During my escape from famine, I survived by eavesdropping on the whispers of food.

Lu Jun and Qin Shuangshuang looked outside at the same time. As it got darker and darker, a group of soldiers in official uniforms suddenly appeared at the door.

They were holding knives and guns.

Qin Shuangshuang was a little curious and said to Lu Jun, "Why are there soldiers here all of a sudden? What are they doing here? There isn't even a drop of food."

Qin Shuangshuang quickly spotted the young man riding a tall horse, wearing an official's hat. Curious, she said to Lu Jun, "That man's clothes and appearance make him look like an official. Does this mean someone is going to take over this place? Does that mean I don't have to rely on myself anymore?"

"Since government troops have taken over, it means the government should take care of our food needs later, right?"

Lu Jun looked around at the group of people outside. They were a large and impressive group, and they really did seem to be there to take over the place.

Everyone rushed outside to see what was going on, and they were all talking about it.

"If soldiers come and take over this place, will we no longer have to go hungry?"

Looking at the people's clothes, although they were dressed in official robes and looked like people from the imperial court, Lu Jun felt that they gave off a strange feeling. They came from remote places. If they really wanted to take over this county, why didn't they go to the government office just now?

But we must keep moving forward.

Just then, Lu Jun heard another loud noise, and soon saw some people in military uniforms with scars on their faces, probably just back from a battle. "Looks like a war is about to break out in this area?"

Qin Shuangshuang was shocked and said to him, "What did you say? Is this going to be a war?"

This was the first time she was facing a war so close to home; wasn't this like the war being fought on her doorstep?

At this point, a nearby resident sighed, "Judging from their formation, if they've brought such a long line of soldiers, it's very likely that war is about to break out. Sigh! We've finally managed to settle down here. If their arrival leads to war, where will we find a suitable place to live?"

"Exactly! If they're fighting here, where are we going to find such a good place to hide? What are we going to do?"

Hearing what everyone was saying, Qin Shuangshuang suddenly felt a little worried.

They finally found a suitable place and planned to settle down and start a new life, but if what they just said goes...

She suddenly worried that all the time she had spent repairing the house might be destroyed by their constant bombardment before she even had a chance to stay a few more nights.

Lu Jun said to Qin Shuangshuang, "Since we're here, let's make the best of it and take it one step at a time. Nowhere is safe right now. Since there's been this famine, let's get through it first. Even if they go to war, they won't choose this place, since this is a county town with houses built by people everywhere."

If they were to start a war here, it would create a significant blind spot for their operations, so I think they would likely choose a location at the foot of the mountain rather than here.

Qin Shuangshuang thought about it and realized that Lu Jun's analysis made sense. Then she faced everyone and said, "Everyone, hurry up and go inside and drink that medicine. That way, we can hold on for a while longer. Otherwise, it's estimated that there will be a blizzard tonight, and we don't know how we'll survive then."

Everyone nodded and went back to drink their herbal medicine.

Qin Shuangshuang said to Lu Jun with some concern, "Let's go in too, and you should drink more."

Seeing the obvious disappointment in her eyes as she left, Lu Jun roughly guessed what had happened.

Lu Jun then deliberately stepped forward and jokingly said to Qin Shuangshuang, "Are you sure that medicine is really not poisonous? We've been through life and death together, Miss Qin, don't try to harm me."

Qin Shuangshuang smiled faintly and said lazily, "Don't worry, I won't poison you. I'll have to make good use of such a good bodyguard. I'll have to rely on you to catch all the wild boars and such when I go up the mountain in the future."

Lu Jun quickly brushed past him, deliberately saying reluctantly, "Alright, alright, I entrusted my life to you once, so I'll entrust it to you again this time."

Qin Shuangshuang retorted, "Drink it or don't! You're getting all haughty!"

By nightfall, everyone was asleep.

Qin Shuangshuang found a secluded corner and then went to look inside the space.

The wild boars have gained quite a bit of weight. The advantage of raising animals in a space is that only a tiny amount of food and fodder is needed to sustain them for a long time.

Furthermore, the Boletus luridus and other herbs that I had planted were growing quite well, sprouting many new buds.

If these things continue to grow, they will definitely be able to get through this winter.

Qin Shuangshuang was quite satisfied.

Not long after, I heard footsteps.

Qin Shuangshuang quickly stuck her head out of the space. Standing by the wall, she heard what sounded like fighting with swords and spears all around her.

It seems that war has truly broken out.

"Why are you up here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Qin Shuangshuang turned around and saw Lu Jun.

Qin Shuangshuang quickly gestured for him to shut up and said, "Keep your voice down. Grandma Liu's grandson lives next door. That kid is hard to soothe. If you wake him up, you'll be up all night."

Seeing that it was snowing heavily, Lu Jun came to his senses and said to Qin Shuangshuang, "Come with me, I have something I want to show you."

Qin Shuangshuang asked curiously, "What is it?"

Lu Jun said to Qin Shuangshuang, "You'll know when you get here."

Lu Jun took Qin Shuangshuang to his small, dilapidated house. Originally, it was just a woodshed. When the houses were being allocated, Lu Jun saw a pregnant woman and gave up his place, tidying up the small house himself.

Qin Shuangshuang was led into Lu Jun's room by him.

Looking at it now, this young master has kept the house clean and tidy, which is quite endearing, much better than my slovenly older cousin in modern times.

The two sat on a bench, which was now the only bench available.

Lu Jun pulled out several sword-like arrowheads made of polished iron from his pocket and said to Qin Shuangshuang, "These are the ones I made today. What do you think?"

Qin Shuangshuang said to Lu Jun, "Isn't this a fairly common arrowhead?"

Upon hearing Qin Shuangshuang's unhesitating remark, Lu Jun confidently explained, "Of course, take a closer look at what this thing is."

Qin Shuangshuang took a closer look and soon discovered that this thing was actually much sharper than those arrowheads.

Seeing that the arrow formed a pentagon, with a small blade-like shape on each side, it definitely gave people a different feeling.

Qin Shuangshuang said to Lu Jun, "You made this really cleverly. Are you planning to use it when you go hunting wild animals?"

Lu Jun nodded and said, "We'll equip everyone with a weapon, so they can not only defend themselves but also go out hunting together. What do you think?"

Qin Shuangshuang examined the arrow in her hand more closely and realized it was indeed a good item: "I think this method is feasible."

Suddenly, there was a loud, aggressive knocking on the door.

"Open the door quickly! Is anyone home?"

The two of them got up and looked outside the courtyard.

Qin Shuangshuang frowned; the voice outside sounded like a man.