"Okay," Gu Qingcheng put down the water bucket and walked to the bedside. With a "plop," she collapsed and fell asleep.
Walking around all day, she was exhausted. How could she not be sleepy?
Having good food for only two days was far from enough. Before, her whole family had been starving, walking on the edge of starvation. Two days of replenishment were nowhere near enough.
Gu Qingcheng was woken up by Hu Lanfang.
Hu Lanfang also wanted Gu Qingcheng to sleep a few more minutes.
But if she didn't wake up soon, she would miss the village's departure.
Warm, milky soy milk, hot beef patties baked on a stone slab, fragrant and greasy. Gu Qingcheng's appetite was whetted at the sight.
However, no rush, there was still important business to attend to.
Gu Qingcheng took out purification pills and put them into the water bucket.
"Oh, daughter, you bought this? A must-have for outdoor enthusiasts!" Gu Zhaobei recognized it immediately. "Water safety will be guaranteed from now on."
Gu Zhaobei knew good quality.
"Yes, one bottle has a hundred pills. The three of us will each get a share. These are chocolates, baguettes, energy drinks, and sausages."
Gu Qingcheng then distributed a large portion to her parents.
The recent loss of contact had given them a fear of being disconnected. To cope with this, everyone always remembered to prepare.
Gu Zhaobei and Hu Lanfang knew their daughter had stocked up on a lot of goods, and they felt relieved. Without hesitation, they secretly stuffed these food and drinks into their bundles.
Carrying their somewhat heavy bundles, the three of them felt much more at ease.
After the water was purified, Gu Qingcheng brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then enjoyed a hearty breakfast.
The warm soy milk felt comforting in her stomach. The hot beef patties were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. With one bite, the meat juice overflowed in her mouth. It was delicious.
Both the soy milk and the beef patties were redeemed from the supermarket.
After the family had a pleasant breakfast, wiped their mouths, tidied up, and packed their luggage, they set off with the village's main group.
However, they had a secret, so they wouldn't get too close to the village. They kept a moderate distance, ensuring safety without getting too close to anyone, lest their secrets be discovered.
Meanwhile, Gu Dou was not so fortunate.
After waking up from his sleep, his face was even more swollen. His mouth, with its broken teeth, protruded high, like Zhu Bajie. The bruised and battered areas on his body were purple, blue, and black. Lifting his clothes revealed a gruesome sight.
And it hurt terribly. Anyone who touched him would let out a pig-like scream.
Liu Cui was very distressed. Seeing that her son was in no condition to walk, she had to beg everyone to make a stretcher. Gu Dou was placed on the stretcher and carried.
"Aunt, Gu Dou is too heavy. We're all starving and don't have the strength to walk. Who can still carry him?"
The first to complain was Gu Dou's cousin, Gu Mi, the son of Gu Lao Er.
Others might not dare to say it, but he, like Gu Dou, was a grandson of the Gu family and the eldest son of Gu Lao Er. He was usually doted on by his family, so he was unwilling to carry him.
"Yeah, Gu Dou brought this on himself by provoking Liu Dazhuang. Everyone knows Liu Dazhuang is a brute. You still went to him for food?"
Zhang Manzhi, concerned about her son, also jumped out and grumbled.
"Hey, is this my son's fault? He went to Liu Dazhuang for food for everyone's sake. Couldn't he have gotten some preserved meat and shared it with us?"
As soon as Liu Cui heard this, she immediately stepped forward to defend her son.
She was also quite eloquent, portraying Gu Dou's greed as a heroic act for the family's sake.
Gu Dou couldn't speak at the moment. She only knew from Liu Dazhuang that Gu Dou had gone to forcefully demand food and was beaten. She then used her imagination.
Upon hearing Liu Cui's words, Gu Lao Han felt embarrassed and said:
"Alright, stop arguing. We're all family, and we need to be united. Carry Dou'er up, and tonight we'll have preserved meat for everyone."
They hadn't touched the preserved pork they brought from home. When everyone heard they would have preserved pork, their eyes lit up, and no one complained anymore.
Gu Dou was then placed on the stretcher, and several uncles and cousins took turns carrying him.
Because of Gu Dou's delay, the Gu family fell behind the village's main group, farther away from Gu Qingcheng's family.
"Another thirty li and we'll reach Jinsha City. We'll rest here tonight and arrive by evening tomorrow."
The village chief, Gu Qingshu, used his hand as a visor, shading his eyes as he gazed into the distance, as if he could see through the mountain ridges to Jinsha City.
"Grandpa Village Chief, is Jinsha City big? Is it lively?"
Gu Qingcheng asked Gu Qingshu when she had a moment.
"Big, of course, it's big. There are a hundred thousand people in the city, and many merchants from all directions. To the south of Jinsha City is the Jinsha Mountain Range. When it snows in winter, the whole mountain is covered in white. It's very beautiful."
Gu Qingshu was quite fond of Gu Qingcheng, this young girl. He had been impressed by her sharp wit during the division of property yesterday.
If the Gu family were in the village, they would need more honest and obedient people to do their bidding. However, when traveling, they needed more shrewd youngsters to survive.
Since Gu Qingcheng asked him, he was happy to share some information.
"Then, if we stay in Jinsha City and don't go south, can we?"
Gu Qingcheng asked with a look of longing and innocence.
"Hiding in plain sight in the city."
They had a secret. In a remote village, they were more likely to be exposed.
Given the current speed of the changing weather, Gu Qingcheng suspected they would encounter extreme weather before reaching the south.
Rather than freezing to death on the road, it was better to settle in a city first.
In any case, cities would have better facilities than rural areas or the road during an exodus. That way, her countermeasures would not attract attention.
"Hmm, this is not impossible, but those who want to stay must have the ability to survive.
We country folk only know how to farm. Expenses in the city are high, and without skills or enough money, we'll eat through our savings and starve to death anyway."
The village chief shook his head.
"Village Chief, my father knows how to hunt. We want to stay in Jinsha City and hunt in the Jinsha Mountains to make a living. Do you think it's feasible?"
Gu Qingcheng asked.
"It's not impossible. If you are truly confident you can stay, I'll give you a travel permit."
Village Chief Gu was truly a good person. He hadn't made things difficult for them during the family division yesterday, and now he was willing to issue them a travel permit.
Gu Qingcheng was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Village Chief. I'll discuss it with my parents. If they agree, I'll ask you for a travel permit."
"Okay." Gu Qingshu was not surprised.
The exodus was a major unexpected event in his life. If Gu Zhaobei's family could establish themselves in Jinsha City, their chances of survival would be greater than fleeing south.
Moreover, Gu Zhaobei's family probably didn't want to be associated with the old Gu family, which was why they had this idea. Gu Qingshu was willing to fulfill it.
Although there were still over three hundred people in Gu Family Village, more than a dozen elderly and weak individuals had died during the exodus. If the weather continued to worsen and grow colder, more people would die.
As the village chief and the patriarch of the Gu clan, he had to preserve the lineage of the Gu family.