Traveling Through Farmhouses: Taking the Baby on a Famine Escape

Zhou Dashan and his group continued on their way, with several young men pulling the bandits behind them with ropes. They finally arrived at the gates of Anlin County before the city gates closed.

Why are there so many refugees waiting outside? And why are there several soldiers guarding the city gate? What's going on? Can't we go in?

Zhou Dashan gestured for everyone to stop, "Wenbo, go ahead and ask what's going on!"

Zhang Wenbo went for a while and then returned with a serious expression.

"How about it!"

"Because there are too many people fleeing here, Anlin County no longer allows refugees to enter the city."

"Then why are these refugees still here?!"

“There are wealthy families in the city who will come out to distribute porridge every day. These people are just trying to stay alive and hoping that the imperial court will come to provide disaster relief.”

Zhang Xixi sighed. They couldn't just sit and wait to die; who knew if the imperial court would come!

"I wonder if Lingzhou will let us into the city!"

Zhang Wenbo also looked worried.

"I don't know!"

Upon hearing this news, everyone's expression changed. They had come all this way with great difficulty; if they weren't allowed to enter the city, where could they go?

Zhang Wenbo looked at everyone and continued, "However, Lingzhou is sparsely populated and mostly hilly, so many people are unwilling to go there. They might accept us."

Zhang Xixi thought of the token Duanmu Yun had given her and said, "I think we still have to move forward. If it really doesn't work out, we can figure out a solution after we get to Lingzhou!"

Zhou Dashan glanced towards the bandits and said, "What about those people? We can't take them with us."

Zhang Xixi looked at Zhang Wenbo and said, "Brother, go and ask. Maybe they'll let these bandits in. I've heard that some county magistrates will do things like falsifying documents and impersonating others for their own merits."

Zhang Wenbo hesitated for a moment, "If that's the case, these bandits might lose their lives."

"Brother, do you really want to take them with you? Aren't you afraid they'll retaliate against us later? Besides, those people might have done other bad things, and they deserve what they get."

Zhang Wenbo sighed, "I'll go and inquire again!"

Zhang Wenbo handed a piece of silver to a manager at the city gate.

Liu Neng weighed the silver in his hand and asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Sir, I'd like to ask if it's permissible to let a group of bandits into the government office after we've captured them?"

"cannot!"

A soldier in an official uniform with a pockmarked face quickly stepped forward, pulled Liu Neng to the back, and turned to signal Zhang Wenbo to wait.

"Brother Liu, have you forgotten that the distinguished guest from the capital was robbed by a group of bandits? That guest urged the magistrate to solve the case as soon as possible, and now the criminal has been delivered to our doorstep."

"Will this work?"

The soldier lowered his voice and said, "It will definitely work. I heard that those bandits are masked and no one has ever seen them. As long as we say it is them, then it is. The magistrate is having a lot of trouble with this matter. If you can solve it, the reward will definitely be substantial. I hope Brother Liu will take good care of me then."

Upon hearing this, Liu Neng couldn't resist the temptation and agreed, then went back and had Zhang Wenbo bring the man to the city gate.

On his way back, Zhang Wenbo was still a little confused. Could it be that his little sister had really been right?

After dealing with the bandits, Zhang Wenbo spent some sweet potatoes to find out that there was a small path in the mountains behind Anlin County that led to Lingzhou.

Zhang Wenbo glanced at the sky, then looked at the emaciated, ragged refugees scattered everywhere.

"There are too many refugees here, it's not safe. Let's hurry up and go up the mountain to spend the night!"

After Zhou Dashan nodded in agreement, he called out, "Everyone, grab your things and let's go!"

The mountain path was a bit narrow, just wide enough for two people to pass through. Luckily, Zhang Xixi and her companion didn't have a handcart or anything, otherwise it would have been really difficult to climb up.

After the sun set, they finally arrived at a place where they could rest. The villagers quickly set up tents and prepared dinner.

Chen took out wild boar meat, stir-fried it with cabbage, cooked a pot of wild vegetables she had dug up that day, and added sweet potatoes—that was her dinner for the day.

Zhang Xixi ate sweet potatoes, looking forward to reaching her destination as soon as possible so she could eat rice without any worries.

The next day, Zhang Xixi and her group continued along the mountain path until noon when they saw a city at the foot of the mountain.

"That must be Lingzhou!"

The villagers grinned from ear to ear; they were finally almost there!

"Everyone, stop and pack your things before heading down the mountain!" Zhou Dashan shouted excitedly.

Zhang Xixi glanced at Xiao Jin and his wife. It would be a bit troublesome to bring them into the city now. After thinking for a moment, she opened the system and found that there were carriages for sale. Although she didn't know when they would be available, she would make do with them for now.

After everyone finished packing, Zhang Xixi led Xiao Jin and the others and walked very fast, arriving at the foot of the mountain in no time.

"Da Bao, Er Bao, you two watch over your little sister and wait here for Mom. Mom has something to do over there."

The two children, thinking Zhang Xixi was going to the restroom, obediently agreed.

Zhang Xixi walked forward and looked around to make sure no one was there. She bought a large carriage, had the system leave it on the road, and then pushed the carriage back home.

Zhou Dashan and the others arrived at the foot of the mountain and were waiting for Zhang Xixi. Zhang Wenhong saw the carriage and asked, "Little sister, where did you get this carriage?"

Zhang Xixi said without batting an eye, "It was a gift from my master. Xiao Jin and the others are too conspicuous, so it's better to let them sit in the carriage."

Zhang Wenhong and Zhou Yujie took all the food off Ling Yun and put it on the ground, then hitched the cart to the horse.

Zhang Xixi poured the spiritual spring water from her water bag into a wooden bucket and fed it to Lingyun, bribing the horse first to prevent it from giving up.

"Xiao Jin, take your wife to the carriage."

After Xiao Jin and the others went in, Zhang Xixi let the two Bao and Yu Han climb in as well. She glanced at the carriage and saw it was packed full. Luckily, she had bought the largest size, otherwise all three children wouldn't have been able to fit in.

Zhang Xixi and Zhou Yujie each divided the grain in half, tied it with rope, and carried it on their backs. Being strong is great; carrying so much grain wasn't too heavy, although their shoulders were a little sore. They decided to buy a horse once they got to the city.

Seeing that her daughter was carrying so much grain, Chen quickly stepped forward, took the basket from Zhang Xixi's hands, and led the horse forward.

As soon as they set off, Lingyun (the horse) snorted loudly. Those two fat tigers had crushed the horse to death. If it weren't for the delicious food, it would have really gone on strike!