Chapter 016: The Suspicious Carriage​​

The payments came in one by one, tຊຊ and the final amount was slightly higher than calculated. Given the enormous quantity, the pricing was fixed at one hundred yuan per jin for the durians.

The durians grown near Sunset Forest were larger than average, typically weighing six or seven jin or more. With their thin rinds and thick flesh, the actual fruit yield was even higher.

Due to the large shipment quantity, Qin Qing deliberately waited two days before gradually sending out the durians customers had ordered.

While shipping the durians, she also sent Wei Xiaoshuang a 888-yuan red packet.

Wei Xiaoshuang: ? So much? Did you accidentally add an extra 8?

Qin Qing: No mistake. Consider it payment for hiring you as my assistant. If there’s extra profit later, I’ll send you more red packets.

Wei Xiaoshuang: [Thanks boss.gif]

Wei Xiaoshuang: [Boss is so generous.gif]

Wei Xiaoshuang: [Super happy.gif]

After chatting with Wei Xiaoshuang, Qin Qing opened an online shopping page and purchased two thousand jin of sweet potatoes in one go. The price remained eighty cents per jin, totaling sixteen hundred yuan for two thousand jin—merely a fraction of the profits from the durian business.

This covered not just the durians, but even recouped the cost of the twenty-four thousand packs of instant noodles she’d bought earlier.

She reopened the procurement platform and bumped up her earlier post, hoping to attract more attention.

At noon, she hung the "Closed" sign at her door again and headed to the Dimensional Supermarket.

Durians on trees have an optimal harvest window. With durian sales booming these days, it was the perfect chance to pick more.

With that thought, she accessed the vending machine’s backend and changed the durian purchase price from one yuan to three yuan per jin, effective for ten days.

Exiting the supermarket, she walked over to where Yu Niang and the others were building houses.

The construction site was to the right of the supermarket, where a large open space allowed clear visibility even from a distance. From afar, she could already see the wooden structure with its newly completed roof.

The group was currently clearing the area around the house, preparing to weed a large patch of overgrown land nearby.

The sunlight was strong and the weather quite hot today. Her gaze swept the area and landed on an elderly man weaving bamboo baskets in the shade. After recalling his name, she approached. "Elder Lin."

Lin Ze instinctively looked up at the sound. Recognizing her, he immediately stood. "Greetings, Immortal."

"No need for formalities. I have a question," Qin Qing said. "Wang Wu and his group left several days ago. By your estimate, should they be returning around now?"

"This..." Lin Ze pondered briefly. "When we came, the elderly, weak, women, and children were left in Mingnan City. Able-bodied men walking day and night could make the round trip in ten days or so. But with elderly and children... it would likely take at least fifteen days. May I ask where exactly you sent Wang Wu and the others, Immortal?"

Qin Qing had returned directly to the supermarket after transporting them and hadn’t explained clearly.

Now questioned, she thought for a moment. "I’m not sure of the location, but Wang Wu said it was near Xitian Town, almost to the town itself."

"Xitian Town?!" Lin Ze stared at Qin Qing in shock. "But I recall your journey that day took only one and a half double-hours?"

"Mmm, my three-wheeled vehicle is fast," Qin Qing replied calmly. "Elder Lin, based on that, where would Wang Wu’s group likely be now?"

"If they reached Xitian Town earlier, they should have walked back to it by now," Lin Ze quickly answered, bowing. "The Immortal’s divine power is extraordinary, surpassing even a thousand-li horse."

"It’s really not that fast," Qin Qing chuckled, checking the time. "I’ll wait one more day then. I’ll go pick them up tomorrow. Otherwise, a round trip would take three hours—no, one and a half double-hours—and time wouldn’t permit it."

"The Immortal speaks wisely," Lin Ze immediately agreed. Though he didn’t understand her mention of "hours," he trusted her reasoning.

...

"Mother, have some water." Wang Wu held a waterskin to his mother’s lips. "Let’s rest a while."

"Don’t worry, I’m just tired from walking," the elderly woman took a sip and sat on a roadside stone. "At our pace, we’ll reach Sunset Forest in three or four days. Ah Wu, check nearby for water and refill our supply."

"There’s a stream ahead. We’ll fetch water there," Wang Wu withdrew the waterskin and drank some himself.

Everyone needed rest, and the larger stones were already occupied. Wang Wu walked a bit farther and sat on a smaller rock, scanning the surroundings.

"Does this place look familiar?" Zhou Ding walked over, meeting Wang Wu’s eyes.

Wang Wu raised a finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture.

Zhou Ding sat beside him. "I know. I wouldn’t casually reveal the Immortal’s secrets. I haven’t even told my wife."

"Back in Xitian Town... did you notice?" Wang Wu whispered.

"Noticed," Zhou Ding nodded. "Probably the same group we encountered that day."

"Mn. Though the Immortal possesses great powers, being harassed would still be troublesome. We shelter under her protection—we must never betray her," Wang Wu spoke softly. He glanced at the resting group nearby, then scanned the landscape again, unable to suppress his awe. "That day, we reached this place in just one and a half double-hours. Even now, it feels like a dream."

"You feel it too?" Zhou Ding pinched his own cheek. "Doesn’t hurt."

Wang Wu turned and pinched Zhou Ding’s face hard.

"Ow—hey!"

"Hurts now, doesn’t it?"

"Couldn’t you pinch yourself?" Zhou Ding shot him a look. He placed his bundle in front of him, pulled out some sun-dried sweet potatoes, and handed half to Wang Wu. "I don’t actually think it’s a dream. Otherwise, where would these sweet potatoes come from?"

"Do you think the sweet potato yield is really that high?" Wang Wu gnawed on his share.

"The Immortal said so—how could it be false? Who are we that she’d need to deceive us? Rest first. I’ll distribute these to the others."

Zhou Ding stood and gave everyone a piece of sweet potato.

These weren’t a full meal, just one day’s ration. Besides the sweet potatoes, they had dry provisions bought earlier in Mingnan City. Though food was scarce, it was still more than what they’d had when first heading south.

Back then, they’d hoarded meager monthly rations, reluctant to eat them. They foraged for wild vegetables when possible, or resorted to tree bark when none were found.

Who could’ve imagined they’d end up in Sunset Forest, where even the wild vegetables were inedible?

Their southward journey then wasn’t like this direct path. They’d wandered while searching for habitable places, sometimes backtracking. A journey of a few days stretched to over twenty. Had they not met the Immortal, they’d have surely perished in Sunset Forest.

"Do you have any rations left? If not, I can spare some."

"I do. Besides these, we bought plenty of dry provisions. Enough for all of us," Zhou Ding insisted, pressing a sweet potato into his brother Zhou Qi’s hands. "You’re weak. You need to eat more."

"My health’s fine." Zhou Qi accepted the food but didn’t eat it immediately. Instead, he carefully wrapped it in oiled paper and placed it in his bundle.

"If Wang Wu and I hadn’t arrived in time, you’d have starved to death," Zhou Ding frowned. "Don’t you realize how much harder it’d be for Mother and the others if you died?"

Zhou Qi hadn’t stayed in Mingnan City because he was weak, but to care for the elderly and children left behind. After the others headed south, he’d taken on manual labor to earn money. But conditions in Mingnan were harsh—his daily wages barely covered one adult’s meager rations.

To save food for his family, Zhou Qi had starved himself.

When Zhou Ding and Wang Wu reached Mingnan, Zhou Qi had already collapsed from hunger. A bowl of gruel revived him, but his weakened body couldn’t recover quickly.

"I know, I know. I’ll eat it. I’m just not hungry now," Zhou Qi took out rock-hard dry provisions from his bundle and nibbled at them slowly. "Come to me if you run short of food."

Zhou Ding looked at him but only sighed, saying nothing more.

Zhou Qi’s willingness to share his rations didn’t mean others fared better. One adult’s ration fed several people—their collective state spoke volumes.

Zhou Ding and Wang Wu had packed extra provisions for their rescue mission. Thanks to the Immortal transporting them the first day, they’d saved significant rations. Yet the group they met in Mingnan were as emaciated as Zhou Qi had been. They’d hastily cooked a large pot of dry provisions and sweet potato porridge, letting everyone eat their fill before reviving.

During these days walking toward Sunset Forest, Zhou Ding distributed rations daily. But many only ate half, hiding the rest in their bundles, terrified of future shortages.

They’d all been scarred by hunger.

Zhou Ding, too, bore that fear. But his confidence in their destination allowed him to eat his fill. Others, unaware, naturally held back.

He returned to sit by Wang Wu. After resting, they rose to continue toward Sunset Forest.

Soon. In a few more days, they’d reach Sunset Forest. There, they’d eat together without this constant dread.

After just a few steps, hoofbeats approached from afar.

The group hastily cleared the road.

"Hyah—Whoa—!"

The galloping horses halted. The leader held a portrait, scrutinizing the crowd.

Wang Wu and Zhou Ding stood protectively beside their families, glancing briefly at the portrait before lowering their heads.

"Have you seen any suspicious carriages?"

The group shook their heads repeatedly. "None, sir."

The mounted man studied them longer, ordering everyone to lift their heads for comparison with the portrait.

Wang Wu and Zhou Ding exchanged a tense glance, tຊຊ only relaxing when the man waved them onward.

"A suspicious carriage? What makes a carriage suspicious?"

"Who knows? Maybe one pulled by mules?"

"Hah! Should call it a 'mule-cart' then!"

"Just saying 'suspicious' makes it impossible to identify! Unless they write 'SUSPICIOUS' on the carriage itself. Searching like this, they’ll never find it