Ding Youtian thought Jian Ning would roll her eyes at him. He loved seeing Jian Ning rolling her eyes. Although it sometimes made him feel suffocated, most of the time it made him happy.

Sometimes he wondered, this was also rolling his eyes. In the past, Lao Wu would occasionally give him a sidelong glance and he would just want to beat Lao Wu to death, but Jian Ning didn't do that.

Especially when he teased Jane Ning and Jane Ning rolled her eyes at him in annoyance, he felt inexplicably happy.

But this time, Jane Ning didn't roll her eyes at him. Instead, she hooked her little finger at him, signaling him to move his head closer. As soon as he moved closer, Jane Ning kissed him on the cheek and said, "Thank you."

"This..." He touched his face. If Jane Ning had kissed him unexpectedly before they became husband and wife, he would have been overjoyed. But now that they have been husband and wife for such a long time, this is nothing?

"Madam, you are a bit shameless." He said angrily.

"What? Are you not satisfied? If you are not satisfied, give it back to me." Jian Ning turned her face away and he smiled. He kissed her and then gave her back?

Hey, just go ahead. He was about to lean over when the carriage jolted. He quickly used his hand to block Erniu, who was sleeping on the cushion. Tong Bajin's voice came in, "We're going uphill. I think a small stone hit the wheel. My lord, my lady, are you all right?"

"It's okay," Ding Youtian said. Just as he was about to approach Jian Ning, Jian Ning lifted the car curtain and glanced out. "This dirt slope is really long."

After the group had traveled for a few more days, Tong Bajin told them that they were almost at Danyang County, with still a day and a half to go. During the next day and a half, Jian Ning found that the terrain was getting higher and higher, with long slopes all along the way. He had to put on more jackets at night because the temperature was obviously much lower.

"It's only August, it's too abnormal for the temperature to be so low." From a geographical point of view, Jane Ning guessed that this area was probably Hefei in her previous time and space, and the temperature would not be so low in August. Could it be that the climate difference between different time and space is so great?

When they entered Danyang County, it became even colder and the terrain seemed higher. They came from the neighboring county and didn't need to wear jackets during the day. When they entered Danyang County at noon, when the sun was shining brightly, Jian Ning felt the chill even without a jacket.

As they approached the city gate, Jian Ning lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. The city walls were surrounded by yellow sand, with no green plants in sight. The city gates were also closed in broad daylight. Several soldiers were sitting by the wall, either dozing or chatting. When they saw the carriages approaching the city gate, they slowly stood up and approached to ask, "Where are you from?"

A soldier came forward with a gun and asked.

"Our lord is the county magistrate, so why don't you open the city gates?" Erlangzi jumped off the carriage, took the official document from Ding Youtian, and showed it to the soldier. Ding Youtian leaned over and asked, "Why are the city gates closed in broad daylight?"

Hearing that the new county magistrate had arrived, several soldiers ran up. Two days earlier, Shouzheng had received a letter sent down from the state and county governments, knowing that the new county magistrate would be arriving soon, otherwise they would not have been guarding down there.

After confirming that it was the new county magistrate who was coming, some soldiers ran to the city gate, waved their hands and shouted, "Open the gate and welcome the county magistrate into the city."

After the city gate slowly opened, Shouzheng led dozens of people to greet them in person. After a few simple greetings, the carriage entered the city. Jian Ning leaned out of the window and looked back. The bricks and stones on the city wall behind him looked solid and solemn under the sunlight. The plaque hanging on the city gate, although blurred by the dust of history, Jian Ning, as a person who traveled through modern times, could still feel the heavy historical traces.

"Just now, Shouzheng didn't know our identity, right?" Jian Ning retracted his gaze and looked at Ding Youtian and asked.

"I don't know. I've already told Lord Yang about it. It's better not to let anyone know."

This was what Jian Ning meant. She had heard the previous conversation between Shouzheng and Ding Youtian. The remaining people in the city now were all those who had no relatives to rely on, and few people left the city normally. Therefore, they were too lazy to open the city gates when no one came in or out in broad daylight.

She lifted the curtain again and looked out the window. The streets were much quieter than in the other towns and counties she had passed. Many shops were heavily guarded, presumably because they had all moved to other counties. The atmosphere was even quieter than Jane Ning had imagined.

When they arrived at the county government office, Jian Ning carried Erniu and Sanniu down from the car. Turning back, she saw that the two stone lions at the gate of the government office were already dilapidated. She took Erniu and Sanniu into the government office. What caught her eyes was the devastation, the mottled walls, the broken bricks and tiles. There was no trace of the majesty of the government office at all, only silence and desolation.

Erniu, Sanniu and several pet spirits were very excited and ran around happily. Perhaps they heard the noise, and two yamen runners in official uniforms came out, followed by the county magistrate, a young old man dressed as a farmer. If the yamen runners had not introduced him, Jian Ning would not have believed that this dark and thin old man in front of him was the county magistrate.

"The backyard of the main hall has been cleaned, and the carriage can go in from the backyard. I'll let Niu San lead them to the backyard. My lord and his wife, please follow me this way." The county magistrate seemed to be a down-to-earth man. He asked the yamen runner Niu San to lead Tong Bajin and Erlangzi in the carriage to the backyard. He himself led the way and brought Ding Youtian and Jian Ning's family to the backyard.

The backyard is quite spacious, and the main yard looks like it has been recently renovated. I guess they knew the new county magistrate was coming with his family, so they not only did some minor renovations but also gave it a rough cleaning. However, if they are going to stay for a long time, it will definitely need some more renovations.

After Tong Bajin and his companions arrived in a horse-drawn carriage, Jian Ning took the opportunity when Ding Youtian arranged for Tong Bajin and his companions to move things, and pulled the county magistrate aside to talk. The county magistrate was a native of Danyang. There were not many people doing business in Danyang County nowadays, and most of them relied on farming for self-sufficiency. His surname was Lu, and he was in his early forties, so Jian Ning called him Uncle Lu.

"Uncle Lu, do you know exactly when it started to get cold here?" Jian Ning was thinking about this. In the feudal society dominated by agriculture, food was the foundation of people's survival. The ice disasters every year were too strange. If they were not solved, not only would it be difficult to survive with food, but people would also find it difficult to survive.

"Even though it's been nearly ten years, it wasn't this cold before. If you don't have enough winter clothes, you should buy some quickly. You should also stock up on dry firewood while it's still warm. The weather is only good in June, July, August, and September. The rest of the time, you need a fire in the wall to make the house habitable."

"It's cold in winter and the days are long. I'm afraid you who come from the south won't be able to adapt to the life here." He shook his head. Some of the county magistrates who came earlier couldn't stand it and would rather pretend to be sick and quit their jobs and go back home, rather than stay here any longer.

He saw that this family did not look like they could endure hardship, and he was sure that they would probably not stay for long and would leave. He felt bitter in his heart and a bit of melancholy appeared on his face.

"Thank you, Uncle Lu. You can go and do your thing first. I'll make dinner tonight and then send Brother Tong to invite you over. We'll consult you again tonight."

"Okay, to be honest, I have things to do. My family lives in the west backyard. You guys take your time to pack up. I'm leaving first." He bowed, said hello to Ding Youtian, and left.