Chapter 39: Moved

Erhu!

Uncle, A Taige, we've already starved so many people—Uncle Jiao, Aunt Fang, and the elders left in the village! To leave us an extra mouthful, they forced themselves to starve to death! Along the way, so many from our village didn't make it! My mother, my younger brother, Aunt Ding, Millet, and the others… can you bear to watch them starve to death?

They are all our relatives! Brother and the others are still so young, their bellies swollen from eating Guanyin Soil, their little faces jaundiced, after a half‑day in the forest they can only vomit blood! My mother gave all the grain to the few of us brothers, and she herself, starving, can only drink snow water to quell hunger, her whole body reduced to a skeleton…

When he said that, he couldn't help but start crying, "My mother used to carry two buckets of water and walk across the whole village without trouble; now she gasps after a few steps, too hungry to speak, her weight is under sixty jin… Uncle Ding, A Taige, I won't eat any more; save all the grain for my mother and younger brothers so they can eat! I don't want them to starve to death…"

He wailed loudly, and his words made all the elders' eyes turn red.

Only they know the hardships of this journey. Watching helplessly as relatives depart one by one, watching the tiny children starve until their heads swell and bodies shrink. The women, trying to save every morsel, are reduced to skin and bones, their eyes dim.

They saw countless refugees on the road fighting over a single bite, killing each other. Even the old, weak, women and children were treated by the starving as "two‑legged sheep" for food.

Refusing to become such beasts made the journey even harder, having witnessed too many relatives die. Hunger, fatigue, despair filled their days. Now a plague has arisen… they can barely see any hope.

At that moment, a person suddenly appeared carrying food.

It was as if, in the dark abyss, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared.

Precisely because they have endured that despair, they now know how precious these things are!

"Erhu… I understand how you feel. But… if we take these, what will Miss Shen's family do?"

Ding Zhangshan, holding back tears, crouched and patted his frail shoulder, "We cannot repay kindness with hatred. To exploit Miss Shen's family's benevolence and disregard them…"

Ding Zhangshan, perceptive as he is, saw that every member of this family was thin, some wounded, some sick, their complexion the same as theirs, clearly also starved for a long time. Their own situation was not good either, yet they were willing to offer so much grain to save them.

How could they, such benevolent and righteous people, be so shameless as to snatch away their lifesaving grain?!

"Uncle is right, Erhu, we cannot take this grain."

Ding Tai stepped forward, "Miss Shen just saved us a moment ago, have you forgotten? Uncle, brothers, we may all come from poor, remote villages, but there are things we cannot do. Otherwise, when we later go to the underworld, how could we face our ancestors and elders with our heads held high?"

His expression turned solemn as he looked around at the crowd.

Shen Juancheng and Shen Qingquan exchanged a glance; Shen Juancheng looked at the group, and the reservations and reluctance in his heart vanished in that moment.

He patted his daughter's shoulder and gave her a slight nod.

His daughter's gaze was sharp.

These people are not greedy, ungrateful traitors. At first he worried that producing so much food at once would arouse their greed and even endanger his own safety. Such a large amount of fine grain is conspicuously obvious; he truly did not understand what his daughter intended to do.

But now, seeing these people and hearing their words, any seven‑foot man would be moved, his heart turning sour.

These times are truly difficult. He had once been a court official; to say he lacked a heart for the nation and the people would be to dishonor him as a Shen family son. He also harbored ambitions, but after the Shen family's downfall, his sole wish became to protect his family's safety.

Those grand ideals of state and the lives of the common folk are no longer within his control.

Yet if he had the strength to help the world, he would never ignore it.

Moreover,

These items were all obtained by his daughter's own ability; she has the right to decide.

Shen Qingquan watched their argument but did not speak.

"We've endured this long; I don't believe we'll die here!"

"Exactly, we'll go find food! Xiangcheng is so big, there must be places we missed! At worst we can return to the forest outside the city!"

Ding Zhangshan and Ding Tai together helped Erhu to his feet; Ding Tai touched his head and wiped away his tears, "We Ding family men must have backbone, wipe away tears so no one sees them."

Erhu, his eyes reddened, wiped away his tears, turned to face Shen Qingquan and her father.

"Miss Shen, Mr. Shen, I was too impulsive just now, I'm sorry…"

"Don't say that, it's not your fault."

Shen Juancheng looked at his jaundiced, gaunt face, feeling a pang of sorrow, and hurriedly waved his hands.

At this moment, Shen Qingquan stepped forward, "These items were originally discovered by us in the cellar of a wealthy merchant's house; we hid them in the city as a precaution. Don't worry, I still have more. What we have taken out is only a portion."

She delivered the prepared explanation, and Ding Zhangshan and the others were surprised upon hearing it.

These… are only a part?

Then how many should there have been originally?

"Our family suffered misfortune and inadvertently drifted to Xiangcheng. I suppose Uncle Ding guessed that we are not ordinary refugees."

She slowly revealed her trump card, "As for food, our family has stored grain in other cities, so you may take these without worry."

She said this to win them over, laying the groundwork. She wanted them to know she had grain in hand. If Ding Zhangshan is clever enough, he should understand her meaning.

Sure enough, after hearing it, a dark glint flashed in Ding Zhangshan's eyes, as if deep in thought.

Ding Tai and the others could not contain their excitement, "Miss Shen, what you said… is it true? Are these really for us?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Great!"

"Thank you, Miss, thank you, Mr. Shen!"

As they spoke, they knelt before the two; Shen Qingquan and Shen Juancheng hurried to help them up, and the elders, moved, all had reddened eyes.

Although Ding Tai had said so before, he was also helpless. Now, with this batch of grain, they can survive!

If they can live, who would wish to die?

Mother, Younger Sister, and everyone else are all saved!

"We Ding family have recorded your great kindness! Should we ever need anything, we will climb knife‑mountains and cross fire seas without hesitation!"

Ding Zhangshan knelt, and his words seemed gratitude, but more like a pledge.

Shen Qingquan met his gaze, and for a moment, smiled and nodded.

She knew that her goal was half accomplished.? This novel originally premiered on 17K Novel Network; read the official version first!