Qin Sang knew what they were worried about. She took out several sections of chinese yam from her bundle, as well as the sweet potatoes and potatoes she had exchanged from the Mall, and comforted them.
"When the time comes, we'll hunt, pick fruit, and dig up grass roots. Look, these are chinese yams that some villagers brought to my house over the last two days. They are edible. As long as we find one plant, it's enough to feed a whole family for a day."
"The same goes for these sweet potatoes and potatoes; they can be roasted and eaten directly. Since someone dug them up, there must be more in the mountains."
"Additionally, I was delayed for two days while scouting the path into the mountains earlier. I arranged for the rice, grain, and water sent by Steward Huang to be hidden in a secret spot near the village. I'll see if I have a chance to go and retrieve them when the time comes."
From the moment she decided to enter the mountains, Qin Sang had thought of this excuse. That way, as long as she said she couldn't bring it all back in one trip, she could replenish their food and water from time to time.
Upon hearing this, everyone's hesitant hearts gradually settled.
Tian Yougen removed all the red strings. Following Qin Sang's instructions, he also processed and covered the footprints and wheel ruts on the road, while placing withered branches, leaves, and stones to block the path. He believed that unless it was a Hunter who frequented the mountains or professional soldiers, no one would discover this route.
The torches wound their way into the mountains. When they passed the previous location, the bound Rebel Soldiers had all woken up. Watching them pass, they all let out muffled 'wuu wuu' sounds.
The two brothers, Tian Yuanshan and Tian Jinshui, struggled with their whole bodies, wanting to speak. However, with things stuffed in their mouths, they couldn't say a word.
The group didn't give them a second glance, passing them by as they slowly advanced into the deep mountains.
They walked for over four hours after entering the mountains, well into the latter half of the night, before they finally found the place where the villagers had settled for the night. They had finally merged with the main group, and everyone in the small squad breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mother."
"Grandma..."
Qin Sang looked at Si Jin, Eldest Girl, and the others running toward her, feeling greatly surprised:
"Why aren't you all asleep yet? Have you been waiting all this time?"
Si Jin nodded:
"When Eldest Uncle and Third Brother came back to push the carts, we were very worried. We wanted to follow along, but Third Brother wouldn't let us, saying I would only hold everyone back."
As Si Jin spoke, he gave San Gui an unhappy glare.
Eldest Girl hugged Qin Sang's thigh:
"Grandma wasn't here, I was worried. I missed Grandma."
With such a soft sentence from the little one, the fatigue from a day of rushing about dissipated.
Handing the bundle to Si Jin, Qin Sang picked up Eldest Girl:
"Alright, now that Grandma is back, Eldest Girl doesn't need to worry. Go to sleep quickly; children won't grow tall if they don't sleep early."
Eldest Girl obediently tilted her head, intending to lean against Qin Sang's shoulder to sleep, when Eldest Brother's Wife walked over:
"Eldest Girl, let Mother hold you while you sleep. Grandma is tired."
The little girl then obediently allowed her Mother to take her.
In fact, the villagers hadn't really slept. It was everyone's first time spending the night in the mountains, and they were too nervous to sleep, especially after hearing Tian Yougen and San Gui run back saying that Rebel Soldiers had really come to the village. Everyone was waiting for the outcome.
Now, seeing that the whole group had returned and hearing that one batch of the Rebel Soldiers who entered the village had been tied up while another had been burned to death, they finally felt at ease.
Fortunately, it was a summer night, so they could lie down by just throwing on some clothes. Many people even remarked that the mountains were much cooler. The only downside was the many mosquitoes and insects. Fortunately, everyone now knew that mugwort could repel mosquitoes, so they rubbed and lit mugwort, and the scent of mugwort wafted across the entire hillside.
People were also arranged for the night watch. Hunter Xu led the team for the first half of the night, and Xu Hu led for the second half, with the primary purpose of being on guard.
The probability of encountering Rebel Soldiers in the mountains was low; the main things to guard against were wild beasts.
The clothes, shoes, and weapons of those Rebel Soldiers had been confiscated and were now being distributed among everyone.
Since the clothes and shoes weren't stripped from dead bodies, no one except Qin Sang felt any distaste for them.
Qin Sang didn't want these old clothes; she took a kitchen knife and a long saber instead.
Qin Sang asked Eldest Brother's Wife about the bundle in the cellar, and Er Fu, who was nearby, replied in a low voice:
"The medicinal herbs in that bundle were collected by Hei Zi and his group from others. They were exchanged at a rate of two catties of white flour for one catty of herbs. Mother, did your daughter do something wrong?"
Seeing the worry on Er Fu's face, Qin Sang smiled and whispered:
"No, don't be afraid. There are medicinal herbs inside, and good ones at that."
"I'm asking because I wanted to see who sent them so they wouldn't lose out too much. Since you said Hei Zi collected them from others, we certainly won't find the people who dug up those herbs, so there's nothing we can do."
After all, there was a wild ginseng inside. If it were someone from the main group, Qin Sang would definitely want to give them a bit more compensation.
Tian Erfu was relieved to know she hadn't done anything wrong.
The tents Qin Sang had prepared weren't used because they didn't know how to set them up, so they could only sleep in the open air tonight.
Qin Sang's two hammocks were given to Wen Mo and Si Jin.
Originally, one was for Eldest Girl, but she couldn't sleep without someone with her, and it was truly uncomfortable for two people to sleep in a hammock. Now, Eldest Girl was sprawled on her father's chest, drooling as she slept.
Everyone else just found a slightly flat spot, spread out a mat, and went to sleep.
Qin Sang had no trouble adapting. Come to think of it, this was the first time in two lifetimes she had spent the night in the wild surrounded by so many people. Combined with the exhaustion of the day, she soon fell asleep.
Da Huang skillfully curled into a ball not far from Qin Sang. Gradually, the mountain forest grew quiet.
Early the next morning, a rooster brought by some family started crowing before the forest was even light.
Qin Sang opened her eyes and stared for a while at the swaying bare branches before remembering she was sleeping in the mountains.
Not far away, several hens from her family were tethered by their legs and looking for food. The rabbits in the Wheelbarrow were staring at Qin Sang with their two pairs of red eyes, looking expectant.
Presumably, the whole family was so busy moving yesterday that they didn't have time to feed these two pregnant rabbits. What could Qin Sang do? She quickly got up and fed them quietly.
She fed Da Huang, the mule, and the Horse once each.
The moss on the Horse was much better. Its coat was currently uneven, which still affected its appearance, but it didn't stop one from seeing that this would be a handsome Horse in the future.
She used a ceramic bowl to provide some water for them to drink their fill, and then Qin Sang quietly poured some more into the wooden buckets on the mule cart.
For breakfast, they had Roasted Flour. Eldest Brother's Wife had roasted it carefully, without a hint of a burnt smell. It was just a bit dry, and it wasn't easy to boil hot water to mix it while on the move. They ate as they walked, swallowing a mouthful of flour followed by a mouthful of water. She was full after two handfuls.
She didn't know how the family members had managed to empty out so many things from the house yesterday, but today, with the mule and Horse to help, everyone was much more relaxed.
Third Brother's Wife's belly was large, so she couldn't sit on the Wheelbarrow all the time; it was uncomfortable and unsafe.
Fortunately, Third Brother's Wife was strong-willed and considerate of her husband. Unless she was too tired, she basically wouldn't get on the Wheelbarrow. Moreover, her Mother was always with her, keeping watch. Talking with her own Mother seemed to make her mood even happier than it was at home.
The families of both In-laws followed behind Qin Sang's family. Carpenter Zhao had built three Wheelbarrows himself, and his several grown sons took turns pushing and pulling them. Several adolescent boys were carrying quite a few things on their backs, and with the daughters-In-law sharing the load, Carpenter Zhao only had to carry his woodworking tools on his back.
Da Huas Father's family relied entirely on human power. Each of the several daughters carried a bamboo basket of things on her back, while also shouldering bundles and carrying baskets in their hands.
There was no other way. When fleeing from disaster, they even had to bring the iron pots from home. Right now, the more things they had, the better; the more they had, the less they panicked.