I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

When the branches and leaves that had been soaked in water were burned, a plume of white smoke shot straight into the nostrils, and when the wind blew, the smoke drifted all the way back.

Those who followed were immediately choked by a thick cloud of smoke, so spicy that they couldn't open their eyes.

Taking advantage of this time, the men at the back of the line lit fires and flung the fireballs they were holding behind them.

This fireball was made of stone, cotton cloth, cotton, and lamp oil.

The men felt a pang of heartache watching the cotton being harvested, knowing how difficult it was for any family to acquire a new cotton quilt.

Today, in order to save their lives, the village head's family even gave away their quilts.

The fireball was wrapped with stones in the middle to make it easier to throw backwards. Sure enough, a man threw the fireball directly at the villain, and flames spread across the man's body.

Using these two methods immediately widened the distance between the two teams.

Without letting the men stop, the village head continued to lead the group forward.

The group only slowed down when they could no longer see the group.

The villagers were simply too exhausted to run any further.

After a short 15-minute rest, the village headman told everyone to continue walking.

Since we know there are wolves behind us, and we can't sleep peacefully, we might as well just keep going all night and find a place to rest when we get near the prefectural city.

The villagers tacitly accepted this method of travel.

Exhausted, the group continued onward in the dark.

After discussing with the village head, the village chief led the group along the path.

They dared not take the main road for fear of running into that group again, so they chose the side road. The side road was complicated, so they had to be careful.

Just now, when they were fleeing for their lives, the village chief held a torch and ran forward without regard for anything else.

Fortunately, the road was wide, and they didn't end up in the ditch.

Now, he could only see the middle of the road by himself with the torch, so he called over another man, and the two of them walked together with the torch, which barely allowed them to see the road conditions.

Every so often, a torch was lit in the procession, and at the rear were the men who had been riding horses earlier, carrying two torches to look after those who had fallen behind and to keep an eye on what was happening behind them.

Seeing the situation, Ningma estimated that it would take until dawn the next day, so she took Zhao Ningning to sleep first, and they would get up again later in the night to take turns driving the carriage.

They walked until dawn, and the group finally arrived near the prefectural city.

With Lingbei Prefecture just a step away, the village head asked everyone whether they wanted to go directly there.

They were already at the finish line, so they didn't care about taking that final step. People in the line shouted that they wanted to go straight through.

After another hour's walk, the familiar Lingbei Prefecture city gate finally came into view for Ning's father and Zhao Ningning.

Like Heqing County, the city gates here are also closed, and entry and exit are prohibited.

The village chief found an open space on the outskirts and let everyone rest.

In any case, it's safer here than it was last night.

While everyone was resting, the village head, despite not having slept all night, went to inquire about the situation in the prefectural city.

After making inquiries, the village head returned looking rather grim.

His wife placed a bowl of hot meat porridge in his hands and asked, "Old man, what's wrong? You look so pale."

"Sigh..." the village head sighed.

"Entry into the prefectural city is not permitted."

He had just asked several people, and the answer was the same—the prefectural city wouldn't let him in.

The longest they've been here is already ten days. During these ten days, the yamen runners guarding the gate have only allowed locals from the prefectural city to enter and exit.

The checkpoints at the exit aren't very strict, but the checkpoints at the entrance are very strict.

The officials in the government office had to carefully check the household registration documents.

Also, the accent of the people in the prefectural city is quite different from that of people in other counties. Anyone who tries to impersonate someone else by using their household registration documents will be exposed as soon as they open their mouth.

Not to mention that the yamen runners would randomly select people to ask them the names of alleys and shops near their registered residence.

If you weren't a local from the prefectural city, who could answer that?!

Ordinary people had to muster up their courage just to speak to the yamen runners.

"Looks like we'll have to take a detour and go somewhere else." The village head sighed. If Heqing County were still peaceful, it would be so much better to stay there, but alas...

"It's alright to take a detour. Fortunately, we bought some more food in Heqing County before setting off, so we can manage to get by," the village head's wife comforted him.

The village head finished the meat porridge spoonful by spoonful and went to discuss a solution with the village chief.

The village chief stroked his beard, pondering, "I have a relative in the prefectural city. Perhaps I could ask someone to deliver a message to him?"

"Even if we can't get into the city, let's ask him if he can buy some food for us."

"That's fine!" The village head nodded, as the team's biggest shortage was food.

Without further ado, the village chief went to the carriage to get paper and pen to write a letter. After finishing, he and the village head waited at the gate of the prefectural city to find someone to take the letter in.

When Zhao Ningning woke up again, only Zhao Qi was outside the carriage.

She scratched her head and asked, "Where are Mom and Dad?"

Seeing that his sister was awake, Zhao Qi entered the carriage and said, "They've gone into the city."

"Going into town?! Why didn't you take us with you?"

Zhao Qi lowered his voice and said, "The city is strictly controlled, and it's not easy for ordinary people to get in. They asked around and found out that it costs twenty taels to bring one person in."

"He spent money and added some grain to get the man to agree."

In addition, since Ning's father had been to the prefectural city before, he and Ning's mother were not afraid of the prefectural city's yamen runners at all. They seemed calm and collected, not like the kind of people who would impersonate someone else's household registration, and easily entered the city.

They wanted to take advantage of this time to resell some more goods in the prefectural city. Last time, they only sold grain in Heqing County because grain was in short supply.

The people of Fucheng are wealthy, and Ning's parents are planning to resell honey, brown sugar, and fruits this time.

Meanwhile, the village chief finally received a reply.

The man said he could help prepare a cartload of grain, but there wasn't enough time today. He would come to talk to the village chief in detail early tomorrow morning.

Whether or not they can get into the city, at least the food supply is secured! The village headman held the reply letter, feeling extremely relieved.

Ning's parents used the excuse that they were going to find someone to exchange for food and that they had to be back within a day.

As the sun sets and dusk settles, the world begins to fall.

With Ning's parents still not back, Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi were getting anxious.

They looked longingly toward the city gate, and after a while, they saw two people who looked somewhat like them walking toward them.

Zhao Ningning jumped down and took a few steps. With her sharp eyes, she could see clearly that the two people were Ning's father and mother!

"Mom!" Zhao Ningning flew over and threw herself into her mother's arms. Her father, carrying a small cloth bag, said with a hint of jealousy, "I left with your mother and came back together. How come you only have eyes for your mother and not for your father?"

Zhao Ningning chuckled, went over and took her father's hand, "Dad!"

The three of them walked to the side of the carriage, and Zhao Qi helped carry the bags onto the train.

"This bag contains some local specialty steamed buns. We'll deliver them to Old Zhou's family later," Ning's mother instructed before entering the carriage.

She took out two pancakes from her spatial storage, giving one to each child. Ning's mother patted the children's heads, "Have you been waiting all day? Are you hungry or hot?"

"I'm not hungry!" Zhao Ningning hugged the pancake, which was still warm to the touch. It had been baked not long ago and then put into her spatial storage by her mother. Judging from its shape, she realized that this pancake was the kind she hadn't been able to eat during her last trip to the capital.

The whole pancake has very little flour, but it looks quite large. The thin parts are baked until crispy, while the parts with more flour are chewy and elastic.

Taking a bite, the crispy part releases a burst of sesame and wheat aromas that fill the mouth. As she chews, her mouth waters, and she doesn't even have time to talk to her mother.

After eating a pancake and drinking some water, Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi were no longer hungry or in a hurry. Ningning's mother sent Zhao Qi to deliver pancakes to the Zhou family.

Zhao Qi, carrying the bag, quickly went to the front of the Zhou family's carriage.

When Mrs. He saw her usually quiet grandson, she was about to invite him to have a bowl of porridge when he suddenly slammed a bag on the hood of the car and ran off.

Ms. He: "..."

She looks exactly like her mother!

Back in the carriage, Zhao Ningning packed up all the curling stones, and the four of them each held one in their arms, while the two children listened to the two adults talk about their trip to the city that day.

Ning's mother had accumulated a large batch of canned fruit, honey, and fresh melons in her space. She selected the fruits available in the Great Zhou Dynasty and those that were in season, packed them in baskets, and sold them directly at a stall in the prefectural city.

She also saved up a lot of honey, filling ten small jars, which she then sold directly to dry goods stores.

Brown sugar was also sold along the way.

They sold some odds and ends of food.

They sold another two hundred taels of silver, and Ning's mother spent fifty taels to buy some ready-made clothes and fabric.

He also spent fifty taels to buy some dishes from restaurants in the prefectural city, intending to let the children try them on the road.

Buying and selling things are minor matters; the real issue was that during his trip to the prefectural city, Ning's father heard some unpleasant news.

"People in the city say there are refugees in the south," Ning's mother sighed. "That's why the officials in Heqing County abandoned their posts and fled the county."

"Refugees?" Zhao Ningning sighed as well. "There are refugees now... that's normal."

The previous times were all clandestine robberies, but this time, after leaving Heqing County, they were chased and robbed openly.

It would be strange if things didn't get chaotic!

"Then... will the prefectural city also descend into chaos?" Zhao Qi worried.

"yes."

"I heard that some wealthy families in the prefectural city have already secretly moved away. The reason they haven't made a big fuss is because they're afraid of unrest in the city. The strict controls on the outside world are also to prevent news of refugees from getting out."

Once the city gates are closed, as long as there are people inside, the city can still be defended. But if people's hearts are unsettled and everyone in the prefecture city runs away, then Lingbei Prefecture... might not be in a good position either.

"I'm leaving anyway." Zhao Ningning shook her head, hugged the curling stone, and stopped talking.

—We're going to leave anyway.

Ning's mother thought of that book. According to what it described, there was only a drought now, but there would be all sorts of natural disasters later on... one after another.

The level of famine we've experienced so far is considered relatively "relaxed"; even tougher times are yet to come.

The next day, the "friend" the village chief knew came out of the city.

He not only came out, but also brought a child with him.

"Old Li, it's been so many years!" Liu Dacheng patted the village chief's arm, tears welling up in his eyes. "It must have been over twenty years! I never thought you, old rascal, would still be alive!"

The village chief patted his hand, his beard trembling with excitement.

As the two walked, they reminisced. When they reached a secluded spot under a tree, Liu Dacheng grabbed the village chief's arm and said seriously, "Old Li, I'll get the grain out for you tonight. You need to leave the city as soon as possible."

"What?" the village chief asked, puzzled.

"You don't know..." Liu Dacheng swallowed and said, "Fengning County... has been occupied by refugees. Those refugees are wicked and do all sorts of evil things. They not only rob people, but also take their lives."

Upon hearing the news from Fengning County, the village chief was visibly shaken, then swayed in disbelief. Liu Dacheng helped his friend up, lowered his head, and continued:

"Heqing County has also been occupied by refugees, but they have just arrived in Heqing County and it is estimated that it will take them another two days before they come to the prefectural city."

He had been worrying about how to get there these past two days. He wanted to go north, as his young master and family were all in the north. But with the situation so chaotic outside, if he wanted to survive, he either had to hire bodyguards or thugs, or find someone to go with him on a caravan.

The former requires an amount of money that they cannot afford.

The latter option was already filled by capable families in the prefectural city.

Furthermore, based on his years of experience living in the city, Liu Dacheng said that although following a caravan or being protected by an employee seemed safer.

But they are also more likely to be targeted by refugees.

If there are two groups, one a merchant caravan and the other a group of ordinary refugees, the refugees will definitely pick the one that's more attractive.

Liu Dacheng was still thinking about how to get there, but before he knew it, he received the devastating news that refugees were about to flood into the prefectural city.

Leaving the prefectural city was of utmost urgency.

Just as he was worrying about what to do these past few days, an old friend delivered a letter to him.

"...So I wanted to ask you, could you wear it for my whole family, and also for my young master's family?"

Liu Dacheng was practically begging Village Chief Li for forgiveness. After listening to him, Village Chief Li stroked his beard and said, "Taking you with me isn't out of the question, but we'll have to tell the village head first."

"Also, if you come with us, we can't guarantee your safety."

"Considering we've known each other for so many years, all I can say is that if anything happens, I'll help you if I can, and the rest is up to fate."

Liu Dacheng was overjoyed to be able to travel together. He pulled the young man standing to the side by the hand and said, "Young Master Shang, this is Li Tu, whom I've told you about before!"

Young Master Shang solemnly bowed to the village chief, saying, "If we can travel together, the Shang family will have to rely on Lord Li's help. I thank you in advance."

The village chief's ears itched at such refined language. After returning the greeting with a bow, he nodded and said, "I need to tell the village head and the others. As for the grain... we can eat as much as you can bring out."

The refugees have caught up with us, so they'll definitely want more food than less!

Liu Dacheng nodded excitedly.

They followed the village chief to the open space near where Wang Li Village was located, and watched as the village chief went over and said something to someone who appeared to be the village head.

Before long, the two of them came over together, and Liu Dacheng knew: this matter was settled.

Sure enough, as soon as the village head came over, he said that they could join the team, and then asked how much grain they could transport.

Liu Dacheng calculated that a horse-drawn cart could carry at most a little over a thousand catties of grain.

This is assuming he can buy that much food.

The village head then asked him if he had enough money, and if not, he could take some first, assuring him that he could buy grain without worry.

Liu Dacheng shook his head and said to bring the grain first, and then the village head and the others would give him the money.

After discussing back and forth how much grain to buy, what kind to buy, and at what time to meet, Liu Dacheng, with a happy expression, led Young Master Shang back.

As they headed back towards the group, the village chief stood with his hands behind his back, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Old Wang... there's something else I didn't tell you earlier."