Brother Zhou and sister Zhou were excited about the white flour and rice. They hadn’t eaten white flour for a long time.

Ye Shi frowned, “Nowadays, money is needed everywhere, why are you still buying flour and rice?”

Yang Xi said: “We can’t eat meat during mourning. We should eat some white flour and rice to nourish our bodies.”

Otherwise, her mother’s body would not be able to bear eating coarse grains all the time. She had long noticed that her mother was eating less and less.

Their whole family had lost weight, very much. This couldn’t go on. She was pregnant and her mother-in-law needed nutrition. It was better to spend more money on buying rice and flour now than to regret it later when something happened. Besides, they didn’t buy much.

Ye Shi also felt sorry for the child. She raised her hand and touched her grandson’s face, then sighed and shared the snacks with him, even giving some to Third Yang.

Third Yang took the snack and said, “I still have some silver here.”

Zhou Yu chuckled, “When we really need it, we won’t be polite to you.”

Third Yang grinned. They were registered under the same household registration, and the last rift between him and the Zhou family disappeared in an instant.

Yang Xi went to make dough for steaming buns in the evening. It was a good opportunity to bring out tomorrow’s breakfast, buns with cabbage and eggs. She asked Third Yang if he wanted to eat meat and she would make it for him separately, but Third Yang shook his head.

Zhou Xiaomei was sewing gloves with needle and thread. The hands of the whole family were severely frozen. The little girl had learned embroidery from an embroiderer and was better at needle and thread than Yang Xi. She could embroider large pieces.

Yang Xi came back from making dough and helped sew. She looked at her younger sister and said, “My younger sister studied very hard in the beginning, and she can make a living in the future.”

So no matter what you learned, what you learned was yours.

Zhou Xiaomei felt confident when she picked up the needle and thread. Her father was a serious person who could not bear to see his children muddle through. He required them to study hard for everything they learned. That was why she had such good embroidery skills. “When things are settled, I will take on the embroidery work. Then my sister-in-law and elder brother will be able to relax a little.”

Yang Xi wanted to say that embroidery too much would be bad for the eyes, but when she met the little sister’s eyes, she smiled and said, “Okay.”

The little girl wanted to help her family, she wanted support and affirmation.

Zhou Xiaomei smiled and moved her hands faster. Ye Shi also felt relieved. Although the Zhou family was in trouble, it would not be difficult as long as they lived a stable life.

They had a sumptuous meal in the evening. The whole family ate to their heart’s content. They were so full that they went out for a walk or two to feel better.

The two families set off before dawn the next day. The donkeys and mules had great strength and pulled the sled very quickly. They went to the outskirts of Xinzhou as planned.

Meanwhile, the Xu family Yang Xi was worried about, found the right path and tracked down the mountain village. They confirmed about the Zhou family from the injured villagers but looked in the direction of the Zhou family’s ancestral home. They did not expect that the Zhou family would go south.

By the time the Xu family reacted and headed south to investigate, it would be difficult to find any information about the Zhou family.

Within the capital, the Zhou family was in no danger except from their enemies. Now the difficulties of entering Xinzhou began.

During the journey, none of the Zhou family members spoke. Yang Xi looked at the receding woods and felt very nervous. Going to the periphery to hide from the bandits meant that there were many mountains and forests, and the densely populated areas were close to the official roads where there were few wild beasts. On the contrary, in the periphery, there were few people and many wild beasts.

Yang Xi didn’t know whether there were tigers or not, but she knew there were many wolves.

There was only the sound of the donkeys running and the sleds skidding, and they were very afraid of attracting the attention of the wild animals in the mountains.

One day they had to hurry on their way and had to stay overnight in the wild. They found a cave at the foot of the mountain. There were signs of digging in the cave, but fortunately, it was quite old. The cave was not deep and the entrance was particularly large. If they wanted to be safe, they had to use a lot of wood to block it.

Fortunately, many strong laborers quickly brought back wood to block the entrance of the cave, which made it safer.

The two families needed donkeys and mules for their journey, so they led them into the cave. They simply ate some dry food and fell asleep with the smell of donkey and mule feces.

Yang Xi thought that when it came to survival, people’s tolerance level was constantly lowered. Look at how soundly her younger sister and brother were sleeping. She reached out and touched her belly with a gentle smile on her lips. This child was so well-behaved.

The night was not quiet. The howling of wolves came and went. They woke up in the second half of the night, fearing that the wolves would surround them.

The next morning, no wolves were seen, but wolf footprints were found in the distance. This discovery made the two families nervous, and they quickly left the cave and set off.

Yang Xi looked behind him, and little brother Zhou had a good look, “Brother, it seems like something is following us.”

Zhou Yu looked carefully with a serious expression. The wolves were very patient in hunting. It was obvious that they were being targeted by the wolves. If they couldn’t find a place to stay today, they would have to face the wolves.

Zhou Yu shouted to the front, “Brother Wu, there are wolves following us. We should not rest tonight and hurry on.”

Wu Shan heard the voice and said, “Okay.”

The donkey and mule had a good rest yesterday, and they ran faster after a few whips.

The wolves behind them revealed themselves and followed closely, and as time went by, there were at least three wolves, from one.

Yang Xi hugged her son tightly. She had no fighting power, and the wolves in the wild were very ferocious. They would not give up easily if they targeted them.

Third Yang frowned, “We can’t let the wolves surround us.”

Zhou Yu, “It would be best if we could find a mountain village.”

The people in the outer mountain villages basically made a living by hunting. Every family had a bow and arrow, and they were all good hunters. They were safe only if they found a mountain village, otherwise, it would be dangerous.

Third Yang clenched the dagger in his hand and frowned even more. He hadn’t seen the leader of the wolves yet, and he would rather fight a bear than face a pack of wolves.

The donkeys and mules needed to rest, and as time went on their speed became slower and slower until they finally had to stop to rest.

Wu Shan came over with a serious look on his face, “The wolves haven’t given up yet.”

Zhou Yu hummed. The mountains here were so unfriendly to them. “I wonder if there are any mountain villages nearby.”

Wu Shan felt like smoking a pipe and stared into the distance, “It’s hard to find.”

Zhou Yu looked at the tired donkey and mule and did not dare to relax, for fear that the wolves would attack.

Yang Xi and her little sister did not dare to leave the sled. She held a kitchen knife in one hand. Zhou Xiaodi guarded the donkey while the other stood by the sled.

She looked at the wolves that were chasing them relentlessly and felt that even if not all eight people had died, at least a few would have survived.

As Yang Xi guessed, only four of the eight villagers survived. These families hated them to death. The Xu family investigated and they provided a lot of information.

The wolves in the distance stopped and watched, not sure whether they were waiting for the wolves behind them or preparing to hunt at night.

Zhou Yu wanted to check his watch, but unfortunately, it was not modern time, so he could only estimate the time. He could not wait for the donkey and mule to rest, “Let’s go.”

Wu Shan frowned, “Okay.”

Setting out again, Yang Xi discovered that more and more wolves showed up, which was not a good sign. They observed the wolves, and the wolves were also observing and evaluating them.

It was getting dark quickly in winter, and the donkey and mule were already exhausted. Zhou Yu was anxious because their family, young and old, were the most vulnerable.

Ye Shi said, “The wolves are surrounding us, you go and I will stay.”

Yang Xi and her husband were shocked, “Mom.”

Ye Shi knew that the children wanted her to live well, but she understood that she was a burden. Without her, the children would have much less burden. “Let me do something for you in the end.”

Yang Xi pursed her lips and said, “Mom, no one in our family can be missing.”

Zhou Yu also said: “We can’t lose anyone.”

Before Ye Shi could speak again, the little girl hugged her tightly. Ye Shi’s brows were filled with worry. The sky was getting darker and darker, and the wolves could no longer wait.

(End of this chapter)

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