Su Muqing looked at the woman with a mocking expression and said, "Why would I go to hell? I didn't collude with anyone to kill my family. I'm saying this for the sake of other young girls and children in our village. Our villagers are not like you, who doesn't treat their stepdaughters as human beings."
The woman heard Su Muqing's words and felt a surge of disdain. Not like her? When faced with a life-or-death choice, they would probably do worse than she did!
But when she thought of the man and his son in front of her, the woman felt a pang of guilt. However, after a moment, the desire to survive banished that sliver of guilt. She then began to vehemently defend herself, but no one believed her anymore. The men who had been interested in her before were nowhere to be seen now, having already gravitated towards others.
The woman was furious, but the current situation was unfavorable to her. To avoid further angering these people, she could only stop arguing. She embraced her three daughters, tears welling up in her eyes, looking utterly wronged.
She dared not mention the young girl again. She thought to herself, "Forget it! I'll let her go for now. The most important thing now is to keep her here. As long as she stays, as we go on this journey, aren't we afraid of not finding opportunities to deal with those two brats?" The woman pondered for a moment and quickly made her decision!
"Xiao Rong, Mother truly didn't expect you to turn out like this. Your father and brother were killed protecting the family's belongings, yet you blame me. I wanted you to follow this master so you could survive this chaotic era. But if you don't appreciate it, why would you speak to me like this?" After speaking for a while, the woman sobbed again.
After crying for a long time, she continued, "Forget it, you're not my biological child anyway, and we are not of the same mind. They say it's hard to be a stepmother, and since you no longer acknowledge me, I won't let others frame me either. I won't meddle in your affairs anymore. We are now estranged!" With that, she put on a heartbroken expression, looked around, and walked directly towards Ergouzi.
When the woman reached Ergouzi, they said something to each other. Regardless, Ergouzi, though his expression was not very pleased, did not reject the woman like the others.
Thus, the woman, with her three daughters, followed Ergouzi towards his luggage. Ergouzi displayed a greasy smile on his face, indicating that they had reached an agreement!
Su Muqing thought, this woman is indeed clever. If it has come to this point, who else in their village would want this woman? Probably only this good-for-nothing fellow, right?
One lazy and wicked, the other ruthless and poisonous. Is this what the saying "birds of a feather flock together" means? Moreover, in Su Muqing's opinion, it would be a good thing if these two troublemakers truly got together, so they wouldn't harm others anymore.
In the end, the woman hadn't done anything substantial to Su Muqing. She couldn't tell others that because her spatial abilities made her fear retaliation from the woman, she insisted on driving her away. That would likely make others think she was crazy!
However, Su Muqing thought to herself that the woman might have already harbored thoughts of revenge. Although she couldn't target her openly, vigilance against her was still necessary.
No matter what, the young girl was considered saved now. As for the others, Su Muqing couldn't and wasn't qualified to manage them. If they truly fell for each other, she wouldn't be so bored as to break them up. The reason she helped the young girl just now was simply because she couldn't stand to see it.
"This girl is quite sharp!" Xu Fu and the others on the side had witnessed the entire incident.
Zhou Shi chuckled at Xu Fu's comment. "This is nothing. Her mouth was even more formidable earlier today. She spoke so well that several people had no room to retort."
Xu Fu nodded. "She's very eloquent and knows how to say things to her advantage!"
Su Muqing helped the young girl, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet. "Get up quickly. What's your name? How old are you?"
The young girl timidly glanced at them and replied softly, "My name is Lin Rongrong. I'm 13 this year."
Su Cuiping also came closer and asked her, "You're even younger than us! Xiao Rong, you're all alone now. What are your plans?"
As soon as Su Cuiping finished speaking, Lin Rongrong suddenly knelt down before Su Muqing again. "Sister, you saved me. From now on, let Rongrong follow you! I can be your maid and serve you." With that, she began to kowtow.
Lin Rongrong genuinely wanted to follow Su Muqing. So many people were watching, and only this sister was willing to step forward and save her. If it weren't for her...
Su Muqing quickly pulled her up. "Don't be like this! Xiao Rong, it's not that I'm unwilling to have you with me, but..."
"Sister, are you worried I don't have food? You don't need to worry, I have some. I know where those people hid the supplies. It also includes the things my father and brother had. And I'll help you with chores. I can cook and wash clothes. I can also take care of children. Sister, please keep me! I'll be obedient and won't cause you any trouble." Lin Rongrong thought Su Muqing didn't want another mouth to feed and quickly stated she could do many things!
Seeing Su Muqing's troubled expression, Wang Shi quickly said, "Xiao Rong, you don't need to do this. Muqing isn't unwilling to take you in, but her situation is not much different from yours. Besides the younger brother in my arms, she has no other elders. She's an orphan, and if you add you..."
Su Muqing quickly nodded. "Xiao Rong, it's truly not that I'm unwilling for you to be with us. Currently, my brother and I are also relying on the care of our uncles. Otherwise, we too would have to go find food and water ourselves..."
The people fleeing together had already agreed that each household had to contribute someone to find water and food. Su Muqing and her group were exempted because Su Mingyuan had died saving the villagers.
Although the villagers' lives were difficult now, they hadn't reached the point of starvation, so they were still grateful to Su Mingyuan. Naturally, they were willing to look after the siblings. Su Muqing understood very well that such care was not long-lasting. In the short term, they might not feel anything, but as time went on, or if conditions worsened, someone would eventually become unhappy.
Favor fades with distance, and many emotions and sentiments gradually evaporate over time. Even the deepest gratitude becomes fainter with the passage of time, let alone in this disaster year where people were dying every day!
If you saved someone at the risk of your life, and they lived a long and prosperous life, they might always remember your kindness. Because if they had died then, they certainly wouldn't have enjoyed the prosperity that followed. But if you saved someone who was in a precarious state of existence for a long time, then whether they would be grateful, or how grateful they would be, it's hard to say!
This is human nature, and it is also reality!