The first night of the refugee journey—long, exhausting, and full of hardship—finally came to an end as dawn gradually brightened the sky.
A layer of fresh snow covered the ground.
Since the snowfall had buried most of the dry firewood, many people couldn’t even start a fire to cook breakfast.
Some simply scooped up handfuls of snow and ate that instead.
Lu Yao packed away the tarp and returned it to her space.
Then she took out the wolf meat she had processed the previous night and tossed it onto the snow before waking the children.
Song Zixuan woke first.
The moment he saw the world outside covered in white, surprise flashed across his face.
Then he quickly woke his younger brother and sister.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Lu Yao quietly put the top quilt back into her space.
One by one, the children woke up.
After being knocked unconscious the previous night, Song Ziyang had slept all the way until morning.
The first thing he shouted upon waking was:
“Help!”
Lu Yao immediately wrapped her arms around him from behind and spoke gently.
“It’s okay, Ziyang.
“You’re safe now.
“The bad people have already become food for the wolves.
“No one will ever bully you again.”
Turning his head and seeing that it was Lu Yao, Song Ziyang threw himself into her arms.
His voice was filled with grievance.
“Mother, I wasn’t afraid.
“I was just scared I’d never see you again.”
Gently patting his back, Lu Yao comforted him until he finally calmed down.
At that moment, Song Ziyu crawled over and wrapped her arms around Lu Yao’s neck.
The little girl rubbed her soft, chubby face against Lu Yao’s cheek again and again.
Lu Yao kissed her smooth little face and smiled.
“All right, get up.
“Mother made something special for you.
“I built a little cart.
“Today, the three of you can ride in it instead of walking.”
The way Lu Yao described it made it sound incredibly exciting.
Song Ziyang sprang up like a coiled spring.
Unfortunately, the hammock wasn’t solid ground.
It swayed violently beneath him, and he immediately flopped back into the soft blankets.
Seeing this, Song Ziyu thought it was hilarious.
She tried copying her brother and bouncing too.
Being so little, she couldn’t actually jump, but she giggled happily while playing with him.
Meanwhile, Song Zixuan carefully climbed down from the hammock by himself.
He walked over to the little cart Lu Yao had mentioned and examined it curiously.
After playing for a while, Song Ziyang wanted to get down too.
Unfortunately, the snow on the ground was deep.
The moment he stepped off the hammock, half his body sank into the snow.
Startled, he immediately began screaming.
With one hand, Lu Yao lifted him out as easily as pulling a radish from the ground and set him back on the hammock.
Next, she spread the cotton quilt she had traded from Song Hongli inside the cart.
Then she placed Song Ziyang and Song Ziyu inside.
Even Song Zixuan was picked up and tucked into the cart.
Finally, she draped the down comforter over them.
Only three little heads remained visible above the blankets.
The children, who had been shivering from the cold due to their thin clothing, finally regained some color in their cheeks.
Lu Yao glanced toward the main camp.
Everyone was busy packing their belongings.
No one was paying attention to her.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, she quickly pulled several white-flour steamed buns from her space and stuffed them into Song Zixuan’s and Song Ziyang’s hands.
Then she produced a bag of dried fish and secretly tucked pieces into the buns.
“Eat under the blanket,” she instructed.
“Don’t let anyone see.”
The boys nodded excitedly.
The aroma of the dried fish alone was enough to make Song Ziyang drool.
He could hardly wait to take a bite.
Song Zixuan was hungry as well, but he maintained his usual calm and restrained demeanor.
Hidden beneath the blankets inside the cart, nobody would notice them eating.
For Song Ziyu, Lu Yao took out a box of milk.
The little girl was still too young.
Although she could eat soft foods, there was no convenient way to prepare them right now.
Lu Yao decided she would have to find opportunities later to sneak into her space and make supplemental food for her.
For now, milk would have to provide her nutrition.
The children ate quickly.
Once they finished, Lu Yao took out a large apple.
She divided it into three portions and handed a piece to each child.
It was the first time Song Zixuan had ever seen such a fruit.
Even when his family had been well-off in the past, he’d never eaten anything like it.
Song Ziyang, meanwhile, took a huge bite without hesitation.
The crisp texture and sweet flavor instantly won him over.
Just then, Lu Yao noticed Song Hongsheng heading toward them.
Quickly, she told the children,
“Stay hidden inside.
“Finish your apples.
“I’m going to see what’s happening.”
The children obediently nodded.
Before Song Hongsheng could reach them, Lu Yao walked forward a few steps and intercepted him.
“Brother Hongsheng, is something wrong?”
The man sighed heavily.
“Sister-in-law…”
Another long sigh followed.
“Brother Hongsheng, what happened?”
His expression was grim.
“This morning, we counted the casualties.
“Sixteen people froze to death during the night.
“Most of them were elderly people, children, and weak women.
“Families are burying the bodies right now.
“I came to make sure you and the children are safe.”
Since he’d patrolled until midnight and then been awakened again later, dark circles ringed his eyes.
It was obvious he hadn’t rested properly.
“We’re fine,” Lu Yao replied.
“We built a temporary shelter last night, so the children weren’t affected.”
“That’s good.”
He nodded.
“You really had foresight.
“My father and I discussed it.
“We’d like you to join the village leadership group.
“I came to ask what you think.”
His tone was sincere.
Without even needing to think about it, Lu Yao refused.
“Brother Hongsheng, I’m afraid I can’t.
“I still have three children to care for.
“I don’t have the extra energy to manage other responsibilities.
“But thank you for thinking of me.”
Song Hongsheng had expected her answer.
He knew convincing her wouldn’t be easy.
Since she clearly wasn’t interested, he had no intention of forcing her.
“All right.
“But if you encounter any difficulties, make sure you tell me.”
“There’s nothing urgent right now,” Lu Yao replied.
“However, I’ve already processed the wolf meat.
“Could you ask around and see if anyone wants to trade household supplies for it?
“If not, I’ll simply turn all the meat into jerky.”
“Of course. I’ll spread the word.”
The previous night, everyone had been too exhausted to care much about Lu Yao’s offer.
Now that heavy snow had begun falling, however, food had become even scarcer.
Families with dwindling supplies desperately needed additional provisions.
And this was only the second day of the refugee journey.
With snow already blocking the mountains, everyone knew the hardest days still lay ahead.
Not long after Song Hongsheng spread the news, villagers began arriving one after another to trade with Lu Yao.
She didn’t raise prices simply because of the snowstorm.
Everything was exchanged according to the rates she had announced the previous night.
By the time she finished trading the meat from one wolf, she had acquired:
For Lu Yao, that was enough.
At least now she could boil water and cook basic meals.
While she was organizing her newly acquired supplies, a familiar figure approached through the snow.
Madam Song.
The old woman trudged over arrogantly, acting as if she were owed something.
The moment she arrived, she spoke in a commanding tone.
“Lu!
“You didn’t even bring yesterday’s promised wolf meat to me.
“You actually made an old woman like me come and collect it myself.
“How unfilial!
“Still, since you’re offering me wolf meat as tribute, I’ll forgive your disrespect.
“Now hurry up and hand it over.”
Lu Yao sneered inwardly.
Let’s just hope you survive long enough to enjoy it.
Not wanting to waste words arguing, she simply selected the largest prepared chunk of meat and handed it over.
Seeing Lu Yao comply so readily, Madam Song became even more convinced that her eldest son had been right.
In her mind, Lu Yao was terrified that she might one day accuse her stepsons and prevent them from taking the imperial examinations.
Even if they had officially severed ties, Song Hongyi had still been her son.
Lu Yao was still technically her daughter-in-law.
If the old woman simply refused to acknowledge the separation agreement, what could Lu Yao do?
After all, she couldn’t read.
She could always claim she had been tricked into signing it.
Madam Song’s entire strategy revolved around shamelessness.
She had already decided that from now on she would keep using this excuse to demand food from Lu Yao.
After all, Lu Yao still had plenty of wolf meat.
There was no way her small family could finish it all.
Why not let the Song family help consume it?
Carrying the large piece of meat, Madam Song strutted back toward camp.
Her smug appearance practically screamed:
“Look how much I’ve gotten for free!”
After a hurried breakfast, everyone began preparing to continue their journey.
At that moment, Madam Li once again cornered Song Hongsheng.
This time she wasn’t nearly as polite as she had been the night before.
Pointing at him, she shouted:
“Song Hongsheng!
“Where exactly did you people hide my sons?
“You’re the patrol captain!
“You’re responsible for protecting the villagers!
“My four sons disappeared overnight!
“When I asked you to find them, where did you look?”
Out of respect for her age and the fact that she had lost all four sons, Song Hongsheng remained patient.
“Auntie, Qingsong and I searched for half the night.
“We looked everywhere nearby.
“We truly couldn’t find any trace of them.
“So we thought perhaps they turned back and returned the way we came.”
Madam Li immediately spat a mouthful of phlegm toward him.
“Bah!
“To hell with your nonsense!
“My sons are the most filial sons in the world!
“They’d never abandon their old mother and run away!
“If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’ll smash my head to death right in front of you!
“Then I’ll become a ghost and haunt your entire family forever!”
Song Hongsheng’s expression darkened.
He was a grown man.
There was simply no way he could out-argue an elderly woman determined to roll around on the ground and make a scene.
So he finally snapped.
“We’ve already done everything we could.
“Believe it or don’t.
“But if you really die, there won’t even be anyone left to bury you.”
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Madam Li nearly fainted from rage.
Standing there in the snow, she pointed after him and continued cursing endlessly.