The yard erupted in chaos. Lin Ya, with his head down in the corner by the wall, suddenly caught sight of a figure.
A little girl with a red headband was holding a woman’s hand, her face showing an unexpected maturity for her age. Both appeared quite tidy, suggesting they were living well.
No wonder they had spatial storage.
[Host, that’s the female lead!]
A round, fluffy creature suddenly popped up, snuggling on his shoulder. Lin Ya was used to it by now and only tensed for a moment before relaxing.
[Idiot.]
Lin Ya felt somewhat speechless, a dark line appearing on his forehead.
The survival system had never engaged him in conversation during missions before, but now it often quarreled with the counterattack system 123.
Yet, getting used to it wasn’t so bad.
The next day, the sky was still somewhat dim.
Lin Ya loaded the last of his belongings onto the mule cart, took one last look at the empty yard, and closed the gate.
He should not return to this place, but considering that Ren Chao and Ren Lin might come back, he decided to lock the gate with a padlock.
A slight noise caught his attention. Lin Ya turned his back nonchalantly and, using the faint light, spotted a small gap in the gate of the next-door Wang family.
Thinking about the meat and rice he had lost, and the deep and shallow mud prints beside the kitchen water tank, he recalled Wang Tiesheng’s limping foot.
It was clear who the thief was.
He remembered when Aunt Wang was well, smoking meat at home while the neighbor’s child cried out in temptation, and he had sent some of it over. Afterward, Aunt Wang had often come over to help out, feeling too shy to refuse.
Lin Ya shook his head, too lazy to fuss over him.
Though this person had many faults, he was still somewhat filial. Since Aunt Wang had hit her head, she had been bedridden at home. Maybe due to her strong will, her wound had not become infected after so many days and was gradually healing.
However, he could occasionally hear arguments from next door about food. The last time he visited, Aunt Wang looked fine, so it seemed she hadn’t skimped on meals.
The mule beside him let out a low whinny, as if urging him on.
Lin Ya pulled up the hem of his garment and jumped onto the cart, taking the reins. As the cart’s wooden wheels turned, it gradually disappeared from the quiet village edge.
A shadow quietly scaled the wall, moving slowly as it surveyed the yard before heading straight for the kitchen. After rummaging around and failing to find anything, it reluctantly entered the bedroom, only to discover that apart from a few decrepit pieces of furniture, there was nothing at all.
The shadow froze for a moment, then returned to the kitchen and noticed that there wasn’t even a single bowl left.
“…”
He held his breath, limping to the corner where the water tank used to be, but it was completely empty, not even an outline of the tank remained.
He incredulously spun around a couple of times, dumbfounded.
“I only took a little last time; it shouldn’t have been noticed. Besides, even if it was discovered, they wouldn’t move everything away, would they—”
Unbeknownst to him, Lin Ya was traveling toward the town with his cart, relishing in the joy of not having to walk anymore.
Meanwhile, the Xu family had finished packing, placing everything they could take into their boxes. Money had been hidden away in secret pockets in their clothing, while for food—
Apart from a dozen baked flatbreads, they had only a bag of fine rice, half a bag of wheat, and the large portion of dried meat Lin Ya had brought over previously.
Now that the rice shop had run out of stock, the Xu family, not known for their hearty appetite, had managed to preserve this much only with Lin Ya’s assistance.
For an average family, managing to keep half a bag of wheat at this point was already quite impressive.
Before reaching the town, the sky was completely bright.
The number of travelers on the road gradually increased. Most were either carrying luggage on their backs or pushing carts and balancing burdens. Groups of three or five walked together; some were old, some young, and apart from the oblivious children, each face wore a look of worry.
Lin Ya drove his cart through the road while being showered with many envious glances.
His handsome face, at this moment, seemed less striking than the mule itself in others’ eyes.
“Whoa—” Not knowing how to make the mule stop, he simply treated it like he would a horse.
With a tug on the reins, the mule obediently halted.
Lin Ya jumped off the cart and knocked on the door; it opened quickly.
“Brother-in-law, you came just in time; Mom is cooking,” said Xu Yue, who opened the door. She was dressed in rough linen clothes, her hair tied back with a cloth strip, looking like a scruffy youth.
Xu Yue gasped as she looked at the mule cart behind the door. “Is this a donkey? It even has a cart!”
“That’s great; this way, Lin’er and Chao’er won’t have to walk.”
“What? A donkey? Where did it come from?” Xu Jin emerged from the main room, still holding a wooden box, and his eyes lit up when he saw the mule cart outside.
“This isn’t a donkey; it’s a mule.” A mule is a hybrid of a horse and a donkey; it has poor cold resistance but tolerates heat well, thrives on coarse feed, and is strong and adaptable, more resilient than horses.
Lin Ya suddenly remembered he had forgotten to tell them about the mule cart.
He led the mule into the yard, closing the door to shield them from curious eyes.
Xu Jin immediately set down the wooden box and joined Xu Yue to take a look. They saw that the cart was quite spacious, with the top capable of holding more items, and they couldn’t help but praise it endlessly.
“My father and I asked around previously, but unfortunately, no one was selling; those selling horses were snatched up by wealthy families. We thought we would have to wait until we reached the capital to see if we could buy one.”
“You’re really amazing, brother-in-law!”
Lin Ya shook his head, smiling as he said, “I was just lucky; I happened to meet someone who needed money, so I bought this mule.”
“It’s a long and arduous journey; relying solely on our feet would be exhausting. My parents are getting older, and their legs aren’t as strong; Lin’er and Chao’er are still little. Without a cart or mule, the long and tiring journey under the sun could make them sick.”
“Once we reach the capital, if the opportunity arises, we can buy two more donkeys for traveling…” However, he was worried that the situation in the capital might not be good either.