Since her senior had already lost so much for her, she should take up her responsibility. Now that it was confirmed her space had followed her here, she would use the food, clothing, housing, and transportation inside to take good care of him.
With a decision made in her heart, Jin Qianqian confirmed with him once again, "Senior, are you serious?"
Gu Wenheng looked at her with resolute eyes. "You've known me for so long. Have you ever seen me joke around?"
"But I still don't understand." She wondered why he had chosen her.
Gu Wenheng said, "I still remember the first time I saw you. You looked so pitiful yet stubborn. I just found it both heartbreaking and amusing, and I couldn't help but pay more attention to you.
"Who knew I'd end up losing my heart to you? Do you think it sounds a bit cliché for me to say this?"
Jin Qianqian nodded honestly. She knew exactly what she looked like back then, and it was actually somewhat similar to her current appearance.
"Regardless of how it started, after all these years, I'm certain of my feelings. If we hadn't ended up in this place, do you think you could have escaped me?"
Jin Qianqian's mind was spinning. She wondered if her male god was confessing to her.
Gu Wenheng watched in amusement as Jin Qianqian spaced out. He didn't say anything more, leaving her time to figure it out.
He looked at the withered and yellowing path ahead, his heart growing heavy. This starting point was simply too difficult; it seemed that even with everything he had learned in his past life, he wouldn't be able to fill his stomach during a time like this.
No, he probably couldn't even manage to fill up on water. He could only hope they wouldn't die of thirst.
Jin Qianqian also knew that the two of them would be inextricably linked for the rest of their lives, so it was best to prioritize their stomachs first.
She flipped her palm, and a bar of a famous foreign brand of chocolate appeared in her hand. Looking around cautiously, she saw that everyone else was walking with their heads down, focused solely on the journey. Only then did she quickly stuff the chocolate into his hand.
Gu Wenheng looked at the familiar packaging, his pupils shrinking. He quickly clenched his fist around it.
"What's going on?"
Jin Qianqian performed a live magic trick right in front of him. She took out another identical chocolate bar, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth all in one smooth motion.
"Didn't you ask me on the plane where I put all my things?" Jin Qianqian said carefully. "I've been carrying them with me all along."
Gu Wenheng's mind worked fast. Thinking of the plotlines his former classmates and underclassmen used to discuss, he asked, "Do you have a legendary Mustard Seed Space?"
Jin Qianqian let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he knew a bit about this, otherwise it would have taken a lot of talking to explain it clearly.
"I don't know how it suddenly appeared either. Right before the plane crashed, I tried to pull you inside, but unfortunately, I didn't succeed." Jin Qianqian quietly hid some details and didn't elaborate on what was inside the space.
Gu Wenheng asked, "Does it have any side effects on you?"
"None at all. No matter how much stuff I pack in there, I still have a great appetite and feel perfectly fine." Jin Qianqian didn't know the mechanics of the space either. Even when she had previously loaded tens of tons of grain into it at once, she felt nothing but a slight soreness in her arms.
Only then did Gu Wenheng relax. Following Jin Qianqian's example, he ate the chocolate in his hand. They really did need this high-calorie food to replenish their energy right now.
Jin Qianqian took his wrapper and recycled it back into her space right in front of him.
Savoring the silky sweetness in his mouth, Gu Wenheng didn't forget to lecture her. "How could you casually reveal such a massive secret? Aren't you afraid I might have bad intentions? You absolutely cannot let anyone else know about this."
Since Jin Qianqian had already decided to stick with her male god through thick and thin, and considering they needed to survive this refugee journey, she would have to lay her cards on the table sooner or later. There was a big difference between saying it early and saying it later. Although her senior was scolding her, there was no resentment in his tone.
"I only dared to say it because it's you. Do you think I'm that stupid? I still understand the principle that flaunting a treasure only invites trouble." Now feeling bolder, Jin Qianqian made two white steamed buns appear in her hand.
Seeing the steam rising from the buns, Gu Wenheng couldn't help but swallow hard—it was an instinctive reaction of his body. If someone had told him a few hours ago that he would be salivating over a steamed bun, he probably would have kicked them flying. Who were they looking down on?
But this was reality, and Gu Wenheng couldn't afford to care about his pride now. The two of them covered for each other as they scarfed down the buns. Only then did they recover some energy, finally feeling able to straighten their backs a little instead of staying constantly hunched over.
"You prepared quite thoroughly." With some food in his stomach, Gu Wenheng's tone lightened.
However, since they had been supporting each other for so long, some people were already casting subtle, prying glances their way. Jin Qianqian was extremely sensitive to these looks and quietly pulled her hand back.
Gu Wenheng didn't make things difficult for her. The two simply continued walking side by side.
Jin Qianqian scratched her matted hair with a bitter smile. "It's all because I was poisoned by those novels I used to read. I thought it might be the apocalypse, but I never expected it to be a historical era like this."
"Actually, it's not so bad. Or would you rather face the walking dead from those movies?"
Jin Qianqian shook her head. "Neither. As a regular civilian, I just hope to scrape by in a peaceful and prosperous world."
If they had a choice, they wouldn't be part of this endlessly long stream of refugees.
"You two walk a bit faster. Don't fall behind." Gu Daping, who was already at the very back of the line, reminded them as he walked past carrying a shoulder pole.
At the same time, he grumbled internally, wondering how long Gu the Seventh and his wife could last. The couple was already skin and bones from starvation, and their steps were unsteady, yet their family members up ahead didn't even bother to check on them.
As he passed by, he cast a sympathetic glance at the thin bundles on their backs. The cloth bags that originally held their rations were already completely flat. It seemed they were on their last legs, just barely holding on.
Gu Daping urged his wife and children beside him to hurry up and follow, not forgetting to scold his kids a few times. He was genuinely afraid that Gu the Seventh would ask him for food. He didn't want to play the overly generous saint, but he also didn't want to offend anyone.
Unaware of Gu Daping's inner thoughts, Gu Wenheng nodded at him gratefully and sped up his pace slightly.
The benefits of walking at the back of the line slowly became apparent. Jin Qianqian could always find more opportunities to sneak extra food for the two of them.
By the time they stopped to rest, Jin Qianqian felt that every step was excruciatingly difficult. The only reason she managed to keep up with the back of the line was not just her willpower, but also because she leaned more than half her body weight on Gu Wenheng.
When Mrs. Gu Li saw that Old Seventh's wife was not only empty-handed but also leaning her entire body against her son, her expression instantly turned exceptionally ugly.
"Old Seventh's wife, were you born without bones, or are your lazy bones acting up?"
The old lady's voice was remarkably loud, drawing the gazes of many people onto the couple.
Jin Qianqian gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand up straight, but her swaying, unsteady appearance evoked a surge of sympathy from many.
Everyone lived in the same village and knew each household's situation well. The disparity in the living conditions among Gu Dashi's sons was simply too huge.