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

If he remembered correctly, Sanlang married a mentally challenged woman.

Although the woman in front of me looks about 80% like Sanlang's silly wife, judging from her movements when dodging the hidden weapons and the tone of her voice, she is not silly at all.

Could he be an inside agent sent by the enemy?

Chen An's brows were furrowed deeply, and he was on high alert.

When Zhao Yan realized that he had misunderstood her, the corner of her mouth twitched violently.

She quickly took out a wooden plum blossom hairpin that Tian Xiu'e had temporarily given her and handed it over.

"Brother Chen An, you should recognize this hairpin, right? Sister Tian gave it to me. Sister Tian and Jiao Jiao are waiting for you."

Chen An's eyes flashed wildly as he dragged his ailing leg forward and took the plum blossom hairpin from Zhao Yan's hand.

This was a love token he secretly saved up to buy a year before he and Tian Xiue got married.

He thought he would never see him again in this lifetime, but unexpectedly he met him in this deep mountain forest.

Where are they now?

He asked in a trembling voice.

Zhao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sister Tian and the others are in a cave. Sanlang is also there, but he is injured and it is not suitable for him to move right now."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have come alone to look for someone.

Chen An's guard had eased considerably, but he was still somewhat hesitant.

"Are you really Sanlang's wife? You're not, you're not..."

Zhao Yan laughed and explained, "I used to be a bit slow, but I'm all better now. Brother Chen An, you don't think I'm trying to trick you, do you? If I were really trying to trick you, why would I have the hairpin you gave to Sister Tian?"

As she raised her questions, Chen An's doubts gradually dissipated.

Also.

Xiu'e must have been worried that he was suspicious, so she gave the token between the two of them to Sanlang's wife.

Thinking of this, he gave an awkward laugh, "Sister-in-law, I was just overthinking it, don't mind me."

"It's ok."

Zhao Yan shook her head and, seeing that Chen An's left leg was tied with a tree branch for support, said, "Brother Chen An, we're still quite a distance from the cave. Wait a moment, I'll be right back."

After saying that, she went straight into the woods where there were many trees.

She plans to make a simplified version of the stretcher.

Chen An's left leg looked badly injured, and it was impossible for her to carry him back to the cave.

She used a machete to cut several arm-thick branches from the dead tree, tore off some vines, and quickly made a makeshift stretcher.

Not only can people lie down, but it also makes it convenient for Zhao Yan to pull people up.

Zhao Yan dragged the stretcher to Chen An.

“Brother Chen An, sit down, I’ll pull you up.”

She's a fast walker; she might be able to get back before dark.

Chen An blushed slightly, looking rather embarrassed.

"Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law."

"Small things."

Once Chen An was seated on the stretcher, Zhao Yan pulled on the vines and headed back.

She had already cleared a path when she came, so when she went back, she only needed to follow the trail back and she wouldn't go the wrong way.

Along the way, Zhao Yan told Chen An about the current situation, and at the same time, she also learned from Chen An about Yang Sanlang's identity in the army.

It's hard to believe that Yang Sanlang, who keeps a low profile at home, has such a dramatic life.

After Yang Sanlang and Chen An sought refuge with General Dou, they accidentally rescued a man who possessed exceptional martial arts skills. Seeing Yang Sanlang's remarkable talent, the man made an exception and accepted him as his disciple.

Over the past few years, Yang Sanlang has risen through the ranks and is now a lieutenant general in the Northern Army, with Chen An serving under him.

They were sent to pursue the barbarians on General Dou's orders, but unexpectedly, only the two of them remained out of the two hundred men.

Although the barbarians had been wiped out, they were not happy about it.

"You mean the plague in the south has spread to Chenjiagou?"

Chen An was filled with shock.

For more than a year, he had been by Yang Sanlang's side fighting against the barbarians in the north and had not heard about the situation in the south.

If what Zhao Yan said is true, then isn't Chenjiagou in danger?

"Sister-in-law, how come Xiu'e and Jiao Jiao are with you? What happened to my family after I left?"

He was at least performing corvée labor for his elder brother. Even if his mother favored his elder brother, she shouldn't have been so harsh on Xiu'e and her daughter.

Zhao Yan paused for a moment, then finally recounted how Tian Xiu'e and her daughter had been kicked out of their home by her mother-in-law.

"Everyone thought you were gone. Your mother thought that Sister Tian and Jiaojiao were taking up too much of the family's food, so she kicked them out."

"Brother Chen An, I'm not trying to be mean, but your mother's actions are really disheartening. Sister Tian and Jiao Jiao have done their jobs, so why does your mother treat them like that?"

"Let me tell you, Sister Tian may not say it, but she's really angry inside. When you meet her, you absolutely mustn't mention your family members."

Chen An lowered his eyes slightly and responded softly, "Yes, I understand. Thank you for telling me this, sister-in-law."

Unexpectedly, his lowered eyes were bloodshot, and his hands gripping the stretcher were clenched into fists, with the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

His mother... how could she treat Xiu'e and her daughter like this?!

The elder brother didn't try to persuade his mother, leaving Xiu'e and Jiaojiao, two weak women, to fend for themselves!

How could they do this!

At this moment, to hell with brotherhood and fraternity!

If Chen Yong were in front of him, he would beat someone so badly that even their own mother wouldn't recognize them.

On the way, Zhao Yan gave Chen An two pieces of the wild vegetable and fried dough cakes she was carrying.

In order to save time, she didn't stop to rest. She just ate a couple of bites of wild vegetable pancakes and continued on her way.

By the time we returned to the cave, it was already quite dark.

Judging from the firelight peeking out of the cave entrance, Yang Sanlang and the others had not yet gone to bed to rest.

How can anyone sleep like this?

Yang Sanlang, with Zhao Yan on his mind, sat on the straw mat, staring blankly at the fire, enduring the pain in his body.

Across from them, Zhao Yunjie and the other children nearly fell into the fire, which frightened Tian Xiu'e so much that she quickly led the children back to the cave to sleep.

After examining Yang Sanlang, Yuan Yutang gave Yuan Gang some instructions and then went back to the cave to rest.

As people get older, their physical strength declines, and they can no longer stay up late.

After the children had all gone to sleep, Tian Xiu'e lingered back to the fire and sat down in a daze.

Yang Sanlang said to her, "Sister Tian, ​​you should go back and rest first. The mountain valley is quite a distance from here, and I'm afraid they won't be able to come back tonight."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be back tomorrow morning.

Tian Xiu'e shook her head. "No need. I'm not sleepy. Besides, how can I sleep? I won't feel at ease until Yan-meimei comes back."

It was clear that tonight was destined to be a sleepless night for her.

She glanced at Yang Sanlang and said, "Sanlang, you're still injured. You need to rest. Don't worry about these things, just go to sleep."

Just as Yang Sanlang was about to say something, Yuan Gang suddenly shouted coldly into the darkness, "Who's there?"

"Uncle Yuan, it's me."

Zhao Yan's slightly tired voice came from the darkness. Before she could get close, Tian Xiu'e rushed over.

"Yan'er, you're back? How is he? Is he alright?"

Chen An, who was dozing on the stretcher, heard the voice he had been longing for and jumped up from the stretcher with a start.

"Xiu'e, I'm here, I'm here."