Rebirth of an Old Farmer: Escape from Famine with Children and Grandchildren

This strong contrast can't help but make people feel sad and helpless.

In this strange big city, the most convenient place to get information is restaurants and teahouses.

After considering this, after some searching, Sun Wan's eyes finally set on a snack bar that looked relatively clean and not too crowded.

This small shop specializes in various soups and noodles, and is especially famous for its delicious wontons along this street.

So she decided to take the children here to stay for a while and find out the latest news happening outside.

Soon after we chose our seat and sat down, a smiling young waiter quickly came to the table to greet the guests.

When he saw their simple, worn clothes, he didn't show any disgust, but remained friendly and asked, "What would you like to order?"

Hearing this, the three people who were already hungry immediately responded.

"Then give us three bowls of hot wontons."

Sun Wan said what she wanted simply and clearly.

Then the other party quoted a price: "You need to pay the store a total of one or two taels of silver."

"Wow, one tael of silver? This is eating gold!"

"Auntie, prices have gone up a lot now, and the wontons here are all made with fresh pork."

Goudan and Su Yinnan couldn't help swallowing their saliva, thinking that Sun Wan definitely couldn't come up with so much money, and were about to say that they didn't want to eat anymore.

Unexpectedly, Sun Wan took out a glittering ingot of one or two taels of silver from her bosom and handed it to the clerk.

"Bring up some wontons, please. Also, could you please help fill our water bladders?"

"No problem, I'll help you with that."

The clerk took the silver and water bag, turned around and left with a happy look on his face.

The three of them sat at the table, picked up their tea bowls and drank water slowly while looking out the window.

"Cough cough cough..."

Su Yinan suddenly started coughing. He pointed outside, his face full of fear.

He was so shocked that he even choked on his own saliva.

Sun Wan followed his gaze and looked back, and saw a group of about a hundred people walking on the street, tied up with ropes. Several soldiers with live ammunition followed them, waving sticks in their hands and hitting the tied people from time to time.

This group of people actually included some members of the Sujia Village guard team, including Zhang Kun and Su Yousheng.

One of Zhang Kun's legs seemed to be injured, and he was staggering forward on the ground; Su Yousheng's face was covered in blood, and it was unclear where he was injured. He was only seen holding Zhang Kun with his hands.

Perhaps their gaze was too obvious, Zhang Kun and Su Yousheng looked up and saw them.

At this moment, warmth welled up in the hearts of both of them - (Aunt Lan Zhen) Mom came to save them.

Goudan stood up and whispered, "I'll follow them and see where they are being held."

Sun Wan nodded, "Okay, come quickly, we'll wait for you in the store."

At this time, everyone in the restaurant began to talk.

"Look, look, they brought in another group of people this time. These people are all fleeing from their hometowns. Now that they've been caught, what are they going to do with their wives, children, and elderly parents?"

"King Jin is not a good man at all. In preparation for war, princes from all over the country are doing everything they can to stockpile food, forcibly conscript men, and reinforce city walls."

"Aren't you planning on leaving? We have to leave here in three days. Otherwise, we'll be dragged onto the battlefield as cannon fodder before long."

Sun Wan asked anxiously, her tone full of uncertainty and fear about the future.

Three bowls of hot wontons were served. The steam coming out looked particularly tempting in the cold wind. Just at this moment, Goudan ran back from outside with obvious urgency and worry on his face.

"Grandma was taken to the government office."

He lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard. "The cells were all packed, and they couldn't find a place to hold her, so they had to temporarily tie her to a stake in the yard."

He paused, then added in a heavy tone, "Based on what I've observed, I estimate that these men will be forcibly escorted to the front lines to sacrifice their lives early tomorrow morning."

"Yes, I also saw some of King Jin's soldiers riding into the government office. They ate and drank lavishly inside, not caring at all about the lives of the people outside."

A man next to him echoed, his words revealing deep resentment.

Another person complained, "Our Magistrate Wu is so corrupt! His private residence is not far behind the government office, and he always gives these soldiers several boxes of gold, silver and jewelry as rewards."

Some people loudly expressed their dissatisfaction with this, "Humph, isn't it just using various means to squeeze the wealth accumulated by the common people to bribe those officers and soldiers?"

After hearing these words, Sun Wan was able to roughly outline in her mind what kind of horrific scene was currently happening inside and outside the government office.

After the three of them quickly finished the delicious food on the table, they did not get up and leave immediately. Instead, they stayed where they were and rested for a while, preparing to regain their energy before taking further action.

Then a waiter came over and handed them a few water bags filled with cool water for them to drink. After everyone finished drinking, the three decided to set out to investigate the situation.

"Goudan, please go ahead and lead us to see the exact location of the government office."

Sun Wan instructed the little boy gently.

Goudan nodded obediently, took Su Yinnan's hand, and walked forward. Sun Wan followed closely behind him, cautiously moving forward while constantly looking left and right to see if there were any unusual signs at the shops on both sides of the street. For example: the front of the grocery store was filled with all kinds of freshly picked green vegetables ready for sale; at the grain store, people were lining up to buy rice, flour, oil and other daily necessities...

But surprisingly, we were only allowed to take away a small amount of food. It was obvious that the supply here was quite short.

They had not walked for long when their destination came into view - the spacious and grand government office gate was half open. Through the doorway, they could see the villagers of Sujia Village gathered there, sitting with their eyes closed, as if they were silently praying to survive the disaster safely. Zhang Kun and Su Yousheng were sitting side by side in the same state.

Seeing this scene, Sun Wan instantly understood the deep meaning: as long as the villagers saw her, they would know that someone had come to rescue them from suffering, so everyone behaved very calmly in order to save their energy to deal with everything that was about to happen.

Those who make loud noises or cry for mercy are often brutally beaten or even severely hit as punishment.

Sun Wan sighed and shook her head helplessly, knowing that any unnecessary commotion at this moment might backfire and bring even more serious consequences.