CH 44

The Shen family members who walked ahead had no idea about their plans.

They also didn’t know that in the eyes of the people in Shen village, their food had become their possession.

Luckily, they didn’t encounter any further problems in the afternoon. Even if they did come across people, they were very few and posed no threat.

As they hadn’t eaten much for lunch, they planned to stop earlier in the evening.

When the sun started to set a bit, the Shen family found a flat spot to stop.

The people following behind were relieved to see the Shen family finally stop.

Everyone was extremely exhausted after walking under the scorching sun for a whole day.

Lizheng also found a spot not too far from the Shen family to rest, while everyone else found their own places.

However, they all wanted to be close to the Shen family, fearing that they might be forgotten during the distribution of food later.

Although the Shen family was not very happy about it, they knew that the road did not belong to them, so they took a few steps forward to distance themselves.

Zhao Shi glanced back and grumbled unhappily, “Why does it feel like we’re being followed by a bunch of leeches?”

Indeed, they had looked like they wanted to rest around noon, but instead, they followed along like leeches.

But they couldn’t say anything about it, otherwise, the others would retort, “Is this road your private property? Why can’t we walk on it too?”

The Shen family members held their frustration in their stomachs.

Now they actually wished that the others would just make their move if they had any tricks up their sleeves, rather than sticking to them and being a nuisance.

However, there was no time for any tricks now. After walking for a whole day, everyone was starving and felt like their stomachs were sticking to their backs.

As soon as they found a place to rest, they started preparing their meals.

As for asking the Shen family for food, they were right there, so where could they run to?

The Shen family members focused on preparing their own dinner and paid no attention to the others.

Having not eaten anything all day, they didn’t want to deprive themselves of food just because of the presence of the other group.

The greens that they had brought from home were placed in the carriage where Xiao Zhang usually stayed. If Shen Yu’an said they still had more, then they did.

They stir-fried a small serving of greens, sliced some cured meat, and stir-fried it with chili peppers.

The aroma quickly spread and the hungry stomachs began to grumble. The others smelled the delicious scent and their mouths started to water.

They couldn’t believe that anyone would dare to eat meat in such a manner.

This only reinforced their belief that the Shen family must have plenty of food.

“After we get the grain, maybe we can even get two pieces of meat,” they thought happily.

The group didn’t dwell on it for now, and let the family enjoy a peaceful meal.

After dinner, the Shen family noticed that something was off.

If encountering Lizheng earlier today and him rushing up to talk was strange, now it’s even stranger with almost an entire village’s of people coming over.

Regardless of whether it’s the old men and women of the village, or those who have exchanged a few words with Song’s sisters-in-law or Shen Rong’s brothers on normal days, they have all come.

In just a short while, the group was divided into several small clusters, with people pulling and dragging each other.

After finishing the meal, Shen Yu’an sat on the shaft of the cart and talked with Xiao Zhang. At a glance, he felt that their family members seemed to be surrounded by a group of admirers.

“Hey, how have you been these past few days, Auntie?… Not too bad? Oh, I see your third son’s arm is injured. I think it would be better if you stick with our village instead of traveling alone as a family.”

“Grandpa, these past two days I haven’t been able to eat or sleep well, fearing that you all might encounter some accidents while out there by yourselves…”

“I’m telling you…bla bla bla…”

While chatting with  her Second Aunt Zhang, Shen Yu’an divided his attention to listen to what the others were saying.

“This strange happening must have a demon behind it, and this demon may be hidden in all of this,” thought Shen Yu’an.

As she was listening, she heard someone talking to her mother about her, and Shen Yu’an perked up hee ears to listen to what was being said.

“Hey, let me tell you about your daughter. Why is she so stubborn? No matter what, when you are away from home, you cannot forget your roots. You should let your daughter apologize to Lizheng, and then the matter will be resolved, and then you can all come back.”

The woman was originally talking to Song Shi about her innermost thoughts.

But then Song Shi’s expression suddenly turned cold, which made her feel a little uneasy.

Song Shi pushed the woman’s hand away and asked, “So you’re saying that you want us to apologize and go back?”

The faces of the several women surrounding Song looked a bit embarrassed. She didn’t ask them to apologize, but rather she clearly wanted food.

Someone quickly intervened and tried to smooth things over, saying with a smile, “Uh, you know, Wen and his mother aren’t very good at expressing themselves. Don’t get angry with yourself.”

“We weren’t trying to say…” they added.

The person still wanted to give a long speech to convince Song Shi, but she interrupted them directly.

“What’s your point? You also want us to apologize. Why should my daughter apologize? Can you tell me the reason?” she asked.

The person’s lips stuttered for a long time, but they couldn’t come up with a reason.

They just thought that the Shen family would be overjoyed to hear that they could rejoin the team, but they didn’t expect that Song would still look angry.

The situation was not quite what they had expected, and Song Shi’s reaction left them feeling uneasy.

Even the surrounded grandma Shen heard the conversation and became unhappy.

What can they do now? They kicked the people out and yet expected them to apologize and then just dismiss them like that. It’s just wishful thinking.

The Shen family was so angry that they immediately drove them away and refused to listen to anything more they had to say.

The group was also unhappy to be driven away like that, feeling that their good intentions were being treated with disdain.

Many people were driven away, but Wu Cuihua, who had just come to inquire about Song’s well-being, felt guilty about it. Seeing that everyone else had left, she whispered something to Song’s ear.

Song Shi was shocked and wide-eyed. These people were actually still after their family’s food supplies.

After speaking, Wu Cuihua followed the group of people and left together.

After all, their whole family still had to stay in the team, and if people found out that Wu Cuihua had spoken up, they might not have a good life ahead of them.

Hopefully, her warning would help them prepare and be more aware.

Meanwhile, grandpa Shen Xingwang was also surrounded, but not by outsiders. It was his three daughters-in-law and several grandchildren who were surrounding him.

Shen Xingwang’s three sons were absent for some unknown reason.

“Dad, have you been doing okay these past two days? Why don’t you come back with us?” one of his daughters-in-law asked.

“Grandpa, come back with us. Dad and mom were worried about you and even cried secretly last night,” one of his grandchildren added.

Several people surrounded grandpa Shen Xingwang and cried uncontrollably, which deeply moved him.

He thought they came because they realized they had made a mistake by not visiting him for two days.

At that moment, he thought about going back with them. He had seen for himself yesterday how powerful his second brother’s family was, and even if he didn’t follow the village people, he would definitely be safe.

He also thought that this limping old man would only be a burden if he followed his second brother’s family.

He was moved and about to agree to go back with them, but his second son’s wife shattered his illusion with a single sentence.