Even so, the two elders had watched the couple struggle so miserably, yet they had never spared them so much as a single bean.
In their words, they had already helped them start a family and fulfilled their responsibility. Whether the rest of their days were good or bad was up to them.
'The original owner of this body was a bit foolish,' Jin Qianqian thought. 'She gritted her teeth and held on for so long, only to end up being the first in the family to starve to death.'
When Gu Dashishi saw his sons and grandsons appear, he silently counted them before a relieved smile finally broke across his face.
"Did you find water?" Mrs. Gu Li asked in a low, hoarse voice, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Gu Yuanjin held up the bamboo tube in his hand, grinning widely. "Our luck was pretty good this time. We found a small ditch. There wasn't a lot of water, but it's enough for us to last another day or two."
They had managed to fill everyone's bamboo tube this time. If they were frugal, it should be enough to last two days without a problem.
With his youngest son's help, Gu Dashishi finally got to his feet. "That's good. Let's hurry and catch up so we don't get left behind."
The village chiefs had long established a rule: as soon as a water source was found, they had to leave immediately. This was not only to prevent conflicts with locals but also to avoid revealing that their group had found water.
Jin Qianqian pursed her lips, watching the tall man walk towards her. As he drew closer, the overwhelming stench of sweat assaulted her nostrils, making her secretly take a half step to the side.
"Here, have some water." Gu Yuan Yu, seemingly oblivious to her subtle movement, insisted on holding the water out to her.
Jin Qianqian looked up at the dark-skinned young man. There was a boyishness to his face... 'Why does he look so familiar?'
When Gu Yuan Yu saw she still hadn't taken it, he added nonchalantly, "It's from a ditch, but it's relatively clean. You should drink some."
Jin Qianqian licked her parched lips. She finally gritted her teeth and took the bamboo tube. 'If this body doesn't get hydrated soon,' she thought, 'I probably won't make it more than a few steps before collapsing.'
"Jin Qianqian. A little dirt never hurt anyone." Seeing her hesitation, a smile flashed in Gu Yuan Yu's eyes. 'It's her,' he thought, now certain.
Jin Qianqian had already made up her mind, but now that he'd said that, images of all sorts of parasites flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but lower her hand.
"I'm not very thirsty right now. I'll drink it later." Jin Qianqian was on edge, terrified he would notice something was wrong. She didn't dare ask any questions or look at him too closely, so she completely missed the amusement that flashed in his eyes.
"Hurry up, you two! Stop dawdling." Gu Yuantu couldn't help but urge them on when he saw Seventh and his wife still standing there.
Gu Yuan Yu called out in acknowledgment, then bent down to pick up Qian Qianqian's pack at her feet. "Let's go, or we'll fall behind."
Clutching the bamboo tube, Jin Qianqian copied Gu Yuan Yu, securing it to her waist with its rope. Seeing her sisters-in-law up ahead shouldering their packs, she started to do the same. "Are we just going to keep walking aimlessly? When will this ever end?"
Seeing her about to hoist the pack from the ground onto her back, Gu Yuan Yu reached out and took it. "Let me get that."
"Well, well, our Seventh really dotes on his wife. Won't even let her do a little thing like that." Fifth Sister-in-law, Hong Daya, happened to see this and couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
Jin Qianqian replied, "Fifth Sister-in-law, Fifth Brother is very good to you, too. See how he's carrying little Shun on his back? He's trying to spare you and the child."
Hong Daya covered her mouth and laughed. "Your Fifth Brother is just afraid we'll slow him down. If we can't keep up, he'll have to stop and wait for us. How is that caring for someone?"
"That's enough. If you have that much energy to waste, you'd be better off walking. Hurry and keep up," Eldest Sister-in-law Xie Ruyi called over her shoulder, not breaking her stride as she followed closely behind her son.
Hong Daya pursed her lips. 'Eldest Sister-in-law has it easy,' she thought. 'With Eldest Brother and her three sons carrying all their family's belongings, she hardly has to lift a finger except to walk.'
Looking at her own young son still on his father's back, a flash of envy crossed Hong Daya's eyes, but she followed along silently.
Gu Yuan Yu watched as his family members walked past them one by one, shouldering their own burdens, then motioned for Jin Qianqian to hurry and keep up.
Jin Qianqian looked searchingly at the man in front of her, his earlier words replaying over and over in her mind.
'A little dirt never hurt anyone…'
'That wasn't something a person from this time period would say. And why did his tone sound so familiar?'
'I was able to resurrect in this body... so what about him? My senior? Could he have had a similar strange encounter?'
Sensing the probing gaze from behind him, worry flashed in Gu Yuan Yu's eyes. 'She didn't drink any water at all,' he thought. 'This is no time to be picky. If she keeps this up, her body won't last.'
Gu Yuan Yu glanced back at Jin Qianqian with concern. Shielding his actions from the family members ahead, he pulled a rock-hard ball of wild vegetables from his cloth bag. "Eat this. Now is not the time to be picky."
Jin Qianqian's eyes widened as she stared at him, her voice trembling with emotion. "Senior?"
Gu Yuan Yu rolled his eyes heavenward, speechless. "So you finally figured it out? I thought you were going to keep playing dumb."
Jin Qianqian suddenly grabbed his hand. "It really is you! You're as blunt as ever, Senior. But what is this situation we're in?"
"Ahem, ahem." Gu Yuan Yu glanced around, then said in a mock-serious tone, "Let's be mindful of our image. Keep your hands to yourself."
Jin Qianqian's cheeks flushed, and she quickly let go of his hand. 'The way he said that, it's like he thinks I'm trying to take advantage of him.'
"This place isn't like back home," he explained. "Men and women getting all handsy in public will start rumors, even if we are husband and wife."
Jin Qianqian wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but she felt that her senior had put extra emphasis on the last three words: "husband and wife."
"Sorry, Senior. I'll pay attention next time," Jin Qianqian said, looking like a perfectly obedient student. "But our situation really is terrible. Are we just going to keep migrating with the main group indefinitely?"
Jin Qianqian glanced disdainfully at their attire. The dust on their clothes had caked into solid clumps, to say nothing of their matted hair. 'I wonder if we have lice,' she thought with a shudder.
Gu Yuan Yu turned his head back, speaking in a low voice only the two of them could hear. "Let's talk as we walk. We don't have a choice right now. If we stay, we'll die of thirst and starvation. If we go, we might be able to carve out a path to survival. What's the choice?"
Jin Qianqian lowered her head. 'My personal dimension is packed with supplies, including tons of bottled water, but what good does that do me now?' she thought. 'Should I just leave the group and go hide in there by myself?'
'If she hadn't just confirmed that the man in front of her was her senior, that dimension might have become her last resort.'