.”
“When the rat swarm passed, apart from our few hundred people, other refugees may have survived by luck. But they might have been bitten by rats. If they also head south, we could encounter them.”
“If they are infected with an epidemic, our risk will increase as well. So I suggest five precautions:
First, keep a certain distance from them.Second, cover your mouth and nose with cloth while traveling.Third, even if you are thirsty, only drink water after boiling it.Fourth, if you see dead rats while searching for food, do not approach—leave immediately.Fifth, always warn your children: if they see birds falling from the sky, they must never go near them out of curiosity.”
The women of the Xiao village, already terrified by the dangers of traveling east and now even more frightened by the precautions for going south, all began crying in fear. Even the usually fierce Fan Shi and Lin Shi couldn’t hold back their tears, cursing the heavens while sobbing.
“Oh heavens! If going south is also so dangerous, do we even have a way to survive?”
“Damn the heavens! We survived the earthquake, escaped the rat swarm—now we’ll probably die from an epidemic!”
The village chief saw the women becoming distraught and wanted to scold them, but when he noticed his own wife among them, he could only sigh and comfort everyone instead:
“Let’s not even talk about whether an epidemic will happen. Even if it does, as long as we follow Madam Song’s instructions and stay united, we will definitely survive it together!”
The Third Elder also encouraged everyone:
“Fourth is right! As long as we are united, we can endure anything. Right now, the priority is to distribute the food and get through tonight!”
“Changchun, Hengchun, distribute the food!”
The two brothers obeyed and opened the sack containing the village’s last remaining supplies.
Inside was not grain or beans, but tree leaves, bark, and roots.
The best among them was the bundle of wild purslane that Song Jin had contributed.
As for the half pouch of spiritual spring water she had turned in, the Third Elder did not allow it to be distributed.
For more than two hundred people, even a single sip each would not be enough. It was better to save it for a true emergency.
Divided among 223 people, the sack of leaves, bark, roots, and wild greens amounted to only half a purslane plant, eleven leaves, two pieces of bark, and two small root sections per person.
When Song Jin received this so-called “life-saving ration” from Xiao Changchun, she almost lost control and wanted to immediately enter her space, dig out all her giant sweet potatoes, and release the spiritual spring water.
But in the end, under Xiao Yanzhi’s probing gaze, she felt a chill down her neck and snapped back to her senses.
Damn it—impulse is the devil!
She’d wait until tomorrow. Once she had a chance to enter her space, she would definitely bring out something big so everyone could truly eat their fill.
She thought one night would pass easily, but once she had something weighing on her mind, the night became unbearably long.
Finally, when she barely made it to Mao hour, the village chief’s son found a wooden clapper and began banging it loudly to wake the strong men for food gathering. Song Jin immediately got up from the straw mat.
She grabbed her axe and bag and told Xiao Yanzhi and Jin Mu Shui Huo:
“I’m going to find food. This time I might go far. Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you and run off alone.”
Without waiting for their response, she turned and followed the village men.
Shui Shui looked at her departing figure anxiously, lips trembling as if about to cry:
“Father, will Mother be in danger while finding food?”
Mu Mu also felt a tightness in her chest and turned to Xiao Yanzhi:
“Father, I didn’t thank her last time. Will she be angry with me?”
Xiao Yanzhi fell silent for the first time, realizing he had no answer.
He didn’t know if she would be in danger, or if she would think Mu Mu was ungrateful, or if she would see him as a burden.
Yet he did not realize that somewhere along the way, he had not only accepted her presence—but had also begun quietly paying attention to her.
……
Song Jin left the resting site with the strong men led by Xiao Changchun. After crossing hills and walking nearly ten miles of barren land, they agreed on a meeting time and location, and she headed with Xiao Dali toward a barren mountain on the right.
In ancient times, it was improper for a woman to be alone with a man, as it could lead to gossip.
But Xiao Dali also didn’t trust Song Jin to go with other men, so he chose to follow her.
Because of his constant presence, Song Jin couldn’t find a chance to enter her space, which left her extremely frustrated.