The rice was soft, fragrant, and slightly sweet. The cured pork was rich and oily without being greasy, while the dried vegetables were savory and full of flavor. One bite filled her entire body with satisfaction.
This was her first meal after settling into her little cave home. She no longer had to sleep in the open or live in constant fear. The sense of security made this meal taste sweeter than any she had ever eaten before.
After wolfing down the first bowl, she served herself another and ate it slowly. Looking at the steaming food and the tidy cave, she couldn’t help but entertain the idea of living here for a long time.
But Ye Qing knew that wasn’t realistic. The water in the cave was visibly decreasing every day, and the meaning was obvious—sooner or later, all the water in these mountains would dry up.
After eating, she washed the dishes and put them away, extinguished the remaining embers in the stove, and heated a large pot of water. By the pond, she dug out a small basin to use for bathing and washing clothes.
After taking a comfortable hot bath and changing out of her filthy clothes, Ye Qing felt as though she had shed two pounds of weight.
She washed her dirty clothes and hung them up to dry, then lay down peacefully on her bedding.
Her body was exhausted, yet she didn’t feel sleepy at all. Her thoughts wandered.
This cave was fairly safe. She needed to prepare more food that was easy to carry and store in her space. That way, when she resumed her journey or encountered an emergency, she wouldn’t have to worry about finding water or making a fire.
The mountains looked peaceful, but no one could guarantee what might happen the next moment.
Not far from Ye Qing’s hiding place, a group of refugees was stumbling aimlessly along a mountain path.
They had no sense of direction and were exhausted from the heat. The person leading the group said something, and the people behind him immediately collapsed to the ground in all directions.
“Are we even going the right way? This damned mountain path doesn’t even have any markers!” someone complained in a hoarse voice.
Another voice, carrying a teasing tone, chimed in.
“Ye Lao Er, weren’t you close to Ye Dashan? He’s good at hunting and can even read. Didn’t he teach you how to navigate through the mountains?”
Ye Lao Er’s face immediately turned red, and even the tips of his ears burned.
He had indeed admired Ye Dashan since childhood. He envied his hunting skills and his ability to read. Even though he was two years older than Ye Dashan, he had willingly followed him around like a shadow and listened to him in everything.
No matter how much Old Madam Ye scolded him for being useless, he had still chosen to follow Ye Dashan.
At that moment, Wang Guihua had taken Jin Dou behind some bushes to relieve himself and wasn’t nearby.
When Jin Zhu heard people making fun of Ye Lao Er and others laughing maliciously, she pulled Jin Bao farther behind a rock, feeling embarrassed.
Rolling her eyes, she snorted.
“Why show off? We’re barely surviving ourselves, yet he still insists on speaking up for others. He’s missing a screw somewhere, making a fool of himself for nothing.”
Recently, after fleeing the famine, Jin Bao had never had enough to eat or wear and had to travel every day. He had become even more skinny and monkey-like.
Ever since Ye Qing had struck him in the crotch with a wooden stick, he had felt a faint pain there. Afraid of being laughed at, he hadn’t dared tell anyone. There was no reaction every morning when he woke up, and he was convinced that Ye Qing had left him crippled. His hatred for her had only grown.
His entire demeanor had become gloomy and sinister.
“If he hadn’t meddled in other people’s business, they wouldn’t have taken their anger out on us. Because of him, we’ve been looked down on too. What an idiot.”
Their voices weren’t loud, but they carried just enough for Ye Lao Er to hear.
It felt as though countless needles had pierced his heart.
Those two children had been brought into his home after his marriage because Wang Guihua had begged him to take them in. When she remarried, the Jin family from her previous marriage had refused to let the children go and had demanded an outrageous price of five taels of silver.
He had sold two mu of his family’s land and scraped together all their remaining grain to pay for them.
He had thought that sincerity would earn sincerity in return.
Yet over the years, Jin Bao had become a lazy good-for-nothing, and Jin Zhu was equally idle and spoiled. Neither of them had ever regarded him as their stepfather. They wouldn’t even call him “Father.”
Old Madam Ye had even defended them.
“No matter what, they’re descendants of the Wang family. It doesn’t matter whether they call you father or not.”
Looking at the two indifferent figures behind the rock, Ye Lao Er eventually swallowed the words that had reached his lips. He simply sighed helplessly and turned to persuade the agitated villagers again.
“Everyone, stop arguing. We’re all refugees together. It’s not easy for any of us. Let’s try to understand each other.”
Old Madam Ye sat on a patch of dry grass nearby, resting. She held a blade of grass in her hand and chewed on its root, her face expressionless.
In her lifetime, she had given birth to three sons and two daughters. Her daughters had married men in neighboring villages and hadn’t joined this flight from famine. She didn’t even know whether they were still alive.
Of her three sons, she loved Ye Lao San the most and had always saved the best things for him. She also favored her eldest son, after all, he had been her firstborn.
Only toward her second son had she always been harsh.
She thought him soft and spineless. Back then, he had refused to listen to her and insisted on marrying Yu Niang, that short-lived woman. In the end, Yu Niang died without leaving any descendants for the second branch of the family, bringing shame upon the Ye family.
Over the years, even though Ye Lao Er had been dutiful in every way, always putting her and his brothers first even when he himself had to eat bran and wild vegetables, she had turned a blind eye to it all.
Only when her gaze landed on Ye Lao Da did her expression soften slightly.
The village chief had grown sick of the constant arguing. Frowning, he walked over and shouted in a booming voice,
“What are you all arguing about? You never stop! When you drove Ye Dashan away, why didn’t you think about the consequences? Now that there’s no water and no food, you’ve suddenly remembered to blame each other!”
He paused, looking around at everyone’s cracked lips and exhausted faces.
“We’re all out of water—not just one family! Every household will send one person to search for water together. Any family that refuses to send someone doesn’t get to drink when we find water!”
As soon as he said this, the crowd fell silent, and each family began discussing the matter among themselves.
Old Madam Ye looked at her three sons.
Ye Lao Da was the apple of her eye; how could she bear to let him suffer?
Ye Lao San was still young and needed to watch over the family’s belongings.
After considering her options, her gaze finally settled on Ye Lao Er.
“Second son, since you just stood up to speak, you can go scout ahead and see if you can find a water source.”
She spoke as though it were only natural.
“Your eldest brother is weak. He’s been coughing these past few days and can barely walk. Your younger brother has to take care of the family’s things. This task is yours.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward Ye Lao Er.
Standing nearby, Ye Lao Da showed not the slightest bit of guilt. Instead, he agreed confidently.
“Mother’s right. I really haven’t been feeling well these past few days. I’ve been so dizzy that I can barely walk. You’re young and strong, Second Brother. It’s only right that you work a little harder. We’re doing this for the family.”
Ye Lao San was even more direct. He patted Ye Lao Er’s arm.
“That’s right, Second Brother, just go! If you find water, the whole village will thank you! Don’t worry—we’ll take care of the family here.”
Looking at his mother and two brothers, half of Ye Lao Er’s heart turned cold.
He was hungry, thirsty, and exhausted too. During these past few days of travel, he hadn’t eaten a single full meal, and his cracked lips were even bleeding.
Yet with a single sentence from Old Madam Ye, he was being sent out to scout the way.
This desolate wilderness was full of unknown dangers. There could be wild beasts, venomous snakes—who knew what was waiting for him ahead?