Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

The group walked until the afternoon before stopping to rest on a riverbank.

Village chief Shen Dehou told everyone to rest for an hour, to water the livestock, and to give the elderly and children something to eat.

The riverbank was crowded with people, and every household was cooking over a fire. The smoke from the cooking fires rose up and mingled together, like a layer of hazy fog.

In the past, the village was most lively during the off-season. The women would gather together to chat, the men would talk about the harvest, and the children would chase after the dogs.

But now, the riverbank is as quiet as a graveyard.

Everyone knows to head south, but where is south? Nobody knows.

Aunt Wang squatted beside the cart, trying to start a fire, but she couldn't get it going because the firewood was too damp.

She threw down the tinderbox in her hand, squatted on the ground, and started crying.

"Why are you crying?" Her husband, Wang Laoshi, walked over, his voice muffled.

"I don't want to leave," Aunt Wang said, wiping away her tears. "Where can we go? Our village is gone, our land is gone, who will recognize us in the south? What will we eat? Where will we live?"

Wang Laoshi stopped talking, squatted down, and continued to blow on the fire.

The neighboring households heard what Aunt Wang said, but no one objected, because everyone wanted to ask the same question: Where are we going?

Village chief Shen Dehou stood on a large rock in the middle of the riverbank and shouted to everyone, his voice hoarse: "Don't panic, everyone! The imperial court said that we will settle you all when we reach the south! Let's go to the prefectural city first and join the main force. There will be government troops escorting us, so everything will be fine!"

"What happens after we arrive in the prefectural city?" someone asked.

Shen Dehou was taken aback for a moment: "Afterwards...the imperial court will make arrangements."

"Where are we being sent? I heard it's to Pingzhou in the south! Or some other place we don't know about?"

Shen Dehou couldn't answer.

He didn't know, he really didn't know. All he knew was that he had to lead the whole village south to a safe place.

But he himself wasn't sure either.

A buzzing sound arose from the crowd, like a swarm of startled bees.

"My cousin lives in Pingzhou. Last year there was a locust plague, and many people starved to death..."

"I've heard things aren't peaceful on the other side of the river either. What if the rebels cross the river?"

"Where to run then? To the sky?"

Third Uncle sat on the oxcart, a pipe dangling from his mouth, but he didn't light it. He listened for a while, then sighed.

"Third Uncle, are you scared?" Little Niu asked, leaning on the edge of the cart and looking up at him.

Jiang Caiquan looked down at the calf, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I'm scared."

The little calf blinked: "Third Uncle is afraid too?"

"I'm scared." Jiang Caiquan took his pipe off the cart and tapped it on the shaft. "Your third uncle lived for sixty-six years, and this is the first time he's ever not knowing where he'll be tomorrow. How could he not be scared?"

The little calf thought for a moment and said, "I'm not afraid. My sister is here. My sister can do anything."

Jiang Caiquan glanced at Jiang Xing.

Jiang Xing didn't say anything. She squatted by the river and put her hand into the water, which was icy cold.

It's autumn now. The days are alright, but it's already cold in the mornings and evenings. In another ten days or so, it's likely that frost will form at night.

She looked at Zhang's thin clothes, patched upon patched, as thin as a sheet of paper.

The calf was wrapped in a cotton quilt, but the quilt was thin and stiff, made by Zhang Shi from old cotton wadding, and it couldn't keep out the chill of late autumn at all. She also couldn't bear to use a new cotton quilt during the day.

The injury on the back of his head is gradually healing, and sometimes he doesn't just stay in the car, but gets out and walks with it.

Jiang Xing herself wasn't much better off. She was wearing the gray cloth jacket that the original owner had worn two years ago. The sleeves were too short, exposing her wrists, and she got goosebumps when the wind blew.

As night approached, the team set up camp in a sheltered mountain hollow.

Third Uncle found a slightly higher spot and tied the ox to an old locust tree.

Jiang Xing took the calf to cut dry thatch; there was plenty of dry thatch in the fields beside the official road.

The calf, carrying a large bundle of hay, was almost completely buried in it, with only its eyes showing, as it huffed and puffed its way back.

"Sis, it's so heavy!"

"Make the mattress softer so it will be warmer to sleep at night."

Jiang Xing spread a thick layer of dry thatch on the ground, stepped on it, and found it soft and fluffy, even more so than the wooden bed at home. The only downside was that it could cut people.

Zhang took the quilts off the oxcart. Jiang Xing had bought two new quilts in town beforehand, one for Xiao Niu and one for himself and Zhang.

Both quilts were made of thick, solid cotton, soft and warm to the touch. When Zhang first touched them, she felt a pang of regret: "What a waste of money..."

"It's not unfair. It's cold on the road, and getting sick from the cold will cost even more money."

Third Uncle also moved his bedding over.

His quilt consisted of two old cotton quilts. Although they were called cotton quilts, the cotton filling had long since hardened and become as stiff as an iron plate. They felt cold to the touch, and covering his body with them was almost like covering himself with a layer of coarse cloth.

Uncle San spread the old cotton quilt on the dry straw, intending to make do with it for the night.

Jiang Xing glanced at the two old cotton quilts and frowned.

"Third Uncle, this quilt is no good. It's too thin; you'll definitely be cold in the middle of the night."

Third Uncle smiled and said, "It's alright, my old bones can handle it."

"What are you carrying!" Jiang Xing squatted down and pulled the two old cotton quilts off the thatched roof. "Third Uncle, you and Xiao Niu sleep here. Xiao Niu's quilt is thicker, and it will be warmer for the two of you to squeeze together."

Third Uncle paused for a moment, then asked, "Where's your blanket?"

"Grandma and I share one quilt," Jiang Xing said. "I'll use your old cotton quilt as a mattress on the straw. Two quilts will be just enough."

Before Third Uncle could say anything more, Jiang Xing had already re-laid out the old cotton quilt, placing it on the dry straw. He stomped on it and found it was much thicker than before.

"Sister, can I sleep with Uncle San?" Little Niu hugged his new quilt, his eyes sparkling.

"Okay. Cover yourself up, don't kick off the blanket."

"I won't kick off the covers!"

The calf crawled into bed, and Uncle San also lay down.

The new cotton quilt was large and thick, wrapping the old man and the child tightly. The calf huddled in his third uncle's arms and soon began to breathe evenly.

Jiang Xing covered Zhang Shi with another new cotton quilt, then lay down herself, only covering half of the quilt with it. She was afraid her grandmother would be cold, so she tucked most of the quilt over Zhang Shi's side.

Zhang noticed and reached out to pull the blanket closer to Jiang Xing, saying, "Da Ya, cover yourself with more blankets."

"I'm not cold," Jiang Xing said.

She is not cold, at least not now.