Armed with a machete and a gun, armed with a system, they fled the famine.

"mother……"

Yang Xiaomi was startled by the sharp voice and squirmed uncomfortably in Zhao Yan's arms.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Zhao Yan patted her daughter's shoulder and pulled her closer to her. When she faced Yang Zhangshi again, her eyes were cold and ruthless.

She didn't say anything, just stared straight at Yang Zhangshi, a faint, cold smile playing on her lips.

Quiet, cold, tense.

Yang Zhangshi felt Zhao Yan's gaze rushing towards her like a snake flicking its tongue, and she immediately fell silent. After a long while, she stammered and scolded, "What are you looking at? Why don't you pack your bags and get out of here?"

After saying that, the chubby man twisted his body and went into the house.

"You shameless hussy, I'd like to see how she manages to live without the Yang family."

Zhao Yan went into the woodshed, put her daughter on the ground, and turned to tidy up the things in the room.

Actually, there is nothing to clean up.

When the original owner married into the family, she was only wearing a patched old dress. Several years have passed, and apart from having a lovely daughter, she has gained nothing else.

However, she was determined to take the new quilt she bought with her; she couldn't let it fall into Yang Zhangshi's hands.

She lifted the old mattress on the wooden bed, immediately revealing the new bedding underneath.

She rolled up the quilt with straw rope and put it into the basket on her back. She looked around the woodshed and reached out her hand to her daughter.

"Xiao Mi, let's go, Mom will take you to live a good life."

Yang Xiaomi didn't know what was going on, but she did whatever her mother said and obediently put her hand in her mother's palm.

"Yes, live a good life."

The two smiled at each other and walked out of the woodshed hand in hand.

Yang Zhangshi saw Zhao Yan carrying a basket on her back and holding the only wood-chopping knife in the house through the window, and she was so angry that she rushed out of the house.

"You wretched hussy! Leave me my woodcutter's knife! And that basket on your back, that belongs to the Yang family too, put it all down!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than there was a "whoosh" followed by a "bang," as something whistled past his cheek.

"Noisy."

Zhao Yan threw the wood-chopping knife in her hand, glanced at the stunned woman, and left the Yang family with her daughter.

She had walked quite a distance before she heard a series of terrified wails coming from the Yang family's courtyard.

"Ah—murder! Murder! Help! Help—"

Yang Zhangshi turned pale, covered her bloodied right cheek, and collapsed limply to the ground.

terrible!

terrible!

It was so close! The wood-chopping knife almost chopped into her neck!

crazy!

Zhao Yan has gone mad!

She's insane!

She howled at the top of her lungs for a long time, successfully rousing the eldest and second eldest sons in the east and west wing rooms.

Even Yang Erlang, who was used to sleeping in late, had to get up to check the situation.

By then, the sky was beginning to lighten. When Yang Erlang saw Yang Zhangshi's bloodied right cheek, he screamed "Ah!" and scurried back into the west wing.

It's Zhao Yan!

It must have been her doing again!

Only a madwoman like her would do something so cruel!

Yang Dalang came out of the east wing and caught a glimpse of Yang Zhangshi's miserable state. He was terrified and went forward.

"Mom, what happened to your face? You're bleeding a lot. Should I call Doctor Hu for you?"

Seeing a doctor costs money, and Yang Zhangshi was unwilling to pay it.

"It's that bitch Zhao Yan. Boss, go ask her for the money. If she won't give it to you, go find Chen Youjin."

Yang Dalang was unwilling and hesitated to move.

"Mother, how could my third sister-in-law have hurt you? Did you not see the threshold and slip? If it's not serious, I'll have Xiaolan take a look at you?"

Chen Lan stood quietly to one side, secretly gloating.

Serves you right, who told you to do such inhuman things every day?

Watching the old hag get her comeuppance was more satisfying than feeding her.

Yang Zhangshi couldn't stand Yang Dalang's pathetic state, so she angrily hit him twice.

"Useless! You can't even do this simple thing right! Get out, get out, and don't let me see you again."

"mother……"

Yang Dalang still wanted to fulfill his filial duty, but Chen Lan forcibly pulled him away.

Wang Feng didn't even show her face before following Yang Erlang back into the house.

Yang Zhangshi was left alone on the ground, hissing and screaming.

……

Zhao Yan carried a basket on her back to the dilapidated house at the end of the village.

Looking at the dilapidated courtyard, she led her daughter slowly inside.

Her bright eyes swept around the small courtyard, and she said to her daughter, "Xiaomi, we'll be living here from now on. Do you like it?"

"Yes, I like it. Wherever my mother is, I will be there."

Yang Xiaomi is not picky about where she lives, as long as her mother is there.

"You're so easy to please."

Zhao Yan happily rubbed her daughter's face a couple of times, then stepped out to check on the situation in each room.

This house has a similar layout to the Yang family's house, with one large main room and two rooms on each of the east and west sides.

The main room is in the middle, with a side room on each side.

There are two rooms on the west side, one is a bedroom for living, and the other is used for storing miscellaneous items.

There are also two rooms on the east side, one is a woodshed, and next to the woodshed is the kitchen.

From the outside, it looks like a house with blue bricks and tiles, but unfortunately, it has been 20 years. The roof tiles are falling off or rotting, and it needs to be repaired before people can live in it.

Fortunately, the walls were fairly sturdy, and there were still three usable bed boards in the bedroom, but nothing else.

Zhao Yan mentally calculated what she needed to buy, then took Yang Xiaomi's hand and headed towards Tian Xiu'e's house.

Tian Xiu'e had gotten up early and was making breakfast with her daughter in the kitchen.

Hearing the knock, she hurried to open the door.

"It's here, wait a moment, the food will be ready soon."

Thanks to Zhao Yan hunting wild game in the mountains, she and her daughter have been eating well during this time and have both gained weight, which is unusual for them.

There were too many things to buy today, so Zhao Yan handed Yang Xiaomi to Tian Xiu'e, put the new quilts in the basket in the main room, and prepared to go to town.

"Eh? Yan'er, you're... giving up?"

Tian Xiu'e frowned as she looked at the new bedding in the main room.

Zhao Yan mustn't do anything foolish.

"No, I took Xiaomi and severed ties with the Yang family."

Zhao Yan was in a good mood and explained with a smile, "I've found a house, it's not far from here. There's nothing in the house, so I need to go to town to buy some necessities."

Tian Xiu'e was overjoyed.

"Ah, good, it's good to break it off. Yang Zhangshi is a terrible person. You and Xiaomi will be better off without her."

"Yeah, I think so too."

But Tian Xiu'e still held onto her, not letting her leave.

"It's still early, let's eat first and then go, there's no rush."

Zhao Yan touched her nose: "...Okay."

There's no need to rush; she's not planning to go up the mountain today.

Breakfast was simple: a bowl of wild vegetable porridge and a dark brown steamed bun.

The black flour buns were made by Tian Xiu'e using the black flour that Zhao Yan bought, and she mixed in several handfuls of fine bran.

Zhao Yan had never eaten steamed buns mixed with bran before, which made her choke. She took a bite of the bun and a sip of wild vegetable porridge, and it took her a full fifteen minutes to finish eating.

"Mother, brother, brother."

Yang Xiaomi tugged at Zhao Yan's clothes, gazing at her expectantly.