I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

The Zhao family.

Granny Qian had woken up from her deep sleep, but she felt nauseous for eleven out of twelve hours a day.

Having just vomited, Granny Qian sat weakly on a stool, her limbs aching. None of the family members dared to get too close to her, fearing she might vomit on them.

Cao Rouan was even more extreme; she would rather sleep on the floor of the main room than share a room with Granny Qian.

The sour vomit that Granny Qian vomited smelled nauseating. Cao Rou'an was already feeling unwell due to her pregnancy, and living in the same room every night with this smell made her feel like she couldn't breathe.

Just as everyone was having their own agendas, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Old Zhao glanced at Old Zhao, who hurriedly went to open the door.

The door latch was pulled open, and several officials walked in from outside.

"Show us your household registration documents! The whole family, come out. We need to check if any of you are sick. If so, we'll arrange for you to go to the north of the city, where the government will provide medicine and treatment."

After explaining his purpose in one breath, several constables lined up in the courtyard. Seeing the man standing there dumbfounded, the one who had spoken earlier urged, "Hurry up!"

"Yes, yes!" Old Zhao went back into the house, and Old Zhao, who had followed him out, also heard it. He frowned and went back to retrieve the household registration documents.

He handed the document to Zhao the eldest son and asked him to have it reviewed by the constable. Zhao the old man went back into the house and instructed, "Eldest son's wife, third son's wife, you two take good care of your mother."

"Why!"

"Why--"

Sun and Wu responded one after the other. Although Wu was unwilling, she had no choice but to hold her breath and help Granny Qian up because of her father-in-law and the officials outside.

One person lifted one arm of Granny Qian, while the other supported her back. With a little effort, Granny Qian swayed and got up.

She has finally stopped being unconscious recently, but her limbs are a little sore from vomiting for so long, otherwise neither Mrs. Sun nor Mrs. Wu would have been able to wake her up.

They helped the man into the courtyard, and the Zhao family members lined up and stood opposite the officials.

The official glanced at the documents and asked, "Is everyone here?"

Old Zhao: "Everyone's here."

The officer nodded, looked at each of them one by one, and saw that Granny Qian was being supported by two people to barely stand. He frowned and asked, "What happened to her?"

Old Zhao quickly explained, "Our family fled the famine. My wife couldn't bear to eat or drink, so she saved all the food and drink for our grandson. She was so hungry that she couldn't stand steadily."

After saying that, Old Zhao instructed, "Eldest daughter-in-law, you two let go of her hands and let your mother stand by herself."

Sun and Wu released their grip, and Granny Qian swayed slightly before regaining her balance. She gave a dry laugh and said, "My lord, I'm just a little weak."

The officer said a few more words, and seeing that the old woman showed no sign of wanting to sleep, he nodded, and that was the end of it.

The search team had finished searching the house, and there was no one else in the courtyard.

After registering, the official had just turned around when he heard a vomiting sound behind him.

He immediately turned around and saw the young woman from before clutching her stomach and mouth. Seeing them looking at her, she smiled shyly and said:

"My lord, I'm so sorry. I tried to bear it, but I've had this morning sickness since the beginning of my pregnancy. Luckily, I'm about to give birth, and it should be better after I deliver the baby."

"Um."

The officer breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought it was vomit from someone who was infected with the disease. Since it wasn't, they should move on to the next household to check on people.

After everyone left, Zhao Laoda quickly bolted the door. Granny Qian went limp and collapsed to the ground, vomiting.

The acidic liquid that came out flowed down her neck from the corner of her mouth.

Wu was disgusted and covered her mouth and nose as she walked away, complaining to Zhao Laosan, "What's wrong with Mother? Why isn't she getting better? The sour smell from her vomit makes me nauseous."

Zhao Laosan shook his head. "I don't know either. Maybe it's something I ate these past few days that's been off?"

Otherwise, she wouldn't be the only one feeling unwell while everyone else is fine.

But if something is wrong with what you're eating, everyone is eating the same thing, so there's no reason why only Granny Qian is having an issue.

Unless she secretly ate something else behind someone else's back.

Wu's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Old Man Zhao to hear.

So Old Zhao instructed, "Clean up the main room, and move your beds out of your rooms. You'll all stay in the main room tonight."

Wu stopped covering her nose and quickly rolled up the clothes on the bed, calling Zhao Laosan to carry the bed.

The main room and another room are separated by a large house.

The room was already small, and with several women staying there, there wasn't even a place to eat.

The benches and tables were moved out, and the group helped Granny Qian up from the ground and into the house.

The rest of the people sat on the edge of the bed in the main room. Zhao the eldest asked, "Dad, what about Mom?"

Old Zhao hung his head, not knowing what to do.

He was perfectly fine at home today when suddenly some officials came to his door. He almost ran away, but when he heard that they weren't there to arrest him, he relaxed.

But judging from the tone of the officials, who were talking about "illness" and "doctors in the north of the city," what's going on outside?

"What do you think of the matter concerning the officials outside today?" Old Zhao asked.

Old Zhao looked worried: "Dad... when I took Mom to see the doctor a few days ago, there were quite a few people like her who slept all day. Could it be that a sleeping sickness outbreak is starting in the city?"

"What sleeping sickness?" Zhao Laosan was speechless. "Then what about our mother not sleeping these past two days and starting to vomit bile?"

When Granny Qian first regained consciousness, her family thought she was already fully recovered.

"The official also mentioned the doctor from the north of the city, as if he wanted to separate people. Could it be..." Zhao Wenyuan guessed, "...an epidemic?"

When he was in school, his teacher mentioned a disaster and a major epidemic in the previous dynasty, which Zhao Wenyuan took as a story.

So when he thought of separating people, the word "epidemic" immediately came to mind.

"What nonsense! How could it be an epidemic!" Old Zhao was both frightened and angry. He stood up abruptly, blowing his beard and glaring at his eldest grandson.

"How could this be..." Granny Qian didn't finish her sentence before covering her mouth and vomiting to the side.

She was still covered in the sour liquid she had just vomited, and she smelled sour and rancid. When she came in, everyone in the room couldn't help but hold their breath.

After vomiting enough while leaning against the doorframe, Granny Qian wiped her mouth and said, "I just felt a little nauseous, how did that become an epidemic!"

After she finished speaking, Old Man Zhao didn't say anything, but subtly shifted his body to keep himself further away from Granny Qian.

Right now, the old woman is just feeling a little unwell, and it doesn't seem like an epidemic. What if she dies in the north of the city after we send her away?

He told his two daughters-in-law to take Granny Qian back, then Old Man Zhao sat down heavily and sighed:

"Keep it inside and watch it for now. In case... we'll have the officials take it to them."

After Old Zhao finished speaking, he stood with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, looking at the room where Granny Qian lived.

Granny Qian lay back on the bed, feeling weak and nauseous from vomiting. The nausea made her feel as if she were pregnant again.

She vomited then too, but at least it was because the food smelled wrong that she vomited.

Unlike now, when people feel nauseous at the drop of a hat.

Fortunately, apart from feeling nauseous and weak, Granny Qian had no other physical discomfort.

Officials from outside were checking people door-to-door, and restaurants were no exception.

Tang Rui gripped Jiang Hui's sleeve, watching with extreme nervousness as Jiang Hui dealt with the officials' questions.

The two women did not have household registration documents, and by the time they were captured by the bandits, their household registration documents had long been lost.

Fortunately, the officers only questioned whether anyone was infected with the disease, and after briefly registering their names, ages, and appearances, they let them go.

Inside and outside the restaurant, everyone was called out and questioned. Sure enough, a dishwasher was found to have been acting strangely these past few days, and was immediately taken away by the officials and put on a carriage.

Tang Rui became even more nervous when she saw someone being taken away.

After checking everyone, including the restaurant, the manager sat on a long bench in the lobby, looking worried, after everyone left.

—Yikang County is likely to undergo a major change.

The county government's actions will inevitably affect their restaurant's business.

It's just unclear whether this impact is temporary or long-term.

The shopkeeper told everyone to disperse and go about their business, then changed his clothes and hurried towards the owner's house.

Back in the small room, Tang Rui sat on the edge of the bed and asked worriedly, "Jiang Hui, is there a plague breaking out outside?"

The restaurant is well-informed; a few days ago, diners were discussing how more and more people outside are getting sick.

Jiang Hui didn't have to waitress; she just helped with cooking. Tang Rui helped serve the dishes a few times. She overheard this and told Jiang Hui about it that very night.

Jiang Hui used the silver Miao Chunfang gave her to buy grain that day, and the grain is currently hidden under their bed.

"It's alright, we'll follow the boss's instructions. We'll do whatever the boss tells us to do." Jiang Hui held Tang Rui's slightly cold hand and said, "If all else fails, we'll just flee."

"Escape from famine?" Tang Rui asked, confused. "Can we manage? Just the two of us?"

"Of course not." Jiang Hui shook her head. "I think the team from Wangli Village is pretty good."

"Shall we escape with Wang Li Village?" Tang Rui was a little worried. Wang Li Village had already done more than enough by helping them escape and allowing them to follow them to Yikang County.

Will they still be able to follow along on the road ahead?

Tang Rui pursed her lips, hesitated for a long time, but in the end she didn't ask.

Asking her wouldn't help; it would only make Jiang Hui more nervous and worried.

People are not allowed to move around freely outside; those in the backyard should return to their rooms.

Since their homes were outside the city, they had to stay in the city for the next few days. Jiang Hui and Tang Rui, who had nowhere else to go, could also stay at the restaurant without any problems.

There would be no business today, so the second manager told the remaining staff to close the main gate and go to the kitchen to get their own food.

This kind of work naturally fell to Jiang Hui, the new cook.

Fortunately, there weren't many people left, only seven or eight. We just needed to cook a pot of porridge and stir-fry one dish.

Tang Rui helped her pick vegetables and start the fire, while Ding Mao helped outside by carrying two buckets of water, which were poured into the pot for Jiang Hui to cook porridge.

After the meal was prepared, everyone came over, took a couple of bites of food, and went back to their rooms to eat. After what happened this morning, no one dared to gather together.

Jiang Hui and Tang Rui also took their food home to eat.

After finishing her meal and washing the dishes, Jiang Hui had nothing more to do. She sat in the room, mending clothes with borrowed needles and thread, while Tang Rui lay on the bed, looking at her with her face propped up in her hands.

The tense atmosphere in the city continued into the next day, and on that day, people in Chengnan started to move around.

The sick were assigned to the north of the city. A high wooden fence was erected between the south and north of the city, with officials on both sides guarding the area and strictly prohibiting anyone from getting close.

The people in the south of the city felt relieved and went out. Yesterday's arrival was sudden, and many families in the city did not have wells. The water in their water tanks had run out, so they had to hurry and fetch more water today.

Jiang Hui also took the opportunity to go out and deliver a message to the village head's family.

The village head's family huddled inside their house, afraid to interact with outsiders, but Jiang Hui still stood at the door and told them what she knew.

Miao Chunfang listened and realized that her husband's guess was pretty much the same.

Finally, Jiang Hui whispered, "Auntie, if we have to flee the famine, can Tang Rui and I still go with the village?"

Miao Chunfang glanced back at the village head, who nodded and said, "Alright! If you're leaving, we'll let you know."

Jiang Hui thanked her repeatedly, but Miao Chunfang urged her to go back quickly because it wasn't safe outside.

on the street.

Old Man Xi was cursing and shouting outside a courtyard.

If his foot hadn't been still not fully healed, he would have jumped up.

"Er Shun! You ungrateful wretch! It's one thing if you don't acknowledge me, but you don't even acknowledge your older brother!"

"Open the door quickly!"

Old Man Xi cursed outside the door until his throat was dry, wishing he could rush into the yard and beat up that ingrate Xi Ershun.

"Squeak—"

The door opened, and Old Man Xi was overjoyed. Just as he was wondering if Xi Ershun had come to his senses, he poured a basin of water over his head from inside the door.

Old Xi dodged quickly, but his leg, which couldn't get out in time, got half-soaked by the water, which infuriated him.

"You unfilial son!"

Xi Ershun put down the basin and said coldly, "If you want Xi Dashun to be taken away by the officials, then keep shouting."

"What! What nonsense are you talking about..." Old Man Xi's eyes flickered clearly, and his voice unconsciously lowered.

"Wasn't he sick? Why is he still at home?" Xi Ershun shouted, and the old man Xi immediately fell silent.

He angrily tried to cover Xi Ershun's mouth, but Xi Ershun wouldn't let him.

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut.

Old Mr. Xi almost got his nose caught in the door. He cursed under his breath in anger, but seeing no response from inside, he had no choice but to go back dejectedly.

They rented a small courtyard, which was also in the south of the city, but the courtyard was extremely dilapidated. The courtyard walls were made of yellow earth and straw, and half of them had collapsed.

The courtyard has two large rooms; they occupied one of them, while the other room was shared by two other families.

Old Man Xi limped back home. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw the two families who rented another room standing at the door, watching him warily.

Old Xi touched his face: What happened? My face wasn't splashed with water just now.

One of the men from those two families asked, "Old man, is your eldest son sick?"

"Nonsense!" Old Man Xi retorted instinctively, then added, "Don't spout nonsense and curse my son!"

"When the officials came, your son looked like he was about to faint!" The man couldn't help but take two steps forward, but then, remembering that Old Man Xi's family might be ill, he stepped back and said, "Otherwise, call your son out now!"