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

Those people looked into her eyes, then at the knife at her waist, and the memory of last night felt like a bucket of ice water being poured over their heads.

The figure who had stood at the village entrance, covered in blood and with a circle of dead bodies at his feet, was now standing right in front of him. He had no choice but to take a step back, then another.

Anger is like a punctured bladder; the air leaks out, leaving only an empty, deflated shell that can't hold up.

Finally unable to withstand the pressure, the young man squatted down, buried his head in his knees, and cried.

It wasn't a silent cry, it was a loud wail, like a child, mouth agape, face covered in tears and snot.

"I don't know... I didn't know it would turn out like this..."

"If I had listened to the village chief... my mother wouldn't have died..."

"I saw him. He was standing at the village entrance. He said something was wrong with the village, but I didn't hear him..."

The crying grew more frequent and louder.

Some people knelt in the snow, some hugged the cartwheel and cried, and some clutched the clothes of their dead family members and wept. Those clothes were the only things they had brought from the village; they were covered in blood and mud, but they couldn't bear to throw them away.

Shen Dehou stood there watching for a long time, then sighed. His third uncle put his pipe in his mouth, but didn't light it.

Several women who had run out with Shen Dehou also had red eyes. They went over, squatted down, and patted the shoulders of those people.

"Don't cry, it's good that you're alive."

"The dead cannot be brought back to life; you must look forward."

No one responded, but the crying subsided a little.

Jiang Xing glanced at Ma Dadan, who understood. Ma Dadan sheathed his broadsword, stood on a rock, and spoke loudly with a defiant, reckless tone: "Listen up, all of you! The dead are dead, and the living must live! Can crying bring people back to life? Can crying bring back food? When you've cried enough, stand up, pack your things, those who should leave, leave, and those who should live, live! Anyone who thinks death is better than life, I'll send you on your way right now, so you won't be a burden to others!"

The words may be harsh, but they are the truth, and everyone knows it clearly.

The crying turned into sobs, and the sobs into sniffling. After crying enough, he stood up, brushed the mud off his knees, picked up the scattered things on the ground, and helped the injured person towards the fire.

Ma Dadan jumped down from the rock, walked to Jiang Xing's side, and lowered his voice to ask, "Is it okay if I say it like this?"

Jiang Xing didn't reply, and squatted down to continue wiping his face.

Ma Dadan glanced at her but said nothing more.

Half an hour later, Ma Dadan asked the leaders of each village to count the number of people.

This time, no one made a fuss. Shen Dehou took the old cloth used for counting and walked from one village to another, asking each village one by one.

How many people are left in Lijia Village?

"Twenty-seven people."

"What about Wangjiagou?"

"Fifty-two people, but a few are still missing. I don't know if they got separated or..."

Shen Dehou didn't ask any further questions, but drew a line on the cloth.

Zhoujiazhai had 44 people left, Wujialing had 79, and Chenjiagou had 94. Jiangjiacun had the most, with 117 people; all those who had fled with Shen Dehou were still alive, not one missing.

The total number came to 413. Of the more than 800 people who set out, just over half survived.

After hearing the total, Ma Dadan remained silent. He took the geomantic map out of his pocket, glanced at it, and then put it back.

"Pack your things and keep going. We can't stay in this area for long; who knows if there are any other villages?"

No one asked why; everyone sprang into action. The injured were helped up, those who couldn't walk were carried on someone's back, and people carried what they could, leaving what they couldn't carry by the roadside.

Scattered on the ground were discarded bundles, broken pots, a stool with a broken leg, and a tattered quilt that couldn't be rolled up. Snow fell on them, slowly covering them with a layer of white.

The procession moved forward, from day to night, without anyone speaking; everyone was just walking.

They didn't utter a sound even when their feet were blistered, and gritted their teeth to keep going even when their legs couldn't move. The cliff was long gone, and the mountains behind them were also gone. There were still mountains in front of them and mountains on both sides. The official road was like a gray-white ribbon that passed between the two mountains, stretching out to who knows where.

As night deepened, the group finally emerged from the mountainous area. The terrain ahead opened up, and although it was still cold, the wind had subsided.

Ma Dadan chose a sheltered, sloping spot for everyone to set up camp for the night.

The campsite was very rudimentary. Most families didn't have the strength to build tents anymore, so they just spread their bedding on the ground, lay down on it, closed their eyes, and went to sleep.

Several fires were burning in the camp; firewood was running low, so they were burning it sparingly.

The shed at Jiang Xing's house was finally set up. The three of them worked quickly and efficiently, finishing in less than half an hour.

The calf spread a thick layer of hay inside the shed, making it soft and fluffy to walk on.

Jiang Xing's clothes were in a terrible state.

The cotton-padded jacket was covered in blood, the cuffs were as stiff as sheet metal, and the collar was soaked in blood and then frozen stiff, chafing my neck painfully. There was also blood on the cotton-padded trousers, with the two patches on the knees being the darkest, almost black.

She endured walking all day, and now that the shed was set up, she crawled inside and pulled the curtains shut.

Zhang stood guard outside the shed, while Third Uncle squatted by the fire smoking, and Xiao Niu went to gather firewood.

Jiang Xing pulled out a bundle from the bottom of his basket, opened it, and inside was a new cotton-padded jacket, trousers, and shoes.

She bought them in the prefectural city. Before she set off, she had told Zhang and her third uncle that she had bought two sets for each person to alternate wearing. However, the two of them were frugal and said that one set was enough to wear all the way to the southwest, while the other set was kept under the carriage and never taken out.

She took off her blood-stained clothes, rolled them up, and stuffed them at the bottom of her basket, planning to wash them when she found a water source.

The new cotton-padded coat was thick and warm; once wrapped around my body, it instantly kept me warm.

The new cotton shoes had thick soles, so they didn't hurt her feet when she stepped on them. She tightened the shoelaces, stood up and stretched a bit, and then came out after changing.

The fire was already burning in the camp outside the shed.

Those who came out first shared some firewood with those who came later, and several fires lit up the snow, casting a warm yellow glow around them.

Every household was cooking over a fire, and the steam rising from the pots mixed with the cold air, turning into white mist.

Ma Dadan and Shen Dehou stood not far away. When they saw Jiang Xing come out, they exchanged a glance and walked over.

Jiang Xing glanced at them and said to his third uncle, "Third Uncle, you two start cooking, I'll go over there for a bit."

Third Uncle nodded, and Zhang Shi had already started washing the rice.

Ma Dadan and Shen Dehou walked to a spot near the hillside, and seeing that no one was around, they squatted down.

Ma Dadan took out a geomantic map from his pocket and spread it on the ground. The map was made of kraft paper, with frayed edges, and it depicted mountains, rivers, and official roads, with several place names marked in red circles.

"We'll reach Guandukou tomorrow." Ma Dadan pointed at the map. "After crossing the river at Guandukou, there are two routes: one towards the south-central region and the other towards the southwest. Those going towards the south-central region should head southeast, while those going towards the southwest should continue west."

His finger drew two lines between Guandukou and the two roads, then stopped.

Shen Dehou glanced at him: "What's wrong?"