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

Jiang Erzhu was unwilling to give up. He raised his head, his face covered in mud mixed with blood seeping from his forehead. He looked at Jiang Xing, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something, but when he met Jiang Xing's cold gaze, all the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.

There was no emotion in her eyes; he couldn't even tell if she hated him or simply didn't care. He was so overwhelmed by her gaze that he couldn't utter a single word.

Jiang Xing withdrew his gaze and was about to help Zhang Shi walk forward when there was another commotion in the crowd ahead.

Yang Cuihua stumbled out of the crowd, followed by He Daliang, whose right hand was still wrapped in blood-soaked gauze. Her two sons followed behind, while Granny Li shrank back, her back hunched, her face bearing an expression that was hard to tell whether it was resentment or guilt.

Yang Cuihua rushed to Zhang Shi, her thin face streaked with tears. Her lips trembled as she struggled to utter a complete sentence: "Mother... Da Ya, I was wrong, I was wrong all along. I'll kneel down and apologize to you..." As she spoke, she knelt down, her knees hitting the ground with a dull thud. She knelt at Zhang Shi's feet, wanting to reach out and grab Zhang Shi's clothes but not daring to: "I am still Da Ya's mother, Xiao Niu's mother. I was bewitched before, I know I was wrong..."

He Daliang stood behind her, his face ashen, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "I was wrong before." After he finished speaking, he pursed his lips and refused to say another word.

Before Jiang Xing could speak, Xiao Niu suddenly released Zhang Shi's hand, took a step forward, and stood in front of Zhang Shi with his small body. He looked up at Yang Cuihua, his voice cold and crisp, without the slightest hesitation: "Aunt Yang, you are not my mother. We are no longer related. In the cave, you said that my grandmother and I were a burden and told us to die. I remember every word you said."

"I'll give you that advice back now: take your burdens and get out of here, don't get in my way."

Yang Cuihua's crying sound got stuck in her throat. Looking at Xiao Niu's serious face, she couldn't utter a single word.

Xiao Niu didn't look at her again. He turned around, grabbed Zhang's hand, and pulled her forward. Zhang was pulled along by him, and her feet followed involuntarily. They walked past Yang Cuihua without even glancing at her.

Behind them, Yang Cuihua's cries and Jiang Erzhu's shouts mingled together, but were quickly drowned out by the shouts of the soldiers maintaining order.

The clerk was still reading the list, his voice echoing at the city gate. Those whose names were called happily carried their luggage and squeezed toward the long table, while those whose names weren't called stood on tiptoe, waiting expectantly.

Third Uncle walked at the front, handing his household registration to the long table. The clerk who registered him was a tall, thin man in his thirties with sparse mustaches. He took the household registration, checked the name, took out a bamboo tag from under the table, wrote a number on it with a brush, copied the same number from another notebook, and then checked it against other books handed to him by others. Only after confirming that everything was correct did he stuff the bamboo tag into Third Uncle's hand.

Number 72.

Each household has a bamboo tag number.

Several families gathered together to look at the bamboo plaques; numbers seventy-two to seventy-eight were neatly arranged.

In a spacious open space within the city, several families who had arrived earlier were already waiting. They huddled together in small groups, chatting quietly, each with a smile on their face—the kind of expression one has only when one has endured the longest night and finally sees the light of day.

Aunt Wang put the youngest child down on the ground, and when she looked up, she saw a person limping towards her from the other side of the city gate.

With her sharp eyes, she slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Captain Ma is here!"

Upon hearing this, several families looked up in that direction.

As expected, it was Ma Dadan, still wearing that worn-out gray cotton robe. His left leg was still a little unsteady when he walked, and he was holding several documents stamped with red seals in his hand, looking hurried.

Several families swarmed around him, thanking him in unison.

Shen Dehou stepped forward, solemnly clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Captain Ma, we are so grateful for your help along the way."

Doctor Gu stood next to Third Uncle and bowed to Ma Dadan with a smile on his face.