The Meng siblings were also drawn by Yu'er's milky voice, turning to look at him with smiles. Little Qiren, in particular, looked at Yu'er with envy, wishing he could also dream of something delicious to drink, even just a sip.
He thought hard for a while but couldn't recall if he had dreamed the night before.
After much deliberation, it seemed he hadn't. He became dejected, deeply so.
Seeing Little Qiren's vexed expression, Meng Xiaohe gently pulled him close and softly asked what was wrong.
Qiren was young, but he understood some things. He secretly envied Yu'er's dream, feeling a bit embarrassed about it, and decided it was best not to say anything, fearing he'd be ridiculed.
So, no matter how his sister asked, he remained silent, his little face flushed red.
Xiaohe saw her younger brother wouldn't speak and could do nothing, so she stopped asking.
Meanwhile, Qishan and Qitian, seizing a moment of inattention, stealthily sidled towards their parents. In their hands, each clutched a handful of tender purslane tips they had just picked from beneath the trees.
Timing their move, they waited for a commotion caused by the guards escorting several able-bodied Meng clansmen back with water. As soon as the stir began, the brothers quickly ran to their parents and, one after another, stuffed the purslane tips into their parents' hands before darting back.
"Quiet down, stand in line, one mouthful each, don't spill," the stern-faced big man's booming voice was far more imposing than when he was playing the doting elder.
Meng Qinghuai and his wife exchanged glances, tacitly hiding the purslane tips in their hands before squeezing into the queue for water.
Grateful for the morning ration of water, the Meng clansmen formed orderly lines.
Qi He took this opportunity to inform Grandpa Meng and, taking a water skin with Sister Fu, went to fetch water.
Qishan had intended to go with them. After all, the four siblings were reliant on their second uncle's family for food and shelter; it wouldn't do to not contribute. However, Qi He had run off too quickly, leaving him no chance to speak.
As exiles, they were not allowed to wander off freely, not even the children.
At this moment, the morning sun had broken through the thin mist, peeking out from the east. Meng Qingping also stood up as usual, dusting off his clothes and helping his grandson remove dirt and grass from his attire.
Jiang Tou'er somehow felt that Second Master Meng was different today, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
He was a rough man; as long as he had enough to eat, he didn't worry about others. His thoughts were simple, and if he couldn't figure something out, he let it go. Glancing around, he saw everyone was ready and was about to shout, "Depart."
However, before he could shout, he saw Qi He, carrying a cloth bag, and Fu Xinci, holding a water skin, running back from the rear courtyard of the post station.
"Where were you two off to?"
"Hehe, Grandpa Jiang, Sister Fu and I went to fetch water. And also..., hehe, we asked the old man who cooks for a scoop of soybeans."
"Hmph, you little rascal, can your family's scoop hold half a bag of soybeans?"
"Hehe, Grandpa Jiang, I misspoke. It was two scoops, two scoops of roasted soybeans."
Qi He didn't mention that this half-bag of soybeans was something Sister Fu had exchanged with the old man for a small trinket.
The trinket was shiny, and he was very reluctant to part with it. But Sister Fu said that if the item was lost, it could be bought again with money later, but if life was lost, nothing else mattered.
They had to survive, and this little thing was truly nothing.
Fu Xinci, in order to have some food openly, had gone to great lengths, trading a hairpin for half a bag of roasted soybeans. Qi He felt it deeply.
Fu Xinci didn't tell him that the hairpin was worthless in the apocalypse. Similarly, this half-bag of soybeans held no value at this post station; they were for feeding livestock.
However, at this moment, everyone had their needs, and she needed this half-bag of soybeans as a cover.
Jiang Tou'er, hearing Qi He say soybeans, didn't voice his thoughts but sighed inwardly.
This journey had been hard on Qi He too. Others' elders had given them five taels of silver, yet they hadn't even had a full meal. He felt ashamed.
Fu Xinci didn't know what Jiang Tou'er was thinking but secretly signaled Qi He to give some of the roasted soybeans to the guards.
Though it pained him, Qi He, following Sister Fu's instructions, generously scooped some roasted soybeans into the front of his tunic and gave some to Grandpa Jiang and the others.
"Good lad, with just these soybeans, we can hold on a bit longer today," Jiang Tou'er said to Qi He with a smile, throwing soybean kernels into his mouth, oblivious to the Meng clansmen swallowing their saliva. The younger ones, in particular, couldn't help but let saliva drip onto their clothes.
Jiang Tou'er paid them no mind. He gazed at the official road disappearing into the dense mountain forest, his sparse eyebrows furrowed into a deep line.
"Jiang Tou'er?"
"Once we enter the mountains, the weather will be much cooler. Everyone, be quick. We must reach the next stop before dark. Otherwise, if anything happens, I won't have enough hands to manage you all."
Hearing that there were wolves in the mountains, the Meng clansmen responded with unusual alacrity: "We know."
"If you know, then let's move out," Jiang Tou'er said, and led everyone away.
Meng Qingping, as usual, led the children to the front. Jiang Tou'er quickly called out to remind him, "Second Master Meng, don't walk too fast today. We cannot be too far apart."
"Thanks, Brother Jiang. We'll be mindful," Meng Qingping knew the children were sensible and couldn't help but whisper instructions to them to be vigilant.
They couldn't afford to be injured if they encountered wolves.
The children all readily agreed. Fu Xinci even took the opportunity to have Qi He distribute the roasted soybeans from the bag to everyone.
Qi He was now quite experienced. He glanced back at the long line of exiles behind them before playfully distributing the roasted soybeans into everyone's palms.
A handful of roasted soybeans was nothing to Fu Xinci, but to the Meng siblings, it was sustenance for survival.
Seeing the moisture in Meng Xiaohe's eyes, Fu Xinci felt conflicted. She wasn't cold-hearted. With so much food in her space, she felt deeply uneasy seeing people starve before her.
However, remembering that the secret of her space must never be revealed to outsiders, she had long since experienced the wickedness of human hearts in the apocalypse.
No matter how pitiful they were, she could only help them to a certain extent under permissible conditions.
Yu'er was the happiest. He was not a picky eater; as long as there was food, he was content.
Now, with food in hand, he seemed to have opened a floodgate of conversation, chattering non-stop with Qiren.
Qiren wished he could break free from his sister's hand and walk alongside Yu'er. However, his body was still weak, and managing to walk a few steps on his own was already an accomplishment.