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

Zhao Yan patted Yuan Tianbao's fluffy head and said with a smile, "Once Yunchen's leg injury heals, I'll bring him to see you."

She stuffed the pastries in her hand into Yuan Tianbao's arms.

"Take it and eat it."

"Thank you, Aunt Zhao."

Upon seeing that it was Xiangmanlou's signature dish, Yuan Tianbao instantly forgot all about Zhao Yunchen and his two brothers, and ran off with a grin, clutching the pastries.

"This kid has no manners."

Yuan Yutang watched his grandson's retreating figure, chuckled, and gestured for Zhao Yan to sit down and rest on the stone bench.

Yuan Gang brought over tea and filled Zhao Yan's cup.

"Yan'er, come on over, don't waste money."

He learned from his grandson that Zhao Yan had taken her three nephews home.

Raising four children alone, especially in these chaotic years, she must be worried about making a living.

He took a sip of tea, his face full of worry. "Two-thirds of the counties in Yuzhou have been hit by torrential rains, causing widespread flooding. The people can no longer make a living and are fleeing north with their families."

"You must have seen them when you entered the city; those people outside the city are disaster victims from Yuzhou."

With her suspicions confirmed, Zhao Yan's mood darkened further.

"Don't the local officials care?"

If all else fails, the government can distribute grain to relieve the disaster, or at the very least, force local wealthy households to donate grain to help the people.

Yuzhou is so big, are we going to make all the people of an entire prefecture flee north?

But then Yuan Yutang let out a heavy sigh.

"The Great Xia Dynasty has been established for over two hundred years, and the ruler above has long been so pampered that he is oblivious to the suffering of the common people. If those in power are inactive, how many of the officials below truly care about the people?"

"This time, Yuzhou was hit by torrential rain for half a month, causing devastating floods. Countless people lost their homes and their lives."

"It's not that the local officials don't care, it's that they simply can't. Do you know what comes after the flood? A major epidemic..."

Zhao Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Yes.

Historically, natural disasters have been followed by plagues.

In severe cases, people from an entire village, town, or even county may not escape the disaster.

If too many people die, the government will order its soldiers to seal off villages and towns, and finally set them on fire.

That was hell on earth.

Whether you have the disease or not, as long as you are in the epidemic area, we must burn everything down to put their minds at ease.

"Does Yuanbo mean... that a plague has broken out in Yuzhou?"

She heard about the floods in the south more than 20 days ago, and now that it's been almost a month, it's hard for her not to worry.

Yuan Yutang had no intention of hiding it; the more people who knew, the more hope there was for survival.

"Yes, ten days ago, a large-scale plague broke out in Yuzhou, causing countless deaths and injuries. The victims have already moved north."

"Shanyang County is the closest county to Yuzhou, and Yong'an County is the first county where the disaster victims from the south arrived. Among them, Baima Town will be the first to be surrounded by the disaster victims from the south."

Just by looking at the disaster victims outside the city, one can tell how severe the disaster was in the south.

It's possible that those disaster victims were carrying diseases.

Yuan Yutang himself was fine; he had lived to sixty, which was enough for him. But he still had a little grandson, and he was worried about him.

His cloudy eyes looked at Zhao Yan, filled with a deep pleading.

“Yan’er, Baima Town is no longer a place to stay for long. You need to make a decision in your mind as soon as possible.”

"If you are leaving, could you please take Tianbao with you? Tianbao is still young and shouldn't be buried here with this old man."

Zhao Yan was utterly astonished.

She was completely unaware that Yuanbo intended to entrust his son to someone else.

“Uncle Yuan, you trust me, so I will do everything in my power to protect Tianbao. Tianbao will leave with me, but what about you? Aren’t you leaving?”

She didn't know Yuan Yutang's specific background, but the old man who was willing to treat her kindly from the first meeting was someone she was willing to protect.

Yuan Yutang shook his head and sighed.

"I need to stay and treat the sick and save lives. I'm the only pharmacy in Baima Town. If I leave, how will the old, weak, sick and disabled people in the town survive?"

The Yuan family has been renowned doctors for six generations, and treating and saving lives is their duty.

If he were to flee in fear of the plague in the south, how would he face his ancestors after his death?

"But Yuanbao also needs his grandfather..."

Zhao Yan was worried about Yuan Yutang's situation.

In modern times, she would choose to fight to the death with the enemy for the greater good of her country, but this is not her original world, and she is not foolish enough to think that she can save everything.

She only wanted to protect one family member within her capabilities.

Yuanbo was good to her, so she naturally hoped that Yuanbo could also live a good life.

But Yuan Yutang has his own principles.

He sighed and said helplessly, "I know, but as a doctor, I will do my best to treat the sick and save lives."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Here's what we'll do: you take Yuanbao and leave first. If the situation in the town is indeed beyond my ability to handle alone, I will come and meet up with you."

That's all it can do for now.

Zhao Yan nodded. "Okay."

Remembering the purpose of her trip, she asked bluntly, "Uncle Yuan, did you feel the earthquake last night?"

"An earthquake? There was an earthquake last night?"

Upon hearing about the earthquake, Yuan Yutang jumped up from the stone bench.

"Yan girl, are you sure it was an earthquake last night? To be honest, I've been overworked lately and have been sleeping like a log. I didn't know there was an earthquake."

Zhao Yan also stood up and nodded affirmatively.

"Confirmed. The earthquake lasted only a dozen... a dozen breaths, and there was only one tremor. There were no aftershocks, and the amplitude was not large. I estimate that most people did not feel it."

If she hadn't gotten up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, she probably wouldn't have felt the earthquake.

Judging from the reactions of the townspeople, they were indeed unaware that an earthquake had occurred the previous night.

Yuan Yutang's expression was solemn. "There was only one tremor, no aftershocks, and I didn't feel anything, which means the earthquake didn't happen in Baima Town. But since you could feel the strong tremors, it means an earthquake really did happen somewhere."

He sighed, his voice filled with profound sorrow.

"God is angry and is not giving people a way to live."

That's karma, isn't it?

Now the southern lands are devastated, and an earthquake has struck another region. If that person knew that the Great Qing Kingdom under his rule was suffering from one natural disaster after another, what would he think? Would he feel guilty for his incompetence and foolishness?

Regardless of Yuan Yutang's sadness, Zhao Yan quickly considered her options for the future.

The refugees from the south have only just begun to come north, and more and more will follow.

Judging from Yuanbo's words, the emperor above was incompetent, and the officials below were corrupt and useless.

Faced with such a devastating disaster, the government is unwilling to take action, leaving only the most vulnerable people to suffer.

The most terrifying thing has now happened.

A large-scale plague broke out in the south, and disaster victims continued to flock north with their families.

What can she do?

The only option is to escape with your family before a large influx of refugees arrives!

But where to escape to is another question.

Since we definitely can't go south, then let's head north?

Looking at Yuan Yutang, Zhao Yan voiced the question that had been on her mind.

"Uncle Yuan, if we leave, where should we go?"

If only she had a map of the entire Great Qing Kingdom, she could have a reference point.

Now that she's completely blind, she has no idea what to do.

Yuan Yutang sat back down on the stone bench, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "You should head north to the capital."