Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1 - 00: Scramble for Food [Famine Escape Story]

"Gu Xiaoyu, stop right there!" Niu Dazhuang, wielding a thick stick, surrounded Gu Xiaoyu with his brothers and pointed at the sweet potato in her arms, "Hand over the sweet potato."

Gu Xiaoyu clutched the sweet potato tightly and stared at the five Niu Family brothers who encircled her, "No, I worked for this sweet potato. It's not yours."

Great Chu's Northwest had suffered a drought for two years without a harvest, even drinking water was a difficulty. The people had no choice but to flee from famine, and Gu Xiaoyu's family was among these refugees.

This sweet potato was her reward for carrying Lin Houde's Family's child while traveling all day long, and it was meant for her younger brother, Brother Cheng, to eat.

The Niu Family brothers were notorious troublemakers who had robbed many people of their food on the road. Seeing her refusal, Niu Dazhuang's eyes glinted with viciousness and he growled, "You won't give it? Brothers, snatch it from her!"

Though Gu Xiaoyu was only ten, she had grown tough on the road. Seeing the Niu brothers coming to take her food, she bit at the hand Niu Erzhuang extended and pushed away Niu Xiaozhuang who came close, clutching the sweet potato and taking off running.

When Niu Dazhuang saw Gu Xiaoyu dare to run, his rage was fully ignited. As he was about to catch up to Gu Xiaoyu, he swung his stick towards her.

Bang!

Gu Xiaoyu was struck at the back of her head, blood flowed out, her vision darkened, and she collapsed, motionless.

Niu Dazhuang said with a smirk, "That'll teach you to run, you're courting death."

He pried Gu Xiaoyu's hands open, snatched the sweet potato, and finished it in a few bites, almost choking on it.

The rest of the Niu brothers caught up and, seeing the sweet potato was gone, didn't dare to hit Niu Dazhuang. They vented their anger by viciously kicking the fallen Gu Xiaoyu, "You're bad luck, a jinx. Still dare to run, we'll beat you to death."

After venting their frustration, the five brothers strutted off, leaving Gu Xiaoyu alone, unconscious on the ground.

As evening approached, a large number of refugees stopped their journey, searching for something to eat with their emaciated bodies at the foot of the mountain. Seeing Gu Xiaoyu unconscious on the ground, they glanced once and turned away, continuing their search for food.

After more than three months of famine escape and frequent deaths along the way, the refugees had grown numb to such sights.

Some people from Gu Family Village were nearby scrounging for food, and upon seeing Gu Xiaoyu injured, they hurried to inform her mother, Mrs. Cui.

Mrs. Cui, with her eldest daughter Gu Jinxiu, quickly came and carried Gu Xiaoyu back to their resting place at the foot of the mountain.

Gu Xiaoyu was seriously injured. After being carried back, she remained unconscious, and Gu Dashan had no choice but to seek help from Granny Gu for food to save her.

"A worthless brat, you still expect this old lady to provide food and call a doctor to heal her? What's to heal? With people dying every day, what's the point? If she dies, just dig a hole and bury her. That's already more than she deserves."

Granny Gu pointed at the kneeling Gu Dashan and berated him, "How dare you have the face to ask me for food? And that wretched girl, utterly heartless! Got some food and never thought about taking care of her own grandparents, only caring for Brother Cheng. Such a sweet potato, how could a child less than four years old swallow it? Not worried about choking him to death?"

Gu Dashan, berated, stooped and bowed his head, but had no choice but to continue pleading with Granny Gu, "Mother, please, have mercy, give your son half a bowl of food, just half a bowl, Xiaoyu really can't hold on much longer."

Xiao Yu had sustained a head injury and remained unconscious; if a doctor wasn't called soon, Xiao Yu might never wake up again.

"Half a bowl of food!" Granny Gu slapped her thigh and wailed, "Listen, everyone listen, does this sound reasonable? Asking me for half a bowl of food during such times? That would be asking for the death of the entire Old Gu Family."

The people of Gu Family Village were fleeing the famine together, and that evening they were gathered to spend the night. Hearing Granny Gu's words, no one spoke up, pretending not to hear, each family busy with making a fire to dry their rations.

Granny Gu's twisted mouth curled upwards; she knew that no one would chastise her for thwarting her eldest son's family, especially during this escape. When life itself was at stake, who would bother with the troubles of another's family?

Granny Gu's youngest daughter said with a sarcastic tone, "Isn't that the truth? Now grain is worth its weight in gold. If we give you half a bowl, what does our whole family eat? We'll surely starve to death."

"Little Sister!" Gu Dashan's eyes were bloodshot, "This half bowl of grain is Xiao Yu's life-saving ration. Without food to pay the doctor, Xiao Yu won't survive."

Little Sister Gu scoffed, "Listen to big brother talk, as if we're not fleeing a famine. Doesn't someone die every day on the road of escape? Only your daughter's life is precious, and our whole family should only care about her? She's just a junior, trying to snatch grain from the mouths of so many elders and she shouldn't bring misfortune upon herself."

"How can you say the entire family is only caring for Xiao Yu? We are not without food, you and your husband's ration is more than a bowl each day." He only needed half a bowl to save a life.

Little Sister Gu had always been domineering, how could she let it go after hearing these words, immediately burst into tears, "Wuwuwu, I knew the family despises us husband and wife. Yes, as a daughter married off, I shouldn't have brought my husband back to my parental home, to eat their grain. But my husband's family is gone, if we don't return to my parental home, should we just starve to death?"

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Granny Gu cherished her youngest daughter, and did not forget to bring her daughter and son-in-law when they fled the famine and also tended to them and Uncle Gu Er's house. Throughout the journey, anyone could starve, but the married daughter and her husband, as well as Second Brother Gu's family, could not.

Seeing her youngest daughter cry, Granny Gu was furious and went forward to beat Gu Dashan, "You heartless creature, a beast, she's your sister, and you actually want to starve her. Are you even human?"

Granny Gu then turned to Elder Gu who was silently bowing his head, "Old man, your eldest son wants to starve his sister to death, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Elder Gu, past fifty-six, was exhausted from a day's travel, too tired to care about this matter. For him, it was just a granddaughter, not a grandson. If she died, she died.

Little Sister Gu, seeing Granny Gu supporting her and Elder Gu remaining silent, cried even harder.

Nearby a campfire.

Gu Jin'an heard Granny Gu's words, eyes red with anger, "Granny is jeopardizing Xiao Yu's life."

What no food, it's all excuses.

Granny is so protective of the food, knowing it is valuable, she has been hiding a bag of grain and has not touched it while little aunt and her husband, great aunt and her family, second uncle, third uncle, fourth uncle and their families, everyone has a small packet of grain hidden in their clothes, each the size of a bowl. How could there be no food?

Hiding so much grain yet they are reluctant to spare half a bowl to save Xiao Yu, they have the nerve when father and son go out every day to forage and turn over food to the entire family.

Mrs. Cui's face was filled with sorrow, emaciated to the point of resembling a skeleton due to hunger, she looked at Gu Xiaoyu who was unconscious and wept silently.

Gu Jinxiu hugged Gu Jincheng, the brother and sister were too afraid to speak.

Gu Jin'an looked at them and then at Gu Dashan who was still kneeling in the distance, knowing that things can't go on like this, and said to Mrs. Cui, "Mother, I'm going out for a bit, please take good care of Xiao Yu with big sister."

Without waiting for Mrs. Cui to speak, he ran into the night.

Though Gu Jin'an was not very old, he was smart and capable. After asking several well-connected families, he finally managed to borrow half a bowl of grain and found a doctor for Gu Xiaoyu.

The doctor's surname was Du, often treating disaster victims on the road of escape in exchange for a small amount of grain or water.

He applied golden sore medicine to Gu Xiaoyu's wound, bandaged it up, and after several acupuncture treatments, he put away the silver needle and said, "Without pen or ink, I won't prescribe a written formula, I will come daily to needle Xiao Yu to dissipate the blood stasis, we'll see after three days."

Gu Jin'an and the others were tearfully grateful.

Doctor Du looked at their grateful faces, but still felt compelled to remind them, "Xiao Yu has suffered a head injury, it would be good if she wakes up within three days, if not... you should be prepared."

Gu Jin'an and the others turned deathly pale upon hearing this.

Doctor Du couldn't bear to watch their current state, picked up his medicine chest, said his goodbyes and left.