After getting off the train at Fengyi Station, Yuan looked closely at the crowd of people around her, then lowered her head timidly: "Yan'er, where are we going now? Are we going to find that Xu Shengtian you mentioned?"

Looking at Yuan Shi's tired face, Bai Yan sighed inwardly, "Let's find a place to stay first, and rest for half a day."

Although Yuan was bullied by Bai Jiye and Chen Xiuer, she had been living a life of luxury for a long time.

Although she longed to see him immediately, she couldn't bear to see him suffer so much, especially since she had been traveling for so long and her legs weren't fully healed. Yuan Shi had been the one who had endured all the hardship along the way.

Although Fengyi is not as bustling as Xicheng, it has hotels with modern facilities near government office buildings.

Of course, the price was also very expensive, costing ten silver dollars a night. In a place like Fancheng, ten silver dollars was enough for a family of four to live on for a month.

Even in Fengyi, that's almost a month's wages for an apprentice.

"That's way too expensive, and you have to book at least half a month in advance!" Madam Yuan was heartbroken and whispered in her daughter's ear, "It's over a hundred silver dollars! That'll be gone just for the house!"

Yes, the mother and daughter had a bill of 40,000 yuan.

But now they have completely offended the clan and have no way out. They need this money to buy houses and land to live on, and they will feel uneasy after spending it all!

Bai Yan said, "We're unfamiliar with this place, so we'd rather spend more money to ensure our safety, right? Look how clean and bright this place is, and there are guards. We feel safe staying here."

The daughter's words made sense. Although Yuan was a little reluctant to spend the money, she gritted her teeth and booked the room for safety reasons.

Bai Yan smiled and offered a few words of comfort: "Once we go to join Commander Xu, we won't need to spend this money anymore."

"Madam, Miss, are you from out of town? Our hotel needs to register your information," the manager in the lobby said.

Yuan rarely interacted with outsiders and stammered, afraid to speak.

"We are from Fancheng, and we came to Fengyi to visit Marshal Xu Shengtian," Bai Yan said with a smile.

"Miss, are you related to the Marshal?" The manager was taken aback for a moment, then quickly smiled and said after registering her information, "Please come upstairs immediately!"

The manager had no doubt that although the mother and daughter in front of him looked travel-worn, their manners and attitudes were clearly not those of an ordinary family.

Since they are relatives of Marshal Xu, they must be taken good care of! A hotel near the city center naturally has close ties to the military as well.

Bai Yan and Yuan Shi were led by the manager to a suite on the third floor. The manager then said with a smile, "If you need anything, just ring the bell at the door and a waiter will come to help you."

After the manager left, Yuan put her luggage aside, but couldn't help looking surprised. Although Fengyi was not as prosperous as Xicheng in the north, it was still much better than Fancheng, which was half a century behind.

Yuan wandered around the bathroom, then looked at the desk lamp next to the desk, finding everything new and interesting.

“I’ve heard your father mention these things before. I thought they were only available in Xicheng, but I didn’t expect they were also available in Fengyi.”

Bai Yan smiled and said, "Mom, look how amazing this place is! There are so many new things in Xicheng, and there's even a movie theater. When we go to Xicheng in the future, won't you be so excited you won't be able to close your eyes?"

"Go to the West City?" Yuan asked. "Are we still going to the West City?"

Bai Yan smiled slightly: "Maybe I'll go. Who can say for sure what the future holds?"

Madam Yuan glared at her daughter and said, "You're more opinionated than your mother these days."

"I'll go see how to use this bathroom. Even if we're going to pay our respects to that Marshal Xu, we need to get ready first. We've been traveling all this way, and Mom even feels like she smells bad."

After taking a hot shower, the fatigue from their long journey kicked in. The hotel bed was comfortable, so the mother and daughter closed the window and lay down to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept.

With several loud "booms," the bed beneath him shook.

Bai Yan woke up instantly, opening her eyes to see the chandelier above her swaying precariously. Yuan Shi, standing beside her, also opened her eyes in alarm, one hand protecting her daughter's head. "Was it an earthquake?"

Bai Yan shook her head: "It wasn't an earthquake. I heard it; it was the sound of an airplane."

It was the sound of airplane propellers and cannonballs.

There is an enemy attacking the city.

Yuan panicked, her lips trembling: "Fight? They've even fought all the way to Fengyi?"

A knocking sound rang out, followed by the manager's voice: "Madam, Miss, there's an air raid! Please pack quickly, I'll take you to the hotel's basement to hide!"

He continued to comfort them, saying, "Don't be afraid. Even if a fight breaks out, things won't get chaotic here. Commander Xu is very strict. Anyone who dares to cause trouble in the chaos will be skinned alive!"

The two quickly got dressed, and Yuan helped Bai Yan to the basement level with the manager.

Many of the hotel's guests were here, and Bai Yan and Yuan Shi were also arranged to wait in a corner.

Yuan Shi grasped her daughter's hand with some fear, while Bai Yan reciprocated by squeezing her hand in a comforting manner, a thought flashing through her eyes:

The fact that Fengyi was not under martial law indicates that the air raid was a surprise attack.

In the story, the warlord of the northern faction is Zhong Yunsheng's father, Zhong Rentao. Fengyi did not fall, which means that the defense of Fengyi was won. So why is Xu Shengtian, the commander who defended the city, not mentioned at all in the story?

The bombing didn't stop until dawn.

The hotel guests surrounded the manager at the front desk, asking about the battle situation and whether they could leave Fengyi now.

"We can't leave, the whole city is under martial law!" the manager said. "The commander-in-chief has given the order to defend Fengyi."

"Leaving now would be fatal. There are stray bullets everywhere outside, and we might be captured as soon as we leave the city. Staying in Fengyi, we still have the protection of the commander-in-chief's troops..."

No matter how the manager explained, many guests still packed their bags and left. Who could guarantee that Fengyi would not fall?

If we escape, we might still survive!

"Manager." Bai Yan gently tapped the table at the hotel reception.

“Miss, we really can’t leave the city…” The manager was about to explain wearily when Bai Yan spoke up: “Although my mother and I came to seek refuge with the Marshal, we’ve never been to the Marshal’s mansion before. Could you please give us directions?”

The manager nodded and said, "Of course, but when I went out to inquire earlier, I saw that there were military vehicles all in front of the Marshal's Mansion. The Marshal is probably in a meeting right now, so you might have to wait if you go now."

Bai Yan thanked the manager for the reminder, and after asking for directions, she went to the Marshal's Mansion with Yuan Shi.

"Yan'er, are you really going out? It's real guns and bullets, I'm a little scared." Madam Yuan glanced at the sky with some trepidation.

"If a fight really breaks out, the Marshal's Mansion is definitely safer than the hotel." Bai Yan reassured her, "Mom, don't be afraid, I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you."

"Silly child, it's your mother's responsibility to protect you." Madam Yuan touched her daughter's face. She felt that her daughter was right. If a fight really broke out, it would be safer to live next to a soldier.

She also thought that she was a mother and couldn't always rely on her daughter.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Marshal's Mansion, she took the initiative to speak, saying, "I am Bai Zhizhong's wife, and this is my daughter, Bai Yan. We have come to seek refuge with Marshal Xu."

After speaking, he looked nervously at the soldiers at the gate of the mansion.