In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

Everyone was shocked by the girls' resolute decision, especially Su Li and the aunties who had spent the most time with them recently. They didn't know how to describe their feelings at this moment.

These girls had a chance to survive, but they chose the most extreme course of action. It wasn't that they weren't strong enough, but that the world imposed too many constraints on women, and that the suffering they had endured was too heavy for them to bear. In the end, they chose to break free.

When those girls faced death with equanimity, there was no fear in their eyes, only relief. It seems they were in too much pain, so they chose to leave.

The scene from just now kept replaying in her mind. Su Li was stunned for a long time. She wanted to say something, but it seemed like she had nothing to say.

A layer of moisture welled up in Su Li's eyes, her vision blurred slightly, and she felt a little sad.

Zhao Zexuan hadn't expected what had just happened. The women were too fast to stop. Looking at the now calm water, Zhao Zexuan could only sigh and say, "Never mind, let's keep going."

The last soldier looked at the two bags of grain on the bamboo raft and felt a strange heaviness in his heart. He turned back to look at the calm water in a daze, his feelings complicated.

The group continued their journey, the shock from those girls still lingered, but more important than sadness was survival.

The ship continued forward, and Zhao Zexuan helped the somewhat dazed Su Li to a seat, asking with concern, "Were you frightened just now?"

Hearing this, Su Li shook her head and said, "No, it's just a pity. They were about to be liberated and escape their suffering, but in the end, they still chose death."

“Maybe this is a relief for them, but I still feel very sad,” Su Li said in a low voice.

Zhao Zexuan could understand Su Li's feelings at this moment. He was also somewhat silent, not knowing what to say. Such things were not uncommon, but this was the first time he had actually witnessed it.

Su Li didn't need anyone to comfort her; she just needed someone to listen to her right now.

Su Li understood that death was the best relief for those girls, so after a brief moment of depression, she earnestly said to Zhao Zexuan, "We must live well, for only by living can we have hope."

Hearing Su Li say this, Zhao Zexuan nodded seriously and said, "There is hope as long as you are alive."

……

The boat continued its journey, but it was unusually quiet compared to usual, with far fewer children chattering on board.

The children all knew that their mother and grandmother were in a bad mood at the time, so they tried their best to behave well and avoid causing trouble.

***

The floodwaters were gradually receding, and in just five days they had completely receded. A day earlier, the team had found a nearby mountain peak to rest on, and now everyone was gathered on the peak waiting for the floodwaters to recede.

After waiting for almost a day, the floodwaters finally receded completely. Seeing the ground finally emerging, everyone couldn't help but celebrate and cheer with joy.

Floating in the water for so long made everyone feel unsafe, so seeing the long-lost land made everyone incredibly excited. They couldn't wait to run onto the land and stomp on it, to feel the sense of security.

The floodwaters finally receded, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. No one wanted to linger on the mountaintop any longer and wanted to set off as soon as possible.

Zhao Zexuan was also eager to get on the road, so as soon as he saw that the floodwaters had receded, he told everyone to pack up their things and continue their journey.

……

Having witnessed so much flooding for so long, they were starting to feel aversion to water. Seeing familiar land and tree trunks brought them great joy, even though they didn't have any vehicles to transport their luggage.

Although the food supplies in the team could last for a while, they were running low. So even though they knew there wouldn't be much left on the mountain after the flood receded, Zhao Zexuan still asked everyone to search and keep an eye out, because even finding just a little bit would be a gain.

Everyone searched for food as they descended the mountain, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. The children, in particular, who had been detained for quite some time, were overjoyed.

The floodwaters had just receded, and the surrounding area was bare, posing no significant danger. Moreover, the children were all right under their noses, unafraid of any danger, so the adults didn't stop them from playing.

Without the adults to stop them, the children were even happier, jumping and skipping around joyfully, completely at ease.

The mountains, freshly washed by the flood, were in a state of disarray in some places and barren in others. Even if some plants were alive, they were probably few in number. So Su Li did not participate in the search for food and was currently walking in the group, chatting with the aunties.

The floodwaters receded, and everyone was happy. The aunties were also very talkative, so the atmosphere in the group was quite harmonious.

People would glance at the children between conversations, which made for quite a pleasant experience.

The children went together, playing here and wandering around there, and soon disappeared from sight.

At this point, the women would often loudly warn them not to run around. Of course, the children knew their place and would make noise to indicate their location even if they were not in the adults' sight for a moment.

For example, at this moment, Aunt Liu's youngest son, Pidan, ran a little further away with his friends, so Aunt Liu shouted loudly, "Pidan, where have you been playing? I told you not to run away, but you still ran away. Do you want to get a beating?"

From afar, upon hearing Aunt Liu's warning, the child Pidan immediately responded, "Mom, I'm just ahead, not far. If you hurry up and come to the front, you'll see me."

Relieved by the reply, Aunt Liu couldn't help but say to Su Li and the others beside her, "This child is so naughty. He ran off without her noticing. He should be punished."

Before Su Li could react, the other aunties laughed and said, "Your youngest son is indeed naughty; no wonder he's called 'Preservative Egg'."

Upon hearing this, Su Li became curious. When she first heard the name "century egg," she thought that century eggs already existed in this era. However, after talking to her aunts, she learned that this food did not yet exist here. So, she couldn't help but ask, "Why is it called century egg?"

Upon hearing this, several aunties nearby couldn't help but burst into laughter, and Aunt Liu herself couldn't help but laugh as well, saying, "Because he's so naughty and mischievous, that's why he's called 'Preserved Egg'."

Haha, Su Li couldn't help but laugh when she first heard this implication: "This is really interesting. Didn't Pidan object?"

"Of course there were objections, but the child is too naughty, so objections were useless. I told him that I would change his name when he stopped being naughty, and the child agreed on the spot, but then forgot about it. So, the name has never been changed." Aunt Liu explained with a smile.

Hearing this, the other aunties laughed and said, "You know what, the name 'Preserved Egg' is actually quite nice. It's better than 'Shit Egg,' 'Donkey Egg,' or 'Dog Egg,' right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll say that to my son Pidan next time." Aunt Liu agreed with a smile. However, as soon as she finished speaking, Pidan's voice came from the front.

"Mother, come quick! We've found the fruit!"