Chapter 2

Jing Yin's gaze toward the white fox instantly became much friendlier. “Good little fox, let Big Sister bandage your wounds, okay?” Jing Yin smiled gently as a strip of dried meat appeared in her hand. Each strip of dried meat rewarded by the system weighed approximately one jin, making it quite substantial. Although she still didn't know what the points could be used for, they were definitely useful. Besides, even if she failed to earn points, she would still get a white fox pelt as a reward. And not just any pelt, but a premium-quality one! The white fox was obviously starving. It had been baring its teeth earlier, but now it seemed hesitant, pacing around restlessly in place. “Little Yin!” Just then, an excited and urgent voice rang out from a distance. Jing Yin raised her eyes and saw a skinny old woman stumbling toward her. From afar, she looked like a skeleton wrapped in human skin that had somehow come to life. “Grandma?” Jing Yin was slightly stunned. Wasn't this the original owner's grandmother? How had she managed to find her? Still, being reunited with family was naturally an emotional and joyful occasion. Besides, the original owner's entire family doted on her and treated her exceptionally well. Within a second, Jing Yin's eyes had already turned slightly red. Tears seemed to be gathering in her eyes, neither falling nor disappearing, making her look especially pitiful and endearing. Since she had come to this era, she naturally had to find a way to fit in. When facing an entire unfamiliar era, being too different from everyone else wouldn't keep her alive for long. ... Without anyone noticing, she stored the dried meat back into her space before running toward the old woman in front of her. Following closely behind were the original owner's grandfather, parents, older brother, and younger uncle. The entire family rushed over as soon as they saw Jing Yin. Grandma Jing hugged her tightly and refused to let go. “My precious Little Yin! Grandma has finally found you!” “Don't be afraid, Silver. Your father is here now.” ... After an emotional reunion, Grandma Jing suddenly knelt down toward the white fox not far away. “Thank you, Fox Immortal, for blessing our Jing family and helping us find our granddaughter. Thank you for your protection! Once our Jing family settles down, I promise we will burn incense and worship you every single day...” As soon as Grandma Jing knelt, Jing Yin's father and the others also dropped to their knees and bowed to the white fox. Their attitude was extremely devout. Jing Yin: “...” The Fox Immortal had helped them find her? Only then did Jing Yin notice a circle of dirty, tattered cloth wrapped around Grandma Jing's wrist. Blood was seeping through the fabric. After Jing Yin repeatedly questioned her, she finally learned what had happened. Ever since Jing Yin went missing, Grandma Jing had practically gone mad searching for her. Yesterday, while on the road, she had spotted a white fox. She had actually imitated the practice of cutting her own flesh to feed the fox, hoping it would lead her to her granddaughter. Unexpectedly, after eating the meat, the white fox really did lead them to their granddaughter. “Grandma, let me apply some medicine for you...” Jing Yin rummaged through her clothes and, using the fabric to conceal her movements, took out the bottle of wound-healing medicine from her space. “Silver, where did you get this medicine?” Jing Yin's biological father, Jing Da, couldn't help widening his eyes in shock when he saw the bottle of wound medicine in her hand. These days, even food was extremely scarce, let alone precious medicine. Along the refugee route, countless people had lost their lives simply because they couldn't get the medicine they needed. “Bah! Little Yin has the Fox Immortal's blessing. What's so strange about her obtaining a bottle of medicine? More importantly, my Little Yin knows how to care for her grandmother!” Grandma Jing spat out a scolding remark at Jing Da, then smiled warmly and extended her hand, allowing Jing Yin to apply the medicine. She knew this was her granddaughter's way of showing concern. Refusing it would only hurt the girl's feelings. Besides, the world was in such a terrible state now. She didn't want to ask about anything. As long as her precious Little Yin remained safe and sound, that was all that mattered. ... Holding Grandma Jing's thin, bony wrist, Jing Yin felt a slight ache in her heart. After applying the medicine, Jing Yin tore off a relatively clean piece of cloth from the inner layer of her own clothes and used it to bandage the wound again. Perhaps it was just Grandma Jing's imagination, but after her well-behaved granddaughter finished applying the medicine, the wound surprisingly stopped hurting. It felt cool and soothing. “Little Yin, where have you been these past two days? Did you get hurt anywhere?” Grandma Jing studied Jing Yin's expression for a while before cautiously asking. She was afraid of accidentally bringing up something painful. After all, this wasn't like being back in the village. They were now fleeing from famine, where people could die at any moment. Many women had also fallen into the hands of bandits, and their fate was easy to imagine. “Grandma, I was betrayed by Li Yucai and handed over to some bandits. But I wasn't hurt. Those two bandits couldn't agree on how to divide the spoils, so they ended up killing each other. I took the opportunity to escape.” Jing Yin didn't hide what had happened. The Jing family had already disliked Li Yucai and his household. They had only repeatedly tolerated them because of the original owner. Now that the original owner had practically been killed because of them, Jing Yin naturally had no intention of keeping quiet about it. Otherwise, the Li family might take advantage of them again in the future. “What?! That damn bastard! I knew he was no good! How dare he sell my daughter?!” Jing Da was so furious that his nostrils flared. He wished he could rush over right now and crush Li Yucai's head. “What? Are you indirectly saying that my Little Yin has terrible taste in men? If anyone is at fault, it's you, her father! You failed to protect her and allowed my Little Yin to suffer such a terrible ordeal.” Grandma Jing was completely biased in favor of Jing Yin, doting on her without question. Over the years, the original owner had been spoiled by her family. Although she hadn't become arrogant or domineering, she had grown particularly naive and foolish, to the point that someone could sell her off and she'd still help them count the money. Jing Da might have been domineering and unreasonable in front of outsiders, but in front of Grandma Jing, he wouldn't dare utter a single word. After being scolded by Grandma Jing, he immediately lowered his head sheepishly. “Grandma, Father is just worried about me. After what happened, I've finally come to my senses. Li Yucai is a heartless bastard. I won't let him deceive me again.” “By the way, Grandma, I also found some food on those bandits.” After saying that, Jing Yin ran behind a withered tree and took two strips of dried meat out of her space. She also secretly poured one liter of purified water into a water flask. Along with them, she brought over the remaining hard steamed bun wrapped in the torn cloth. “Grandma, Grandpa, I got all of these from the bandits.” She pushed the bundle in front of Grandma Jing. When the old woman opened it, the first thing she saw was the dried meat. The sound of people swallowing their saliva immediately rang out one after another. Jing Yin looked up and saw that everyone's eyes were practically glowing green. They hadn't eaten a single bite of food for two whole days. Before that, all they had managed to eat was soup made by crushing tree bark and boiling it in water. Even that little bit of food had taken considerable effort to obtain. Grandma Jing only glanced at the contents before immediately closing the bundle. “Why are all of you acting as though you've never eaten meat in your entire lives? This food was obtained by Little Yin at the risk of her life! I'm warning you, you can take food from anyone else, but don't you dare touch Little Yin's share!” Grandma Jing secretly swallowed twice, forcing herself to turn her head away despite her hunger. Although she was hungry too, she could still endure it. With so little food, they had to save as much as possible. “Grandma, we need to eat enough to have the strength to survive. Otherwise, what will happen if we encounter bandits again?” After Jing Yin said this, Grandma Jing hesitated for quite a while before finally reopening the bundle and taking out the hard steamed bun. “Eldest daughter-in-law, take this and make some soup with it. Pour all the water from the large water flask into the pot. As for the water in the small flask, remember to save it. No one is allowed to drink from it without my permission...” The large water flask was the one the Jing family had originally carried, while the small flask was the one Jing Yin had obtained from the bandits. Grandma Jing wouldn't allow anyone to touch the latter. After giving her instructions, Grandma Jing handed the palm-sized hard steamed bun to the original owner's mother, Zhao Xiao'e. By breaking the hard bun into pieces and boiling it into soup, there would be enough for everyone to have a couple of mouthfuls. ... Zhao Xiao'e had a rather timid and introverted personality, but her love for the original owner was no less than anyone else's. She first rubbed Jing Yin's head affectionately before taking the hard steamed bun from Grandma Jing and walking to the side to prepare the soup. Jing Da followed her to gather firewood. Jing Yin, however, turned her gaze toward the white fox, which was still lingering nearby. Her eyes suddenly lit up. Her personality was different from the original owner's. Even if she tried to disguise herself, it would be difficult to avoid slipping up when interacting with this family she was supposed to have lived with for so long. But this white fox right in front of her... Wasn't it the perfect excuse handed to her on a silver platter?