Famine and Chaos: Weaving Cloth in Exile to Escape the War

Xiaoman opened her round eyes and curiously looked at the new boy who appeared next to Jingzhichun.

Su Heng also felt Xiao Man's gaze, and quickly forced a friendly smile as he looked at Xiao Man.

But his face was now completely wrapped in thick cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes that were covered in blood.

This smile, instead of showing friendliness, made his eyes look rather frightening.

Xiaoman was startled by that look and quickly looked away from Su Heng.

Su Heng's heart skipped a beat when he saw Xiaoman turn her face away.

It turns out that Madam Shen's daughter doesn't seem to like him.

He quickly lowered his head, buried his face in it, and hugged the pottery jar in his arms even tighter.

It seems that apart from his grandfather, no one else really likes him.

Kyoto Haru didn't notice the brief sparring between the two children.

She turned her head and asked Su Heng beside her, "What's your name?"

Su Heng raised his head: "My name is Su Heng. Su as in 'awakening' and Heng as in 'balance'. This is the name my grandfather gave me. He said that no matter how chaotic the world becomes, people should always have a guiding principle in their hearts."

Heng is like a scale, impartial and unbiased, knowing what is important and what is not, and knowing how to choose.

He hoped that no matter where I ended up, I would live with clarity and integrity.

Jing Zhichun nodded: "Su Heng... is a good name. From now on, you will be my daughter's older brother."

Then she turned her gaze to Xiaoman, "Xiaoman, this is Brother Su Heng. From now on, you two must help each other and grow up happily together, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoman's eyes immediately lit up: "Mom! I really have a brother?"

As she spoke, she looked at Su Heng, then at Jing Zhichun, and asked, "Then... then will no one dare to bully me and my brother anymore?"

"Yes," Jing Zhichun affirmed, "when Brother Su Heng grows up, he will definitely protect you well."

As she spoke, she looked at Su Heng, "Right, Su Heng?"

Su Heng was stunned.

He never expected that Kyoto Haru would ask him to be her daughter's brother.

He thought of his older brother, who had long since passed away. His brother would always give him the crickets he caught and the wild fruits he found first, and when it got cold at night, he would tuck his icy feet into his own bosom to warm them up...

He wanted to be like his brother.

Immediately, Su Heng unconsciously puffed out his small chest.

"Madam Shen, I'll remember this! I will definitely be a good older brother, protect my little sister Xiaoman, and never let anyone bully her!"

As he spoke, Su Heng released Jing Zhichun's hand, walked to the other side, and mustered up his courage to take Xiaoman's other hand. "Little sister Xiaoman, I will protect you well from now on."

Xiaoman tilted her head back, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

This time, she wasn't intimidated by Su Heng's eyes. Instead, she stared directly at him and asked in a clear voice, "Brother Su Heng, could you also protect my mother? She doesn't have a brother!"

Without hesitation, Su Heng nodded immediately, "Okay, I will protect your mother and return her to you, as well as your younger brother."

Xiaoman received Su Heng's affirmation, and her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter. "Thank you, Brother Su Heng! Now my mother, my younger brother, and I all have an older brother to protect us."

Kyoto Haru listened to the two children's words and smiled as well.

But as I laughed, tears started falling uncontrollably.

Xiaoman is truly the best child in the world.

Jingzhichun squatted down and gave Xiaoman a big hug, making Xiaoman laugh heartily.

However, after walking for a while, Jing Zhichun suddenly realized that Shen Qingzhou had already gone to hell, so some of the titles should be changed.

She looked at Su Heng and said, "Su Heng, from now on you will call me Aunt. Don't call me Madam Shen anymore."

aunt?

Su Heng's little heart skipped a beat again.

This title is much more intimate than "Madam Shen".

she……

Does this mean they truly consider themselves family?

Thinking of this, Su Heng's tears instantly fell again. He sniffed and tentatively called out, "Aunt... Aunt."

"Yes." Kyoto Haru nodded in response. "Alright, let's go then."

Then, she took Xiaoman's hand, and Xiaoman took Su Heng's hand, and the group continued on their way.

They hadn't walked far when, through the wind and snow, a figure wearing a wolfskin coat was rapidly approaching them.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was Yang Erniu. Jing Zhichun immediately called out, "Brother Erniu!"

Yang Erniu also spotted Jing Zhichun and the others, and waved from afar, calling out, "Madam Shen! I was just about to look for you!"

"Brother Erniu!" Jing Zhichun stepped forward to greet him. "Are you all ready?"

"Alright! That's why I came here specifically to call you guys to set off!" Yang Erniu panted, rubbing his hands, which were red from the cold.

"That's perfect, let's get going. Oh, by the way, where are the people in your village planning to escape to?" Kyoto Haru asked.

Yang Erniu quickly said, "Madam Shen, you were absolutely right! Our village chief is leading everyone to Yeren'ao. He said the forest there is dense and there are many wild animals. Many families in the village are almost out of food, so going there is a good opportunity to hunt some game to fill their stomachs."

Jing Zhichun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; thankfully, she had asked Yang Erniu to inquire about it.

Otherwise, they would have run into the people from Yangjia Village.

"If they go to the Savage Pass, we'll have to go in the opposite direction. Are you familiar with that area? Are there any caves where people can hide?"

"Yes!" Yang Erniu said immediately, "I was just about to tell you this! The opposite direction from Yeren'ao is the old forest where we hunted bears a while ago."

The cave where the bear lived was deep and sheltered from the wind, perfect for hiding! My dad thought we should go there!

Kyoto Haru remembered that place. Although she had never been to the bear's den, the forest was indeed dense.

She nodded. "Okay, let's do as Uncle Yang says and go to that cave to stay first."

"Alright, let's go there then!" Yang Erniu said, then remembered something else. "Madam Shen, you and the children wait here for a while. My eldest brother and third brother are pulling a cart and carrying their belongings, they're coming this way. They'll pass by your house on their way to the bear's den. Once they arrive, we'll meet up and go together."

"Okay, then we'll wait."

After they finished speaking, Yang Erniu turned around and jogged back to meet his family.

Jing Zhichun and the children didn't wait long before the Yang family members appeared in the snow ahead.

They pulled two carts, piled high with goods, covered with straw mats, and tied tightly to the cart frames with thick hemp ropes.

Moreover, apart from Yang Ersao holding a nursing baby in her arms, all the other adults and children were carrying bulging bundles on their backs.

The two groups met up quickly.

Yang Dawang nodded in agreement: "Madam Shen, are you all ready?"

"Okay, all set."

"Then let's set off!"

"it is good."

Without exchanging many words, the two groups joined together and quickened their pace, heading into the woods.

The snow on the road was very thick, making it difficult to walk even empty-handed, let alone pulling a heavy cart.

Therefore, no one walked empty-handed; everyone helped push the cart, including Xiaoman and Suheng.

After the group finally made it into the woods, Yang Dawang wanted to turn around and take a look at the village where he had lived for most of his life, but when he turned around, he was startled.

He quickly called out to Jing Zhichun, who was pushing the cart behind, "Madam Shen! Look...over by your thatched hut! Isn't that...is that a barbarian?"

As soon as Yang Dawang said this, everyone shuddered and turned their heads in unison to look in the direction of the thatched hut.

Immediately, the group saw from afar that a dozen or so men in black, riding horses, stopped in front of Jingzhichun's thatched hut amidst the wind and snow.

Jing Zhichun also suspected they were barbarians, and she quickly called to the Yang family, "Quick, stop looking! Let's hurry deeper into the woods so they don't discover us!!"

As soon as Jing Zhichun finished speaking, the Yang family realized what was happening and immediately pulled the cart into the woods.

Just then, Kyoto Haru felt her hand being pulled, and then Xiaoman's voice came over.

"Mother, that's not a barbarian, that's Uncle Liu! I recognize his horse."

"My darlings, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting! Once I finish up what I'm doing these next couple of days, I'll update extra every day!"