Eavesdropping on Fu Bao's inner thoughts, emptying the stored grain and fleeing the famine

Chuntao and Qiuju were relieved to see that Lian Rongrong had returned safely.

However, after hearing about Lian Rongrong's remarkable achievements, the two began to worry again.

"Miss, you're being too impulsive. When have our great-aunt and cousin ever been treated like this?"

"Yes, they will definitely complain to the old lady."

Chun Tao and Qiu Ju both looked worried, but Lian Rongrong seemed quite relaxed. Lian Rongrong patted their shoulders and said:

"Don't worry, they won't do it unless they're stupid! Okay, tell me about the warehouse first."

Although Lian Rongrong dealt a severe beating to Lian Xiuyan and her daughter, she didn't forget her important business.

The incident involving Lian Xiuyan and her daughter is just a minor episode; the most important thing right now is to escape.

If what Fu Bao said is true, I'm afraid this villa will soon become unsafe. Rather than waiting passively, we should take the initiative to plan.

Although Wang Yue made things difficult for Chun Tao and Qiu Ju, they did not forget their mission to investigate the warehouse.

“Miss, I’ve checked. There’s not much food left in the storeroom of the villa. I guess the old lady is thinking that she will be returning to the capital soon, so she hasn’t ordered anyone to buy any more.”

Qiu Ju had already inspected the grain in the warehouse before Wang Yue appeared, so she was able to know the situation in advance.

"How much is 'not much'? Enough for us to eat for several days?"

Qiuju quickly calculated in her mind before replying, "I estimate less than seven days."

Lian Rongrong remained silent for a moment, but in reality, she was also making calculations in her mind.

Although there weren't many things in the villa, the amber ring contained quite a lot of supplies.

"That's fine. Seven days' worth of rations is convenient to carry directly. We just need to come up with a reason to get them to agree to leave."

Lian Rongrong muttered softly, her voice not loud, but just loud enough for Chun Tao and Qiu Ju to hear.

"Leave? Why should we leave? Didn't we come here to celebrate the old lady's birthday?"

Qiuju tilted her head and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Qiuju, Miss has her own reasons. We just need to follow her orders."

Although Chun Tao didn't know why her mistress wanted to leave the villa with everyone, she clearly knew more than Qiu Ju.

Chuntao understood that her mistress had her reasons for making such a plan, and all she and Qiuju needed to do was follow her instructions.

Lian Rongrong looked up at the two maids in front of her; their eyes were filled with loyalty and trust.

Lian Rongrong knew that if she wanted to escape successfully, she needed a partner to accompany her, but she didn't know how to explain the current situation.

So he made up a lie and said, "A few days ago, I dreamt that a celestial being gave me guidance, saying that I would face a great calamity."

"At first I thought it was just a dream, but when I gave birth to Fu Bao, I almost lost my life at the hands of that bastard Qi Wangsheng."

Chuntao and Qiuju listened intently, their eyes revealing shock and disbelief.

Seeing how easily the two girls were fooled, Lian Rongrong continued, "In my dream, the immortal also told me that the Lian family would suffer a bloody disaster."

"We need to go south to resolve this, so my reason for persuading my father to come to the villa to celebrate my grandmother's birthday was a pretense; the real reason was to lead everyone to safety."

"Even so, can't we just tell the master and the others directly?" Chun Tao had no doubt about Lian Rongrong's words.

At present, Chuntao firmly believes that the amber ring that can hide people must also belong to the fairy who guided the young lady.

The things that had seemed so absurd before suddenly made sense. Chun Tao even couldn't help but feel happy for her mistress in her heart.

"I can't tell you." Lian Rongrong shook her head. "My father is busy fighting on the battlefield, so I'm afraid he won't believe my dream of meeting an immortal."

Chuntao and Qiuju are indeed loyal, but it's hopeless to expect them to come up with any good ideas.

Lian Rongrong told the two of them to rest, while she lay down next to Fu Bao, racking her brains about how to lead everyone away.

Perhaps because she had been too mentally and physically exhausted during the day, Lian Rongrong fell asleep without realizing it.

The next morning, Lian Rongrong woke up before dawn. She woke up not because she had slept enough, but because she was cold.

Lian Rongrong got up and covered Fu Bao with another quilt, while she put on a cloak and went to tend the fire.

The fire in the stove hadn't gone out; in fact, it was burning quite brightly, presumably because Chuntao and Qiuju were taking turns watching over it.

Now that she was awake, Lian Rongrong was no longer sleepy. She walked to the door and tiptoed to open it.

In just one night, the outside world seemed to have changed completely, with snow on the ground reaching up to the calves.

The rooftops and trees were no longer recognizable as their original colors; even Rongrong had never seen such heavy snow before.

The snow continued to dance in the air. Lian Rongrong looked up at the sky and saw thousands of snowflakes falling, which added an indescribable atmosphere to the cold morning.

Lian Rongrong stretched out her hand, and snowflakes fell into her palm, melting in an instant.

Just as Lian Rongrong was captivated by the sight of falling snow, Fu Bao's cries came from inside the house.

[I'm freezing! It's so cold! Mommy, I want Mommy! Waaaaah~]

Upon hearing Fu Bao's voice, Lian Rongrong immediately turned around and went back into the house. She saw Fu Bao crying loudly with tears in her eyes, so she immediately picked him up.

"Don't cry, Fu Bao, Mommy's here."

[A mother's embrace is still the warmest.]

Held in Lian Rongrong's arms, Fu Bao quickly stopped crying.

After teasing Fu Bao a few times, Lian Rongrong wrapped Fu Bao up again and picked him up.

"Little Fu Bao, it's snowing heavily outside. Let Mommy show you."

As she spoke, Lian Rongrong carried Fu Bao to the outer hall. Because she was worried that Fu Bao would get cold, Lian Rongrong only stood inside the hall, letting Fu Bao look at the heavy snow outside from afar.

Lian Rongrong originally thought Fu Bao would be very happy, but unexpectedly, she heard Fu Bao suddenly say:

[Oh no! Based on the timeline, this might have been the worst winter of that year!]

Hearing Fu Bao's nervous tone, Lian Rongrong immediately realized something was wrong and asked:

"What severe winter? What's going on?"

Mother, I have amnesia. I only remember that there was a great famine that year, but I forgot that the cause was this once-in-a-century severe winter.

I don't have any memory of that year's Great Winter, but I remember reading in a book that it caused the tragic deaths of tens of thousands of people.

Within the territory of Dasheng, across a vast expanse of land, people were displaced, corpses of the starved littered the fields, and people resorted to cannibalism.

Even the holy city was not spared. The people suffering from the famine were more terrifying than floods and wild beasts.

The mansions of many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital were looted, and according to records, some deaths were reported.

"so serious?"

[In truth, Fu Bao didn't know just how serious it was, but reality is always crueler than what historians depict.]

Lian Rongrong knew that Fu Bao was right, so the predicament she was facing was far more difficult than she had imagined.

"If it is truly a once-in-a-century severe winter, we may have to descend the mountain immediately."

If this snow continues, even without the assassins sent by Li Yuanyi, we will be trapped here and die.

Mother is right, we must leave quickly.

When Chuntao and Qiuju heard the commotion from Lian Rongrong's side, they brought over hot water and breakfast.

But the first thing Lian Rongrong said to the two of them was, "Tell the servants to prepare the carriage and move our things. We need to leave the villa immediately."

Seeing that Lian Rongrong looked as if she were facing a formidable enemy, Chun Tao and Qiu Ju dared not delay and each went to find someone to do their job.

Lian Rongrong carried Fu Bao and walked towards the South Courtyard.