The feelings of the children were something Meng Qingping could deeply empathize with. When he spoke again, a touch of affection unconsciously crept into his voice.
"Get up quickly! Real men don't cry easily. You siblings should drink your water quickly, or if others see it, this water won't be enough for everyone to share."
The last sentence carried the most weight. The actions of those Meng clan members were not sharing; they were outright snatching.
Hearing this, Meng Qishan wiped the tears from his face, took the water skin from his second uncle's hand, endured his thirst, and first let his second younger brother drink, then his elder sister, and he was the last to drink.
When the water skin returned to Meng Qingping's hand and still contained water, Meng Qingping felt a bit surprised. Looking at the boy's tear-streaked face, Meng Qingping nodded inwardly. This was a responsible child, stronger than those Meng clan members.
After drinking the water, the children felt much better and regained some spirit. Their gazes naturally drifted towards where their parents were.
The two younger boys even secretly wondered if they could reach their parents before the water was snatched away.
Clearly, they were incapable of doing so, and even if the water skin reached their parents, it would be snatched away.
The food and water previously given to their family had already been mostly snatched by the clan members.
Seeing the two boys clench their fists, Meng Qingping guessed their thoughts and quietly comforted them, "Your parents can only endure a little longer. They will have water at the next resting point."
The brothers felt that their second uncle's words made sense and nodded silently in agreement.
Fu Xinci and Yu'er had remained silent, along with Qi He, observing these young men and women who called their grandfather "second uncle" with a degree of curiosity.
Before being implicated by the Duke's Mansion, their grandfather had never wanted to mention the Duke's Mansion to them.
The original host only learned about their family's connection to the Duke's Mansion when their father, Fu Yu, was preparing for the autumn imperial examinations the previous year.
Meng Qingping's expression had been rather grim then. After much deliberation, he had suggested that Fu Yu take the examination in a few years. Fu Yu, not understanding, asked his father why.
Meng Qingping remained silent for a long time before slowly revealing his connection to the Meng Duke's Mansion.
After his anger subsided, Fu Yu, in order to put his father's mind at ease, agreed not to participate in the autumn imperial examinations.
Recalling the spirited father in the original host's memories, Fu Xinci couldn't help but feel a sense of regret and melancholy.
She also recalled that, to this day, her grandfather was unwilling to have any interaction with the Meng clan members.
All the way, even when Meng clan members proactively approached to strike up a conversation, their grandfather refused to acknowledge them.
However, today, these four siblings had broken their grandfather's usual approach to the Meng clan members.
As Fu Xinci was deep in thought, she heard her grandfather telling them to greet the people. Upon hearing her grandfather's words, Fu Xinci was not surprised, but instead, mimicking the original host, she greeted them one by one.
She called out "uncle" and "aunt."
Yu'er, however, was a bit surprised. He moved his little mouth and, with childlike innocence, spoke his mind: "Grandpa, this little uncle is too young. He looks only a little taller than me."
The little fellow, afraid his grandfather hadn't noticed, even stretched out his little hand to measure and show his grandfather.
His grandson's actions made Meng Qingping chuckle. He quickly explained to his grandson, "Yu'er, don't forget, Qiren's generation is older than yours. Even if he's young, he's still an uncle."
"Oh." Yu'er didn't understand what "generation" meant, but the clever little fellow, after hearing his grandfather's words, obediently replied.
Qiren, having drunk water, regained his energy. Hearing his second uncle's words, he softly began to defend himself: "Second Uncle, I am six years old. My age is older than Yu'er's."
"Oh, Qiren is already six years old. That's a big boy, you can play with Yu'er from now on."
"Mm-hmm. Second Uncle, don't worry, Qiren will play with Yu'er." Qiren patted his thin chest with his frail little hand and shyly assured his second uncle.
"Good, Second Uncle believes Qiren can do it."
The uncle and nephews chatted happily, and the four siblings' favorability towards their second uncle soared. In their hearts, their second uncle was the only one, besides their parents, who was good to them.
Little Qiren preferred to be close to his second uncle, no longer wanting his elder brothers to hold him. He leaned against his second uncle's leg with Yu'er, dozing off.
Jiang Tou'er glanced over at their side, then looked at the morning light shrouded in mist. He loudly called out, "Everyone come back, it's time for us to set off."
The Meng clan members least wanted to hear Jiang Tou'er say this, but they had no choice; they had to obey.
Seeing these weaklings stand dejectedly before him, Jiang Tou'er's eyes darted about, and he came up with an idea. He pointed to the towering mountain ahead and said, "See? The post station is at the foot of that big mountain. Hurry up, the sooner you arrive, the sooner you can rest."
The Meng clan members looked at the distant mountain, their eyes lighting up, and they quickly prepared to depart.
Meng Qingping, however, did not wait for the Meng clan members and set off with the children first.
The morning mist gradually dispersed. The desolate official road seemed to stretch endlessly. Due to the prolonged drought, the weeds along the roadside drooped listlessly on the ground.
Meng Qishan, carrying his younger brother on his back, followed closely behind his second uncle, occasionally looking back towards their parents' direction.
Meng Qitian followed suit, holding his sister's arm and following behind his brother, occasionally mimicking his brother and looking back to check on their parents' movements.
Meng Qinghuai walked in the middle of the exiled group. He could clearly see the four children following his second brother. The three older children kept looking back, and he knew it was because the children were worried about them, his wife and him.
As long as the children lived, he and his wife would have a reason to go on. Now, his second brother had become their family's sole salvation; with his second brother there, their family could survive.
Xu Shi thought the same. Although her throat was parched and her stomach growled with hunger, her steps were lighter than before.
Thus, the exiled group walked for nearly another two hours. The sun had climbed to the zenith, threatening to bake them alive, yet they had not reached the foot of the mountain.
Hearing the heavy footsteps and gasping breaths coming from behind, Fu Xinci wiped the sweat from her forehead, recalling the saying, "A mountain in the distance can kill a horse."
Fortunately, just as the Meng clan members were too exhausted to lift their feet and on the verge of collapse, Qi He, with sharp eyes, spotted a small village ahead.
"Grandpa Meng, it looks like there are people ahead."
Hearing Qi's excited shout from ahead, everyone felt a sense of relief. They could finally rest.
In this hot weather, with the scorching sun overhead, even the guards were delighted upon hearing Qi He's voice, their rear teeth showing.
The dark-faced strongman, without waiting for Jiang Tou'er to speak, loudly yelled, "We're about to be fried! Everyone hurry up and walk a bit faster, let's find a shady spot to rest."