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

Tian Xiu'e, along with her daughter and Zhao Xiaomi, slept in the west wing of the main room, while Zhao Yunchen and the others stayed in the east wing for the time being.

The west wing was given to Yuan Yutang and Yuan Gang, while Zhao Yan temporarily stayed in the woodshed of the east wing for two days.

There's no other way; our home is too small, so this is the only option for now.

Yuan Yutang had been in close contact with the sick refugee, and just in case, he had to be quarantined for two days for observation.

Zhao Yan and Yuan Gang, who had contact with him, also had to be quarantined.

"Sister Tian, ​​just bring the food to the door for us. Remember to wear a mask."

That's right.

Zhao Yan also asked Tian Xiu'e to sew a few cotton masks on the spot, which was better than nothing.

Yuan Yutang and the other two ate their dinner by the dim light of an oil lamp and went to bed early.

For two consecutive days, the three of them stayed in their room. Even when they needed to use the restroom, they would wait until no one was around and then put on their masks.

No one developed a fever in the two days that followed, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The rain has been falling continuously.

Sometimes it's big, sometimes it's small, but it just doesn't seem to be stopping.

Three days later, after confirming that Zhao Yan and the other two were alright, they finally came out of the room.

Zhao Xiaomi finally got her wish and ran into her mother's arms for a hug.

Yuan Tianbao cried and laughed as he rushed into his grandfather's arms.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, you're finally back! Waaah... I thought you didn't want me anymore."

These past few days, he could only hear his grandfather's voice but couldn't see him. He thought his grandfather was seriously ill and wouldn't live much longer.

Seeing his grandfather standing safely before him, he cried until his eyes were red.

Yuan Yutang pulled his grandson close to him, a dark look flashing in his cloudy eyes.

“How could Grandpa not want Tianbao? Tianbao is Grandpa’s beloved grandson, so of course Grandpa would cherish him.”

"How was your time at Aunt Zhao's house these past few days? How are things with your brother Chen and the others?"

Yuan Tianbao stopped crying and corrected his grandfather clearly: "Grandpa, it's not Aunt Zhao, it's Auntie. Brother Chen's aunt is now my aunt too. Grandpa, I have an aunt now."

He now has not only his grandfather, Yuan Gang, but also Aunt Zhao and Aunt Tian, ​​and oh yes, Sister Jiao Jiao and Brother Chen.

That's wonderful, he has so many family members around him.

Yuan Yutang was pleased with this.

You can call me whatever you want, but "auntie" sounds more affectionate.

Zhao Yan held her daughter and coaxed her for a long time until the daughter laughed heartily before letting her go.

She clapped her hands and announced, "There's still meat at home, so I'll make braised pork for everyone today."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yunjie and the others beamed with joy.

"Great."

"Eat meat, eat meat."

"My aunt's cooking is the most delicious."

……

The situation in Yong'an County had already caused quite a stir.

The day after Zhao Yan and the others left, at noon, two yamen runners came to relieve them.

Seeing that no one was patrolling outside, the two went straight into the first tent.

Inside the tent, the two constables who had been given sleeping pills by Zhao Yan were shaken awake by their companions.

The four of them didn't pay much attention, assuming it was because they were too tired and slept too soundly at night.

When the newly arrived yamen runners went to check each tent, they were shocked to find that all the doctors were gone.

"Oh no! The doctors have all disappeared!"

The other three also changed their expressions.

"What? What do we do then?"

"What else can we do? We must report to the magistrate immediately!"

The four hurriedly went to the Yong'an County government office and recounted the whole story.

"hateful!"

Qian Wenbo was so angry that he smashed his teacup, his face full of rage.

"Go! Send men to arrest all those who escaped and throw them in jail! A bunch of good-for-nothings! They can't even cure the plague and they dare to escape! How dare they!"

The subordinate yamen runners obeyed and left.

However, by the time they arrived, those people had already hidden away with their families, and the constables naturally returned empty-handed.

Qian Wenbai was so angry his nose almost twisted out of shape, and he threw a tantrum.

Because it was still raining, the matter was dropped.

On the third day of the rain, Zhao Yan went to Chen Youjin's house and told him about the situation in Baima Town and Yong'an County. Before leaving, she told him, "If you can leave, wait for the rain to stop and leave as soon as possible. It will be too late if the plague comes."

On the fourth day of the rain, Zhao Yan and Tian Xiu'e began preparing dry food.

The requirements for dry food are not high; it just needs to be durable and easy to access.

They used up most of the flour in their home to make crispy and fragrant wild vegetable and pork crackling pancakes. These pancakes keep well and are only need to be heated up slightly before eating.

There wasn't much rice, so I made some rice balls and saved the rest to make rice porridge.

We didn't have much food at home, so we pickled it all and ate it on the way.

All the meat was also made into salted jerky, which keeps well and tastes delicious.

Zhao Yan had bought a lot of salt, both coarse and fine, enough to last them a long time.

On the fifth day of the rain, Zhao Yan and Yuan Yutang discussed how to escape.

Yuan Yutang said, "If we take the official road and head north, we'll eventually reach the capital."

Zhao Yan, however, had a different idea.

"It's been raining for days, and the roads are all muddy. Even adults have trouble walking, let alone children. I think it's better to go into the mountains. I've walked the mountain roads before, so I won't go astray."

She suggested going into the mountains because she was worried that too much rain might cause flooding.

Although the mountain roads are difficult to travel, they are still better than muddy dirt roads.

Yuan Yutang couldn't help but frown. "There are wild animals in the mountains. It's probably not safe to go into the mountains."

Zhao Yan knew exactly what was going on.

However, she still felt that taking the mountain path was better.

"Yes, there may be wild beasts like tigers in the mountains, but has Uncle Yuan considered what kind of people we might encounter on the road?"

Yuan Yutang: "Refugees".

"Yes, refugees. Once the rain stops, a large number of refugees will come north. We are a group of old people, young people, and weak people. What will those hungry refugees do when they see us? They will try to steal our food. I may not be able to protect everyone then."

Zhao Yan's eyes darkened as she recalled the history she had read about: barren lands stretching for miles, people exchanging their own children to eat...

These events, which actually happened in history, terrified her when she thought about them.

“I know that going into the mountains is also dangerous, but at present, this is the safest option.”

Yuan Yutang lowered his eyes and remained silent. After a moment, he nodded.

"Alright, let's go into the mountains then."

……

On the ninth day, the rain gradually subsided.

By evening, the rain had finally stopped.

Zhao Yan informed everyone that they would set off the next morning, and then went to sleep early with her daughter in her arms.

The next day, Tian Xiu'e got up early to heat up the wild vegetable pancakes and cooked a pot of hot white rice porridge.

After everyone finished eating, they put their large and small bundles onto the carriage, and then, carrying their baskets on their backs, headed up the mountain.

Of course, I didn't forget to bring along Little Grey, who has grown quite a bit.

It was difficult for a horse to pull the cart up the mountain, so Zhao Yan unloaded the cart and pulled it herself to clear the way.

She went deep into the mountains every day, knowing where the roads were flat and wide, and led everyone along smooth and easy paths.

It had just rained, and mushrooms were sprouting all over the mountain.

Zhao Yan had a cheating device called the system, which she used to direct several little kids to pick mushrooms and dig for wild vegetables.

After walking for less than half an hour, everyone's baskets were full of wild vegetables and mushrooms.