Chapter 165 - Following the Heart

As Uncle Xu changed and left, Shen Jin also followed Xu Wenhong into the main house. He stood there, staring blankly at the entrance to the secret tunnel within.

Tunnels—this was something he knew all too well. He had dug his fair share of them, but with people and makeshift shelters everywhere in this county, he hadn't had the chance to dig any here.

Recalling the city walls he had seen on their way back, Shen Jin held his breath.

When he was brought back by the Xu family, he knew that he and Little Silver and Little Iron were temporarily safe. But now, seeing this tunnel, he realized that they might not only be safe, but also have a chance to leave the county.

He looked at the tunnel entrance with excitement, while Xu Wenhong, who had led him in, observed him curiously.

Skinny, very skinny, with sunken cheeks and swollen eyes like peaches, he seemed to have cried bitterly. A small child, probably three or four years younger than Xu Wenhong, he carried a small bundle on his back and held a kitchen knife in his hand. Despite his red, swollen eyes that could barely stay open, they still shone with anticipation as he gazed at the tunnel entrance.

This appearance piqued Xu Wenhong's curiosity. He wondered who this child was and how his father had simply led him here, but since he seemed trustworthy, Xu Wenhong whispered a warning, "Don't make a commotion, and don't speak loudly in this room."

Shen Jin's suspicions were further confirmed, and he nodded eagerly.

At that moment, Shopkeeper Xu and Wei Lingzhen entered with three shallow bowls of salted sugar water. Placing one on the table, they called for Shen Jin and Xu Wenhong to assist them.

Jin Shen hurriedly rushed over, only realizing upon reaching that he was still clutching the kitchen knife in his hand. He quickly glanced at Shopkeeper Xu and his wife before carefully putting it down on a side.

Yin Shen was still conscious, albeit weak. After being shaken awake, he was given saltwater and sugar to drink. Though feeble, he managed to cooperate, starting with small sips that gradually turned into more urgent gulps.

Tie Shen, on the other hand, was in a terrible state and difficult to rouse. However, Jin Shen had already force-fed him soybean water the previous night, so with Wei Lingzhen's help, the feeding process went relatively smoothly. Apart from the first five or six spoonfuls that couldn't be swallowed and instead spilled, Jin Shen held the bowl beneath Tie Shen's chin, heart aching as he caught the leakage.

Fortunately, after those initial few spoons, Tie Shen began to taste the liquid and, driven by his instinct to survive, started swallowing subconsciously.

Wei Lingzhen felt a pang of sorrow just watching this scene. She could now understand why her husband would bring back these three tiny children in such a perilous situation. Without them, they wouldn't have survived. The youngest, she feared, might not have woken up again if left behind.

Contemplating the state of the world and recalling her children in seclusion within the mountains, her parents in the Wang residence of Xizhou, and their family's predicament, a twinge of bitterness prickled at the tip of her nose.

Xu Wenqing, sensing something amiss from the sounds outside, and noticing that his younger brother had been absent for quite some time after going out to fetch soil, emerged curiously to discover that their household had unexpectedly gained three new additions – children, no less.

With a hint of confusion, he approached and asked, "Father, Mother, what is this?"

Proprietor Xu continued to feed Shen Yin the salted sugar water, saying, "Your Elder Brother Shen Lie has a few cousins, Little Jin, Little Yin, and Little Tie."

Fearful of causing further distress to the three Shěn brothers over the mention of their parents and youngest sibling, Tīngyā, he prudently refrained from broaching the subject again.

Upon hearing that it was Shen Lie's younger cousin, Xu Wenqing immediately understood the situation.

Given that he had entrusted his second brother and their father to send letters back home, the Shen family was well aware of Shen Lie and Sang Luo. They even knew that Shen Lie had twin siblings named Shen An and Shen Ning.

Observing the children's poor condition, he greeted the relatively conscious Shen Jin and introduced himself before emptying the soil next door and resuming the tunnel excavation. He couldn't afford any delay in this matter.

After feeding a small bowl of saltwater to both children, Shen Yin's condition visibly improved; he could at least open his eyes slightly. For Shen Tie, being able to swallow was a good sign.

Looking at his own shallow bowl of saltwater, Shen Jin hesitated to drink it, wanting to give some to Shen Tie instead. Wei Lingzhen stopped him, saying, "There's still sugar left; you can have it again a few times. You're not much better off, drink it. We can't afford for all three of us to collapse; we might not be able to take care of everyone then."

These words put an end to Shen Jin's thoughts. Yes, he couldn't afford to fall ill too. Uncle Xu's family was kind-hearted and had saved them out of respect for his elder brother. He couldn't become an even greater burden to the Xu family.

Nodding, Shen Jin didn't argue. He cherished every drop as he slowly drank the saltwater from the bowl.

Once finished, he didn't want to give the bowl to Wei Lingzhen to rinse, asking, "Aunt Xu, can we add more water to this bowl and stir it? We'll drink it later."

The tension in his movements showed how deeply he had been frightened by hunger.

Wei Lingzhen nodded. "Alright, I'll bring a jar of water. If you need more, pour it into your bowl yourself."

Shen Jin thanked her repeatedly. Seeing Xu Wenhong enter the tunnel, he didn't dare to just stand idly either and wanted to help. However, Shopkeeper Xu held him back, saying, "Rest here for now and keep an eye on your brother's condition."

With such a weak frame, any more exertion would only do him harm.

...

As Wei Lingzhen went out to fetch the water jar, the couple went to the kitchen together. It was only now that Shopkeeper Xu had the chance to briefly tell his wife about the Shen family's third branch.

He had couched his words carefully, but after understanding what Shen San had done, Wei Lingzhen couldn't help feeling nauseous. Glancing towards the main house, she asked her husband, "What about those children?"

Shopkeeper Xu knew what she was worried about – that the children might inherit their father Shen San's character. "They're good kids. Uncle Xu often visits that village and has secretly observed them, as well as interacted with them frequently. He can judge their characters. Besides, if they were bad, with the relationship between the Shen family's first and third branches, Shen Lie wouldn't have bothered to ask me to take care of them."

Speaking of which, he briefly explained the relationship between the two branches of the Shen family. After listening, Wei Lingzhen said, "The people from the Shen family's main branch seem to have kind hearts. They haven't taken out their anger on these children."

However, considering Shen Lie's age, it made sense. Having raised them since they were young, the younger two seemed dazed and hard to read, while the older one, from their brief interaction, appeared decent. His physical condition might not be much better, yet he was thinking of saving the sweetened water for his brother. Just arriving here, he must have felt uneasy and sought work to do.

Wei Lingzhen asked, "The children will be with us tonight, right? What about after that?"

Qiyang County was now surrounded, and Xizhou, even closer to the north, was naturally out of the question. The family had nowhere to go.

Shopkeeper Xu pondered, then sighed, saying, "Let's take them along for now. We'll leave under the cover of night. This exit is far from the city gates, and there's a forest outside. Before we leave, we should assess the situation outside. We'll hide in the shelter Shen Lie dug for us. I've stored plenty of food and salt there. Depending on the circumstances, we might need to stay hidden for a while or find an opportunity to carry some supplies into the mountains."

From the moment he bent down to lift up Shen Yin in the shed, Shopkeeper Xu knew that the road ahead would be even more challenging.

The two children were so hungry; they needed careful attention, and for the next few days, they might have to be carried. If they hid in the shelter, it might work, but if they had to rush into the mountains, the extra children would mean less food they could bring, potentially forcing them to risk returning to the shelter for more.

Yet, they still had to be saved.

He told Wei Lingzhen, "Our mother, Wenbo, Wenying, as well as Yunzheng and Qinghe, have relied on the protection of the Shen and Chen families to survive in the mountains and evade this calamity. Shen Lie entrusted me with the care of four children, but now there are only three left. If I abandon them, I doubt they'd survive three more days."

He held his wife's hand and said, "Lingzhen, saving them means our journey ahead will be harder, but with the shelter and stored food, we should still be safe. If we don't help, our path might be smoother, but if we encounter others in need and ignore them, I fear my conscience won't rest easy."

"Moreover, it's selfish to say, but we have nowhere else to go. The shelter can offer temporary refuge, but it's too close to the county seat for long-term safety. My original plan was to hide in the cave where Shen Lie and I exchanged messages. It's relatively concealed. If Shen Lie or Chen Dashan comes to check for letters, encountering them would be the safest option for us."

Taking these children along would also repay some of Shen Lie's kindness.

Despite knowing that, given their current relationship with the Shen and Chen families, they would have nowhere to turn in such circumstances, and since they had already retreated to a shelter, the food they had sent in would be enough even if he brought his wife and children along. Besides, the shelter was no stranger to hiding provisions. Even if those few children were not saved, Shen Lie and Chen Dashan would likely agree to take them in.

Still, it was different. His conscience wouldn't let him rest easy, and for the rest of his life, he probably wouldn't dare to mention to Shen Lie that he had known of the children's plight but had chosen not to help.

Wei Lingzhen, who had been married to him for sixteen years, knew her husband well. She smiled, "I have no objections. You've got a plan for the journey ahead, and you won't put our family in too much danger just to save these children. That's good enough."

Relieved by his wife's understanding, Shopkeeper Xu said, "Alright, I'll go dig the tunnel then. Keep an eye on those three kids, especially their meals. Give them some salted sugar water later."

Wei Lingzhen nodded, "Don't worry, I've got it covered."

...

While the old Xu residence was hurriedly digging a tunnel, Uncle Xu had arrived at the city gate. He discreetly found the soldier in charge and pressed a heavy gold bracelet into his hand.

The soldier looked down, his eyelids twitching at the sight.

A gold bracelet.

He turned to Uncle Xu, "What do you want from me?"

Uncle Xu rubbed his aching back and described the Shen family's third branch as distant relatives. He narrated the tragic deaths of the couple and expressed his desire for the manager's assistance in sending two people to retrieve the corpses for cremation.

The manager looked at him closely and said, "Isn't this what you usually do? You could just quietly find someone to help you and get it done. Why bother spending the money to have me arrange it?"

Uncle Xu sighed, massaging his back, "I'm getting on in years, and these past few days have been too much for me. Retrieving the bodies is one thing, but mainly, my back pain is unbearable. I'm afraid I wouldn't be agile enough to carry the corpses up the city walls, and that might lead to..."

He gave a ingratiating smile, "So, I was hoping to ask for your favor, allowing me to rest for two days, would that be possible?"

The manager understood immediately. Whether Uncle Xu's back pain was genuine or not was uncertain, but the fear of being accidentally sliced by a sword or arrow on the city walls was real.

He weighed the gold bracelet in his hand and tucked it away. "Alright, just two days."

Turning around, he instructed someone to retrieve the bodies and asked Uncle Xu to inform them about the location of the makeshift shelter.

The two men summoned were familiar to Uncle Xu, both having helped with carrying the wounded and deceased before. He thanked the manager and began conversing with the laborers.

...

"Only collecting the female corpse?"

Uncle Xu nodded, pulled out two strings of copper coins he had brought from home when changing clothes, and stuffed one to each of them. He then handed over a piece of cloth and said, "Hard work for the two of you, lads. Just collect the female corpse, burn her, and gather her ashes for me. You can leave them at the corner of the alley in a bit."

One of the laborers, who had worked alongside Uncle Xu for several days and was thus somewhat familiar with him, found it odd. "Isn't she your relative? Why not collect the other one?"

The supervisor hadn't spared them, common laborers, when he spoke just now. In fact, they usually only collected the corpses of those who had died in battle on the city walls. It wasn't their job to attend to the deaths in the shantytowns within the city.

Upon hearing the word "relative," a mocking expression flashed across Uncle Xu's face. "That's a beast that devours humans, one who wouldn't even spare his own daughter. I can't afford to have such a relative."

Upon hearing this, both laborers' pupils constricted.

In the city, there were those who were so desperate and frenzied that they would devour anything, though no one knew exactly who they were. But with the siege lasting so long, the occasional scent of meat wafting from the shantytown was enough to tell that they weren't fools.

Aside from the one who was flayed by the general last time, this was the first time they had such clear knowledge about specific individuals who had sunk to such depths. It allowed them to grasp Uncle Xu's meaning.

The two laborers were upright men; otherwise, they wouldn't willingly risk their lives entering and exiting the city walls just for a loaf of bread.

They held people like Shen San in utter contempt.

If one chose to behave like an animal rather than a human, then they deserved to be treated as such, even in death.

In the shantytown, everyone knew what would happen to a body left unclaimed.

"Alright, I'll wait."

Uncle Xu mentioned the few unsavory characters on the other side, asking to be cautious during the cremation in case anyone followed them. He admitted, "I saved a few kids, and I'm afraid they might become targets for flesh-eaters. To be honest, I didn't even dare to work today."

His acquaintance reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out. When we carry a few more wounded soldiers, people will know we work on the city walls. Once the bodies are burned, they won't bother us anymore. When no one's tailing us, I'll bring your things over."