Old Man Su held her hand and said, "Stop talking and leave first."

Old Man Su gave his wife a look, and Old Lady Su came to her senses. She was still cursing, but she quickly took her belongings and directed the family to leave quickly.

Because the people behind were scrambling for water, the number of refugees on the official road was reduced by more than half.

After they had walked far enough, Old Lady Su opened the water bag and bamboo tube with great interest. When she saw the water inside, she smiled with wrinkles on her face.

When he checked the third bamboo tube, his face suddenly darkened and he muttered in dissatisfaction, "Why is there only this much?"

"Mom, there's only so much water and everyone is trying to grab it. If I hadn't been quick, I wouldn't have been able to grab this little water."

Old Mrs. Su wanted to continue nagging, but was stopped by Old Man Su.

"That's enough. It's good to have water." After saying that, Old Man Su reminded Su Xiaozhong, "Third brother, there are many people in the family, and the little water you got is really not enough. Next time there is such an opportunity, you have to get more. Your second brother is useless, and the family depends on you."

He patted his shoulder heavily with his hand, with an expression that said 'I value you very much'.

Su Xiaozhong was somewhat flattered and touched in his heart, and he also felt guilty for the resentment he had shown towards his parents before.

"Dad, I want to drink some water." Su Xinguang said.

Su Xiaozhong saw that his son's mouth was chapped badly and he was very weak. He looked at his father and said, "Dad, can you give Guang a drink of water?"

Old Man Su paused, "Food matters are not my responsibility, go ask your mother."

Su Xiaozhong begged Old Lady Su again, "Mom, can you give Guang a sip of that water?"

He thought, he had just grabbed so much water, and to ask for a sip of water for his son, his mother would never agree. However, reality slapped him in the face.

"What are you drinking? Didn't we give you three, father and son, food and water today?"

Su Xiaozhong looked at her in astonishment, and the trace of emotion and guilt that had just arisen in his heart disappeared completely.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Mom, that was to save Ashin's life."

"If you want to give food to someone, that's your business. If you don't distribute it among yourselves, how dare you continue to ask for it? If the other people in the family do the same to you, what will happen?"

Su Xiaozhong was retorted by Old Lady Su.

Su Xinguang didn't want to embarrass his father, "Dad, I don't want to drink anymore."

Seeing his son's pitiful appearance, Su Xiaozhong's filial piety towards his parents began to crack again.

"Dad, why can't I drink the water you brought back?" Su Xinguang looked at him with round eyes, innocent and confused, "You brought it back with great effort."

Su Xiaozhong was silent. He didn't know how to answer this question.

The eldest son, who was lying on his back, whispered, "Dad, my sister said you are foolishly filial. In fact, my brother and I were the same before. We listened to grandpa and grandma in everything, which hurt mom and sister's feelings."

"Dad, can you please stop being so foolishly filial, okay?"

This was the second time he heard the word "foolish filial piety".

The first time was from his eldest daughter. At that time, he didn’t think he was that kind of person. He just thought that the word was unpleasant and shouldn’t exist.

Filial piety is filial piety. There is no such thing as foolish filial piety.

As a child, it is our duty to be filial to our parents. There is no stupidity in that.

But now even his young son feels that he is being foolishly filial.

Foolish filial piety.

A bitter smile appeared on Su Xiaozhong's lips.

"Well, Dad promises you."

Su Xinyang was very happy to hear that his father had agreed to his request. "Dad, if mom and sister knew about this, they would definitely be very happy."

When Su Xiaozhong thought of his wife and eldest daughter, a smile appeared on his face. "I wonder where they are?"

"We haven't stopped along the way, so we will definitely catch up with mother and sister soon." Su Xinyang said optimistically.

But they didn't know that Su Yin and his group were heading south, but their route was completely different from theirs.

Su Yin and his group, who were being talked about by the Su family's two sons, had already crossed Yunhe County and were heading deep into the heart of Nanshan County. Only after passing through the heart of Nanshan County could they reach Jinghe County.

They had anticipated the serious situation in Nanshan County, but they had not expected it to be so serious that nine out of ten houses were empty. Even the people in the county town were gone, and it became a deserted city.

They were now standing at the open city gate.

In this huge county town, there was no one on the streets, only stinking, rotting corpses lying on the ground.

The doors of shops on both sides of the street were closed, many doors were violently damaged, the items inside were sold out, and many houses showed signs of fire.

When Su Yin saw Nan Wu preparing to step forward, she hurriedly shouted, “Don’t go over there.”

Her voice made everyone stop in their tracks.

Su Yin covered her mouth and nose and glanced at Doctor Li.

Doctor Li saw her actions and thought of something. He said to everyone, "These corpses have been exposed here for a long time. It is easy for them to breed epidemics."

When they heard the word "epidemic", everyone was too scared to get close.

"This is basically the situation in the city. Let's not go in." Zhou Youcai said.

This statement was unanimously agreed by everyone. No one dared to enter the city and continued along the official road.

This situation made everyone feel uneasy.

"The situation in Jinghe County is not optimistic."

Facing the deserted county town, Su Yin was as shocked as if he had heard that the emperor had fled ahead of time.

The expression on Master Wan San's face also became solemn. He had many industries in Nanshan County. In the current situation, not only did he lose all his money, but all his basic goods were gone.

Su Yin brought together Master Wan San, Nan Jingzhi and Doctor Li.

"Is there any other way to reach the ferry in Xialinzhou without going through Jinghe County? Or is there any way that can take us to Linzhou by taking a shortcut?"

Su Yin knew nothing about this world. What he knew was what he heard from others or experienced personally.

"Yes, but it's far away and the cost outweighs the benefits." Nan Jingzhi said.

Wan Sanye nodded and said, "Then we have to go around another state. The situation there may not be better. You can't afford to mess around with so many people."

"They are both right. The best option is to pass through Jinghe County, arrive in Linzhou, and rush to the dock of Linzhou Prefecture."

Su Yin naturally knew that this route was the safest and shortest, but she was worried that once Nan Jingzhi left, it would be difficult for them to travel.

Su Yin never inquired about other people's itineraries and destinations. This time, she looked at Nan Jingzhi so presumptuously for the first time.

With just one glance, Nan Jingzhi understood her concerns.

"We are also going to Linzhou this time, but we are not going to the capital. Once we reach Linzhou, we will have to separate from you."

-

【Note 1】：Linzhou is similar to a province. Zhou stands for province.