Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

Stop! Requisition it!

However, Sang Ning filled the water tank in this house with spiritual spring water and also put two large black fish in it.

It was moved to the same spot as the wheelbarrow, covered with grass, leaving a small gap.

I wonder when the owner of this house will be able to return; perhaps the water will have dried up by then.

But she had nothing else to give as a gift, not even a set of clothes to cover her body.

I can only hope to make it up to them when I have the chance to come back here again.

A faint groan suddenly came from next door.

Sang Ning listened for a while, then climbed over the wall.

There was even a blind old woman in this house, who was lying against the wall and couldn't get up.

"Mother-in-law, do you live alone?"

Sang Ning stepped forward and helped the old woman onto the earthen bed.

"Who are you? Has everyone come back? Have you seen my daughter-in-law and grandson?"

"Grandma, I was just passing by."

"Oh, so you were just passing by." The old woman's gloomy eyes showed disappointment.

“My son died in the war, and I cried until I went blind. Everyone was fleeing the famine, but my daughter-in-law wouldn't leave. I threatened to hang myself, and that's how I drove her away. I'm afraid I'll never see her again in this lifetime!”

My mother-in-law said this calmly; I don't know if she's come to terms with it or just numb to it.

Looking at the withered and emaciated old man who might have died alone in the house surrounded by nets at some unknown time, Sang Ning faced for the first time the true poverty and cruelty of this world.

Suffering has been made tangible.

A wave of sorrow washed over her, for the people living on this land, and for the heroes who were loyal and brave but were tragically slaughtered.

It shouldn't be like this.

It shouldn't be like this.

Why did she travel here, and what can she do?

Sang Ning filled all the places where the old lady could put water with spiritual spring water and caught a lot of big black fish to put in them.

"Water?" The old woman couldn't believe it and immediately stuck her head into the water vat to drink.

"Grandma, close the door, hide the water, I'm leaving."

"Daughter, wait!"

The old woman shakily pulled a small basket of eggs from the dirty quilt.

“I eat one a day. I was thinking of saving some for my grandson, but I probably won’t live to see them. The chickens are dead. Take some with you.”

The mother-in-law probably didn't realize it herself, but her voice was much stronger than before.

Eggs were such a precious commodity at this time. Sang Ning swallowed hard, thinking of the Huo family's children.

She took one-third of the eggs, ten eggs.

"Grandma, you will wait for your grandson to come back."

The last rays of the sun cast their final warmth, and a slight chill began to rise.

Unlike the capital, the western region has a large temperature difference between day and night, with scorching heat during the day and the need for warmth at night.

Li Yuzhi took out clothes from the dirty bundle, first draped them over the old lady, then covered Huo Chang'an, and then her young son.

The Huo family was charged with treason, and no one dared to see them off when they left the capital. Only the second brother's wife came to give them some silver and warm clothes.

My second brother's wife was very lucky. Her family somehow managed to save her. My second brother wrote a letter of divorce in prison, which saved him from being exiled with her.

It was just a pity for the two little girls, who were separated from their mother.

Now, a lot of the silver has been taken by the yamen runners, and there is nothing left to spend. They want to wait until Liangzhou to make further plans.

"Let's leave one for Madam Sang," the old lady said, holding her two drowsy little girls.

Li Yuzhi nodded.

It's only right, after all, we owe her a lot today.

Huo Jingya looked anxiously at the ruins, "Why isn't she back yet? Could it be that she couldn't find water? She's so useless, I might as well have gone!"

"The water bag is completely empty. We'll die if this continues." Yun Shuixian swallowed hard.

Sang Ning'er won't run away, will she?

"Not only is there no water, but the fried noodles are gone too," the older sister-in-law said softly to the old lady.

In her hand, she held a paper bag containing only a small handful of brown flour.

Just enough for two little ones to eat.

The black cornbread was stolen by the refugees, and the yamen runners won't share any food with us today.

Today, even my seven-year-old son has nothing to eat.

She looked at Huo Jintang.

Her once delicate and beautiful face is now peeling from the sun, and her wilted little body looks like a leafy vegetable that has withered under the scorching sun.

"Mother, I'm fine. Let my sister eat first," Huo Jintang said sensibly.

But his stomach was rumbling as a warning.

He was reminded that his body needed to eat, otherwise it would break down and collapse.

Li Yuzhi hugged her son tightly and finally couldn't hold back her tears.

Throughout this journey, as the eldest sister-in-law, she took care of the whole family and dared not show any weakness, but she was really exhausted.

She couldn't hold on any longer.

This is her and her husband's only son. Her husband is gone, and her son cannot be allowed to suffer any more harm.

Husband, what should we do?

"Yuzhi..." The old lady opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to say the words of condemnation.

"Sister-in-law... for Jintang..."

Huo Chang'an pulled out a half-fist-sized cornbread from somewhere, with a trace of blood on it.

Li Yuzhi was startled. "This...isn't this your rations from last night?"

"I'm not hungry. Give it to Jintang."

How could I not be hungry!

My fourth brother used to be able to eat six big steamed buns in one sitting!

Now his eyes are sunken and his cheeks are thin; he has lost weight faster than any of them, and he has even secretly stopped eating.

Good heavens, how long can this last!

Huo Jingya finally couldn't listen anymore and said to Yun Shuixian, "We can't just wait like this. Let's go see if we can find water and food."

"But, yamen runner..."

"I think these two are easier to talk to, I'll beg them."

"My aunt won't agree." Yun Shuixian looked at the old lady with some fear.

But this time the old lady didn't stop her. She lowered her eyes and said, "Be careful."

“I’ll go too.” Xie Yurou, the third sister-in-law who had been silent all along, also stood up.

Du Shan agreed to the three women's request to go out and find food.

Since they're all chained, they can't escape this desolate town.

They hadn't walked far when Sang Ning appeared around the corner pushing a wheelbarrow.

She took the initiative to go to Du Shan first and put the anklet back on.

"Didn't Fourth Madam find anything?"

Du Shan's heart sank again.

He knew the route to the West best; if there was nothing here, the journey would only become more desolate.

Sang Ning shook her head weakly, "I only found half a can of water, and every house was empty."

"Officer Du, could you please lend me some salt and a knife?"

Du Shan took out a dagger and a pinch of salt and sprinkled them into her earthenware jar.

"Hurry up."

Prisoners are not allowed to carry dangerous items.

"Thank you."

From the moment Sang Ning appeared, the Huo family's eyes followed her. When they saw her finally walking this way, Li Yuzhi stepped forward to greet her.

"Only water?"

She quickly became disappointed, and her eyes returned to their blank state.

"There are also cars."

Huo Jintang followed up with a sentence, her chapped lips twitching as she forced a smile.

"Is this for Fourth Uncle? That way, Fourth Uncle won't hurt his back."

"That's right, it's for your fourth uncle."

Sang Ning looked at Huo Jintang with heartache. When he spoke, his breathing was a little abnormal, too rapid.

This mental state and listless eyes are already signs of dehydration.

Sang Ning quickly made him drink some lightly salted water.