Chapter 4: Reason with the Gun in My Hand
No need to panic.

However, the thought of having endless supplies at her disposal did bring her some comfort.

If her maternal grandfather’s family weren’t wicked or greedy, she wouldn’t mind following them to flee the famine.

But if they were money-grubbing and saw her as a burden, she definitely wouldn’t go with them.

Even though she was only five years old now, she possessed a mature soul.

She could easily find an abandoned village and live alone for ten years without any problem.

Ten years later, she’d be fifteen, and by then she’d be considered an adult, making it easier to do whatever she wanted.

The reason she wanted to find her grandfather was simply because humans are social creatures, and she hoped to find a bit of warmth in this unfamiliar dynasty.

Lost in these thoughts, Jiang Qingzhu didn’t notice the driver, who had his back to her, constantly glancing at the bundle beside her.

After leaving the county town, the mule cart traveled for about half an hour, trotting and running, until they reached a desolate wilderness.

“Whoa!”

The mule cart came to a halt.

Jiang Qingzhu looked around but saw no village. She asked, “Uncle, have we arrived?”

“Hehe, arrived? Arrived where? Hand it over!” The driver jumped off the cart and reached out to snatch Jiang Qingzhu’s bundle.

“A little girl like you dares to travel so far alone? You’ve got guts. Don’t blame me for what I’m about to do. It’s your fault for being alone and carrying silver with you. The world’s in chaos!”

As he rummaged through Jiang Qingzhu’s bundle, the driver cursed, only to find a few tattered clothes inside—no silver at all.

“Damn it, where did you hide the silver? Hand it over now, and I might spare your life! Otherwise… hehehe…” As he spoke, the driver pulled out a knife from his person.

Jiang Qingzhu remained completely calm, still sitting cross-legged on the cart, and asked with a smile, “Uncle, are you planning to silence me?”

“Cut the nonsense! Hand over the silver!”

“You’ve done this kind of thing a lot, haven’t you?”

“None of your damn business! Hurry up and give me the silver, or don’t blame me for being rough with you!”

“Since you won’t listen to reason, then talk to this thing in my hand.”

As Jiang Qingzhu spoke, a pistol suddenly appeared in her hand.

The black muzzle pointed straight at the driver’s chest.

Bang—

Jiang Mingshan, who was running along the road, was startled by the sudden “thunder.”

“Dry day thunder isn’t a good omen!” he muttered, quickening his pace.

Not long after, he came across a mule cart pulled by a scrawny mule.

How envious he was! If only his family had a mule too.

That would make fleeing the famine much less of a hardship!

Huh? The one driving the cart was actually a little girl!

Whose family was she from? How dare they let a girl drive a mule cart alone?

As he passed by the mule cart, Jiang Mingshan’s envious gaze turned suspicious.

Frowning, he looked back. That chubby little girl looked somewhat familiar.

Jiang Mingshan tentatively called out, “Chubby?”

Jiang Qingzhu turned her head abruptly and looked at the tall, burly man wearing a coarse brown shirt.

Hmm? He looked familiar!

A broad face, single eyelids, a fleshy nose—ah!

He looked a bit like her.

Could it be?

“Uncle?” Jiang Qingzhu tentatively called out.

Jiang Mingshan grinned widely and ran toward the mule cart. He lifted Jiang Qingzhu under her arms and hoisted her high. “Oh, my niece! How did you get here? How—”

“Are you alone? Why didn’t Zhu Mansion send someone to accompany you? It’s so chaotic outside now—how dare they let you come out by yourself! You know how to drive a mule cart? You’re far too bold!”

Jiang Mingshan enthusiastically lifted Jiang Qingzhu high, leaving her somewhat flustered.

“Uncle, put me down first. You’re asking me so many questions all at once—which one should I answer first!”

Once Jiang Qingzhu was standing on the cart again, she looked Jiang Mingshan in the eye and asked, “Uncle, where are you going?”

“Your grandfather gave me some money to buy some grain in town. Then I was going to the county to see you.” At this point, Jiang Mingshan hurriedly took a string of coins from his basket.

“We’re going to flee the famine, and we don’t know if we’ll ever come back. Your grandfather told me to give you this string of coins.”

“You’re fleeing the famine? Where are you going? Uncle, look over there—what’s that? Wow, such a big bird!” Jiang Qingzhu suddenly pointed behind Jiang Mingshan and exclaimed repeatedly.

Jiang Mingshan, unsuspecting, turned to look. Under the blue sky and white clouds, there was nothing. “I don’t see any bird!”

Of course, Jiang Qingzhu knew there was no bird. She had deliberately made Jiang Mingshan look that way so she could take advantage of the moment he turned his head to quickly pull half a gunny sack of rice from her space and toss it onto the cart.

Given her eldest uncle’s enthusiasm toward her, even if this half sack of rice ended up wasted, it would be worth it.

“Oh! You looked too slowly—the bird flew away!” Jiang Qingzhu’s tone was full of regret that he hadn’t seen it.

Then she added, “Uncle, I brought half a sack of grain when I came out. You don’t need to go to town to buy grain.”

“Ah! You brought food?” Jiang Mingshan said, looking toward the cart.

Sure enough, there was a gunny sack on the cart.

He scratched the back of his head in confusion and muttered to himself, “There was clearly nothing on the cart just now. Could I have been seeing things?”

“Uncle, what are you saying?” Jiang Qingzhu asked, pretending to be curious.

“Heh, nothing. Did your grandmother tell you to bring the grain?”

“Uncle, it’s a long story. First, take me home. I’ll explain everything in detail to everyone once we’re there.”

With that, Jiang Qingzhu shoved the whip and reins into Jiang Mingshan’s hands. “Uncle, you drive!”

“Heh, I’ll take you back right away.”

With Jiang Mingshan driving, Jiang Qingzhu had some leisure.

Chatting along the way, by the time they reached the doorstep, she had already learned all about her grandfather’s household situation.

Her grandfather was named Jiang Fengshou. He used to be the village butcher, but in the past two years, with every household struggling to eat, who could afford to raise pigs?

So he had lost his job.

Her grandmother had passed away a few years earlier.

Her eldest uncle was Jiang Mingshan, and her eldest aunt was Song Qiaolian. They had a three-year-old son named Jiang Changping. Her eldest aunt was now eight months pregnant.

Her second uncle was Jiang Mingshui, and her second aunt was Li Hongju. Their son had just turned one year old. His name was Jiang Changsheng.

Jiang Mingye was her third uncle, a sixteen-year-old bachelor.