The county magistrate heard from his wife that the county magistrate's wife had said that no one would starve to death this winter, so they could all go there to eat.

He couldn't help but sneer at this. He needed food to avoid starvation, so where would it come from? The news from the provincial capital was the same year after year: famine and food shortages were rife throughout the prefectures and counties, and the court was powerless to help. Officials from last year also reported that people in other areas were starving to the point of cannibalism.

The county magistrate didn't believe this. Although he had never been to the provincial capital and had been wandering around the area for dozens of miles, he was well-educated and had some knowledge of ancient and modern times. If things really got to the point where people were eating each other, how could the world still be peaceful?

Just kidding the ghost!

Isn't it because the officials in the prefectures, for the sake of their own official hats, don't treat the people of their small county towns as human beings, and would rather keep it secret than report it to the court. Anyway, they will leave when their term is up. No one wants to cause trouble for the court during their tenure, lest they be branded as a poor ruler.

Thinking of these troubles, his brows and eyes gradually became impatient. He turned to his son Lu Changsheng and said, "Go to your uncle Wang's house and tell him to come to the county magistrate's place for dinner. Go quickly!" After that, he turned to his wife and said, "Since the county magistrate's wife has spoken, you can all go later."

The county magistrate thought that the county magistrate's family was well dressed and had two burly attendants around them. He was afraid that their family was well off, with not only a carriage but also several livestock. He figured that one meal would not be enough to make them broke, so he simply sent his son to call the chief clerk to come over so that he wouldn't have to feel uncomfortable facing the county magistrate alone.

There were only the county magistrate, the chief clerk and three yamen runners in the county government office. Ding Youtian asked them to invite the three yamen runners as well. He talked with them in the flower hall that he had cleaned up in the afternoon. Jian Ning and the county magistrate's wife were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. Except for Baimei, no one noticed that Guoguo had sneaked out.

Guoguo went out with only one purpose, to hunt for food.

Baimei tilted his head to think, then flapped his wings and followed quietly.

After they slipped out, they quickly reached a consensus. Baimei flew high and saw far, and Guoguo followed it all the way to the hilltop south of the county town.

Danyang County is all thin mountains and yellow sand. Guoguo stood on a rock and looked around. What he saw was completely different from the scenery of Dingxian Village surrounded by mountains. It suddenly seemed a little messy.

When it was about to jump off the rock and go home, the white-browed alpaca standing on its back suddenly discovered its target. In the distance, a little alpaca emerged from behind a protruding rock. The white-browed alpaca flapped its wings and flew over. The little alpaca soon started playing with the white-browed alpaca.

Baimei intentionally attracted and blocked the alpaca's sight. Guoguo did a stretching exercise with satisfaction, then jumped off the rock and moved towards the alpaca in a mean way.

Guoguo was already aiming for the delicious dinner, while Jian Ningshang over there didn't know that she and Baimei had slipped away. She brought a lot of wind-blown dried meat from home. She cut some for Guoguo and Baimei first, and then quietly sprinkled some spiritual spring water on them. She came out and called out a few times but didn't see Guoguo and Baimei coming. She thought they went to the front yard to play and didn't take it seriously. She put down her bowl and called Yuanbao and Jinbao to come and eat.

"Auntie, can you eat spicy food?" Jian Ning turned back into the kitchen and asked the county magistrate's wife.

"I can eat it. They don't eat much, but a little bit is fine."

"Oh, Auntie, you're not from Danyang County, are you? Your accent sounds familiar to me, but I can't remember where I've heard it before."

"I'm from White Fang County."

"White Fang County?" Jian Ning suddenly remembered that her accent was similar to that of Zhuling County, and she looked a bit like someone from there, so she asked again: "Does Auntie know Zhuling County?"

The county magistrate's wife smiled when she heard this and said, "My mother's family is in Zhuling County."

"Really?" Jian Ning hadn't expected her to actually be from Zhuling County. She casually asked, "Aunt, what's your last name? Why did you marry so far away?"

"My maiden name is Cai."

Jian Ning was cutting dried meat when he heard this. He paused, then looked at her and said, "The county magistrate of Zhuling County is also surnamed Cai, Cai Sibei. Do you know her, aunt?"

"My eldest brother is also called this name." The county magistrate's wife had not returned to her parents' home for many years, nor had she communicated with her parents' home via letters. She was not sure whether the county magistrate that Jian Ning was talking about was the person with the same name and surname as her eldest brother.

When Jian Ning mentioned his age and appearance, she showed joy on her face. "He's my eldest brother, that's right. I didn't expect that he would become the county magistrate now. Wasn't your husband the county magistrate in my mother's family before?"

"No, the county magistrate of Zhuling County and my husband were classmates and friends. Two years ago, our family celebrated the New Year there."

With mutual acquaintances, the county magistrate's wife gradually found something to talk about with Jian Ning. As they became more familiar with each other, they began to talk more. She told Jian Ning, "When I was at my mother's house, my parents called me Hong Gu. Niu San and the others also called me that. If you like, you can call me that, too."

"Okay, then I'll call you Aunt Hong from now on." Jian Ning said with a smile, "Aunt Hong, why did you marry so far away?"

Hong Gu pursed her lips and smiled, smoothing her hair with her wrist. Then, while washing the radish, she told Jian Ning that a distant aunt of hers had married in Danyang County in the north. One year, she came back to visit her family. Because her family had many brothers and sisters, life was very difficult. Her parents saw that her aunt was well-dressed and very respectable, so they asked her if she could find a marriage for their eldest daughter. If so, they would not charge a penny, just take the person away.

"Ah, you came all the way to Danyang with her without even meeting her, without even seeing each other?" Jian Ning was secretly shocked. "Luckily, Uncle Lu is a good man. If I had married the wrong person, I would have been immersed in misery in this life."

"I wasn't even seventeen at the time, what did I know? I was still happy in my heart because I was the eldest daughter in the family. I had endless housework to do every day, not only didn't have enough to eat, but I was also often beaten. I wished I could leave that family as soon as possible, so I packed my bags and followed her here."

"Before I left, my mother secretly slipped me eight cents and, shedding a few tears, told me to run away if I met someone I didn't like, or if my husband's family beat me or treated me badly. She also warned me not to come back even if I did, because I'd rather die out there. The family couldn't afford another mouth to feed."

She said all this in one breath, then smiled at Jian Ning, "Look at me, it just flows out of my mind. At that time, I wanted to leave that family as soon as possible. Now I want to go back, but it's too far away, and I don't have the money to go back. I don't know if my parents are still alive. They haven't sent me any news since I got married here. Sigh!"

"Don't worry. Tonight I'll have my husband write a letter to County Magistrate Qin to inquire for you, and then have Lord Cai send you a letter home."

When Hong Gu heard this, she wiped her hands on her skirt, hesitated for a moment, and was about to reach out to grab Jian Ning's hand when Bai Mei rushed in in panic.