She picked up the young prime minister while fleeing famine

"Boss, are we just going to swallow this loss like this?" A man covered his hand, looking fierce.

He was the one whose wrist was unexpectedly chopped in half by Lian Chengmo yesterday. He was in so much pain that he couldn't sleep all night, and his face was still pale.

"Of course not, the two big spicy ones are too much to handle, we have to start with the smaller spicy ones."

"Just you wait. Once they fall into my hands, I'll tear them to pieces and show them what I'm capable of," the leader, whose right hand was severed, said viciously, clutching his wound.

Even losing his right hand did not affect his status as the leader, because he was the most ruthless of the five, and he killed and ate the most people.

After walking for two more days, Banxia's little cloth bag in her pocket remained unused. On the contrary, Yao Lizheng would come over to greet her every day during his rest time, which brought the two sides closer together.

Because of this, Lian Chengmo confessed something else to Banxia.

“My grandfather was from a branch of the Liancheng family in Yunzhou, Huayang Prefecture, and I also have the title of Tongsheng (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). Yao Lizheng probably wants to enter the city through me.”

When Lian Chengmo mentioned this, his expression was somewhat strange, as if he was thinking about something unpleasant.

Banxia sensed it but didn't ask any questions, but she understood why Yao Lizheng treated Lian Chengmo so well.

In this era, there is always a kind of filter for scholars. I wonder if Yao Lizheng will turn against them when he finds out that they don't plan to go to Vietnam Prefecture or even Huayang Prefecture.

It doesn't matter if they fall out; they'll probably go their separate ways then.

On the other hand, Yao Lizheng's family was also somewhat puzzled. Wasn't he just a student who had passed the preliminary examination?

It's not like the villages near them haven't produced scholars, but I've never seen Yao Lizheng fawn over them like this.

Yao Lizheng gave his son a flick on the forehead and said irritably.

"That's the Liancheng family of Yunzhou. They produce a prodigy every hundred years, leading the Liancheng family to prosperity for a long time. The prime ministers in the imperial court are all from the Liancheng family."

“What good is the prime minister? He can’t control that incompetent emperor. Otherwise, why would we common people suffer so much?” Yao Lizheng’s eldest son muttered indignantly.

"Shut up! Prime Minister Liancheng has already done his best. The Liancheng family's main residence is in Huayang Prefecture. Whether we can enter the city to escape depends on this young master of the Liancheng family." Yao Lizheng slapped his eldest son again in annoyance.

After taking pictures of his own son, Yao Lizheng still glanced worriedly at Lian Chengmo, who was walking in the middle of the group, his heart pounding with anxiety.

He had previously received news that Prime Minister Liancheng had been executed for his loyal advice, but on this famine-stricken journey, even survival was difficult, so who cared about the lives of others?

In order to keep the whole village alive, Yao Lizheng would gather information wherever he went. So the Liancheng family, which was already famous, became more and more well-known as he got closer to Vietnam Prefecture and Huayang Prefecture.

I heard that the Liancheng family has broken with the Emperor and switched their allegiance to Prince Cheng. They are now Prince Cheng's favorites. They brought along a young master from the Liancheng family, so they might be able to enter the city. I just don't know what status this young master has in the Liancheng family.

Could we bring their entire village to the city?

"That kid, can he really be that capable?" Boss Yao glanced at Lian Chengmo not far away, feeling that his father was exaggerating.

If he were truly a son of a wealthy family, how could he have fallen to the point of fleeing famine with them and needing their protection?

"We should give it a try. That young master is already a student at such a young age. If he can survive in this chaotic world, he will surely achieve something. Let's do him a favor."

"Boss, don't offend them, you hear me?" Yao Lizheng said, then reminded his son.

Don't be nice to people and then turn around and have your stupid son offend them.

"Dad, am I such a stupid person?" Yao Laoda was speechless, and then he was met with a glare from his father.

"Alright, alright, I understand. I'll make sure to treat him well and won't offend that young master," Boss Yao had no choice but to promise.

Upon hearing this, Yao Lizheng glared at his stupid son again and said instead.

"There's no need to treat them like royalty. In these times of year, those children still rely on our village for protection. We're treating them as equals, so there's no need to try to curry favor. Just treat them as children from the village and take care of them."

Old Master Yao naturally nodded in agreement. It wasn't that he disliked Lian Chengmo and his children, but rather that in these times, what good impression could poor families have of the sons and daughters of wealthy and official families?

To put it more simply, it's about resentment towards the rich, and Yao Laoda is one of them.

However, his father was the village head after all, and Yao Laoda was always proud of his father being the village head. Therefore, he always obeyed the decisions and instructions made by Village Head Yao. In recent days, none of the villagers, including Yao Laoda, showed any resentment towards the rich in front of Lian Chengmo.

However, not showing any affection doesn't mean they should get close. After two or three days, the villagers of Yaoli Village learned that the six children belonged to two families and had lost their parents and relatives to thieves, which is why they banded together to escape the famine.

In this way, the three siblings, Banxia and her brother, were much more popular than the three siblings, Liancheng and Mo.

As Banxia learned from chatting with the aunties in Yaoli Village over the past two days, they would stop and rest for half a day every three days.

Half of the men would go out to find water, hunt, and look for edible wild fruits and vegetables, while the women would engage in small-scale activities, digging up wild vegetables and mixing them with coarse grains to make wild vegetable pancakes to take on the road.

Otherwise, with only the short rest time after dark each day, how could we possibly prepare much dry food? Everyone was exhausted from traveling.

When Banxia first heard Yao Lizheng's arrangement, she thought the uncle was very smart, knowing how to balance work and rest.

The constant travel itself is exhausting in terms of physical strength and willpower. Taking a half-day break every three days and being able to go out to find food not only gives everyone a break but also motivates them to find food.

At the same time, resting also improved the efficiency of traveling.

Because we were well prepared, we didn't have to keep thinking about finding food or water along the way.

The containers that the villagers carry can only hold enough water for three days at most, and they have to drink it sparingly.

Tomorrow is the day Yao Li Village will rest, and Ban Xia and the others are about to run out of water bags.

"Lian Chengmo, how about I go out with the rest of the group to find something to eat tomorrow morning, and you stay here to look after the kids?" Banxia discussed with Lian Chengmo after dinner.

This was something she had planned when she heard the news, and now she was discussing it with Lian Chengmo.

Banxia had already made up her mind. If this old-fashioned guy disagreed, she would have a good talk with him. It would be much better for her to go herself than for this old-fashioned guy who didn't even know a few wild vegetables to go.

Moreover, she was stronger than him and could bring back more food.

"Lian Chengmo, I'm telling you, I have to go to..."

"good!"