Chapter 39 – Cannon-Fodder Old Woman Fleeing Famine (Part 9)

That night was destined to be anything but peaceful. After dinner, Wang Daya suddenly announced that the entire family would be traveling out of town to visit relatives — a bombshell that stunned everyone except her three sons, who were already in on the plan.

Her reason, given to her daughters-in-law and grandchildren, sounded perfectly legitimate: They were traveling south to attend the birthday celebration of a distant great-granduncle in the provincial capital. She explained that it was a social visit intended to strengthen family ties and potentially help the youngest son, Lin Tiefeng, with future academic pursuits.

After delivering this seemingly plausible excuse, Wang Daya instructed the two daughters-in-law to return to their rooms to pack some clothes and bedding.

Once they were gone, she handed the two remaining letters (previously written by her youngest son) to the eldest and second sons, telling them to secretly deliver them to their wives' families that night. Whether the recipients believed the warning or not was no longer their concern. The family was already in a precarious situation; sending the letters was the most they could do — and it was only out of respect for their wives.

Next, she told her youngest son to carefully check the route south, prioritizing paths with nearby water sources and shorter distances.

Wang Daya herself got busy, storing most of the household items into her space, while wrapping up a smaller portion in cloth bundles for appearances.

Then she went to the kitchen to boil hot water. Once her daughters-in-law emerged, she had them load their personal belongings and the prepared pancakes into the newly bought donkey cart.

She was in a hurry — earlier that day, while scanning the town with her psychic ability, she had sensed something disturbing: wealthy families in the city had received secret alerts from the authorities and were already preparing to flee.

Indeed, in any era, the privileged always had better chances of survival. That's when Wang Daya realized the surge in grain prices wasn't just about profiteering — it was a move to suppress the market and control supply during an upcoming crisis.

She now suspected the enemy (referred to as the "Tatars") might strike sooner than expected. If the spies embedded in the city caught wind of the evacuations, they would surely report it to their commanders — and the invasion might begin ahead of schedule.

There was no time to waste. If they didn't leave that night, they might soon find themselves in the same helpless state as in the original timeline.

Once her sons returned from delivering the letters and all preparations were complete, Wang Daya told them to head out first. She would stay behind briefly to do a final sweep.

The sons, understanding her intent, covered for her. Alone inside the house, Wang Daya packed every usable item into her space. She left nothing behind — even the old hen in the chicken coop was knocked out with psychic energy and stored away. By the time she was done, the place looked like a locust swarm had passed through.

When she reemerged, her expression was calm, but her youngest son noticed the slight lift at the corners of her mouth — she was clearly pleased with her haul.

The eldest son then locked the house gate tightly.

And so, the family of nine set out: the three children sleeping inside the cart, the sons taking turns pulling it, and Wang Daya and her two daughters-in-law walking alongside.

The daughters-in-law were puzzled about the sudden midnight journey, but considering the scorching summer heat during the day, traveling at night seemed like a better option.

As they left the village behind, the Lin family members couldn't help but look back one last time at the land that had raised them. They even scooped up a bit of their homeland's soil, wrapping it in grass paper for remembrance.

By dawn the next day, the family had already made it onto the official road leading to the neighboring provincial city.

At the same time, back in the village, the neighbors began gossiping:"Hey, how come no one from the Lin family is working their fields today? Lazy bunch, that lot…"

A few hours later, someone finally noticed that the Lin family's front gate was tightly locked, setting off a wave of speculation and gossip about the Lin family's sudden disappearance.

When Qian Lan heard the news, she felt deeply unsettled. It was as if the Lin family had deviated from their fate — unlike in her previous life. A chilling suspicion crept into her heart:

Could someone in the Lin family have been reborn too?

Why else would they leave at such a precise moment?

This realization made her incredibly uneasy. She no longer felt like the only person with foresight. That thought filled her with frustration and an unfamiliar sense of loss.