"Okay, then you go over. I'll wait for you here. You should also go and see the two children. Why are they so quiet after such a long time?" said Old Man Wu.

"Okay, then I'll go over there, Brother Wu." After saying that, Butcher Yun walked towards the wooden house at the very end.

Then again, Yun Yiyi and Xie Zirui followed Master Chen to the wooden house and discovered that it was a kitchen. When Butcher Yun called out at the door just now, Master Chen was probably cooking, so he didn't hear it.

"You two kids, sit on the chairs and wait for a while. The rice porridge I cooked will be ready soon. I will fry some vegetables and we can eat later." After saying this, Master Chen went to light the fire.

Yun Yiyi and Xie Zirui exchanged a glance. As soon as Yun Yiyi glanced at Master Chen, Xie Zirui understood what she meant.

"Grandpa Chen, I can also make fire. Why don't I do it?" Xie Zirui said sweetly.

"Grandpa Chen, I can also make a fire. How about we both make the fire while you go and cut the vegetables?" Yun Yiyi asked.

"Haha, you two little kids are really good at coaxing people. Okay, then you two come and light the fire, and I'll go cut the vegetables." Master Chen stood up quickly and said.

So, Xie Zirui sat down and started the fire while Yun Yiyi stood beside Master Chen, watching him choose the dishes.

"Little baby, what's your name? How old are you?"

"Grandpa Chen, my name is Yiyi and his name is Zirui. I am six years old. He is seven years old." Yun Yiyi answered happily.

"Yiyi, you and Zirui are two sensible and likable children."

"Come, choose. Here are the cabbages, potatoes, eggplants, and pumpkins delivered this morning. What do you want to eat?" Master Chen asked, pointing to a pile of vegetables.

"Grandpa Chen, how about we stir-fry some shredded potatoes and some cabbage?" Yun Yiyi said and looked at Master Chen.

"Haha, okay. Then let's have cabbage and potatoes. We have to eat them sooner or later anyway, so it doesn't matter which dish we eat first." Master Chen said with a smile.

"Grandpa Chen, if we eat here, will you be hungry? If you are hungry, we will not eat. We will wait for my father to finish his work and come back before eating."

"Haha, you are such a sensible little kid. Don't worry, my home is in the city, we have no shortage of food, and besides, the government will pay me for working here." Master Chen patted Yun Yiyi's shoulder and said.

"That's good, Grandpa Chen. There's a drought everywhere right now, and many refugees can't get enough to eat. I remember we didn't have enough to eat for a while, too."

"Alas, this is the way the world is these days. Luckily, the government here is quite effective, so no one has to flee. Everyone can barely get enough to eat."

"It's hard for the refugees who have gone out to escape famine." Master Chen sighed.

"Grandpa Chen, we're fleeing famine. We just arrived outside the county town yesterday and entered the city early this morning. After entering the city, my father and Grandpa Wu came straight to you."

"Yiyi. I don't think you guys are fleeing from famine." Master Chen asked in confusion.

"Haha. Grandpa Chen, Zirui and I are special. We are pampered at home, so we don't look like refugees. In fact, we followed the villagers out to escape the famine."

"Otherwise, how could my father buy so many donkeys and mules? Every household in the village wanted to buy them, so my father and Grandpa Wu helped to buy them."

"However, there are also two mules that my family wants to buy. My father said that after buying the mules, my brother and I won't have to walk. We can stay in the mule cart." Yun Yiyi explained carefully to Master Chen.

"Oh, so you really are refugees fleeing famine. Yiyi, don't you have a carriage? Did you walk all the way here?"

"Grandpa Chen, my family only has one donkey cart, and we've put a lot of stuff on it. It can only seat one person. If there are more people, the little donkey will get tired."

"My father and my brother pushed the carts, while my mother, my other brothers and I walked."

Master Chen's heart ached immediately. He looked at Yun Yiyi's tiny stature and Xie Zirui, who looked like little kids at first glance. It was truly heartbreaking to see them having to flee the famine on foot.

He thought of his grandchildren at home who were still playing carefree, while Yiyi and Zirui had to follow their parents to escape the famine.

"Yiyi, are you fleeing from famine in the next state?" Master Chen asked uncertainly.

"Yes, Grandpa Chen, my parents and I fled here from famine in the neighboring state. There's drought and water shortages everywhere where we live, and we can't grow crops. The trees and grass on the mountain have all withered and died."

"We have no other choice but to flee the famine." Yun Yiyi said helplessly.

"Yiyi, why did you decide to buy donkeys and mules? Wouldn't it be better to save money and buy food?" Master Chen asked.

"Grandpa Chen, I heard from our village scholar Uncle that we are still a long way from the end of our escape. The weather is getting colder and colder, and we will get sick if we sleep on the ground."

"Besides, we don't have many warm clothes. If we keep walking, we won't be able to reach where we want to go."

"So, everyone came up with an idea. Every family pooled their money to buy a cart, whether it was a donkey cart, an ox cart, or a mule cart. Firstly, it could help haul things, and secondly, the elderly and children could stay in the cart. After all, it's warmer in the cart."

"And at night, the elderly and children can sleep in the car."

"Yiyi, I didn't expect that you know so much at such a young age." Master Chen said in surprise.

"Grandpa Chen, I also heard it from my father, Uncle Xiucai and the village chief." Yun Yiyi said embarrassedly.

"Haha, that's pretty impressive, Yiyi." Master Chen praised happily.

"Zirui, you are also very amazing. You can follow the refugees all the way here." Master Chen said to Xie Zirui.

"Grandpa Chen, everyone has gone through this, I'm just like everyone else." Xie Zirui said indifferently.

"You two are both good children who can endure hardships." Master Chen took a look at the rice porridge in the pot. It was almost cooked. He poured the rice porridge into a bowl.

Then, with the help of Yun Yiyi and Xie Zirui, Master Chen made a dish of shredded potatoes and a dish of braised pork belly with cabbage. The staple food was the steamed buns that had been delivered today.

After the meal was laid out, Master Chen and the two children started eating. Master Chen felt sorry for Yun Yiyi and Xie Zirui after hearing their experiences, and kept asking them to eat more and make sure they were full.

"Grandpa Chen, we are really full. Children don't tell lies." Yun Yiyi said.

"Are you two really full, Zirui?" Master Chen asked Xie Zirui again, feeling uneasy. He was afraid that the two would feel embarrassed and that not having enough food would be bad.