They had been walking for a long time across this land that had been scavenged over and over again, yet everyone's hands remained empty.
Just as they were discussing whether to turn back, Gu Yuanlei stared at a spot in the distance without blinking for a long time. "Yuanmu, look over there. Are those houses?"
Everyone's hearts tightened. Although they were traveling on the official road, they had tried their best to choose routes far from any villages. Had the village chief and the others not inquired clearly about the situation in this area?
"How about we go over and ask? Where there are people, there should be a water source. Even if we just beg for a sip of water, it'll be worth it." Gu Yuanmu touched the bamboo tube he carried with him. He had consumed a bit more over the last half day. If he could refill it, his family members could also drink a few more mouthfuls.
The others naturally had no objections. Only Gu Wenheng was worried about Jin Qianqian in his heart, but it wasn't appropriate to voice his opposition at this juncture. He followed everyone to the households they had seen earlier.
Along the way, they had seen many dilapidated houses, but standing right in front of one now, Gu Wenheng truly felt a bit uncomfortable. Such dangerous, crumbling structures were actually the resting places of millions of peasants.
"Is anyone home?" Gu Yuanjin looked at the tightly shut door and shouted loudly.
But the only response he received was the echo from the surrounding valleys. There was absolutely no reaction from inside the house.
Gu Wenheng said, "There probably isn't anyone living here. Look, there's a layer of dust on the threshold. They probably fled from the famine too."
"So we came all this way for nothing?" Gu Yuanshui said with a bitter face. "I was hoping to bring some water back so the kids could have a few more sips. I didn't expect to waste our energy going inside."
After saying that, he deflated completely and sat right down on the ground. "There's drought everywhere. Have we been walking in the wrong direction this whole way?"
Gu Wenheng also pursed his lips. 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 geography based on the descriptions of his mentor, Scholar Li.
The Capital City now was not in North City like in later generations, but in a place with a name he had never heard of before.
He thought, "If I truly want to understand this world, I definitely have to find an opportunity to go into the city and visit a bookstore to look for geographical records."
"Regardless of whether we went the wrong way or not, at least there's a chance of survival out here. Otherwise, with the severity of the drought back home, we might all have lost our lives by now." Gu Yuanhuo stared at the house, his eyes darting around shiftily. "Since there's no one here anyway, how about we go inside and take a look?"
"That's not very good, is it?" The honest Gu Yuantu waved his hands repeatedly. "..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yuanmu pushed the door open and walked straight in. It turned out the door was only left ajar and hadn't been bolted.
Gu Wenheng looked at the brothers stepping inside one after another. He knew that saying anything right now would be useless, so he gritted his teeth and followed them in.
"What is this? There's nothing at all." Gu Yuanlei looked at the empty house. Aside from a bed made of a few wooden boards, there wasn't even a single pot or basin.
Gu Wenheng, however, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He finally didn't have to agonize over whether to dirty his hands alongside his brothers. Otherwise, for the rest of his long life, he would never have been able to overcome that mental hurdle.
By the time they were delayed going back and forth like this and returned to everyone's resting place, the sky had already turned dark.
Clusters of campfires had already been lit beside the official road, and the aroma of food wafted through the air.
The Gu Family Brothers couldn't help but quicken their pace. They even ignored the fact that Gu Wenheng, who had always dragged everyone down in the past, was actually able to follow steadily behind them this time.
"Seventh Uncle," Gule Shun called out. He was more affectionate upon seeing Gu Wenheng than he would be seeing his own father, waving his hand continuously from afar.
"When did this brat get so close to you?" Gu Yuantu only felt a sour ache in his chest. "I carried him on my back all this way for nothing."
Gu Wenheng knew the reason, but he pursed his lips and smiled. "I'm his biological uncle. It's completely normal for Le Shun to be close to me. This is the bond of blood."
The expression on Gu Yuantu's face immediately cleared up. If the child valued the bond between uncle and nephew, he would definitely value the bond between father and son even more. He would be filial to him, so things certainly wouldn't be bad in the future.
As for the other brothers, they didn't think much of it. They simply assumed that Old Seventh had played with the child on the road, and a child's affection comes and goes quickly.
Gu Wenheng looked at Jin Qianqian, who was still deep in slumber over there. He scooped Gule Shun up in his arms and secretly slipped two milk tablets into his hand. "Our Le Shun is so well-behaved. You've really helped Seventh Uncle out big time. Seventh Uncle thanks you."
Gule Shun clenched his fist, smiling so widely that his eyes nearly narrowed into slits. "Seventh Uncle, there's no need to thank me. I kept an eye on Seventh Aunt."
Hong Daya also smiled from the side, speaking up for her son. "That's for sure. This boy didn't even blink, just stared straight at his Seventh Aunt. No matter how I called him, he ignored me."
"Our Le Shun is a little man now. He knows how to keep his word. It looks like this boy has a bright future ahead of him." Seeing such an obedient child, Gu Wenheng was happy to praise him a little more.
No parent dislikes hearing their child praised. Yuantu and his wife immediately looked at Gule Shun with faces full of love; this boy had brought them pride.
"Since you're all back, hurry up and eat a few bites so you can rest early. We still have to travel Ming Tian." Li Cuicui didn't care about any of this. Seeing them still chatting idly here, her tone was very blunt as she interrupted their conversation.
Gu Wenheng quickly put the child down and patted his head. "Go find your parents."
Li Cuicui, however, pulled him aside. "What's going on with that wife of yours? Can she still hold on?"
Gu Wenheng remained silent. "..."
"I think that wife of yours has a short life anyway. If she really can't hold on, you need to prepare yourself." Seeing that Gu Wenheng didn't grasp her meaning, Li Cuicui decided to speak more bluntly.
"My wife from the Jin Family is fine. She's just been a bit tired these past two days, so I told her to get some extra rest." Gu Wenheng's face darkened. Even though he was an atheist, he still didn't want anyone cursing Jin Qianqian like that.
"You just treat her like a treasure! Anyway, I'm laying it out for you right now. You can't let her drag down our whole family.
"I gave you some food today, but if she can't make it, you absolutely must not waste it on her."
Gu Wenheng clenched his fists tightly. "How can you call it a waste? She is the wife I married into this household, a member of the Gu family. As long as I have a bite to eat, she definitely won't go without."
He silently added in his heart, "Not to mention, I'm still counting on my wife to support me now."
"What a blockhead," Li Cuicui looked at her son with a complicated expression. "You went to a private school for a few years, but did all that studying make you stupid?
"At a time like this, who doesn't prioritize saving themselves first?"
Gu Wenheng was too impatient to listen to any more of this. "Don't worry, Mother. I know what I'm doing. Everything will turn around for the better."
Li Cuicui's eyes widened in anger. "You know what you're doing? You know? That depends on whether you have enough food! You'll live to regret this."