As Su Miaomiao was about to speak, her sharp senses detected someone approaching, so she remained silent, clearing her throat twice to signal the presence of another.
The approaching person immediately turned and walked away in another direction, their footsteps fading into the distance.
She then let out a sigh of relief.
Cheng Hao also stopped talking and quickly tidied himself up before emerging.
It was truly not a suitable place for conversation.
After both of them had washed up, they walked side-by-side, carrying lanterns towards the main hall. A large number of people had already gone to sleep inside, and no one was gathered around the campfire chatting anymore.
The journey had been tiring for everyone.
They carefully avoided the people sleeping sprawled out in various positions and then put down the copper basins.
Cheng Hao pulled Su Miaomiao along towards their sleeping spots. The two of them lay down directly to rest, without further discussion about the expansion of their space.
In any case, it was good news.
*
The next morning.
Everyone began to wake up one after another and prepare to leave the village.
Patriarch Cheng stated that not everyone could go; only a small team would be organized to go and scout. He himself would naturally not be going, so he spoke, inquiring, "With Da Tou leading the way, who else wants to go along?"
He surveyed the crowd, waiting for someone to volunteer to go and search for supplies.
Cheng Kaichun naturally wanted to make an impression, but he was also afraid of getting into danger. He knitted his brows, his face contorted in distress, his fists clenched and then slackened in defeat.
He couldn't muster the courage.
Cheng Fengtai was a bit bolder, and he also understood that if he wanted to remain with the caravan, he couldn't be idle. So, he stepped forward first and said, "Brother, I'll go. I'm strong, and I'll definitely be able to bring back more things!"
As soon as he spoke.
Cai Shi was filled with worry, but in the end, she could only hold her daughter, Xiao Guihua, tighter. Her son, however, was eager to go with his father, but his mother noticed and grabbed the boy, shaking her head.
Her husband was going into danger; she couldn't let her son go with him.
They were only taking one person per household, and her husband stepping forward was enough.
Patriarch Cheng was overjoyed upon hearing this, showing great happiness and saying "good" several times. He then said, "As expected of the fine men of our Cheng family! All so brave. If I weren't here to manage the overall situation, I would have gone myself!"
While his words sounded good, everyone knew he was the most timid.
Cheng Hao also spoke, saying, "I'll go take a look too. Perhaps I can be of assistance."
Su Miaomiao immediately jumped up and said, "Me too! Me too! I'm going too!"
In this situation.
Cheng Hao couldn't leave her behind, so he didn't refuse her company.
He felt more at ease with her by his side.
Patriarch Cheng, however, frowned, wanting his eldest son not to go. But seeing his determined gaze and the fact that everyone was watching, he couldn't object if he wasn't going himself. If he didn't even let his own son go, it would be unreasonable.
So, he could only nod, suppress his worry, praise him a couple of times, and then agree.
As expected.
Hearing that Cheng Hao and his wife were both going, the others breathed a collective sigh of relief.
They all volunteered one after another.
Laifu, Jiawang, Xiao Wuzi, and Xiao Liuzi all raised their hands, expressing their willingness to go.
Patriarch Cheng nodded repeatedly upon seeing this, instructing them to take good care of Cheng Hao and Cheng Fengtai. Then, he let the group set off with two mule carts.
Their supplies were limited, and the mule carts were not fully loaded. Packing them up and freeing up two carts was an easy task.
Patriarch Cheng also gave Cheng Hao a money bag containing small silver coins. "Although there's no one here, taking things without asking is considered theft. We still need to give them something."
The guards were uneducated and only knew how to fight and kill; they were trained that way since childhood, but they couldn't act like that.
Patriarch Cheng was also worried about his eldest son, fearing he would have an accident and disappoint his mother, so he grudgingly took out the money. He was afraid that if there happened to be anyone in the village, they would accuse them of stealing and they would be beaten to death.
If they had money, they could say they left some silver coins as payment if they encountered someone. If no one was seen, they could act first and report later. It was better than being beaten to death as a thief.
If his eldest son weren't going, Patriarch Cheng would have told them to just plunder everything. If this small group met their end there, he would have written it off and wouldn't have bothered to spend money. But this time, his eldest son was there.
Patriarch Cheng had no choice but to spend money.
Cheng Hao had not intended to take the villagers' belongings directly. Although it was possible they had left them behind because they were fleeing and couldn't take them, he hadn't done so yet. It wasn't that dire, and in times of chaos, actions were guided by conscience.
He couldn't bring himself to do such a thing, so he readily accepted the money from his father.
He pocketed it directly.
Then, he nodded obediently and flattered his cheap father a couple of times, calling him sensible, which made him extremely happy and beaming.
Patriarch Cheng, having spent a small amount of money, felt less guilty about his decision not to stop his eldest son for the sake of the bigger picture. He felt much more at ease.
Everyone was ready to set off.
Amidst the farewell gazes of those remaining, they headed towards the deserted small village.
The others waited at their original spot.
Cheng Kaichun endured it for a long time but still lacked the courage to say he wanted to go. He could only shamelessly approach Patriarch Cheng, smiling subserviently, and say, "Since Brother Kaitai has volunteered, I, your younger brother, will not compete with him. I will stay behind to protect you! With me here, I guarantee you won't have to fear any malicious schemes they might employ!"
Patriarch Cheng heard this and couldn't help but say, "Oh?" He looked at him and said, "What do you mean? Do you have some other insights, Brother?"
Cheng Kaichun's mind raced, and he feigned mysteriousness, saying, "Of course. Our Fengcheng was just captured, and a small village some distance from Fengcheng is so well-informed that the entire village has disappeared? Moreover, it's strange that they would leave things behind when fleeing. Perhaps they're trying to lure the wolf into the fold or use a diversionary tactic!"
Patriarch Cheng's heart turned cold upon hearing this, and he immediately felt a chill. He stammered, his lips trembling, "It... it shouldn't be, right?"
To highlight his importance in staying behind, Cheng Kaichun deliberately tried to scare him, saying, "You can't be sure. Think about how large our caravan is? So many vehicles, and the supplies that are obvious from behind. If people plan a scheme, they'll send some of us to the village to find supplies, and then they'll come and wipe us all out. Wouldn't that be terrible?"
His fabricated words successfully frightened Patriarch Cheng so much that his legs trembled. He quickly yelled for his guards to stay close and not wander off.
His subordinates naturally obeyed, moving closer and guarding the perimeter.
Madam Cheng and Jiang Xiyue had just finished tidying themselves up. They hadn't bathed for three days and were starting to feel unbearable, their bodies feeling grimy. They wanted to ask Patriarch Cheng to order a servant to fetch some hot water.
Patriarch Cheng was in a state of anxiety and had no time for women's matters. His own life felt precarious, so he gruffly told Madam Cheng, "What time is it? Can't you endure it? Where are we supposed to get water for washing?"