A Dream
Knowing that there were mountains nearby, Ning Bai and the others were also very excited. This was a chance of survival!
He just did not know if any of the other escapees had gone up the mountains to consume all of the water and wild vegetables.
âAlright, Iâll inform everyone. Weâll speed up tomorrow.â Ning Bai patted Ning Laosanâs shoulder and said excitedly.
âOkay.â Ning smiled back.
That night, everyoneâs spirits improved again because they saw hope.
Ning Yue was infected by the relaxed and happy atmosphere around her, so she decided to teach her brothers how to play Gomoku. She found a branch and drew a chessboard on the ground beside the fire. Then, she taught her brothers the rules of Gomoku. The group of children squeezed together and played happily.
âAlright, alright, itâs time to sleep!â Second Aunt Feng was the first to call Ning Sanalng away.
Then, Eldest Aunt and Third Aunt called their children to sleep, leaving only Ning Yue and her three younger brothers. She threw away the tree branch. âHurry up and sleep!â
Ning Balang said, âSister, play chess with me again tomorrow.â
âSure, I can teach you other ways of playing. I learned them in the capital.â Ning Yue agreed readily.
Hearing her mention the capital so naturally now, the three younger brothers were a little surprised. In the past, they were not allowed to mention it.
That means Sister is getting over it, right? Thatâs a good thing!
âOkay!â Ning Ba Lang nodded happily and found a place to sleep. Ning Jiulang and Ning Shilang immediately slept next to each other. The three of them had to sleep together at night, but they were not afraid of the heat.
It had to be said that ancient times were different. Even with a drought, it wasnât very hot at night. Occasionally, a gust of wind would be cool.
Ning Yue also clapped her hands and went to sleep. Before going to sleep, she went to the space to eat something.
âLetâs go. Everyone, work hard. We might reach the foot of the mountain today!â Ning Bai shouted to everyone before setting off the next day.
âGood!â everyone said in unison.
Ning Yue was already thinking about what to take out from her space.
On the way, the people from the Ning Family Village encountered a group of other refugees. There were about a dozen of them which were all men. Although they were hungry and thin, their eyes were fierce as they stared at the villagersâ handcarts or bundles.
When Ning Bai saw that the situation was not right, he immediately gathered everyone and walked in a large group. He did not want them to split up, while the strong men led the way and protected their retreat.
Fortunately, there were many people in the Ning Family Village, many times more than that group. Even though most of them were women, children, and elderly, they could not be underestimated.
In the end, they walked through that path peacefully. However, at the same time, someone muttered in their hearts, âIf thereâs a tall mountain not far ahead, why didnât that team go up the mountain?â
There were only two possibilities. The first was that there was no mountain ahead at all. The second was that there was a mountain but there was nothing up there, so the team returned empty-handed.
Either possibility was a bad omen.
âDid they⦠return because they didnât find the mountains?â someone finally asked.
Her words were echoed by the others. âYes. Could there be nothing on the mountain at all?â
âWhat should we do? God, give us a way out! Boohooâ¦â
âI might as well die. I canât take it anymore!â
Some people begged the heavens, while others began to give up on themselves. Ning Yue felt very depressed.
Ning Bai glanced at Old Master Ning, who kept his mouth shut. Everyone listened to him and walked over. If they really returned empty-handed, someone would definitely blame him.
Ning Bai said loudly, âBe strong. Youâve endured for so long. Are you going to give up? Keep going!â
âThere must be mountains ahead!â a clear voice said. Ning Yue stepped forward. âI had a dream last night. I dreamed that there were mountains ahead, with water and food!â
The others looked at Ning Yue in shock.
Ning Yue didnât dream at all. She just believed in her grandfatherâs decision. There must be a mountain ahead, but it was hard to say if there was water and food on the mountain. That was why her grandfather was silent.
It didnât matter. As long as Ning Yue entered the mountains, there would definitely be food!
âHow can you believe in a dream?â someone asked in disbelief.
Old Madam Ning stood up. âI believe it. My Yueyue is a lucky girl. She saved several people along the way. Everyone knows what to do. If you donât believe her, you can split up!â
As soon as she said this, everyone fell even more silent. If they fled separately, they would die.
Ning Bai also believed in Ning Yue.
This girl seemed to be really lucky. He said, âI also believe in Ning Yue. If anyone doesnât want to leave together, weâll part ways here. Take care.â