From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him-Chapter 20: Traveling by Night

Jin Qianqian mentally applauded Gu Lehua. ’The audacity of this girl.’

"Aunt Seven, don’t stoop to a child’s level," Liu Liu could no longer sit by and quickly walked over to pull the girl back.

"What am I stooping to?" Jin Qianqian said nonchalantly. "If I dared say another word, I think she’d eat me alive. Just look at her eyes. How much could she possibly hate me?"

Following Jin Qianqian’s suggestion, everyone looked and saw Gu Lehua glaring viciously at her, as if she were facing a mortal enemy.

Those who had just been enjoying the drama were startled and immediately grew wary of Gu Lehua.

Liu Liu quickly pulled her daughter back. "You foolish girl, you have no filter! Don’t you know how important a woman’s reputation is? Do you ever want to find a good family to marry into?"

Gu Lehua pouted. "I just couldn’t hold it in. I’ve seen them secretly give things to Le Shun several times. Why him and not us?"

Liu Liu poked her on the forehead. "Even so, you can’t just confront her in front of all these people. No matter what, she’s your elder. That status alone is enough for her to put you firmly in your place.

"But there is something strange about them these days. They’re managing to put on weight with just some bran and wild greens. I bet that couple is hiding some other good food.

"You just be patient for now. Next time you see them give something to that little whelp, let your father and me handle it."

Gu Lehua, also feeling a bit embarrassed about her outburst, nodded in agreement.

***

When Jin Qianqian saw Gu Wenheng return, dejected, her heart sank. ’It seems the search for water was unsuccessful again today.’

"Still no luck?"

Gu Wenheng nodded. He’d searched everywhere nearby, but there wasn’t even a patch of damp soil.

Even if Jin Qianqian were to pour out the barreled water from her storage space right now, the parched earth would just swallow it all up.

"Then what do we do now?" Jin Qianqian clenched her fists nervously. "What if..."

Gu Wenheng cut her off with a look. "We were too naive before. Even if we wanted to bring the water out, we’d have nowhere to store it."

"Then let’s bring out the barrels with the water. We’ll just have to be more discreet," Jin Qianqian insisted. She had been tormented these last few days. Every day, people collapsed for one reason or another, and they could only watch helplessly.

Gu Wenheng gritted his teeth. "Let’s wait a bit longer. If we still haven’t found anything by tomorrow night, we’ll think of something else."

But things rarely go as planned. They had barely sat down to rest when someone came to inform them they had to travel through the night.

The light was poor at night, but it meant avoiding the scorching sun, allowing everyone to conserve a few more sips of water. Plus, the better light during the day greatly increased their chances of finding a water source.

Once they set out, they realized the official road was lined with refugees who had collapsed there to rest. As the group passed, these people stared at them with unnerving intensity.

The children were so frightened they huddled between the adults, and even Jin Qianqian found herself nervously clutching Gu Wenheng’s arm.

Gu Wenheng’s body was tense. He might have done some fitness training back in his student days, but that didn’t mean he knew how to fight.

This time, the two of them didn’t dare to lag at the back of the group. They did their best to stay close to their family up ahead, not forgetting to grip their machetes as a deterrent.

"Don’t be nervous. The more scared you act, the more likely they are to get ideas," Gu Wenheng said. He was bluffing, feeling anything but confident himself, but he didn’t let a trace of it show on his face.

"The way they’re staring is terrifying," Jin Qianqian said, her head bowed. She added with a self-deprecating laugh, "Why didn’t I learn something like kickboxing back then? What good are ’cycle theory’ and ’asset pricing’ now? How am I supposed to survive on that?"

"Don’t be so pessimistic," Gu Wenheng said, pointing to the clusters of firelight alongside the road. "When we first heard we had to travel at night, we worried it would be pitch-black and difficult. But look now, this is an unexpected blessing."

This only made Jin Qianqian feel worse. ’Before, our group was just focused on pushing forward. I had no idea there were so many others ahead of us.’

’And what about behind us? Are even more people joining in?’

"Let’s just wait and see. It’s impossible that this entire landmass is in a drought. As soon as we find a place where things are a little better, somewhere not so dry, we’ll settle down."

"It’s not as simple as you make it sound," Jin Qianqian was not so easily comforted. "Most people are probably thinking the same thing. But that all depends on whether the locals are willing to accept us.

"What I’m worried about now is if the court intervenes. Will they force everyone to go back where they came from?"

If that happened, it would be a nightmare for everyone.

Gu Wenheng looked up, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "We’ll take it one step at a time. We’ll figure something out."

***

Suddenly, Gu Daping, who was walking ahead of them, stopped. The village chief, Gu Sanbu, sensing the malice from their surroundings, had given the order to halt and reorganize the formation.

Their previous formation of traveling in family units was no longer safe. With the old and young scattered about, it would be impossible to protect everyone if trouble started.

After reorganizing, the elderly, children, and women carried their belongings and walked in the center, while all the able-bodied men formed a protective circle around the outside.

Carrying the half-basket of bran on her back, Jin Qianqian walked alongside Hong Daya and her son.

Gu Wenheng and Gu Yuantu flanked them, one on the left and one on the right.

The remaining men were dispersed to the front and rear of the column, a show of force that finally seemed to deter those with ill intentions.

Jin Qianqian saw Little Leshun, who was riding in a back-basket, wiggle his eyebrows at her. She couldn’t help but wink back and make a few funny faces, which made the little boy giggle happily.

"Qianqian, thank you," Hong Daya said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and turning to Jin Qianqian with a smile.

Jin Qianqian replied, "I was just playing with him to cheer him up. There’s nothing to thank me for.

"But Little Leshun is so adorable. I’m almost envious of how carefree he is."

Hong Daya understood the unspoken meaning behind Jin Qianqian’s words, so she didn’t expose the fact that they had been secretly giving her son food. "If it weren’t for this damned disaster, our Le Shun wouldn’t have to suffer so much.

"I wonder if things will get any better when we reach the next Prefecture City?"

"Things will get better, Daya," Jin Qianqian said.

"Let’s hope so." Hong Daya adjusted the straps on her shoulders and fell silent. Just that short exchange made her feel like her throat was on fire.

Having found no water, a heavy, oppressive mood settled over the group. Along the road, the only sounds were gasps for breath and shuffling footsteps; no one uttered a single word.

Just as the sky began to lighten, the scouts from the front returned with news that was both joyous and worrying. "There’s a pool of water up ahead, but people are guarding it. If you want any, you have to pay."

"What? We have to pay for water now?"

"Are they trying to leave us with no way to survive?"

"What if we don’t have money? Are we supposed to just watch everyone die of thirst?"

No one could accept it. What had once been a simple puddle by the roadside had now become so precious.