Armed with a machete and a gun, armed with a system, they fled the famine.

"Xiaomi, don't be afraid, we're all here for you."

Zhao Yunchen gently comforted him.

Zhao Xiaomi's eyes darted around, and she obediently replied, "Yes, I'm not afraid."

The earthquake lasted only about ten seconds, and there is no movement now.

But Zhao Yan dared not let her guard down and remained in the courtyard without moving.

Everyone stayed in the courtyard for about half an hour. When Zhao Yan saw that it really only lasted for a dozen seconds, she felt relieved and let everyone go back inside.

The earthquake lasted so short, it seems the epicenter was still quite far from her location.

After this incident, the village remained as quiet as ever.

I guess everyone was asleep and had no idea that an earthquake had occurred in the middle of the night.

Zhao Yan stayed up until late at night before finally falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Zhao Yan prepared breakfast, instructed Zhao Yunchen to take good care of Xiaomi, and then left home with a basket on her back.

She planned to go to town to check on the situation.

Before leaving, she detoured to Tian Xiu'e's place.

Seeing that Tian Xiu'e and her daughter were both alright, she said nothing and headed towards Baima Town alone.

Some ragged refugees appeared on the official road leading to Baima Town.

Some families were gathered together, while others were just one person wandering the streets.

The situation is not optimistic for anyone.

His clothes were filthy, his face was sallow and thin, and his eyes showed numbness towards life.

But when they saw something by the roadside that might provide food, they rushed towards it in a panic.

The plants along the official road were basically all destroyed. Anything with a hint of green was dug up and stuffed into the stomachs of the emaciated refugees.

Zhao Yan stood out among them, attracting more and more covetous glances.

Zhao Yan felt a chill run down her spine, quietly gripped the dagger in her hand, and quickened her pace.

She has tried her best to avoid contact with refugees, but there are always those who don't want to die and try to find a way to survive.

"Step aside."

Zhao Yan glanced at the man blocking her way, her voice indifferent.

The man was very tall and held a wood-chopping knife in his hand. Although he was thin, Zhao Yan could clearly sense that he was different from the other refugees.

His gaze was cold and terrifying, with a slight redness in his eyes.

Zhao Yan felt a wave of nausea and vomiting.

"Hehehe."

The man gripped his wood-chopping knife tightly, letting out eerie laughs from his chest.

"Give me food, and I'll move aside."

"If you're not given any food, you're not leaving today."

Taking advantage of his physical strength and height, he completely disregarded the woman opposite him.

He had killed people and seen blood on his journey as a fugitive, and when he was starving, he had even eaten meat that he shouldn't have.

He observed the fair-skinned and beautiful woman walking alone on the road for a long time before deciding to make his move.

Zhao Yan's gaze suddenly turned cold. She pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "What if I don't?"

No, you will be willing.

Before she could react, the man had already lunged forward with his tall frame.

He wanted to rape and then kill this woman.

Seeing this, the other refugees fled to distant places.

Some of the bolder ones would stay nearby, waiting for the two to be severely injured so they could take advantage of the situation.

"court death."

Zhao Yan snorted coldly and instantly assumed an attack stance.

Every move was bloody and ruthless.

In an instant, the man clutched his stomach and collapsed heavily to the ground.

"You—pfft—"

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, closed his eyes, and fainted.

"I told you to get out of the way, but you wouldn't listen."

Zhao Yan carefully wiped the dagger clean with a cloth and put it back into her sleeve.

She glanced at the man who had fainted on the ground, then continued on her way with a somber expression.

The man did not die; he simply fainted from blood loss and exhaustion.

The situation is unclear, but the law still applies, so Zhao Yan is unlikely to do anything detrimental to herself.

As they walked along, the refugees who were waiting to pick up scraps were so frightened that they squatted down by the roadside, trembling with fear.

Ah! A ghost! She's a devil!

The women who had been holding their children and wanted to beg for food for them no longer dared to go forward.

terrible!

She killed someone!

Fifty meters from the city gate, a large number of refugees who had fled the city gathered.

Zhao Yan guessed that they were probably disaster victims from the south.

Not everyone was dressed in rags and looked terrible.

Near the city gate, some wealthy families were queuing up to enter the city in mule carts or oxcarts.

Soldiers began to guard the city gates.

When it was Zhao Yan's turn, not only did they have to check her household registration, but everyone also had to pay a tael of silver as a city entry fee.

Zhao Yan felt that the situation had developed too seriously, and her mood became heavy.

It seems I have quite a lot to buy this time.

Having successfully entered Baima Town, she carried her basket straight to the clothing shop on East Street.

She was so busy making money before that she didn't pay attention to clothes.

The situation outside the city is not optimistic, so she decided to buy more clothes for her family as a precaution.

She needs to prepare two sets of cotton-padded clothes for winter, because she is most afraid of the cold in winter, and sometimes she wishes she could carry a cotton quilt with her when she goes out.

Bedding and blankets also need to be purchased.

"Oh, young lady, are you buying clothes or fabric?"

As soon as Zhao Yan entered the clothing store, the proprietress greeted her warmly.

Despite Zhao Yan being dressed in men's clothes, the proprietress had a sharp eye and recognized Zhao Yan's identity at a glance.

Isn't that the same big customer from last time?

She needs to treat them well.

"What style would you like, young lady? We received some new stock yesterday, all the latest trendy styles from the county town, perfect for young girls and ladies. Would you like to try them on?"

Zhao Yan walked around the shop for a while, then suddenly pointed to the men's clothes hanging on the counter and said, "Please wrap these up for me, I want them all."

She chose dark-colored clothes, some made of coarse cloth and some of cotton, and the length of the clothes was just right for her and Yun Chen's height.

Seeing five or six smaller-sized ready-to-wear garments next to her, she took them all as well.

I can alter the clothes for the remaining three little ones so they can wear them too.

The proprietress thought that with her silver tongue, she could sell one or two items, but she didn't expect Zhao Yan to play by the rules.

Her expression froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

"Young lady, are you buying this for your family? Please wait a moment, I'll wrap it up for you."

She quickly packed up the clothes, and before settling the bill, she tried to sell the bright women's dresses again.

"Young lady, why don't you try on this light green one? I think you have fair skin, you'll look beautiful in it."

"And this one, it has a unique charm too."

"no need."

Zhao Yan shook her head and directly refused the landlady's offer.

She doesn't plan to remarry, so why is she dressed so flamboyantly? Is she going out to attract attention?

Stay as far away from her as possible, especially if she's involved in any unwanted romantic advances.

The proprietress was extremely depressed.

Why is such a fair-skinned and beautiful girl wearing men's clothes?

Even if she wears it again, she can't turn into a man!

Just as she was feeling down, Zhao Yan spoke up again and asked her, "Boss lady, do you have any finished cotton-padded clothes here? I'd like to buy twenty sets."