Chapter 20: Learning the Full Cause and Effect

Later they ran into a band of refugees causing trouble, and they entered Xiangcheng amid the great chaos.

They also thought Xiangcheng was a necessary waypoint for exile, perhaps others would also come here, but they found no one, and their grandmother fell ill.

They wandered around, unintentionally entered the refugee settlement in Denggu Alley, enduring hunger and cold… The three of them barely survived by clinging to the four millet husk balls they had hidden earlier, and Shen Yubai would scavenge wild vegetables and leaves from around, finally pulling through.

But their grandmother was gravely ill, unable to eat anything, and her condition worsened day by day…

They had thought they were at a dead end and Shen Yubai was about to despair, but unexpectedly, they met the big sister here!

They are still alive!

It was as if they had walked in darkness for many days and finally saw hope!

Shen Yubai and Second Aunt embraced Shen Qingquan's family, crying with joy.

"Alright, stop crying, it's all right… I always say our girl, a virtuous person has heavenly favor…"

Grandmother, worried about them, could not rest day or night; in fact, her illness was more of a mental ailment.

Having suffered blows and despair, she was utterly despondent. Now, after a sudden turn of fate, she finally meets Shen Qingquan and the others; her girl is still alive, and the elderly's hope has been rekindled, feeling much more at ease.

"Little brother, go stand guard at the door."

Shen Qingquan gave the order, and Shen Yuhuan instantly grasped big sister's intent, let out a sigh and hurried off.

Then, Shen Yubai saw big sister pull a bunch of items out of a bag behind her.

Food, clothing, shoes, and even some bottles and jars of things he couldn't understand.

"These… what are they...?"

He was dumbfounded when he saw a pile of all kinds of food before him: Sweet Potato, bright white flour buns, and even some red, fragrant, tempting 'fruits'… After many days of hunger, his stomach growled, and his throat kept swallowing saliva.

Only those who have truly experienced hunger know that kind of pain and despair.

Shen Yubai used great self‑control to keep himself from lunging forward.

"These are all food; this water bag contains porridge. You haven't eaten for many days, so first drink some rice porridge to warm your stomach, then eat the rest."

"Big sister, these… are they all for us?"

He could not believe it.

"Of course, all of these are edible; you don't need to save any for me, I have plenty left."

She affectionately patted his head.

Second Aunt, startled, "Qing, Qinger, where did you get these?"

Having traveled this far, they knew how hard it was to obtain such things; in the months after exile, they hadn't even seen white flour, let alone eaten it. They usually ate rice balls made from millet husk and black flour, sometimes resorting to wild vegetables or leaves when starving, never to mention white flour buns!

Even Lin couldn't stop salivating at the bright white buns.

Shen Qingquan watched with a heavy heart; when the Shen Family was still intact, they never had to fight over a single bun or a mouthful of porridge. In just a few short months, everything had turned upside down.

Ning Shi felt a deep sorrow, grasping Lin's hand, "It was Qinger's skill that traded for these from elsewhere; there are many more, we hid them in other places when we entered the city."

Ning Shi looked at her, and Shen Qingquan's eyes flashed, surprised by the mother's cleverness.

Even later, they thought of it.

This was arranged by Ning Shi and Shen Juancheng together; regarding Qinger's Divine Power, it could not be told to anyone outside their family. It wasn't that they didn't trust Lin, but each additional person who knows adds a risk to Qinger.

In these cruel, chaotic times, Qinger's Divine Power is astonishing; the more they understand, the more they realize. They could never gamble their daughter's safety.

"Alright, having food is a blessing from the heavens, and our girl is fortunate…"

The old lady lovingly held Shen Qingquan's hand, and no matter what, she couldn't help praising her, unabashedly favoring her.

However, Shen Yubai and the others didn't feel anything unusual; on the contrary, they nodded in agreement.

After all, their grandmother had always been like this, and they were used to it. Moreover, the grandmother was right: big sister is capable and blessed; otherwise, why would so many people have obtained food through her?

Shen Qingquan's Follower No. 2—Shen Yubai thought joyfully.

"Since it's given by your big sister, eat quickly; you'll need the strength after eating."

Although she favored Shen Qingquan, the old lady also dote on several grandchildren, especially the children of the second household and little Yubai, who had endured many hardships along the way.

"Grandmother, you eat first."

Though his mouth watered, Shen Yubai still courteously gave the food to his grandmother first; the old lady, seeing this, patted his head appreciatively. All the Shen children are very filial.

"You eat too."

He nodded, then took the water bag handed by Shen Qingquan and began to eat.

The thick, fragrant, glutinous rice porridge went down, and he instantly felt his whole stomach warm, exclaiming in surprise, "This porridge… it's still hot?"

"Is that so? Then eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."

He nodded, didn't think further, and devoured it greedily.

Soon, the porridge in the water bag was completely finished, not a drop left. His stomach, which had been aching from prolonged hunger, finally had something and stopped throbbing.

After the porridge, he began eating the others; the fragrant Sweet Potato and buns melted in his mouth, and Shen Yubai was so happy he almost shed tears.

Lin also cried.

"Why are you crying? Surviving great calamities brings future blessings! We've endured so much on this journey; I can't believe the Shen Family will always be like this…"

The old lady came from a military family; even though she married into the Shen Family early, the martial family bearing remained.

Some things are etched into the bones, not easily erased.

Back then, when the Shen Family suffered disaster, everyone felt as if the heavens had collapsed; at that time, the old lady, having lost her husband, resolutely took on the entire Shen Family.

One could say that even now, the Shen Family has not disbanded, remains united, and the old lady continues to play a crucial role.

It seems that with her present, the Shen Family's threshold will not fall, will not disperse.

"Mother is right, sister, for the children, for their future, we must all hold on…"

Ning Shi clasped Lin's hand; the two looked at each other, their eyes reddened yet steadfast.

Lin nodded heavily, "Indeed, it's not just Yubai, but also her four children, and the children's father…"

She absolutely cannot collapse at this moment! (This novel first published on 17K Novel Network, read the official content promptly!)