Noble Lady

Waves of refugees fled the famine.

Men, women, young and old, with their families.

Those who saw it were shocked.

The martial artists were originally shouting with great enthusiasm, but when they saw the refugees fleeing famine, they felt a little frustrated.

The banging of gongs and shouting also stopped.

Moreover, their team is so large that it has attracted attention early on.

Fortunately, a group of people were tied up, which added a bit of deterrence to them.

However, due to the large number of refugees fleeing famine, they had to stop temporarily and make way for some people.

"How could it be so serious?" Yuzhu and the others looked out of the car window and couldn't help but feel secretly shocked.

"These, plus the ones we met before, almost make up half of the county's population, right?" Xia He said.

"Yes, Miss clearly asked Dongyue and the others to bring a large amount of rice and grain here so long ago, how come there is no effect at all?"

Qiuhua was riding on a horse, turned his head to look here, and asked a question that hit the soul.

Everyone in the carriage was silent.

Du Jingyuan was also surprised. "Xue Xiaoyu, you also sent Dongyue here? No wonder I haven't seen her for a while. Did you feel that something was wrong here so early?"

"The caravans traveled back and forth, so naturally they brought some unusual information." Xue Chenyu said ambiguously.

She had long known that there would be drought and famine in the south. Her maids could know about it and follow her orders, but Du Jingyuan could not be too clear about it.

This is of no benefit to either her or herself.

"That's true, just like you said before." Du Jingyuan didn't doubt it.

Xue Chenyu instructed Qiu Hua, "Go and find out which township and village they are from."

"Yes." Qiuhua got off the horse and walked towards the refugees.

I saw her talking to a pair of grandparents, and then the grandmother frowned and advised her not to go forward, because there was nothing to eat or drink and it would be fatal.

Then he pointed at the people in front and behind and said something, and Qiuhua nodded with a serious expression.

After a moment, she couldn't help but say, "The road north is a long one, and even after leaving Lingnan, autumn has already arrived in the north. Your clothes are so thin, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it."

"It's okay, we brought clothes with us. There's nothing valuable left at home. We only have two sets of clothes."

Qiuhua was still worried, so she pulled the grandmother and her granddaughter aside and said, "No, if you keep heading north like this, you won't be able to leave Lingnan before winter arrives. When winter comes, there will be heavy snow everywhere. I'm afraid your winter clothes here won't be able to withstand the cold over there."

The mother-in-law was stunned for a moment, then her cloudy eyes filled with tears, and she knelt down in front of Qiuhua.

"Girl, judging by your clothes and appearance, you seem to have plenty of food. My granddaughter is quite strong too, so why don't you take her in? It's better than fleeing the famine with me."

Qiuhua was stunned for a moment and tried to help the person up, but her mother-in-law pulled her granddaughter down to kneel down as well.

"Miss, please be kind. My granddaughter is called Xiao Qiao. She is twelve years old this year and is very capable. She usually chops wood, fetches water, cooks, and works in the fields. She can do everything."

"She is not afraid of hardship or fatigue, as long as she can have a bowl of rice to eat."

When my mother-in-law knelt, many people around her gathered around.

"Girl, why don't you take my boy in as well? He's quite strong and just needs a bowl of rice to eat."

"Look at my family! My girl is also capable of working. She cooks delicious food. She can fetch water, wash clothes, chop wood, cook, and do everything!"

They couldn't hear anything Qiuhua said.

Seeing Qiuhua being surrounded, Xue Chenyu could no longer sit still and asked everyone to get off the carriage.

However, when Xue Chenyu and his group came over, those people also knelt down in front of them.

"Qiuhua, what happened?"

Qiu Hua said with a bitter face, "Miss, they all want to hand the child over to us."

Then he briefly recounted what had just happened.

As they were talking, more families with children gathered around.

"Miss, be careful!" Fearing that they might do something wrong, Yuzhu quickly pulled Xue Chenyu behind her.

Qiu Hua, Xia He and Yu Mei also quickly surrounded Xue Chenyu.

Du Juan was not willing to be outdone, and she pulled Du Jingyuan, fearing that she would be dragged away by someone.

As for Xue Luoyan, she was not allowed to get off the car at all.

Yao Biaotou and his men also gathered around.

Seeing these bodyguards carrying swords and knives, the villagers who were fleeing from famine were so scared that they fell back.

"Don't be nervous yet." Xue Chenyu said softly, patted Yumei and Xia He, and asked them to make room for her in the middle seat.

They moved a little, and Xue Chenyu took the initiative to step forward. "I understand your desire to send your children to good families and to have enough food to eat, but our caravan can't support so many people."

"Look at our girl..."

"Look at our kid..."

They were talking as they scrambled to grab the last one.

Xue Chenyu tried to speak several times, but her voice was drowned out by them.

"Ding——" The loud sound of a gong stood out amid the noise.

Everyone was startled and looked at the person who was beating the gong.

Du Jingyuan held the drumstick in her hand and shouted loudly, "Be quiet! Listen to our little fish. If you make any more noise, this snail will hit you in the ear!"

Her hands were really strong. The gong had just been struck, and the ears of those close to her were still buzzing.

The villagers who fled famine hesitated for a moment and then kept their mouths shut.

Xue Chenyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gave Du Jingyuan a thumbs up.

"Listen to me, everyone. Although our caravan can't support so many people, I know a grain merchant who should have some surplus food."

As she spoke, she glanced at Yumei, who nodded at her. Junior Master-Uncle was already trying to find a way to transfer the food over.

"Even if I have to give up everything I have, I will buy the food. You should be able to eat tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"Really? Can we eat?"

Some were pleasantly surprised, while others raised discordant voices: "So, you, little girl, have quite a bit of money!"

As he was speaking, the man suddenly shouted, "Take out the money, and we'll go buy some rice ourselves!"

Then the person who was kneeling rushed forward.

Xue Chenyu was protected and retreated backwards.

Yao Biaotou was in the back row, but at this moment he flew over and kicked the man away.

Those who were about to take action were frightened.

Xue Chenyu frowned and said in a bad tone, "We have never met before. I am willing to use my own money to buy food for you, but you are thinking of stealing my things."

The man who took the lead in suggesting they robbed said with his neck stiffened, "Let's rob, no one in the court cares about our lives. What's wrong with me earning a living by my own ability?"

"You don't know what death is!" Qiuhua sneered, and the sword in his hand was already unsheathed.

This situation is indeed not good.

The next moment, the man had another knife belonging to Yao Biaotou on his neck. "Speak politely. If you rush in to rob something like this, no one will care even if you die."

"you……"

"I wanted to help you, but you turned around and robbed me." Xue Chenyu sneered and pointed at the black-clad men at the end of the team. "You can try and see what happens to them. That's what will happen to you."

The villagers, all flushed red, gasped when they saw the group at the tail end of the caravan.

Xue Chenyu looked at the villagers who were still kneeling and kowtowing. "You guys are looting like this. Who do you think will be the one to have their fill in the end? Do you think those men will share the loot with you, the old, the young, the women and the children?"

Everyone fell silent.

Those men are not so kind, and the old, young, women and children certainly cannot compete with the men.

It goes without saying who will go hungry in the end.

"Since you've already got evil intentions, I'm not afraid to tell you that I don't have any food in this car, only medicinal herbs. They won't fill you up, but they can save your life."

"If you don't want to die of starvation on the road, don't go any further north. Follow me into the city to find your county magistrate."

After saying that, Xue Chenyu went back to the car.

She was not from the government, and she was only surrounded by a dozen or so martial artists and escorts from the caravan and escort agency. They were also carrying medicinal herbs, so they could not show off too much.

Otherwise, if so many villagers fleeing famine rushed forward, these twenty or thirty people would not be able to hold on.

She must ensure her own safety first before she has the chance to say anything else.