The main group proceeded along the winding mountain path, large and slow-moving with young and old, covering only thirty or forty li a day.
Li Wanting, wearing a straw hat, drove the ox-cart leisurely behind the village chief’s house. Her little lazy cat, Zhou Zimeng, was always the last to get up, sneaking breakfast in secret.
The weather grew hotter, and the three of them constantly drank water to stay hydrated, supplementing with ice and fruit from their space.
The morning passed uneventfully. By noon, Zhou Yunda found a shady spot under some trees for a rest.
Everyone rested briefly before cleaning the area and setting up stoves for lunch. The occasional scent of cooking meat drifted through the air—today everyone seemed to be stewing meat. Makes sense; in this heat, uncooked meat would spoil fast.
Li Wanting prepared wild chicken stewed with mushrooms for her two children. The pound of mutton and the pound of roe deer meat were safely stored in her space. The mushrooms were dried ones given by Lin the hunter the day before; she rehydrated them and cooked them with the chicken.
She heated a few dark wheat buns. Why was it always dark wheat buns? Well, white buns didn’t taste as good, and though the dark buns looked black and rough, they were just as delicious as white buns, full of wheat fragrance.
After lunch, she asked Wangshi to watch the ox-cart while she took the children up the mountain. Once in a secluded spot, the three of them entered the space.
As always, the temperature inside was constant and cool. After resting briefly, they began gathering fruits and vegetables, snacking as they worked, feeding the poultry, collecting eggs, and packing a few duck eggs from the space before returning to their resting place.
Soon after securing the ox to the cart, Zhou Yunda sounded the gong, and the group set off.
The afternoon passed smoothly. As the sun began to set, the main group passed a village. At the entrance, Zhou Yunda noticed an elderly man shuffling along, carrying firewood. He approached and asked, “Sir, I wonder if there’s a water source nearby?”
The old man looked at the long line of people behind Zhou Yunda and said, “You’re also refugees, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir,” Zhou Yunda replied honestly.
“Ah… times are hard. Let me tell you, our village’s people have all fled; only a few elderly remain who can’t walk. You can stay in our village for a night. The village well can still provide some water—it’s not perfect, but drinkable… just that…” the old man hesitated.
“What is it, sir?” Zhou Yunda asked carefully.
“Ten or so other refugees already stayed in the houses by the well today. You have so many people—why not talk to them and see if you can share the water?” the old man suggested.
“Got it, I’ll go discuss it with the group,” Zhou Yunda said, bowing in thanks, then returned.
He relayed the old man’s words to the group. Everyone agreed—they hadn’t found water yesterday, and now that there was some, they couldn’t miss it. Besides, even with ten or so refugees, they weren’t afraid.
So, Zhou Yunda gathered about fifty men, took their tools, and followed the old man toward the village, with the main group behind.
The old man led them to the well. From a distance, a few refugees were fetching water.
Seeing the large, dense group approaching, the refugees hurried into their houses. Soon, about ten raggedly dressed refugees emerged, led by a scruffy middle-aged man.
Zhou Yunda stepped forward and clasped his fists in respect. “Brother, we mean no harm. I am the village chief of this group. We’re passing through and would like to stay the night. You stay in your homes, we stay in ours. Let’s share the well peacefully, alright?”
The middle-aged man saw that the village had three to four hundred people, many strong men. His group of twelve had no reason to confront them, and the village chief seemed polite. He nodded and returned the gesture. “Please, feel free.”
He then led his group back inside.
Zhou Yunda arranged rooms for the refugees and assigned patrolling men.
Li Wanting drove her ox-cart into a small yard, tied the ox to a tree. The yard had an earthen house, a small kitchen, and was enclosed with a fence.
The three of them unloaded the cart, brought the supplies inside, placed the pot on the stove, and, just in time, fetched water and closed the fence. Though they had space, some appearances still had to be kept up.
As soon as they stepped outside, Zhou Yunda emerged from a neighboring larger house, carrying a bucket.
“Uncle, you’re fetching water too?” Li Wanting greeted him.
“Yes, Dashan’s wife. You’re next door—call if you need anything,” Zhou Yunda said.
“Understood, Uncle,” Li Wanting replied with a smile.
Soon others from nearby homes also came out to fetch water. After three consecutive days on the road, having real water was a chance to wash properly.
At the well, Li Wanting and her children queued and watched carefully, noticing people in the refugees’ houses peeking out.
Heh, looks like there will be some entertainment tonight.
After fetching water, Li Wanting returned with the children. With private space finally available, she indulged herself—pulling fried chicken, cola, and hamburgers from the space and enjoying a feast.
After feeding the ox, sheep, and Hubao and Huniu, and laying blankets on the kang bed, the three entered the space to wash and sleep. Li Wanting knew she would have to stay alert during the night.
At midnight, she woke on schedule, seeing her children asleep soundly. Dressed in black with a hat and mask, she slipped out of the space.
Tonight was moonless, and the darkness outside was absolute. She pulled out night-vision goggles from the space; instantly, everything was clear.
She blinked out of the small yard and saw patrolling villagers walking in groups of five with torches. Li Wanting avoided them and blinked directly to the refugees’ house.
Hearing no sound, she blinked into the courtyard.
Inside the main room, lights were on and soft voices could be heard. Li Wanting carefully approached the windowsill to listen.
“The young woman over there has two kids and a cart, with a milking goat tied to it. She’s staying in that small yard,” one man said.
“Hm, our food’s running low; perfect chance. There’s a goat and a cow—just the meat we need,” another said.
“Hehe, that girl’s quite… tempting too.”
“Damn, control yourself, don’t mess up the plan or I won’t forgive you,” the first man warned.
“Hehe, boss, I’m just talking, just talking,” the other replied.
“It’s about time, grab your weapons and move.”
Li Wanting listened carefully. Good heavens—they were planning to rob her just because she was a small, isolated mother with two children. Just wait—she would make them regret ever thinking of it.