Even so, watching the young couple struggle so miserably, the two elders truly hadn't offered them so much as a single bean in charity.
In their own words, they had already fulfilled their responsibilities by helping them start a family; whether the couple lived well or poorly from then on was entirely up to them.
Jin Qianqian felt that the original owner of this body had been rather foolish. She had gritted her teeth and held on for so long, only to end up being the first in the family to starve to death.
Seeing his sons and grandsons come into view, Gu Dashi silently counted their numbers before finally breaking into a relieved smile.
"Did you find water?" Mrs. Gu Li asked in a low, hoarse voice, her eyes brimming with anticipation.
Gu Yuanjin held up the bamboo tube in his hand, grinning widely. "We had pretty good luck this time. We found a small ditch. Even though there isn't much water, it's enough to keep us going for another day or two."
This time, they had filled every single person's bamboo tube to the brim. If they rationed it carefully, surviving for two days wouldn't be a problem.
Supported by his youngest son, Gu Dashi finally stood up. "That's good. Let's hurry and keep up so we don't get left behind."
The village chiefs had established a rule long ago: as soon as they found a water source, they had to leave immediately. This was not only to prevent conflicts with the locals but also to keep others from finding out that their group had water.
Jin Qianqian pursed her lips as she watched the tall man walking toward her. As he drew near, a pungent stench of sweat assaulted her nose, causing her to discreetly take a half-step back.
"Drink some water first!" Gu Yuan Yu, seemingly oblivious to her subtle movement, persistently offered the water to her.
Jin Qianqian looked up at the sunbaked boy. His face was still tinged with youthful innocence, but why did he look somewhat familiar?
Seeing that she still hadn't taken it, Gu Yuan Yu casually added, "Even though it's from a ditch, it's still relatively clean. You should at least drink a little, right?"
Jin Qianqian licked her parched lips and finally gritted her teeth, taking his bamboo tube. If this body didn't replenish its fluids soon, she would probably collapse after just a few steps.
"Jin Qianqian, a little dirt never hurt anyone," Gu Yuan Yu said. Seeing her still hesitating, a flash of amusement crossed his eyes, and he was absolutely certain now.
Jin Qianqian had already made up her mind, but upon hearing his reminder, images of various parasites flashed through her mind, and she instinctively lowered her hand.
"I'm not that thirsty yet. I'll drink it a bit later." Jin Qianqian was currently feeling guilty and anxious, terrified that he would notice something amiss. She didn't dare to ask too many questions or look too closely, naturally missing the flash of amusement in his eyes.
"Hurry up, you two. Don't dawdle," Gu Yuantu urged, unable to hold back when he saw Old Seventh and his wife still standing in place.
Gu Yuan Yu acknowledged him and bent down to pick up the luggage by Qianqian's feet. "Let's go! Otherwise, we won't be able to keep up."
Clutching the bamboo tube in her hand, Jin Qianqian mimicked Gu Yuan Yu by tying the tube's string around her waist. Watching the other women ahead of them tie their bundles over their shoulders, she also began to move. "Are we just going to keep walking aimlessly like this?" she asked. "When will it ever end?"
Seeing her about to strap the bundle from the ground onto her body, Gu Yuan Yu reached out and took it. "Let me do it!"
"Oh my, our Old Seventh really dotes on his wife. He can't even bear to let Qianqian do such a small task," Hong Daya commented, happening to catch sight of this. She couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Jin Qianqian replied, "Hong Daya, look how well Yuantu treats you, too. He's carrying Xiaoshun on his back. He cares about you and the child."
Hong Daya covered her mouth and laughed. "Yuantu is just afraid that the two of us will drag him down. If we fall behind, he'll have to stop and wait for us. How is that him caring?"
"Enough. If you have that much energy, you might as well use it to take a few more steps and keep up," Xie Ruyi called back, though her footsteps didn't pause for a moment as she trailed closely behind her son.
Hong Daya curled her lip. Xie Ruyi certainly had it easy. With Yuan Jin and her three sons carrying all their belongings, she didn't have to expend any effort aside from walking.
Glancing at her youngest son still clinging to his father's back, a hint of envy flashed in Hong Daya's eyes, but she silently followed along.
Watching their family members walk past them one by one, Gu Yuan Yu hoisted their belongings and signaled for Jin Qianqian to quickly follow.
Jin Qianqian scrutinized the person in front of her, the words he had just spoken swirling continuously in her mind.
"A little dirt never hurt anyone..."
That was not something an ancient person would say. Furthermore, why did his tone of voice sound so incredibly familiar?
She had managed to resurrect in this body, so what about her senior? Could he have encountered the same bizarre phenomenon?
Sensing her probing gaze from behind, a flash of worry crossed Gu Yuan Yu's eyes. This girl hadn't drunk a single drop of water earlier. This was no time to be fussy. If she continued to endure like this, her body might not hold up.
Gu Yuan Yu turned to look at Jin Qianqian with concern. Turning his back to the family members ahead of them, he pulled a rock-hard lump of wild greens from his cloth bag. "Eat this. This isn't the time to be picky."
Jin Qianqian's eyes widened as she stared at him, her voice trembling with excitement. "Senior?"
Gu Yuan Yu rolled his eyes skyward, entirely speechless. "You finally figured it out? I thought you were going to keep playing the fool."
Jin Qianqian suddenly grabbed his hands tightly. "It really is you! You're always so blunt, Senior. But what exactly is our situation right now?"
"AHEM, AHEM." Gu Yuan Yu glanced around and spoke in a deadpan tone. "Watch your image. Keep your hands to yourself."
Jin Qianqian's cheeks burned warmly as she quickly released her grip. The way her senior phrased it made it sound as if she were intentionally trying to take advantage of him.
"This place isn't like where we came from. If a man and a woman are seen grabbing at each other outside, people will gossip—even if we are husband and wife now."
Jin Qianqian didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that her senior had placed heavy emphasis on the words 'husband and wife'.
"Sorry, Senior. I'll definitely be careful next time," Jin Qianqian said, playing the part of a well-behaved child. "But our current predicament really isn't good. Are we just going to keep migrating with this large group?"
She looked at their attire with blatant disgust. The dust on their clothes had clumped together into solid crusts, to say nothing of the hair on their heads. Who knew if they had lice?
Turning around, Gu Yuan Yu spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "We'll talk as we walk. We don't have a choice right now. If we don't leave and stay here, we'll die of thirst and starvation. If we follow the group, we might just carve out a path to survival. How do you think we should choose?"
Jin Qianqian lowered her head. Although her dimensional space was stocked with a massive amount of supplies—including plenty of bottled water—what good did that do? Was she supposed to abandon everyone and hide out in her space alone?
If she hadn't confirmed that the person in front of her was her senior, perhaps hiding in that space would have been her ultimate choice.