Lin Rui had read many novels about the apocalypse and zombies. Modern people had many ways to cope with the apocalypse. For example, the variety of food they stockpiled was much more convenient than in ancient times. They had everything from compressed biscuits and sausages to instant noodles, chocolate candies and glucose cubes, as well as all sorts of outdoor survival tools. If they had the money, they could even buy an RV and drive around to avoid danger.

But in ancient times, sufficient food was all controlled by the nobles and aristocrats, and the common people had less than one-tenth or one-twelfth of it. The feudal dynasty's exploitation of the people was unbearable to watch. The poem "There is no idle land in the world, yet farmers still starve to death" fully describes the poverty of the ancient people.

The rule of the Lin Dynasty was shaky, but before it completely collapsed, the household registration system still existed. If you wanted to move from a habitat, you needed the approval of the government. If you escaped privately, you would lose your identity like those displaced refugees.

Under the current circumstances, it is impossible for the government to agree to let the people leave their fiefdoms, otherwise who will work like slaves for them and generate tax revenue?

He had considered the issue of a team from the moment he decided to flee. Of course, the more people, the better. To survive in troubled times, you rely on numbers. But the people in the team must be trustworthy. Don't let them start fighting mid-flight. That's like lighting a light in the toilet, courting death!

The amount of grain he bought was half less than he had expected. He used the remaining half of the silver to buy two ox carts. The prices of all commodities were soaring. The cattle seller asked for 150 taels for the ox and the horse. In the end, Lin Rui used his bargaining skills learned in the decoration and building materials market and spent 220 taels to buy two ox carts.

He wanted to buy a horse-drawn carriage, but the price of a horse-drawn carriage was much higher than that of an ox-drawn carriage. Secondly, horses were not as easy to raise as cows. They were livestock that only wealthy families could afford to raise. Ox-drawn carriages were more practical for farmers.

Salt is essential for seasoning, so he bought a lot of salt and went to the drugstore to buy a lot of prepared cold medicine wrapped in yellow paper. He did have a family medicine box in his house, but he only prepared one box of cold and anti-inflammatory medicines. In case of a large-scale incident, he could not rely on it at all, so it was better to prepare in advance.

In addition to cold medicine, he also bought a lot of summer-relief pills. The Chinese medicine shop in Linchao also has ready-made medicines, and summer-relief pills are one of them. The more expensive ones include Rongyang pills and Meiji pills, which are health products and he can't use them.

After a round of wandering, Gao Shu, his escort leader, and San Liang were all carrying heavy baggage, following the lightly-equipped Lin Rui who was carrying the heavy baggage.

In the end, there were still dozens of taels of silver left. Apart from the final payment to the people from the escort agency, Lin Rui went to the tailor shop without hesitation and bought rolls of cotton cloth. He also had a lot of things in his house that he had prepared for camping, such as waterproof cloth, thermal blankets, tents, sports bottles and other modern products, especially the thermal blankets that looked like tinfoil. The color was so dazzling that it had to be covered with a layer of cotton cloth to avoid suspicion.

Lin Rui continued shopping until the evening, when he had spent all the money he had, and both ox carts were piled full.

"Mr. Lin, what are you doing?" Gao Shu followed Lin Rui all day today. Seeing him spend all the money lavishly, he became curious.

He really was mistaken. Gao Shuzhen didn't expect that this young man, dressed in shabby and even ragged clothes, had so much silver on him.

When they arrived at the entrance of Linjia Village, Gao Shu and other escort leaders said goodbye to Lin Rui, and their shipment was completed.

Lin Rui bowed and imitated the way the ancients spoke: "Thank you." Then he paid the balance of the trip, said goodbye to them, and drove the ox cart back to the Lin family with Sanliang.

It was late at night and the villagers, tired after a day's work, had gone to bed. When the ox cart passed by a dog-raising house, the violent barking of a dog could be heard rushing to the front of the yard.

Lin Rui knew from the original owner's memory that he was at the end of the village, and he and Sanliang drove the ox cart there unskillfully.

Feng Zhenniang suddenly woke up from her dream and nudged her husband beside her: "Are there thieves in the village? Why are the dogs barking so loudly?"

Lin Changxi turned over impatiently, annoyed that his wife had disturbed his sweet dreams. "What can a thief steal in the village? The rice is still in the fields and has not been harvested! If they want to steal, they should steal from the fields. Now if rats come to our house, they will cry and leave."

Feng Zhenniang couldn't fall asleep after waking up. She opened her eyes and looked at the dark roof, and her old face showed something she was thinking about.

Lin Changxi felt that his wife was not asleep, so he simply turned around and said, "What are you thinking about? Go to bed early. There is still a lot of work to do in the fields tomorrow morning!"

"I miss my sons. The eldest son was drafted into the army and his life or death is unknown. Rui'er said he went to the town to do business, and I don't know what his situation is now." Feng Zhenniang sighed.

Lin Changxi snorted coldly, "A loving mother often spoils her son. How can Rui'er, who can't even carry anything, achieve anything? You're the only one willing to throw buns at a dog. You're spending our family's hard-earned money!"

"I already feel incredibly guilty about Rui'er being born weak. How can I let him farm and do hard labor like us? If the eldest son dies, he'll be the only child in our family."

"Pah, pah, pah, what depressing words are you talking about? The eldest brother's wife is still here, and Mu Tou is also here, so how come Rui'er is the only child?"

Feng Zhenniang knew she had said the wrong thing, so she stopped arguing and just said softly, "I miss my son."

She invested the most affection in her youngest son. Rui'er was not born full-term and was weak at birth. She held him in her arms as if he were the apple of her eye and protected him like a treasure, so that he survived. From a tiny ball to a toddler, and then to adulthood, she watched over every step of the way.

I know that my youngest son is not a good person, but he is still the child I have loved since he was a child!

When Lin Changxi was about to speak, he suddenly heard something: "A thief is breaking into the house!"

After saying that, he immediately got out of bed, walked to the main room to find a hoe, and walked carefully to the door.

"Dad, Mom?" A familiar voice came from outside the door. Lin Changxi paused and looked at Feng Zhenniang in disbelief: "Mother, did I hear it wrong?"

Feng Zhenniang was overjoyed, and she smiled happily while wearing her coarse clothes: "I heard it right, it was Rui'er's voice, Rui'er is back!"

The couple quickly put on their clothes, walked to the yard, opened the door, and saw their son, who looked exhausted. "Rui'er, you're back. What's this?"

When Feng Zhenniang saw the young boy following behind her son, she couldn't help but frown and asked her son curiously.

Lin Rui explained simply: "Mom, his name is Sanliang. I bought him from the slave market. He will live with us from now on."

Feng Zhenniang was thinking that the family was in financial difficulty now and they didn’t have the money to feed another mouth!

Lin Changxi's voice trembled with disbelief: "Rui'er, these are!"