Chapter 44 – Cannon-Fodder Old Woman Fleeing Famine (Part 14)

By now, Wang Daya and her group had been walking for three entire shichen (six hours). The adults were panting for breath, drenched in sweat.

The children still had the donkey cart to ride in, but even so, they had to stop and rest, or the adults would collapse from exhaustion.

Today was even hotter than yesterday. Yesterday, Wang Daya had secretly checked the temperature with a thermometer — it was 39°C. Today, it had soared to 41°C. Clearly, water scarcity was only going to get worse.

At this point, Wang Daya still didn't know that the Tartars had already begun their slaughter. If she did, she probably would have fled through the night with her family under the stars.

Thankfully, the pancakes they'd made at home were the dry kind, so even in this weather, they could last a few days. The Lin family greatly admired the old lady's foresight.

Just as the Lin family finished eating and was about to rest in the woods, Madam Wang and her two children, who had been trailing behind, finally caught up with them.

The three of them no longer looked anything like noblefolk. They were disheveled, exhausted, and dirty — if not for the silk and brocade on their clothes, they could easily be mistaken for refugees.

The Lin family wasn't particularly interested in these newcomers. Only Wang Daya looked closely, and, using her psychic powers, finally recalled who they were. Without those powers, she might not have recognized them at all.

Still, even after confirming their identities, Wang Daya had no intention of getting involved with them. One glance told her they were a burden, and she wasn't about to play the saint.

But little did she know — life is full of the unexpected.

Madam Wang let out a long breath of relief upon seeing the Lin family. She had finally caught up.

However, she knew she still had a battle to fight. After all, she understood her situation — a widow with two young children would surely be seen as dead weight.

So Madam Wang decided to be upfront and reveal her brother's prestigious identity, thinking that since one of the Lin boys was educated, he'd understand what it meant to be owed a favor by a prefect's sister.

As the three newcomers approached, Wang Daya was puzzled. She didn't understand why they were looking for her.

While everyone else stood there confused, Madam Wang suddenly stepped forward with her children and bowed deeply to Wang Daya — but Wang Daya dodged quickly, avoiding the gesture.

What a joke — she was a commoner! How could she dare accept such a formal bow? Besides, she hadn't done anything to deserve it, and she didn't want to be roped into something.

Seeing how cautious Wang Daya was, Madam Wang only became more convinced that she was no ordinary person — this old woman definitely had strength of character.

Madam Wang knew being subtle wouldn't work, so she decided to cut straight to the point.

She said, "Madam, I'd like to propose something: would you allow me and my children to travel with your group? Once we make it to Tianfu Province, my brother, the prefect, will reward you handsomely. Here, this is a promissory note for one hundred taels of silver — consider it a down payment."

The Lin family had never seen so much money in their lives. Zhang Zhaodi, in particular, stared at the silver note like her eyes were glued to it, wishing she could accept on Wang Daya's behalf right then and there.

Meanwhile, Wang Daya was wrestling internally. She had intended to reject them outright, but… the prefect's jurisdiction happened to be exactly where they were heading.

If she helped now, she might secure smoother passage for her family later.

What if she refused — and Madam Wang survived long enough to reach her brother, who then made trouble for them?

You might ask: why not just eliminate the risk altogether? Because Wang Daya wasn't a murderer. If she started killing people over mere suspicion, what made her different from a beast?

After careful thought, she said bluntly, "You can join us, but let's make things clear from the start. You're responsible for your own children's safety. As for food, we don't have much. I can sell you thirty jin of coarse rice and twenty jin of sweet potatoes — but you'll need to pay for it."

Madam Wang agreed immediately. The terms were reasonable — she wasn't asking for protection, just temporary shelter.

Still, Wang Daya frowned at their silk clothes and insisted they change into rough cotton outfits from her own stock.

And so, Madam Wang and her two children stayed.

The Lin family quickly discovered that the newcomers were polite and self-sufficient. After purchasing food, they cooked their own meals and never acted pampered or arrogant.

Seeing this, Wang Daya felt a bit more at ease. As long as they remained well-behaved, she didn't mind their presence. After all, her psychic ability had verified that Madam Wang was telling the truth.

The next day, the group reached a small town, only to find that the locals were all in a rush. After asking around, they learned that the Tartars had breached the northern border just yesterday morning.

That sealed it — they needed to stock up and leave, fast.

Because their needs were different, Madam Wang went off separately to shop and left her children with the Lin family. Wang Daya assigned her eldest son to follow her, both to help and to make sure she didn't abandon her children and disappear.

You could never fully know someone's heart — so Wang Daya was right to be cautious.

In truth, Wang Daya's goal in entering the town was to buy more coarse salt. Salt and iron were state monopolies, and she hadn't bought enough last time. Her space had high-quality salt, but using it would raise suspicion.

This was their last chance to stock up, so she told the others to stay put and took her third son to go buy the salt.

By now, everyone in the Lin family had learned that her words were law. They obeyed instinctively — a testament to the authority she had built over time.

Aside from salt (she bought the maximum of ten jin), she also grabbed discounted supplies from merchants trying to flee: fabric, vegetables, pastries…

Her third son was very perceptive, helping her discreetly store the items with no complaints.

She was able to buy things so cheaply because the merchants were desperate to flee. With food prices soaring, they were offloading goods for dirt cheap just to scrape together enough to buy food and escape.

After a little over one shichen (two hours), the group reconvened. They now had two donkey carts, one of which Madam Wang had purchased.

They divided their dozen or so members into two groups: adults ran outside, while the children and elders rode the carts.

At this point, everyone had one thought: flee for your life — don't let the Tartars catch you.

Author's Note:

Some of you may be wondering why the female lead is going out to stock up when she already has supplies in her space from her previous life. Isn't it unnecessary at such a critical time?

But remember — those are her personal assets. There's no reason for her to give them away for free.

Also, most of the space's modern goods are too different from ancient equivalents, so she can't just pull them out openly.

As for taking in Madam Wang's group, they'll become important allies later on, so don't worry — the female lead won't suffer any losses.