After noticing the gazes of those few people, Jiang Pan pulled Chen Yuezhi behind him, letting her hold Jiang Wan, while he drew the wood-chopping knife tucked behind his back, staring at the group with ill intent.
Chen Yuezhi was so scared she didn't dare to breathe, tightly holding Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan, meanwhile, sized up the group, mentally assessing their strength and how she could strike their vital points in the shortest amount of time.
Perhaps it was Jiang Pan's imposing physique and aura that were quite intimidating, as those few people didn't dare to cause trouble. After glancing at them a few times, they headed into the mountains.
After the group had gone far, Chen Yuezhi, with a pale face, clutched her chest and said, "You scared me to death. Husband, are these people planning something bad?"
Jiang Pan's face was grim. "These people managed to escape from Yuzhou and have been through a lot on the road. Their intentions are definitely not pure. We need to warn the village chief and be more wary of them."
Jiang Wan felt her father was very prescient. Seeing Chen Yuezhi so frightened, she extended her chubby little hand and gently patted her back. "Mom, don't be scared. Our village has many people, and Dad and my brothers are so capable. Those people won't be able to bully us. Wan Wan also has strength, and Wan Wan can protect Mom!"
Chen Yuezhi was still uneasy. She held Jiang Wan and instructed, "You little girl, you absolutely cannot run around, understand? Some people, when they turn bad, will eat children."
She had to scare the little girl a bit, otherwise, what if she got bold and ran around everywhere, giving bad people an opportunity?
Jiang Wan rolled her eyes inwardly, but outwardly, she cooperated perfectly with Chen Yuezhi, feigning a scared expression and burying her head into her neck. "Wan Wan won't run around. Don't eat Wan Wan. Wan Wan's meat is bitter and not tasty."
Chen Yuezhi chuckled. Since this little girl had recovered, she had become much more spirited and clever, truly endearing.
The three returned to the group. Jiang Pan went directly to the village chief and voiced his concerns.
That evening, the village chief selected several more people for night duty.
Last night, Da Lang had already stood guard, so their family didn't need to provide anyone tonight.
But Jiang Pan still felt uneasy, so he asked Er Lang to guard by the campfire outside their tent, letting him take the first half of the night and then he would take over for the second half.
Because Jiang Wan's family's tent had excellent insulation, other families in the village began to emulate them.
Families without oilcloth found some quilt covers and patched them together as a makeshift solution, which could block out some of the night's chill.
The father and son took turns guarding all night, but they didn't discover anything unusual.
Those men who were temporarily assigned to night duty were somewhat displeased. They were drowsy during the journey and kept complaining.
"I don't know what the village chief is thinking. Even though so many people were already on guard, they still called us. It's just delaying people's sleep."
The village chief felt a bit embarrassed by the complaints and found Jiang Pan. "Could you be overthinking things? I see those people over there are quite honest. They've been well-behaved all along the way, not like they have bad intentions."
Jiang Pan did not agree. "Village Chief, one must guard against others. We are traveling, and we possess the means of survival that they lack. For this reason alone, we must be extra vigilant."
The village chief had heard too many complaints along the way, and his mindset had changed somewhat. "Da Pan, we are all escapees, and everyone has a difficult time. While vigilance is necessary, don't think too badly of people."
Jiang Wan uttered a soft exclamation and, lying under the cart, said innocently, "Grandpa Village Chief, what if they really want to snatch our water and food? Those people are very fierce and don't look like good people."
She wanted to remind the village chief not to be too naive.
As a result, the village chief became a little displeased. "You child, how can you speak ill of others behind their backs like this? Da Pan, how do you teach your children? Don't they understand the principle of not speaking improperly?"
Jiang Pan quickly feigned a reprimand. "Wan Wan, no talking nonsense!"
Jiang Wan: ...
Alright, she was being too talkative. Unless one personally experiences misfortune, mere words are useless.
However, what happened to others was none of her concern. Her family, however, must not be harmed.
So, that afternoon, when the team stopped to set up camp, Jiang Wan insisted that the whole family go up the mountain.
Jiang Pan was a little confused. "Wan Wan, do you really want to go up the mountain together? Is this... convenient?"
Jiang Wan nodded. "Anyway, no one can see the old immortal, so what's inconvenient? Dad, don't delay. The old immortal said we need to find a water source as soon as possible, or he won't help us anymore."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Pan no longer questioned it. He had Da Lang and the others pack the food and water, entrusted the cart to fellow villagers to watch, and the family set off for the mountain in a grand procession.
The advantage of the water pouch became apparent here; hanging it on one's body made it easy to carry. If it were stored in bamboo tubes, it would be very inconvenient.
After the family entered the mountain, they found that quite a few villagers had also gone into the mountains.
Although they hadn't found anything to eat in the mountains these past few days, everyone was unwilling to give up any possibility, after all, what if they were lucky?
Jiang Wan frowned as she watched so many people entering the mountains.
Jiang Pan asked her, "Wan Wan, what's wrong?"
Jiang Wan pursed her lips. "Dad, all the uncles and elder brothers from the village have gone into the mountains. What if someone takes this opportunity to do something bad?"
The few of them were stunned. Yes, most of the able-bodied men in the village had gone into the mountains, leaving only women and children. If people from another village took the opportunity to steal their belongings, wouldn't the villagers have no way to fight back?
The thought of this possibility made Jiang Pan uneasy. He quickly stopped the villagers heading up the mountain. "Everyone, hurry back. Don't all go into the mountains. You won't find anything in the mountains. Hurry back and guard your own belongings."
Unexpectedly, Jiang Lao Er suddenly appeared. "Oh, Eldest Brother, listen to what you're saying. How come your family can go into the mountains, but we can't? Is this mountain yours? You can go into the mountains to find food, but we can't? Are you afraid that if we find food, it will affect your family's harvest?"
Jiang Pan was so angry he wanted to hit someone. Just as he was about to explain, other villagers actually believed Jiang Lao Er's words.
"Brother Da Pan, this is wrong of you. You can eat meat, but we can't even have a taste of it?"
Those villagers ignored Jiang Pan and went into the mountains on their own.
Jiang Lao Er was very smug. He snorted, crossed his hands behind his back, and walked past Jiang Pan, muttering, "Wicked intentions!"
Da Lang and Er Lang were so angry they rushed over. "Who are you calling names!"
Jiang Lao Er, startled, quickly dodged to the side. "What do you want? Believe it or not, I'll call for help!"
Jiang Pan shouted at his two brothers, "No roughhousing."
Da Lang and Er Lang retreated to the side, but they still glared at Jiang Lao Er resentfully.
Jiang Lao Er snorted provocatively. "Too lazy to bother with you."
After Jiang Lao Er turned and left, Chen Yuezhi asked, "Husband, what should we do? What if those people really harbor ill intentions..."
Jiang Wan quickly said, "Dad, Mom, let's hurry into the mountains. We're out of water at home. If we don't find water soon, we'll all be thirsty tomorrow."
Originally, she had wanted her parents to remind those villagers not to all go up the mountain, but to leave some people to guard the settlement. However, her good intentions were met with ingratitude, which truly made her feel disheartened.
Since that was the case, why should their family bother with such trivial matters?