Feng Qingxue fell silent right away.
She had seen such fragmented records in the reports, even rumors that one could cure swelling from malnutrition and starvation by consuming human flesh. Hence, she helped the Caohu team to gather a batch of food years ago.
Once she was passing through the Caohu team, she caught sight of someone looking at a child with a particularly horrifying gaze.
Feng Qingyun was warm and well-fed, plump and cute. This sort of gaze had been cast on him more than once.
That’s why, when she couldn’t take Feng Qingyun out with her, she entrusted him to a clan elder. Each time, she issued countless instructions before departing. She was anxious. She feared that in her absence, someone desperate with hunger would snatch away Feng Qingyun and eat him.
"A group of children living alone like you, haven’t you attracted unwanted attention?"
Children with parents to rely on were better off. But orphans without a backer were like delectable treats in the eyes of a pack of starving wolves.
"Yes! But what can we do? We’re just kids." Hopelessness flashed in Zhang Erya’s eyes, "Xiaoni and Goudan disappeared during winter. Some say they froze to death begging on the streets; some say they starved. But I know they might have been eaten. Since then, Guan Cheng had us stick together. We would scatter to beg from different homes and gather again to return. We managed to stave off starvation, at least."
Feng Qingxue didn’t know what to say. Any words she came up with would sound so feeble and pale in front of these innocent children.
"Eat one’s own children." These words had appeared in history books.
In the past, she felt nothing reading such accounts. Only now did she understand—such simple words could hardly communicate the countless innocent lives they represented!
Suddenly, Zhang Erya asked, "Sister, are you here to fetch Guan Cheng and Guan Yu?"
"Yes, I want to take them home and raise them well." This was also the wish of the Lu family’s father.
The Guan family only had these two kids left. Considering the brothers, Lu Tianjun, and their mother, the Lu family couldn’t ignore their situation.
"How nice!" Zhang Erya was filled with envy but showed no jealousy. "We, who are wandering around, are like wretched ghosts. To have a home is truly the blessing of several lifetimes."
A teenage boy basking in the sun at the entrance of the dilapidated temple suddenly turned his head towards them, shouting, "Guan Cheng is back!"
As soon as she heard that Guan Cheng had returned, Feng Qingxue’s eyes immediately turned to the door.
A young man, roughly the same age as Lu Tianjun, stumbled in limping. He appeared gaunt, his clothes were rags, and his face was bruised and bloody—a sight no less dire than the other children present.
Upon entering, Guan Cheng saw Feng Qingxue holding his little brother. He demanded, "Who are you?"
After blurting out, he quickened his pace towards Feng Qingxue, trying to snatch his little brother back. However, noticing his brother’s better clothing and healthier complexion, Guan Cheng froze mid-reach. He stared at Feng Qingxue, who was elegantly dressed, his wolf-like eyes filled with confusion and caution.
Zhang Erya promptly stood up and grabbed his hand, "Guan Cheng, don’t worry. This sister here is very nice and she gave us food as soon as she arrived. She said she is your relative. When she heard about your and Guan Yu’s situation, she came to take you home."
"Relatives? Impossible! Apart from me and Guan Yu, everyone in our family died long ago!"