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

Tian Xiu'e gazed at the torrential rain outside, lost in thought.

"Let's stop now. With this heavy rain, there's nothing we can do, no matter how urgent it is."

Let alone preparing dry rations, look at this rain; if it doesn't stop, even sleeping at night will be a problem.

Just as I was feeling anxious, Zhao Yan's unique voice rang out from the doorway.

"Hey, here we come."

Tian Xiu'e was surprised for a moment, then hurriedly shouted and rushed over to open the door in the rain.

As soon as the door opened, Zhao Yan said anxiously, "Sister Tian, ​​the rain is too heavy. Why don't you and Jiao Jiao pack up and come stay at my place? My place is a brick and tile house that has just been renovated and doesn't leak."

Tian Xiu'e hesitated for only a second before agreeing.

"Okay, Jiaojiao and I have almost finished packing. We can go right away."

"Then let's hurry."

All of Zhao Yan's belongings had been placed on the bed in the bedroom by Tian Xiu'e. After wrapping the things in an oilcloth, Zhao Yan picked them up and left without saying a word.

Chen Qingjiao opened her mouth wide and gasped slightly in surprise.

"Aunt Zhao is really strong!"

"Stop talking nonsense and let's go."

Tian Xiu'e put on a bamboo hat and a raincoat, pulled her daughter into her arms, and chased after Zhao Yan.

With such heavy rain, please be careful not to catch a cold.

The two houses are not far apart; it only takes about five minutes to get there.

Once home, there was another lively and bustling atmosphere.

The happiest person was Zhao Xiaomi.

She hadn't visited Chen Qingjiao for several days, and when she learned that Chen Qingjiao was going to stay at her house, she was overjoyed and giggled as she pulled Chen Qingjiao aside.

Zhao Yan sent her three nephews to the west wing to share a room with Yuan Tianbao, and cleared out the east bedroom in the main hall for Tian Xiu'e and Chen Qingjiao to live in.

Organizing the bedding and tidying up the belongings was another ordeal.

While cooking, Tian Xiu'e asked the busy person next to her, "Yan'er, the rain is too heavy. I'm afraid we won't be able to leave tomorrow."

"It was quite sudden. We can only wait until the rain stops before making any plans."

Zhao Yan's voice contained a hint of worry.

On the one hand, she was worried that the rain would never stop, and on the other hand, she was worried that the rain was too heavy and might cause floods like in the south.

Tian Xiu'e sighed, unable to describe her feelings.

"Hey, we were just getting by, and now it's raining? Are they trying to make life impossible for ordinary people?!"

Zhao Yan has nothing to say.

What is a natural disaster? It's something that happens suddenly.

At this moment, Yuan Tianbao's round little head peeked out from the kitchen doorway.

He clung to the doorframe with both hands, his eyes filled with tears, and asked in a pitiful voice, "Auntie, is Grandpa hiding something from me?"

He had a feeling about it long ago.

Grandpa allowed me to come to Aunt Zhao's house, so something must have happened.

But they didn't tell him.

On the first day Yuan Tianbao came to their home, Zhao Yan made him call her "Auntie." Hearing his voice, she quickly got up and pulled the little boy from the doorway into the house.

She frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then explained to Yuan Tianbao, "Uncle Yuan has something very important to attend to. He will come to pick Yuanbao up when he is done."

"I assure you, your grandfather will be fine."

Yuan Tianbao seemed to understand but not quite, "Really?"

"It's more real than gold."

"Yes, I believe in Auntie, Grandpa will be alright."

Aunt Zhao's body was soft and yielding, and Yuan Tianbao nestled in her arms, his uneasy heart finally calming down at that moment.

This is probably what a mother's embrace feels like.

So warm and comfortable.

Tian Xiu'e hesitated, then looked at Zhao Yan with a worried expression.

Is it really okay?

She already knew Yuan Tianbao's identity from Zhao Yan, and also knew why he was here.

The old doctor was kind-hearted and unwilling to leave, but it was the children who suffered.

How silly.

If she had a choice, she would definitely take her grandson with her when she left.

Zhao Yan, unaware of what she was thinking, comforted Yuan Tianbao and then prepared lunch.

After we finished eating, it was still raining, but it wasn't as heavy anymore.

Zhao Yan coaxed the two little ones to sleep, put on a raincoat and a bamboo hat, and looked ready to go out.

Zhao Yunchen quickly called out to her, "Auntie, it's raining, where are you going?"

Zhao Yan: "I'm going to town to check on the situation and buy some things while I'm there."

Seeing Tian Xiu'e peek out from the kitchen, she instructed, "Sister Tian, ​​please keep an eye on these kids at home and make sure they don't run around outside."

Children have weak immune systems, and if they get sick from getting wet in the rain, it can be a real problem.

Tian Xiu'e looked up at the gloomy sky and hurriedly said, "Yan'er, let's wait until the rain stops before going to town. It's still raining."

Although the rain wasn't as heavy as it was in the morning, it was still quite heavy.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely be home before dark."

"Sister Tian, ​​why don't you take them to make some dry rations? We have enough firewood at home to last for half a month."

"Also, Sister Tian, ​​you and Jiaojiao can move to my room, and let Yunchen and the others go back to the east wing of the main room."

Zhao Yan didn't say anything more. After giving her instructions, she waved to them and turned to leave.

Zhao Yunchen and Tian Xiue looked at each other, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.

Please, please don't let anything happen.

The sky was dark and gloomy, and rain was falling softly.

The air was no longer unbearably hot; instead, it was mixed with a chill.

Zhao Yan walked on in the rain. The rain gradually intensified, and before long, her raincoat and straw hat were soaked and felt extremely heavy on her body.

Fortunately, she had put on a waterproof layer of clothing beforehand, so her cotton clothes underneath didn't get wet.

But the cloth shoes were soaked through, making it particularly uncomfortable to walk in.

Zhao Yan gritted her teeth, bought a pair of black high-top rain boots from the system, put them on, wrung out the water from the soaked cloth shoes, and threw them into the space storage cabinet.

Then he took off his straw raincoat and hat and bought a pure black hooded raincoat to put on.

It looked a bit strange, but it was raining and the official road was deserted, so she walked with an open and honest demeanor.

Only when she reached the city gate did she secretly change into the straw raincoat and bamboo hat she had worn when she left.

You still have to pay a tael of silver to enter the city.

Zhao Yan entered the city without any trouble. She first bought twenty catties of coarse salt at the grain store, and then bought two hundred catties of dark flour before turning towards Miao'an Hall.

As usual, I found a secluded corner to put the items into the storage cabinet.

As she walked along, she noticed that most of the shops were closed, as if they didn't intend to open for business.

The doors of Miao'an Hall were also closed.

Zhao Yan's heart sank, and she went up the mountain to knock on the door.

"Who?"

Yuan Gang remained hidden inside the door and asked in a low voice.

Zhao Yan was taken aback for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "Uncle Yuan, it's me, Zhao Yan."

Upon hearing the response, Yuan Gang, who was inside the door, was momentarily surprised. He quickly opened the door and welcomed Zhao Yan inside.

"Girl, why are you here?"

Zhao Yan glanced at the backyard. "I've come to check on the situation and also to see Uncle Yuan."

"Where is Yuanbo? Isn't he home?"

A hint of hatred flashed in Yuan Gang's eyes as he gritted his teeth and said, "Elder Yuan has been arrested by the county yamen runners."

Zhao Yan was startled.

"Arrested...? Why? What happened these past two days? Where was Uncle Yuan taken?"

Yuan Gang clenched his fist and carefully recounted the events of the past two days to Zhao Yan.

It turns out that a few days ago, a large number of refugees from Yong'an County, which is located opposite Baima Town, headed north to seek survival.

The magistrate of Yong'an County was a cunning and treacherous man.

With so many refugees from the south heading north, there were too many people. He feared that if the refugees entered the city, chaos would break out. So he ordered his men to close the city gates and not allow the refugees to enter.