It's really hard to just farm peacefully.

Xu Yuan took the gold sandstone, walked outside to examine it carefully, and came back to ask, "Brother Fu, where did you find this?"

This is very similar to the batch of gold sand stone he took over to refine, and should come from the same place.

They had managed to get some of it with them as they fled, but to make the pursuit more confusing and difficult, they discarded quite a bit along the way. In the end, only two or three pieces remained, which they traded for food and water before the group split up.

"Jiang Yan gave it to me." Jiang Fu showed the thing without any intention of hiding it. The nine people in their team were all in the same boat.

"Rongcheng County also suffered a disaster due to the rain in June. Our village is located at the foot of the mountain. After the flood, they accidentally discovered it while clearing the silt."

"Is Rongcheng County seriously affected?" He Da asked. They were all from Rongcheng County, and before he and He Er left, their elderly parents were the only ones left at home.

"It's hard to say. She heard it from others. Many people and houses in the village at the foot of the mountain were washed away by the flash flood. The water spread all the way to the outskirts of the county. Even in the village near us on higher ground, the water rose to the beams of the houses."

"Our village is also built at the foot of the mountain." Gao Zhuang said in a muffled voice.

"Brother Fu, He Er and I will go back with you. Winter will be here soon, and we have to know whether they can survive." He Da made the decision.

Others also responded, saying that it doesn't matter where you hide, it's always better to stay close to your family.

Jiang Fu nodded, "Okay, wait a few days until the three of you feel better, and then we'll go back together."

--------------

The motorcade of the Governor's Mansion traveled for four days on the sparsely populated forest road, and finally saw the village and the towering city wall in the distance before sunset on the fifth day.

Jiang Yan asked Zhou Li and learned that the team had taken a shortcut and arrived in Lanhua County, a county in the capital of Northern Jin.

After another half hour, the convoy stopped at the official post station outside Lanhua County. Everyone would rest here for one night and go into the city and head straight for Donghufu early the next morning.

Jiang Yan worked with Yile Baoqin and the others to serve Fu Nulang. After eating a few bites to fill her stomach, she hurried back to the house to rest.

When traveling through the forest, although there is only one official road most of the time and there are few forks in the road, Jiang Yan does not need to spend too much time memorizing the route.

But being in the dense forest, Jiang Yan was always worried about wild beasts and bandits, so it was difficult for her to relax and fall asleep, even with the guards on duty at the mansion.

After all, Jiang Yan had successfully met and chatted with Uncle Fu within the guards' reconnaissance range without being discovered. He felt that they might not be as reliable as he had imagined.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Yan, who was already fast asleep, was awakened by a few sudden "creaking" sounds.

She pricked up her ears and listened carefully. Apart from the incessant grinding of teeth and snoring of the maid in the same room, there was indeed some faint movement outside.

Like... the sound of wheels rolling.

Could it be a thief? Jiang Yan hesitated whether to stand up and observe from a distance and then warn everyone.

Jiang Yan hugged the luggage package that she had brought back from the luggage cart before going to sleep, tossing and turning. After hesitating for a while, she finally made a decision.

This was the responsibility of the palace guards, and they were not allowed to meddle in other people's business. Curiosity killed the cat, and if she was unlucky enough to accidentally discover some secret, she didn't have nine lives.

On the sixth day of the trip, Jiang Yan woke up to find that she had not only overslept, but also had body aches and numbness in her legs.

So much so that when she rushed to the kitchen of the post station to get breakfast for Fu Nulang and herself, she had to tiptoe all the way to relieve the discomfort.

Maybe the kitchen is really a very safe place, suitable for everyone to exchange various information and gossip.

Before Jiang Yan even entered the house, he clearly heard a woman working at the official post station say mysteriously, "Five carts of food were missing from this family overnight..."