Volume One, Chapter 17: The Widowed Mother Abandoned by Her Sons in a Year of Famine—Part 17 [Expressions]

At dawn's first light, Mo Mo roused the girls who were sleeping soundly, knowing it would be harder to travel once the sun rose higher. The little girl had slept in her arms all night, leaving her neck sore.

She left the jars, bowls, spoons, and water kettle for them and helped gather the villagers’ remains before leading them back to Shanbei Village. San Bao’er took it upon herself to start tidying the scene of the tragedy, efficiently gathering all the bodies and belongings. Still reeling from the ordeal, their pace was slow.

After more than two hours on the road, they finally arrived. From a distance, they saw Chen Dadan standing on the ridge, quietly giving them a few last words of advice before turning away.

“Take care, benefactor!”
“Thank you, benefactor! *Sob, sob!*”

Without turning back, Mo Mo waved her hand. The little girl, held by a woman, stared blankly at Mo Mo’s retreating figure, silently weeping.

Mo Mo then returned to the bandits’ hideout. San Bao’er had already found over twenty chests of gold, silver, and jewels hidden by the bandits—two chests were filled entirely with gold bars.

“Wow, how many people did they rob? Can these fools really pull this off?”
“They even robbed the county magistrate. Most of the loot belonged to him. He left half behind just to save time on the road.”

Waving her hand, Mo Mo stored the chests in her spatial pocket and set the filthy hideout ablaze before leaving. Passing the resting place of the pork-roast sons and the cheap son-in-law, she casually opened spatial buttons containing their bodies and dropped them down the cliff.

The foot of the mountain was growing livelier by the day.

...

“Good heavens! What hardships have you faced? You’re all so thin and worn!”
“Where did you come from? How did you find this place?”

Chen Dadan muttered as he led the group of women up the mountain, encountering several villagers descending. After hearing their story, the villagers followed them back to the cave.

The villagers of Shanbei Village were as kind-hearted and sincere as ever, though terribly unguarded. Just like when Wang Wenxuan came with two bandits—if she hadn’t killed them in time, they might have staged a pitiful show to bring others back with them.

Fortunately, the original owner met kind villagers, and fortunately, those kind villagers met Mo Mo.

Upon arriving at the cave, with the village chief’s approval, the women were allowed to stay.

Seeing everything before them, they felt an overwhelming sense of safety and wept with joy, embracing one another. Soon, each began eagerly helping with chores, desperate to belong to the community. Cuì Huā and You Hua urged them to rest, but no matter how they pleaded, the women wouldn’t relent. The two exchanged a helpless glance and shook their heads.

In the corner, Wang Fang’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head.

“Pfft, a bunch of witches pretending to be diligent!”

—

The little girl they had rescued was called Tian Tian. Her mother had died early on during the escape, and her father had been killed by bandits here. Since being captured, she had been so terrified that she hadn’t spoken a single word.

She sat quietly on a stone slab at the cave entrance, staring into the distance. Several children chattered around her, but she showed no reaction.

“My mom says she’s scared stiff—her soul has run away!” Nan Nan said, munching on a fruit.
“No, she’s just starving herself silly!”
“Then let’s give her something to eat. Once she’s full, she won’t be so dazed!”

A Cai and Hu Zi exchanged looks and hurried off to fetch their snacks.

Chen Dadan, squatting nearby, looked up. Seeing her empty eyes somehow pierced his heart, making even his favorite roasted fish lose its appeal.

“Hey, you’re Tian Tian, right? Want some fish? It’s delicious.”

He carefully held the fish to her lips, but the girl didn’t open her mouth; she just slowly turned her head to look at him.

The village chief’s heart ached even more.

Just then, Mo Mo returned, picking up Da Hua, who was playing at the entrance, and kissed her on the cheek before stepping into the cave.

Her gaze swept past the two at the entrance, and suddenly the little girl stood, ran over, grabbed her clothes, and quietly looked up at her.

Her lips moved, and in a hoarse voice, she called out:

“Mother.”

Da Hua, wide-eyed in Mo Mo’s arms, looked suspiciously at the young woman. Her instincts told her this stranger was here to take her granny away.

Fuming, she loudly declared:

“Granny is not your mother! Granny is Aunt Ling and Uncle A Cai’s mother!”

Then she turned, tightly clutching Mo Mo’s neck, nearly suffocating her.

Amused, Mo Mo patted her granddaughter’s little bottom and glanced down at the little girl holding her hem.

“San Bao’er, do you think this is post-traumatic stress? Is there any medicine we can give her?”

“Hmm? It’s probably extreme fright causing her to shut down. Only something to ease her tension could help, but ultimately she’ll have to heal on her own.”

“Alright, living in a place like this, what illness can’t be cured? Does the medicine taste sweet? Give me one to start.”

San Bao’er flicked her tail atop her head.
“We have orange, apple, strawberry, banana, grape, durian, stinky tofu flavors...”

“Pfft, what’s wrong with the people who made this medicine? Durian and stinky tofu flavors? Why not add stinky feet flavor too? Ha ha.”

Such a character—if given the chance, I must meet and befriend her.

Mo Mo shook her head with a smile, then gently looked at the girl.

“Little one, you called me the wrong name. You should call me Aunt Mo. Here, open your mouth for medicine—uh, I mean candy. It’s very sweet.”

Tian Tian stared unblinking at the person before her. She recognized her—this was the benefactor aunt who had killed those villains. Though she didn’t understand why the aunt looked so different, she just knew.

Obediently, she opened her mouth and took the candy. The sweet strawberry flavor instantly filled her mouth; it was the first time she had tasted such a treat.

She was sure she would remember this flavor forever.

Mo Mo used her free hand to gently pat the girl’s head, smiling as she carried her granddaughter deeper into the cave.

Da Hua turned her head and made a face at Tian Tian.

Chen Dadan watched the little girl standing frozen and cautiously approached, softly coaxing her.

At that moment, Hu Zi rushed over, holding two pieces of jujube paste cake, and handed them to her.

“Here, eat this! Aunt Mo gave it to me. It’s called jujube paste cake, super tasty—you’ve definitely never had it before.”

He swallowed hard as he spoke.

A Cai and Nan Nan followed closely behind, each holding milk candies and dried meat.

The three children chattered excitedly, describing how delicious their snacks were.

The little girl listened quietly.

Looking at the people gathered around her, she suddenly whispered:

“My name is Tian Tian.”