Chapter 162: She is Wang Mei Nian (For those who can handle a cry, buy if you can bear it).

Li Shi's nightmare began to unravel that day.

She awoke as usual, but with more difficulty due to prolonged hunger. Gaining clarity, she glanced at her children in the bed, sensing something amiss, then suddenly jolted upright in alarm.

One of the four children sleeping inside was missing!

At dawn, in the densely packed hut area near the county school, people immersed in their various emotional dreams were suddenly jolted awake by a heart-rending cry of despair.

Li Shi, frantic, barged into each hut, calling out tearfully for Tian Ya, with Shen San and a tearful, barely strong enough Shen Jin following her in the search.

Following the soldiers' warning in the east market, this morning revealed an even crueller aspect of life in the hut area.

In the modestly sized Qi Yang County, searching for a three-year-old child, weakened and drowsy from hunger, amidst the densely packed huts and tightly shut homes housing thousands, was no easier than finding a needle in a haystack, especially when the searchers themselves were barely able to walk due to starvation.

With every hut Li Shi passed, the villagers only held their own children tighter, knowing from that moment on, those with children could no longer sleep soundly.

……

In another shelter, the ruckus that had been stirred up since midnight, when she was awakened from her sleep by voices outside, finally subsided as daylight filtered into the cramped space.

Lying amidst the disarray of bedding, Wang Meiniang's hair was tousled, her face as pale as gold paper. If not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, she would have appeared lifeless.

Pain coursed through her body, especially in her waist and abdomen, making it excruciating even to attempt to curl up.

Wang Meiniang knew she wouldn't survive this.

Nor did she want to.

Her eyelids felt heavy, but just as she allowed her consciousness to drift into oblivion, memories of Shen San and the sight of Tian'ya being silenced with a cloth after her cries and struggles flooded back to her.

Tian'ya.

On the day she was sold, everyone in the village, including her own parents and siblings, had only seen the half sack of grain. It wasn't until she was being escorted away that she encountered the Shen siblings, and Shen Jin mustered the courage to call out her name, Wang Meiniang.

She was Wang Meiniang.

That was the last time she was truly Wang Meiniang.

Sweetspun.

Wang Meiniang's chest rose and fell more prominently. She turned her head; Eldest and Third had worn her out during the first and second halves of the night. Now, snoring loudly, they slept soundly. Second guarded the camp, while Fourth was the last to leave her. In a good mood, or perhaps because he took pity on her haggard appearance, he went to fetch firewood, promising to bring back some rice on the side. He had only recently left their makeshift shelter.

She was too honest, and they had treated her too harshly, so they no longer kept such a watchful eye on her.

Wang Meiniang's fingers trembled.

She clenched her fists, suppressing the quivering digits, as if only by doing so could she subdue the fear and shivers that originated from deep within her heart.

Wang Meimei gritted her teeth and slowly sat up. The tattered blanket covering her slipped off, and she crawled a short distance to retrieve an old set of clothes from the corner of the bed. She dressed herself, concealing the bruises mottling her skin.

With bated breath, she stole a glance at the two still sleeping forms, enduring her pain without making a sound. She crept to a corner of the shelter where an upturned basket rested.

Moving aside the basket, Tianya lay sprawled on the ground, her trembling hands frantically removing the cloth that had been forcibly stuffed into her mouth. She cautiously felt for her breath, and after what seemed like an eternity, she managed to stifle her sobs by tightly clasping her hand over her own mouth.

With tears held firmly back, she managed to lift Sweetie into her arms with great effort.

A three-year-old was an immensely heavy burden for a thirteen-year-old girl, especially one who was already in a dire situation.

Yet she couldn't leave Sweet Bud behind.

She had to go too, even if it meant a quiet and swift death.

Li Shi lost her mind.

……

It was only when he heard her wailing that he realized the gravity of the situation, and he began to sob, crouching down to touch his sister but hesitating, weeping like a wounded creature, letting out pitiful cries.

As time passed, her breakdown intensified. She had searched every shack in the vicinity of the county school and began venturing into other areas.

Shen San, with an unclear expression, could only bow his head and follow, listening to Li Shi and Shen Jin repeatedly calling out "Tianya," occasionally joining in the calls.

Li Shi methodically searched through the shacks in the West Market and the alleys.

Shen San's hands trembled slightly, increasingly unable to bear the mental pressure. At a moment of inner turmoil, just as they reached the main road, he saw a man from the East Market area, carrying a bundle of firewood - it was that family's fourth son.

His heart skipped a beat, and then suddenly, all thoughts left his mind.

The streets weren't very crowded. Apart from medical shops and pharmacies, most stores were shut tight. The fourth son from that family naturally noticed Shen San, as well as Li Shi and Shen Jin, a few steps ahead, appearing frantic in their search for someone.

He squinted at Shen Jin.

More injured soldiers were brought down from the city walls; the lightly wounded were treated right at the base of the walls, while those with more serious injuries were taken to the medical center. Several conscripted civilians hurriedly carried three or four wounded soldiers, shouting for people to make way.

It was then that the man with the firewood withdrew his gaze, stepping aside with his burden.

Uncle Xu and another man were also carrying a severely wounded soldier, passing by Li Shi, who was frantically calling for "Tianya."

He couldn't help but turn his head, noticing Shen Jin, tears streaming down her face as she too called for Tianya, and recognized Shen San a step behind her.

The person in front carrying the stretcher was moving fast, and Uncle Xu didn’t slow down either, but a thoughtful look crossed his eyes.

After delivering the wounded to the medical center, he should have immediately returned to his post near the city walls. Instead, upon leaving the medical center, he bit his lip, greeted his fellow civilian conscript, and followed the sounds of Li Shi and Shen Jin into an alley.

Watching the mother and daughter searching each shack, entering each to look for someone, coincidentally, one of the shacks was preparing food, and fortuitously, they were cooking meat in the pot.

Li Shi completely lost her sanity. When she couldn't find any suspicious traces, she saw meat in a clay pot and, in her rage, overturned it with her bare hands.

"Eating meat, eating meat, what meat are you eating now! Ah! What kind of meat!"

The household had several men, none of whom were vegetarians. Their good clay pot was overturned, and a bowl smashed, so they started a scuffle. Li Shi was grabbed by her hair and slapped hard, and Shen Jin, trying to protect his mother, also got involved and injured.

Of course, Shen San, being a man, received the worst beating.

Fortunately, neighbors, having previously seen Li Shi frantically searching for her child, guessed she might have lost her child and showed some pity. Men intervened to help, and the household's women, after hearing about Li Shi's missing child, also restrained their men, bringing an end to the altercation.

After taking a severe beating, Shen San, furious and exasperated, returned to his own shack, no longer wanting to follow Li Shi's frantic search.

His parting words were stern: "You go mad if you want, I'm going back to look after Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie, we can't afford to lose any more."

Uncle Xu clenched his hand by his side.

He stood still at the corner of the wall for a while, his hand clenching and unclenching, thinking of the nearly empty rice bag at home, the unfinished tunnel, the increasingly chaotic situation in the city, and the growing number of casualties from the city walls. Finally, he clenched his fist and turned to leave.

Ah Lang, too, was a clay Bodhisattva, unable to cross others.

……

Since seeing that pot of meat soup, Li Shi seemed to have gone half-mad.

Unfazed by the beating, she sat on the ground in front of the household's shack, staring at the spilled meat and soup on the ground, silently shedding tears.

The woman of the household became anxious and approached her: "Sister, our family runs a butcher shop in Luo's Market. This was some leftover pork we preserved ourselves by salting and drying. It's the last small piece we had, which we cut into pieces and added to a pot of water so our family could eat. It's not what you think. If your family has lost a child, you should continue searching."

Any later, and it might truly be too late.

Seeing Li Shi sitting there, her whole body weakened, trembling slightly, and breathing irregularly, it was clear she was severely hungry. The household couldn't spare any meat soup, as they barely had enough for themselves. However, seeing Li Shi's condition, the woman brought a bowl of water for Shen Jin to help Li Shi drink.

Li Shi, in a dazed state, drank the water without any acknowledgment of thanks and, with Shen Jin, resumed her ghost-like search for Tianya.

Qiyang County, neither too large nor too small, saw Li Shi wandering unconsciously through untraveled paths, gradually veering off course, closer to the city walls.

With a hoarse voice, she called out for Tianya unconsciously. Amidst her calls, she faintly heard someone calling out 'Auntie'.

Li Shi was barely responsive to external sounds, especially since the voice was weak and raspy. However, Shen Jin heard it clearly and turned towards the source.

Even with the person's disheveled hair, Shen Jin instantly recognized her; it was Wang Meiniang.

The extremely disheveled Wang Meiniang stumbled with each step. But soon, Shen Jin's attention wasn't on Wang Meiniang anymore, as he noticed the person she was struggling to carry.

Although it was just a back view, he recognized her; it was his sister.

Shen Jin instinctively called out, "Tianya!"

Li Shi finally snapped back to reality, turned around sharply, and also saw the person in Wang Meiniang's arms.

Mother and son ran towards Wang Meiniang, only to be met with Wang Meiniang's tear-streaked face and grief.

The sight of such a distraught Wang Meiniang and the motionless Tianya filled Li Shi with dread as she approached Wang Meiniang.

She reached out to take her daughter, calling Tianya's name while checking on her.

The child showed no response whatsoever.

Li Shi's hands trembled as she touched Tianya's face, finding it already cold. She checked for breathing and then her pulse. Her whole body gave way, and she sat down on the ground, holding Tianya, weeping silently and then loudly.

Shen Jin stood there, completely stunned.

Wang Meimei watched, her mind numb, suddenly realizing that she might not be far from her own end. Who would weep for her then?

Li Shi cried until her heart felt torn apart, but she knew she needed to ask who had taken her Sweet Bud's life. Gasping for air, she lifted her head and managed to stifle her sobs, looking at Wang Meimei with swollen, tear-filled eyes. "Who did this?"

Shen Jin also wiped away his tears, turning to her.

Wang Meimei opened her mouth, her voice hoarse. "Sweet Bud's father."

She recounted the events, mentioning how Shen San had personally sent Sweet Bud over the previous night. Glancing at Shen Jin one last time, she spoke her final words.

"Be cautious,"

Such a father barely qualifies as human.

……

Madame Wang Mei departed, without mentioning where she was going.

Mrs. Li, embracing her sweet daughter Xiaotian, sat for an indeterminably long time. In a secluded corner near the city walls, a grave appeared — a grave so humble that it dared not even bear the semblance of a raised mound.

Li and Shen Jin could only commit this location to memory with steadfast determination, vowing to provide a proper and secure home for Tianyuer once they had weathered this life-threatening ordeal and emerged from the brutalities of their present world.

All the way back, Mrs. Li didn't make a sound; she just walked silently step by step towards the direction of the county school where they were temporarily staying. It was only when they were close to the county school that she slowly stopped and said in a hoarse voice, "You don't know anything. We didn't find Tianya, and we haven't seen Wang Meishan, understand?"

His expression was numb, with not even a trace of focus in his eyes.

Shen Jin's world had also crumbled; she nodded numbly.

Li finally looked at him and said slowly, "You still don't understand. For you and Little Silver and Little Iron to survive, we can't let him know that we know everything. We mustn't reveal the slightest hint of it, do you understand?"

By keeping her intentions hidden, she was able to deal with Shen San.

Li wept.

Was it her sheer stupidity that she failed to perceive the devil lurking beside her, ultimately sacrificing her own daughter's life?

She recalled Sweetie's kittenish whimpers of hunger last night, how desperately hungry she had been. Yet she hadn't dared let her eat another piece of clay cake, asking her instead to endure for the sake of survival.

Who could have anticipated that, instead of perishing from hunger and scarcity, she would ultimately fall victim to the hands of her own father? At that time, Sweetie must have been terrified.

Tears surged once more; she didn't bother to wipe them away, allowing them to flow freely as she led Chen Jin on towards their makeshift home.