Chapter 1: Abandoned
“Take these things and get out,” a woman’s voice coldly commanded.
A small cloth bag was thrown to the ground in front of Gu Yundong. It burst open, revealing a dozen shriveled potatoes inside.
Gu Yundong, pale and weak, leaned against a large rock. She lifted her head and met the cold gaze of a woman.
She finally understood her current situation—she had traveled back in time, from the zombie-infested last days, to the Kingdom of Jin. Now she inhabited the body of a thirteen-year-old peasant girl with the same name and surname, but with different parents and younger siblings.
In the 17th year of Hongqing, Yongning Prefecture experienced a severe drought, leading to famine and mass migration. Gu Yundong’s family, along with many others, had been traveling for over half a month in search of a better life. The people who threw the potatoes at them were Mrs. Zhao, the grandmother of the original owner of Gu Yundong’s body. There were more than ten people, including the second and third uncles, indifferently watching as the four members of Gu Yundong’s family were forced to leave.
Having been hungry for a long time, Gu Yundong felt weak and dizzy. She paid no attention to the Zhao family and instead looked at her second and third uncles’ families standing by the sidelines before finally resting her gaze on the elderly man, Old Man Gu, sitting on the stone.
Old Man Gu was her step-grandfather, but he was also her biological grandfather.
Feeling uncomfortable under Lingling’s clear gaze, the old man coughed lightly and sighed, “Yun Dong, don’t blame us. It’s really difficult for everyone. We don’t have much food. You don’t have much strength either, and your mother can’t help except eat and sleep. The world is in chaos, and everyone can barely take care of themselves. You guys need to rely on yourselves. This bag of potatoes is enough to support your family for two days. Then you’ll have to figure things out on your own. Whether you can survive or not is up to fate.”
Gu Yundong inwardly sneered. Having lived through the end times for two years, she was well aware of the sinister nature of human beings. It was rather pitiful that Old Man Gu still tried to justify his evil actions by blaming them on fate. However, she lacked the strength to confront him at the moment.
Meanwhile, a small figure beside her stubbornly wiped his eyes and choked out, “We have strong labor! My father went to lure away the bandits, he’ll come back. You, you…”
Gu Yundong recognized him as Gu Yunshu, the younger brother of the original host, who was only five years old but looked younger.
The original host’s father, Gu Dajiang, and the second uncle, Gu Dahe, had become bait to distract the bandits and give their family a chance to escape. While Gu Dahe managed to return, Gu Dajiang had disappeared, most likely killed by the bandits.
Little Gu Yunshu refused to believe his father was dead and was convinced that he would come back.
Not wanting to say more, Old Man Gu waved his hand dismissively and said, “Alright, that’s enough. Take care of yourselves.” After a pause, unable to bear leaving his grandson behind, he asked Gu Yunshu, “Do you want to come with us, or do you want to stay with them?”
Gu Yunshu was unhappy and retorted, “What’s the point of going with you? We don’t have enough food for ourselves, let alone for him. If we follow you, we’ll only end up starving…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Gu Yunshu had already grabbed Gu Yundong’s hand, holding on tightly as if afraid of being separated.
Gu Yundong instinctively pulled back her hand, not used to physical contact with people. Especially in the last days, she had developed a habit of being on guard against others. However, lacking strength at the moment, she allowed the little boy to hold onto her fingers tightly, as if he feared they would be torn apart.
Through the physical contact, Gu Yundong could feel his small, thin, and trembling hands. She pursed her lips but remained silent.
