They walked for a long time across land that had been scoured repeatedly, but their hands remained empty.
Just as everyone was discussing whether to turn back, Gu Yuanlei stared at a spot for a long while without blinking. "Big Brother, do you see a house over there?"
Everyone's hearts tightened. Although they were on an official road, they had tried their best to avoid villages. Could it be that the village chief and the others hadn't properly inquired about the situation here?
"Why don't we go over and ask? Where there are people, there should be a water source. We could at least beg for a drink," Gu Yuanmu said, touching the bamboo canteen he carried. He had already drunk some of it this afternoon. If he could refill it, his family could have a few more sips.
The others naturally had no objections. Only Ancient Wen Heng was worried about Jin Qianqian, but at this moment, it wasn't appropriate for him to object. He followed everyone to the house they had seen earlier.
They had seen many dilapidated houses along the way, but standing right in front of one, Ancient Wen Heng felt a bitter taste in his mouth. A dangerous hovel like this was the only shelter for millions of peasants.
"Is anyone home?" Gu Yuanjin shouted, looking at the tightly shut main gate.
But the only response was the echo from the surrounding valley; there was no reaction at all from inside the house.
Ancient Wen Heng said, "There's probably no one living here. Look, the threshold is covered in a layer of dust. They've likely fled the famine too."
"So it was a wasted trip?" Gu Yuanshui said, his face bitter. "I was hoping to bring some water back for the children to have a few more sips, but it turns out we wasted our energy for nothing."
After speaking, he slumped to the ground, completely discouraged. "There's a drought everywhere. Did we take the wrong path?"
Ancient Wen Heng also pressed his lips together. Although he had attended a private school for a few years, he had never seen a real map. He only had a rough idea of the region's layout from the descriptions of his respected teacher, Scholar Li.
The current Capital City was not the North City of his later world, but a place with a name he had never heard of.
'If I really want to understand this world, I have to find an opportunity to go into a city and find a bookstore that sells geography books.'
"Whether we took the wrong path or not, at least we have a chance at survival by coming out here. Otherwise, with the drought back home, our lives might already be gone," Gu Yuanhuo said, staring at the house, his eyes darting around.
"There's no one here anyway, so why don't we go in and take a look?"
"Is that a good idea?" The honest Gu Yuantu waved his hands dismissively. "..."
Before he could finish, Gu Yuanmu pushed the door open. It turned out to be merely latched, not bolted.
Ancient Wen Heng watched his brothers enter one after another. Knowing it was useless to say anything at this point, he gritted his teeth and followed them inside.
"What the hell? There's nothing here," Gu Yuanlei said, looking at the empty house. Besides a bed made of a few wooden planks, there wasn't even a single pot or jar.
Ancient Wen Heng, however, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. 'At least I won't have to agonize over whether to become complicit with my brothers. Otherwise, I'd never be able to live with myself.'
By the time they returned to the resting spot after this delay, the sky had already grown dark.
Clusters of bonfires had already been lit beside the official road, and the aroma of food drifted through the air.
The Gu Family Brothers couldn't help but quicken their pace. They even overlooked the fact that Ancient Wen Heng, who had always held them back before, was now steadily keeping up behind them.
"Seventh Uncle!" Seeing Ancient Wen Heng, Gule Shun became even more affectionate than when he saw his own father, waving enthusiastically from a distance.
"When did this little rascal get so close to you?" Gu Yuantu felt a pang of jealousy. "I carried him on my back this whole way for nothing."
Ancient Wen Heng knew the reason but just smiled. "I'm his uncle. It's perfectly normal for Le Shun to be close to me. It's a bond of blood."
Gu Yuantu's expression immediately brightened. If the child valued the bond between uncle and nephew, he would surely value the bond between father and son even more. He would be filial, and his future would certainly be good.
As for the other brothers, they didn't think much of it, assuming that Seventh had just been playing with the child on the road. A child's affection comes and goes quickly.
Ancient Wen Heng looked at Jin Qianqian, who was still sleeping soundly, then scooped up Gule Shun and secretly pressed two milk tablets into his hand. "Our Le Shun is such a good boy. You've been a huge help to Seventh Uncle. Thank you."
Gule Shun clenched his fist, smiling so broadly his eyes narrowed to slits. "Seventh Uncle, you don't have to thank me. I kept watching Seventh Aunt the whole time."
Hong Daya also chimed in for her son with a grin. "He sure did. The boy didn't even blink, just stared right at his Seventh Aunt. No matter how many times I called him, he wouldn't respond."
"Our Le Shun is a little man now; he knows how to keep his word. It looks like this boy will do well in the future." Looking at such a well-behaved child, Ancient Wen Heng was happy to offer a few more words of praise.
No parents dislike hearing their child praised. The fifth brother and his wife immediately looked at Gule Shun with loving faces. The boy had made them proud.
"You're all back. Hurry up and have a few bites, then get some rest. We have to be on the road again tomorrow." Li Cuicui couldn't be bothered with any of this. Seeing them standing around chatting, she interrupted them in a harsh tone.
Ancient Wen Heng quickly put the child down and patted his head. "Go find your mom and dad."
But Li Cuicui pulled him aside. "What's going on with that wife of yours? Can she still hold on?"
Ancient Wen Heng was speechless. "..."
"From the looks of it, that wife of yours is not long for this world. If she really can't make it, you'd better be prepared." Seeing that Ancient Wen Heng didn't grasp her meaning, Li Cuicui decided to be more blunt.
"Jin Qianqian is doing fine. She's just been a little tired these past two days, so I'm letting her rest more." Ancient Wen Heng's face darkened. Even as an atheist, he couldn't stand hearing someone curse Jin Qianqian like that.
"You just go on treating her like a treasure. Anyway, I'm making it clear to you right now: you can't let her alone drag down our entire family.
I gave you some grain today. If she can't make it, you'd better not waste it on her."
Ancient Wen Heng clenched his fists. "How can you call it a waste? She is the wife I married, a member of our Gu family. As long as I have a bite to eat, she certainly won't go without."
'Besides, I'm counting on my wife to support *me* right now,' Ancient Wen Heng added silently.
"What a blockhead," Li Cuicui said, looking at her son with a complex expression. "You went to school for a few years and read yourself stupid, didn't you?
At a time like this, who isn't looking out for themselves first?"
Ancient Wen Heng was too impatient to listen to any more of this. "Mother, rest assured, I know what I'm doing. Everything will get better."
Li Cuicui glared, her own anger flaring. "'You have it all figured out,' huh? Is your grain supply 'figured out,' too? You'll live to regret this."