Chapter 40 – Cannon-Fodder Old Woman Fleeing Famine (Part 10)

At the same time, Wang Daya and her extended family were preparing to rest and eat breakfast. The children were still energetic, but the adults had already been walking for several hours straight.

So, the group decided to rest for one hour. Wang Daya took out the pancakes she had prepared back at home — one for each adult, half for each child — and they ate them with water from the water pouches.

It wasn't that Wang Daya was stingy or unwilling to use the food in her space, but she didn't want the family to develop wasteful habits. Besides, they were bound to encounter others on the road during their escape — if their family stood out for eating too well, they could easily become targets of resentment.

After the meal, she told everyone to rest while she went into the woods to fetch water. That was the official excuse — in reality, Wang Daya was smuggling clean water out from her dimensional space.

Though they were walking along the official highway, the area was suffering from drought. The roadside grass and trees were shriveled and dry, and the ground was cracked and dusty. Only deeper in the woods could you find a trace of green.

Back in Linjia Village, people hadn't felt the drought so keenly because there were wells and the river hadn't dried up yet. But now that they were outside that "safe haven," it was easy to sense the signs of disaster.

The daughters-in-law, unaware of Wang Daya's secret, assumed she was being considerate and didn't want them to tire themselves out. They silently praised their luck, though in truth, they were overthinking it.

Once inside the woods, Wang Daya didn't rush to leave. Instead, she found a clean rock to sit on and rested her feet. She didn't want to return looking tired or appear overly generous.

She wasn't the type to do good deeds without gaining something in return. On the road to survival, only by displaying real skills would the others sincerely admire and listen to her. That was exactly what she wanted — to establish unshakable authority over the family.

After half an hour, she smuggled clean water from her space into the pouches, adding a little tea powder to make it appear murky and more realistic.

She had to do this because children might speak carelessly, and if word got out that her family had clean drinking water, they would become instant targets.

So, while she could secretly take out supplies, she had to avoid standing out too much — the last thing she wanted was to become the target of a desperate crowd.

When she returned, the whole family greeted her with smiles. Seeing the slightly murky water, no one complained. After all, they'd seen how harsh the road ahead was.

Her eldest son quickly took the pouch from her and helped her sit down on a grass mat, saying earnestly, "Mother, leave this kind of hard work to us sons. You shouldn't tire yourself out like this."

Wang Daya acted indifferent and waved it off. "I'll take charge of fetching water from now on. You all handle the rest. Don't worry — I'm great at finding water. Your father taught me."

In truth, her decision to fetch water herself stemmed from a few important reasons:

People in this era didn't boil their drinking water, which was full of parasites.

Wartime and natural disasters often led to disease outbreaks; water sources in the wild would become unsafe.That's why she planned to rely on the purified water stored in her space from her previous world.

Thankfully, in her past life, Xie Father had awakened a water-type ability, allowing her to store a massive supply of clean water. She now realized the importance of hoarding supplies in every world to prepare for future crises.

After resting a while longer, the group set off again. The children now took turns walking while the adults alternated riding in the cart for short breaks.

They'd traveled all night to avoid the villagers' attention, so they needed rest.

Just as they thought the road ahead was empty, they spotted a long caravan in the distance.

From the looks of it, it was a wealthy household that had received early warning. Several carriages were loaded with heavy belongings, and deep wheel ruts indicated the weight of the goods.

Wang Daya couldn't help but silently mock them: This is a famine escape, not a luxury tour. What's the point of dragging along so much treasure when you'll be starving soon?

To make matters worse, the convoy had over a dozen servants — they didn't look like refugees at all, but more like they were out on a scenic picnic. Clearly, the leader of that group had no brains.

Meanwhile, the steward of Master Wang noticed Wang Daya's group following behind and, eager to earn favor, immediately reported it.

"Master, there are some peasants following behind us."

At the moment, the bloated and pampered Master Wang was flirting with his newly acquired concubine inside the carriage. Being interrupted annoyed him greatly.

He snapped, "Why should I care about lowly peasants? Just make sure they don't come too close. Next time something like this happens, tell Madam. Let her handle it."

Unbeknownst to him, Wang Daya had already picked up on his condescending words through her psychic ability. She was displeased but knew now was not the time to confront him.

In the front of the convoy, Madam Wang was seething. Her husband's business had only taken off thanks to her natal family, but once the household became wealthy, the scumbag started frequenting brothels and even brought some of those "women" home as concubines.

She was so furious that she secretly gave him infertility medicine whenever he tried to take another woman — and it worked. For years, there had been no new children born to the Wang family, securing her own children's inheritance.

If her children hadn't been so young back then, she might have outright disposed of her two-faced husband.

Now, as fate would have it, they were fleeing for their lives — not that she cared much anymore.

If Wang Daya knew about her situation, she would've surely admired her.

Because this Madam Wang, in a patriarchal society, was one of the rare women who had awakened to her own power — unafraid to break the mold, and brave enough to take action against her own husband.