This task cannot be given to Old Mrs. Lin. If it is, she will definitely be reluctant to take out the meat to cook.

Anyway, the cooking at home is done by my sister-in-law and my third brother's wife, and the food is usually kept in the care of my sister-in-law.

It's more reliable to tell your sister-in-law than your own mother.

Back in the group, the Lin family had already prepared the meal.

Lin Xue's three younger sisters each run their own households, so they don't all eat from the same pot.

For lunch, I made a wild vegetable porridge, but of course, this porridge was no longer the powder made from tree roots that we used to eat.

It was actually a porridge made from real grains and wild vegetables.

Then a pot of steamed cornbread was steamed on top. The cornbread is made by mixing various grains together and steaming it. Whether it tastes good or not is another matter, but it is a bit hard on the throat.

Everyone else was eating cornbread made from mixed grains, but Lin Xue received a cornbread mixed with wheat flour.

Every time she cooked, Grandma Lin would prepare a separate portion for her.

Although they are steamed in the same pot, the different ingredients result in different flavors.

Although Lin Xue didn't want to eat alone, the Lin family was used to it, and even his three younger sisters' families didn't say anything.

It seems that everyone felt that there was nothing wrong with what Grandma Lin did.

Lin Xue figured she didn't want to eat the coarse grain buns anyway, so she had no choice but to eat all the food that was supposed to be hers against her conscience.

After eating and resting for a while, the group resumed their journey.

But the procession hadn't gone far when they discovered a large number of refugees surging up from behind.

These are genuine refugees. They carried only a small amount of luggage, their clothes were somewhat tattered, and they looked as if they had fallen and were covered in dust and rags.

There were a few of them that Lin Xue looked somewhat familiar with; she must have seen them back in her hometown.

"Liu Erhe, what happened to you all? What happened?"

Some villagers in the group recognized the people among the refugees and stopped them to ask them questions.

"The people from Mengcao Kingdom have attacked and killed many villagers. We didn't have time to pack our things, so we just grabbed a bundle and started to flee for our lives!"

"Fortunately, those soldiers didn't chase us; they all ran towards the main road!"

When Liu Erhe saw an acquaintance, tears streamed down his face.

Many people died in the village during this trip, including his relatives.

If they had known earlier, they would have set off like the people from Linjia Village, and they wouldn't have suffered this undeserved disaster.

But it's too late to say anything now; those with relatives have to go and seek refuge with those who have already left.

Those without relatives could only follow the crowd aimlessly forward.

They didn't even know where they were going or how they would survive in the future.

Only the will to escape sustained them as they moved forward step by step.

“Zhongyi, these are people from our neighboring village. They said that the Mengcao Kingdom from the north has attacked. We are safe on the mountain road for now, but we might run into them when we return to the main road!”

The village chief and elders found Lin Xue again, and Lin Qingliu was also in the crowd.

Everyone was very anxious. If they encountered the people of Mengcao Kingdom, they would be no match for them.

"If possible, let's continue along the mountain path!"

"If the people of Mengcao Kingdom want to attack our country, they must be aiming for our cities."

"As long as we stay in the woods, we shouldn't run into each other!"

"Besides, once the imperial court sends reinforcements, these people will likely be driven out of our territory soon, and then we'll be safe!"

Even Lin Qingliu didn't object to Lin Xue's words this time; at this point, no one dared to gamble with their own life.

Lin Xue provided a direction; the rest is up to the indigenous people to figure out themselves.

The elders quickly came up with a solution and decided to take Lin Xue's advice to continue along the mountain path, ensuring they wouldn't return to the main road anytime soon.

The road ahead became increasingly difficult for everyone. The uneven road was one reason, but another was that the once kind neighbors had now become repulsive.

In order to survive, they have begun to join forces with other refugees to rob villagers along the way.

The most important thing is to seize food!

Those who were less daring only dared to go into the woods to find wild fruits and vegetables to fill their stomachs.

The bolder ones, however, gathered men to attack ordinary people passing by.

"Village chief, this can't go on like this, we need to come up with an idea!"

Seeing that the villagers still didn't realize the seriousness of the situation, Lin Xue had no choice but to go to the village chief to discuss it again.

"Nephew, do you have any ideas?"

The village chief was also worried, especially about those families whose children were naughty and still dared to run out of the group.

The adults wouldn't listen to him, especially a few of the village's usually reckless types who didn't take his words seriously at all.

“Our village has a large population, and many able-bodied men. We need to select the strongest men to form a guard team, who will take turns carrying weapons to protect the troops!”

"Every household, regardless of anything else, has a large machete."

"Have the selected men take large machetes and position themselves around the perimeter of the group."

"That way, if anyone dares to attack our village, we can react quickly and take action!"

The guard team should have been formed long ago. Lin Xue was even thinking of asking others to make suggestions, but she didn't expect the villagers to be so reckless that not a single one of them thought of this.

Even another scholar, Lin Qingliu, disappointed him somewhat.

Ever since he learned that the people of Mengcao Kingdom had attacked, that guy has stayed with his family and refused to leave.

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