The middle-aged man glanced at his unconscious son, and then at his family. After a long silence, he finally nodded and said, "All right. She can follow us, but we can't give her any food or water."
With his permission, Xu Xiang clasped her fists like a person in an ancient drama, and bowed slightly to the middle-aged man. With a polite smile on her face, she said, "Thank you, uncle, for allowing me to follow your family for a while."
The middle-aged man stood up, returned her heroic salute with a more elegant greeting and said in a calm tone, "This one name is Xiao Yi. I welcome Miss Xu to join us on this journey."
"Uncle Xiao is too polite."
After the two greeted each other, the beautiful young woman greeted gracefully and said, "This one name is Xiao Jing. Miss Xu, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Miss Xiao."
She just smiled at her because she couldn't make those graceful bowing movements like Xiao Jing. Straightening her waist, Xiao Jing pointed to the unconscious man and said, "This is my elder brother, Xiao Shao."
Xu Xiang looked at his pale face that was covered with sweat, and saw that there were many bandages wrapped around his body, arms and legs. Sniffing the air, she could smell rotting flesh. This kind of smell is too familiar for her, who was living more than forty years in the apocalypse world.
While she was observing Xiao Shao, Wen Wan patted her arm, and said, "You should change your clothes. These are my spare clothes. I hope you don't mind."
Looking at the clean coarse clothes in Wen Wan's hands, she accepts the clothes and smiles at her.
"Thank you, Aunt Wen."
"You're welcome. Jing'er, when Miss Xu is changing clothes, helps her watch the surroundings."
Xiao Jing nodded at her mother and said, "Miss Xu, please follow me. You can change your clothes behind that big tree."
"All right."
With Xiao Jing leading the way, they entered the barren forest, and after walking for a while, they came to a big dried tree. Xiao Jing pointed to the direction they came from just now, and said, "You can change your clothes here. I will stand there and watch the surroundings."
"Thank you, Miss Xiao."
Xiao Jing just smiled at her, turned around and left. Seeing that there was no one, Xu Xiang quickly took off her clothes, leaving only her pants and underwear, and then put on the clothes Wen Wan gave her. The moment her skin touched the coarse clothes, she felt the material was worse than the burlap sack she used to pack her grain inside her space.
Gritting her teeth and bearing the pain in her skins, she fastened her waistband. While getting dressed, she saw a small red mark on her left breast.
'What's this? When did I get wounded here?'
Thinking it might be blood stains, she rubbed the mark with her fingers. In the next second, her vision blurred and she stood in a familiar place. She widened her eyes and looked at the surrounding environment, while she couldn't help being but surprised.
"Heavens! Isn't this the space inside the ring? How did I get here? Is that mark on my breast the space? But I remember swallowing the ring before..." Her voice faded away as she remembered that she had literally swallowed the ring.
'... It seems that the ring was really eaten by me.'
She looked at those one-hundred-story warehouses, those factories, the vast lake, and the vast empty farmland. Couldn't hold back anymore, she laughed loudly until tears welled up in those lychee round eyes.
"Hahaha! Heaven really favors me! With these supplies, I am not afraid wherever I go!"
Laughing until her stomach ached, she slowly calmed down and left the space. After her regression, her preparations begin the moment she opens her eyes again. Those were the busiest fifteen years in her two lifetimes.
With the ambition to become the overlord in the apocalypse era, she prepared everything needed to build an empire, and prepared enough supplies to support three billion people for two hundred years. She calculated that two hundred years later, human beings will find a way to survive, replant food, and start production again.
Unexpectedly, before she had time to welcome the apocalypse for the second time, she was plotted against by her cousin and his family. Kidnapped and hunted by them until she has no choice but to jump off a cliff. Fortunately, heaven is fair. Instead of dying, she came to this world.
Coming out of her space, she saw Xiao Jing standing not far away with her back facing her. Thinking of the grace of saving her life, she walked towards Xiao Jing with a smile.
Hearing her footsteps, Xiao Jing turned around and saw her walking over. "It seems that my mother's clothes are still too big for you. Unfortunately, we have no other options for the time being."
Xu Xiang rolled up her sleeves and said calmly, "It's all right. I can fold the sleeves like this. For skirts, just fold the waist section."
Seeing her folding back and forth casually, Xiao Jing chuckled softly. "Let's go back quickly."
"Um."
Not long after returning, the officials escorting the prisoners shouted that it's time to get their rations. Those people sitting on the roadside slowly got up from the ground and went to get their rations.
Wen Wan looked at Xu Xiang and said, "Miss Xu, since you are not a prisoner, you cannot get rations. We will go to collect the rations and share them with you. Please help us protect Da Lang in the meantime."
"Um. Leave it to me."
With Xu Xiang protecting Xiao Shao, the Xiao family goes to collect their rations. After there was no one around, Xu Xiang quickly checked Xiao Shao's wound. Looking at the festering wounds that were still bleeding, she was amazed at Xiao Shao's vitality.
'To be alive after such an injury, his vitality must be very strong.'