Chapter 12: I Just Need Good Things Like Beauty Pills!

Father Li and Qin Tao were essentially living together but dreaming different dreams. The two had fallen asleep on the Li family's donkey cart, but in truth, there were two others lying on it as well.

These two were naturally the children of Qin Tao and Li Wangtian. Li Shigui and Li Chunli lay on the same quilt, separated only by a wooden board barely half an arm's width thick.

Although they were biological siblings, age was a factor. While Li Chunli had not yet reached the age of fifteen for her coming-of-age ceremony, she had long since started her menstrual cycle and was a young woman capable of bearing children.

Therefore, even on this journey of fleeing famine, and despite the limitations of their conditions, a long board was placed between them to avoid impropriety.

It was already the latter half of the night. In the area where the people of Li Village had set up camp, except for a few households where fires still flickered, everything else had long since fallen into darkness.

At this moment, even the bright moon in the sky was obscured by dark clouds. Listening to the breathing of Qin Tao and Father Li beneath the cart, Li Chunli guessed that the two of them had fallen asleep.

Only then did Li Chunli dare to open her eyes and look up at the sky, which was devoid of even a single trace of moonlight; at this moment, there wasn't even a single star in the sky.

After staring at the sky for a while, Li Chunli carefully reached out to gently nudge her brother, Li Shigui, and whispered, "Brother, Brother, are you asleep?"

With his eyes closed, Li Shigui seemed to vaguely hear his sister's call. He forced his numb eyelids open against his drowsiness, only to meet Li Chunli's large eyes.

"Linian, what is it? Why aren't you sleeping yet? Be good and sleep quickly. We have to travel again tomorrow, and there won't be time for you to rest then."

After saying this, Li Shigui raised his hand and patted Li Chunli's shoulder, just as he had done to soothe her to sleep when they were younger, lightly tapping her arm to lull her to sleep.

"Brother, how can you still sleep!"

Li Chunli spoke to Li Shigui in an anxious, low voice. As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, gesturing for Li Shigui to think about Father Li, who was huddled with their mother under the cart.

"Sigh," Li Shigui let out a helpless, soft sigh. He reached out to cover Li Chunli's eyes. "Don't worry about Mother. Close your eyes and go to sleep, be good."

Li Chunli wanted to say more, but seeing Li Shigui's tightly closed eyes, she could only helplessly close her own. With a mind full of chaotic thoughts, she eventually drifted off to sleep.

Just as dawn was breaking, the early-rising villagers in the camp began lighting fires to cook.

During the past half-month of fleeing famine, the pre-made flatbreads and other supplies had long been exhausted. The people of Li Village had to take advantage of the early morning when the temperature wasn't yet high to boil a pot of millet and soybean porridge to serve as the family's meals for the day.

Since they were on the road, even though the weather was dry and firewood was easy to find, everyone had to travel during the daylight hours, which was the most important task.

On the road, they could only afford to rest for about fifteen or thirty minutes; how could they possibly find the time to build stoves, light fires, and cook porridge or meals?

They had to save time however they could, so everyone took advantage of the early morning to cook their food.

Li Shiyue's family had also risen early. Over the past half-month of fleeing famine, Li Shiyue's body had adapted to the rhythm; human adaptability was truly remarkable.

Even though every part of her body was screaming with soreness and pain, Li Shiyue got up out of habit. She first went to check on Shitou, who was lying next to Li Wangming. Seeing that he was still sleeping soundly, her heart settled considerably.

"Shiyue, wake your brother up. Tell him not to sleep anymore and to get up quickly to eat breakfast and distribute the supplies. We still have to travel."

"Sister-in-law, I'll wake Shitou. It's perfect; I'll go outside with him."

When Li Wangming said "go outside," he actually meant taking Shitou to the outskirts of the camp to relieve themselves.

It was perfectly normal for anyone to need to urinate upon waking up in the morning.

Li Shiyue also needed to go. She was just about to tell Mother Li that she was going out to relieve herself when she heard her cousin from her maternal uncle's side, Li Qiutian, calling her from nearby. Li Xiaotian was also standing there, waving at her.

Mother Li naturally saw this scene and said gently to Li Shiyue, "Go on, go with Qiutian and Xiaotian. The three of you must stay together."

"Alright, Mother, I'm going. I'll be back in a bit."

Li Shiyue ran over happily, taking Li Qiutian and Li Xiaotian by the hands on either side to walk toward the outskirts of the camp. In truth, Li Shiyue was looking for an opportunity; she wanted to find a deserted spot to take out those three "Beauty Pills" she had won from the lottery yesterday and examine them properly. After all, this was her first mission reward.

Even if it was something she deemed useless, she had to look at it closely—just in case it could be useful.

The outskirts of the camp were self-consciously divided into male and female areas, essentially in two completely opposite directions: women went one way, and men and boys went the other.

In short, one had to be careful in these grassy areas and even in the nearby woods, as one might stumble upon a pile of waste anywhere.

To inspect what the Beauty Pills were, once they arrived at the spot, Li Shiyue feigned abdominal pain. "Sister, Sister, I need to have a big bowel movement! Quick, I can't hold it! You guys wait for me here, and I'll come out once I'm done."

Without waiting for Li Qiutian and Li Xiaotian to agree, Li Shiyue ran deep into the grass, leaving Li Qiutian shouting behind her, "Shiyue, we'll wait for you right here!"

Li Shiyue waved her hand as she ran, acknowledging Li Qiutian's words.

After walking a few more steps into the depths and feeling that she was far enough away, Li Shiyue found a shaded spot. After vigilantly checking to ensure no one was around, she carefully took the three white, smooth, and round Beauty Pills out of the pouch at her waist.

Placing them in her palm, Li Shiyue leaned in to look. These Beauty Pills were about the size of a soybean, glowing with a luster like white jade. The texture felt slightly hard, but other than that, they had no other distinguishing features.

"They're from the System, so they should be non-toxic. Whatever, let's take a gamble!"

Li Shiyue mustered her courage and put one of the Beauty Pills into her mouth. It felt slightly cool; she applied a little pressure with her teeth to bite it open. It had no particular taste; she only felt a stream of liquid slide down her throat, and she swallowed it directly.

In just two breaths, Li Shiyue suddenly felt a surge of heat rising from the bottom of her stomach, but after only one more breath, that heat turned into a full, warm sensation of satiety spreading from her stomach.

"Holy crap, this is good stuff! This isn't a Beauty Pill at all; this is a life-saving Fasting Pill!"

Li Shiyue was overjoyed. She had intended to test the Beauty Pills to see if they had any other effects besides making one look better, but the result was unexpected. She had only eaten one pill, and in just a few breaths, she immediately felt full. In a cultivation novel, wouldn't this be a Fasting Pill?

In an interstellar novel, this would be a pill-form nutrient solution!

This was something that could save lives. On the road of fleeing famine, anything could happen. Li Shiyue felt that having such a thing would give her some peace of mind; at the very least, it was a trump card.