An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"When I escaped with my grandfather, only the elderly and children who could not walk were left out of the 37 households in the village." The girl's voice was as light as a fallen leaf. "Halfway through the journey, my grandfather contracted the plague..." She suddenly couldn't continue, buried her face in the clothes covering her brother, and sobbed silently.

In the light of the campfire, Qingfeng saw a circle of purple and black bruises on her exposed wrist - those were the marks of being strangled by the rope. Maybe she had escaped after being caught.

"The situation in Pingjiang County is even worse," a boy, as thin as a bamboo pole, suddenly spoke up. He kept touching his left ear as he spoke—half of the earlobe was missing there. "The prefect shipped all the grain from the government warehouse north and sold it at a high price. People along the way were saying it was sold to the Tartars. When we left, the grain shops in Pingjiang City were charging three taels of silver for a dou of rice."

Jing Chunxi and Xu Zize exchanged glances. Selling grain to the Tartars and helping them attack the Daqing Dynasty was a crime of treason.

"Do you know the exact location of the government warehouse?" Xu Zize tried his best to make his voice sound calm.

The children suddenly fell silent. The girl looked up at the others, and finally her eyes fell on the oldest boy.

The boy who had been silent all this time suddenly sneered: "What? You guys want to rob the government grain too? A group of refugees tried that, and their heads are still hanging on the city gate to dry."

The older boy stood up suddenly, his eyes blazing with terrifying hatred. "It's the imperial court that's brought us to this point!" He tore open his tattered shirt, revealing a centipede-like scar on his chest that looked hideous in the firelight. "The county magistrate had the servants burn me with a red-hot iron, all because my father underpaid three dou of grain!"

"We are different." Knowing that they didn't understand, Jing Chunxi took out the jade pendant from his arms and said, "See? This is the King of Yan." He looked at Xu Zize with a guilty conscience and said, "The King of Yan gave us a gift to open the granaries and release the grain, specifically to save the people."

"King Yan?" a child whispered.

"Yes, the Prince of Yan is different from the emperor in the palace. He asked us to help the poor people. He will return your homes to you."

Jing Chunxi's outrageous words shocked everyone, especially her own people. Xu Zize was astonished by her boldness, trust, and persistence. He saw clearly that when she said this, she truly wanted to serve the people, and her eyes shone brightly.

The children fell silent. They didn't know who the King of Yan was, and they didn't dare to believe what they were saying. But several of them relaxed visibly, at least knowing that these people would not harm them.

A night owl cried shrilly in the woods behind.

Xu Zize stood up and walked to the older boy, looking him straight in the eye as he sat very close to the fire. "What if I told you we're not going to steal food, but to distribute it?"

The children were all stunned. Ah Dou, who was in Ah He's arms, woke up dazedly. Suddenly hearing these words, he whispered, "Sister, are they gods?"

He ordered Chuyi to drag a sack out of the carriage, and when it was opened, the yellow corn was revealed.

Jing Chunxi said, "That should have been yours." She grabbed a handful of rice, letting the grains drip through her fingers. "Now, are you willing to help us return the grain to where it belongs, so that the people of Jiangnan can have enough to eat?"

The little girl seemed a little excited, her dirty little face shining in the firelight: "I want to go back, I know where the Qiantang County government warehouse is, the tax grain from other counties is transported there, just dig a dog hole." According to her understanding, they had to become thieves and steal the grain like hamsters.

Although her words were a bit childish, everyone felt uncomfortable after hearing them, and did not find them funny.

"The manager of the Pingjiang County granary is my distant cousin," the older boy whispered. "He...he once secretly gave our family half a bag of bran. I should be able to find him."

Everyone's eyes were focused on the older boy. He stared at the bag of grain, then flinched. "You have no idea what you're facing!" His voice was hoarse like a wounded animal. "Those yamen runners' knives can really cut you! My uncle said there are hundreds of yamen soldiers guarding the granary, and anyone who approaches will be beheaded."

"We can also use our swords." Quickfoot drew his sword with a clang, and six astonished little faces were reflected on the gleaming blade. "But we have to hit the right person."

The boy suddenly stood up and said, "I'll take you there. I'm familiar with Pingjiang City." The other children followed suit, saying, "Wherever Brother Shitou goes, we'll go!"

When the first ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, the children were still sleeping soundly in the house. Only Shi Tou was still sitting by the extinguished campfire, repeatedly sharpening a wooden stick with a dagger - the tip was sharpened to an extremely sharp point.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Qingfeng sat down beside him.

The young man didn't look up, but his hand movements paused for a moment. "My father said before he died that people should be grateful and repay kindness." He suddenly hurled the wooden stick, accurately piercing the tree knot three meters away. "You feed me and clothe us, and I kill for you. It's only fair. I'm going to kill those corrupt officials."

They had just eaten a full meal, changed into new clothes, and had beds set up for them to sleep in. Although the clothes he was wearing didn't quite fit him, they were enough to keep him warm.

Qingfeng looked at the wooden thorn that had sunk three inches into the tree trunk and sighed softly. He untied the short knife from his waist and placed it on the stone. "Use this. A sharpened stick can't kill a man in armor." Then he turned serious and said, "If you follow us, you must obey our orders."

When the sun rose completely, Qingfeng clapped his hands: "Remember, our primary goal is to open the warehouse and release the grain, not to risk our lives..."

"If anyone tries to stop me, I'll send them to hell." Stone Thumb tested the blade. Quick Foot wanted to say something, but Qingfeng stopped him.

"That's right." Qingfeng looked straight into the boy's eyes, "But the King of Hell will also collect enough money from the evildoers before accepting them. You have to keep your life to collect more interest." Then he patted the boy's shoulder.

And in Jing Chunxi's room,

"Open the warehouse to store grain."

This short and powerful sentence is the final decision made by Xu Zize and Jing Chunxi after repeated consideration, and it is also their unshakable determination.

From the children who lost their parents and became beggars, they learned that the disaster in Jiangnan was far more severe than they had imagined - the fields were robbed, the price of rice soared, the people had long been unable to eat enough, and some even starved to death on the roadside.

If all the food is forcibly transferred away at this time, it would be like cutting flesh to heal a wound, which will only completely cut off the life of the people who are struggling to survive.

They could never do such a thing. In this matter, what Jing Chunxi wanted most was to find the elders the children had abducted, feed them, clothe them, and return home. This should also be the wish of the children.