The Moon is Full in the Traveling House

Because they were heading to the disaster area, for safety reasons, Su Lun and others set up two horse-drawn carriages, on which they prepared some dry food, quilts, tea, personal luggage and self-defense weapons.

They headed north along the official road. The situation in several counties adjacent to Licheng was relatively good. Although grain prices had soared, the situation was still relatively good. Although grain prices had soared, there was no major chaos.

However, the further north we went, the more severe the situation became. Gradually, many beggars began to appear on the road. They were ragged, haggard, and their eyes were full of despair. Most of these beggars had fled from the north. The north was too dry this year, and many places had no harvest. They had eaten up all the remaining food at home and had to beg in the south.

Su Lun felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He had never seen such a miserable scene before. He thought his childhood was hard enough, but compared with these refugees, it was nothing.

He couldn't help but think of his childhood in the village. Although his family was poor at that time, at least he had a meal to eat and didn't starve to death on the streets. Now seeing these refugees, he realized how lucky he was.

If the plan succeeds, it will not only save the people from the war, but also help these innocent refugees. At this moment, Su Lun is more determined to promote friendly relations between the two countries.

The group passed by a village and decided to stop to rest and get some information. When they arrived at a small courtyard, Su Lun knocked on the door gently, then raised his voice and asked loudly, "Excuse me, is anyone home?"

However, there was silence all around, and no one responded to his knocks or inquiries.

Su Lun frowned, knocked on the door again, and shouted, "Excuse me, is anyone home? I am a businessman passing by, and I am very thirsty. I hope to ask for some water."

However, the house remained quiet and there was no movement.

Seeing this, Su Lun shook his head helplessly, turned to his companions behind him and said: "Maybe no one is at home in this family, let's go to the next one and have a look." After that, the group continued to move forward.

They walked through several courtyards, and the gate of each courtyard was closed. No one opened the door after they knocked many times.

Su Lun and the others couldn't help but wonder, why aren't the people in this village at home? Could there be something strange going on?

Su Lun knocked on the door again, but still no one answered.

Su Lun frowned slightly, and just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly heard a slight noise, and the door opened a little. Through the crack in the door, he could see a pair of vigilant eyes looking at them.

"Don't be afraid, little girl. We are not bad people. We are just passing by here and are a little thirsty. We would like to ask for some water to drink..." Su Lun tried his best to make his voice sound gentler, and he said to the little girl with a smile.

It turned out that the person who opened the door was a little girl of about seven or eight years old. She opened her big eyes and looked at the people outside the door with curiosity and timidity. Hearing the noise outside, an old woman hurried out of the house, "Lian'er, didn't I tell you not to open the door to strangers?" After saying that, she looked at Su Lun and others warily. Seeing that they were dressed neatly and cleanly and did not do anything rude, she let down her guard a little, but still couldn't help but ask warily: "Who are you and why are you here?"

Su Lun quickly explained, "Madam, we are merchants passing by. We are a little thirsty and would like to ask for a drink of water. We have no ill intentions... It's just that we knocked on several doors in a row, but no one responded..."

The old woman looked at them worriedly, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded and agreed: "In that case, you wait here, I will go get you some water." After that, she turned around and pulled Lian'er over, and solemnly warned: "Lian'er, go in quickly, don't come out unless I tell you to."

Lian'er nodded obediently and followed the old woman into the house. Su Lun and others stood quietly at the door waiting, wondering why the villagers here were so wary of strangers.

The old woman did not keep Su Lun and the others waiting for long. She quickly came over with a kettle and a few bowls to pour water for everyone.

After thanking the old woman, Su Lun looked at the clear water in the bowl and sighed in his heart. He picked up the bowl and took a sip. The sweet taste refreshed him.

After drinking the water, Su Lun put down the bowl, looked at the old woman and said, "Madam, I wonder why your village is so resistant to strangers?"

The old woman sighed and said, "It's all caused by those refugees from the north. Two days ago, a few refugees came to our village. Seeing that they were pitiful, Zhuzi's mother gave them some food. But who knew that these people would repay kindness with hatred. Seeing that there were only orphans and widows in the family, they robbed all the food and silver from their family. Zhuzi and his mother stepped forward to stop them, but were severely injured by them. It was really a sin... Well, now that you have finished drinking the water, leave quickly. No one here dares to take in strangers..."

Hearing this, Su Lun and others couldn't help but frown. They didn't expect such a thing to happen. No wonder the village was full of vigilance against strangers.

Su Lun bowed and thanked her, "Thank you, ma'am, for the water. It's just a small gift. I'll buy some snacks for the children." After saying that, he took out some change from his pocket and handed it to the old woman.

The old woman looked at the silver Su Lun handed over with some surprise, and quickly declined: "No, no, how can I take your money!"

Su Lun smiled and said, "Please accept it. We have nothing to give you in return. Just consider this little money as a token of our appreciation."

The old woman hesitated for a moment, but finally took the silver, but she was still a little worried that Su Lun and others might have other intentions.

Seeing the vigilance in the old woman's eyes, Su Lun and the others looked at each other. They all knew that the people in this village were very wary of strangers. In this case, they did not want to disturb them any further. So they said goodbye to the old woman and turned to leave.

The old woman looked at their backs gradually walking away, and her tense body finally relaxed. She breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly closed the door and walked quickly into the inner room.

On the other side, Su Lun and his group of five quickened their pace and continued on their way. According to the current situation, if they didn't want to sleep outdoors, they had to hurry to the next county town.

In fact, for these grown men, it would not be a big deal to just find a place to sleep outside. However, according to the news just heard, it seems not very safe now. Although they are all good at fighting, if a conflict really occurs and causes unnecessary trouble and attention, it will not be worth the loss. Therefore, instead of taking risks outside, it is better to rush to the county before dark, find an inn or restaurant to have a good rest, and find out the news by the way.