Chapter 45 Going Against the Tide When disaster strikes and thousands flee...

As the year draws to a close, a chill is creeping in.

The vegetation inside and outside the city gradually withers, but the streets and alleys are filled with a festive atmosphere that even winter cannot conceal.

As the new year approaches, even the laziest person will perk up and prepare new clothes and Spring Festival couplets, and the market will be bustling again after a long time.

Since Su Lin arrived in Luzhou Prefecture, the dried-up river has started flowing again, and the once desolate villages outside the city have gradually regained their vitality.

Everything is silent, yet it feels as if spring has returned.

The carriage came to a stop in the city. Wen Yu nimbly dismounted and turned to see the young people inside the carriage also lifting the curtain and jumping down gracefully to surround her.

A cold wind brushed against Wen Yu's cheeks, but she suppressed her excitement and tried her best to appear calm: "Look, who's over there?"

Wen Yu had two plans for this trip to the city: first, to buy new clothes for everyone for the New Year; and second, to let several female students from the academy who had not returned for a long time meet with their families.

Knowing that they had been away from home for several months and must be homesick, Wen Yu specially wrote several letters in advance and secretly arranged for their long-lost family members to wait for them in the city, wanting to give the girls a surprise.

Sure enough, as soon as the children got out of the car, their families rushed over from the street corner to greet them.

Fan Yizhen, with her sharp eyes, was the first to excitedly call out, "Mom! Dad! What are you doing here!"

Xin Bai and Du Ran were initially a little envious of her having family to pick her up, and they tried their best to suppress the bitterness in their hearts. But when they turned around, they saw their own family members walking over with smiles, and they happily ran over to them.

The mothers hugged their daughters tightly, while the fathers carefully observed whether their children had lost weight.

Seeing that the girls were all in high spirits, much stronger, and taller, clearly doing well in Luxi Village, they finally felt relieved.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Wen, for teaching the children so well!" the parents said repeatedly.

Wen Yu smiled and waved his hand: "It was nothing."

Since she personally promised it, it must be done well.

“By the way,” she asked considerately, “the New Year is coming soon, would you like to take this opportunity to go home and stay for a while? It would be good for the whole family to get together.”

She thought everyone would agree, but to her surprise, the girls all refused in unison.

“I don’t think it’s necessary. There’s still more than a month until the New Year. I don’t know what to do when I go home, and I don’t feel comfortable reading. It’s better to attend a few more classes at the academy.”

"Yes, yes, I even made an appointment with Teacher Chen to go back and listen to her explain the problems."

"I also want to go back to the academy; I still have homework to finish."

Looking at the girls in front of them, the family members suddenly realized that they were very different from before.

The timid girl who used to need repeated questioning from others before daring to speak about going to the academy is now able to express her thoughts so frankly, and her every move has matured considerably.

The confidence in their eyes at that moment was something their families had never seen before.

How can such a transformation not be gratifying?

They couldn't help but admire Wen Yu even more for raising children to be like this.

Now that they had met, Wen Yu made a deal with everyone: the girls would first wander around with their families, and then they would meet back here later.

Afterwards, she took Wen Qingshi and Wen Yue with her and planned to go to a clothing store to look at new clothes for the New Year.

"Sister, do you have other plans?" Wen Qingshi asked softly, turning her head to the side.

She actually saw through it.

Wen Yu smiled slightly: "Yes, I will take you to visit Lord Su later to thank him in person."

Whether it was an excuse or the truth, Su Lin had helped with many things in Luxi Village, such as the academy and clinic. If she didn't come to express her gratitude, it would seem impolite of her not to.

Moreover... she also wanted to test whether there was any opportunity to complete the latest main quest.

But the viewers in the comments section started to let their imaginations run wild again.

[Something's up! Why are they suddenly coming to see Su Lin? Is our sponsor about to make a move again?]

Is a new main quest coming? I'm guessing they'll be doing some new infrastructure development this time!

Don't be so mundane. Maybe it's just a regular visit, a bit of everyday life stuff?

[Sigh, I really dislike farming novels that involve high-ranking officials and nobles. Hopefully, Wen Yu won't be involved in the imperial examinations later on.]

[Don't worry, upstairs. Our livestream isn't about the typical overpowered protagonist leveling-up style. We'll just mind our own business and forget about the imperial examinations.]

Although Lord Su doesn't appear much, I see his name every day. Could he be some kind of hidden male lead...?

[Stop doing this, it's pointless to drag everything into this, please leave Wen Yu alone!]

[Exactly, stop being so love-struck! Are you going to kiss every male character you see?]

No, I just feel that Lord Su isn't quite like a traditional "male character." Men in this era don't treat women that well...

Wen Yu was ashamed.

If we let these guys keep talking, they'll probably expose the truth.

She walked into the clothing store, clearing her mind of all her chaotic thoughts, and took a garment from the rack, holding it up to herself: "Qingshi, what do you think of this one?"

----

After getting their clothes ready, everyone reunited.

Wen Yu made a point of setting aside time for the girls to have lunch with their families, as she naturally wanted to show her appreciation for the bountiful harvest in Luxi Village.

Thinking that she had saved up some money, she decided to book a lavish meal at the best restaurant as a treat for herself.

She hadn't had such a sumptuous meal in a long time.

Looking at the table laden with delicious food, the parents repeatedly declined, saying, "Miss Wen, this is too much of a waste..."

"Please don't be shy!" Wen Yu said with a smile, inviting everyone to take their seats. "A bumper harvest is something to celebrate, so please eat and drink to your heart's content!"

Without uttering any nonsense, she sat down and began to eat heartily, feeling blissfully happy.

After a satisfying meal, she was about to get up to pay the bill when a group of people suddenly rushed into the private room next door.

Through the wooden wall, Wen Yu could hear their conversation.

What happened in the south?

"Ugh, don't even mention it! The plague! We were freezing and starving, and so many people died! We were lucky to escape from there!"

Epidemic?

Wen Yu paused in her motion to get up, her nerves instantly tense.

The comments section erupted in uproar.

[Seriously? Infectious diseases can occur in winter? I thought they were more likely to spread when it's warmer.]

[Upstairs, you didn't study biology properly! Viruses are afraid of heat. They die easily in the hot summer, but emerge when it gets cold. Plus, people's resistance is lower in cold weather, making them more susceptible to infection.]

Is this why I always get the flu every winter? Damn virus, can't you just get off the planet?!

[+1, I always catch a cold from anyone around me immediately, I'm at my wit's end, please, virus, leave me alone!]

Some people have started analyzing the "plot".

[Oh my god? The main storyline was hidden here! I never expected that!]

[Hiss, luckily there's a clinic in Luxi Village. Could Wen Yu take everyone there to show off his skills again?]

Wow! The medical team from Luxi Village is preparing to set off!

Wen Yu had no time to pay attention to the comments on the screen.

Living in this world, her perception of everything is not as easy as that of a bullet screen commentator.

She knew all too well that this was not a scripted story, but a real disaster happening not far from her.

One of them recounted vividly, "We passed through a village and wanted to ask for a place to stay and have some water, but no one answered the door after we knocked on several houses. Then an old woman came out and told us that those families had all died of illness a few days ago, and they had been buried wrapped in straw mats!"

"How dare we stay here? Let's hurry and get out of here..."

All that followed was a sigh: "Oh, what a miserable life..."

Wen Yu's mind was in turmoil, and she felt inexplicably choked up.

Just as the famine was showing signs of ending, another epidemic struck, as if Heaven was unwilling to let this suffering land go.

The next second, she felt a warm touch on her fingertips. A hand had somehow reached out from under the table and gently pulled her little finger.

She turned her head and saw Fan Yizhen sitting next to her.

Fan Yizhen mouthed to her, "Let's talk outside."

Wen Yu was led by the girl to the end of the corridor at the end of the private room. The girl then turned around, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in her ear, "Sister Wen... I want to go to the South."

"Why?" Wen Yu had already guessed what Fan Yizhen was going to say to her, but she still found it hard to accept that she would agree to let such a young child put himself in danger.

"Yizhen, think it through. This is very dangerous." She took a deep breath and tried her best to persuade her. "The plague is spreading faster than we imagined. It's extremely dangerous. Many people who went there never came back..."

"But I was mentally prepared for this from the day I chose to study medicine."

Fan Yizhen's words silenced all of Wen Yu's unfinished thoughts.

The girl looked at her, her gaze so clear it seemed to see right through people: "Sister, I want to do everything I can to save those people."

“We sat in the classroom and recited the methods of preventing and treating epidemics with Teacher Chen every day until we knew them by heart. When I was helping out at the clinic, Dr. Cui praised me for my good prescriptions and said that I could become a resident doctor in time.”

"Sister, I just want to say... if those of us who have the ability choose to stand idly by, what about the many more ignorant people? Are they just supposed to sit at home and wait to die? What is the point of our existence then?"

Wen Yu felt a slight soreness in the tip of her nose.

She actually saw the brilliance of countless people in this little girl.

When disaster strikes and thousands flee, there will always be some who choose to go against the tide, fearless of death.

Before anyone knew it, Xin Bai and Du Ran had also come out, and said in unison, "Sister, we will listen to you."

Wen Qingshi and Wen Yue stood a little distance away and looked at her. Although they didn't say a word, their eyes revealed their attitude.

—I'm willing to listen to her no matter what.

Wen Yu nodded solemnly: "I will consider it carefully."

Since they have placed such great trust in her, whatever choice she ultimately makes, she will definitely protect them.

After paying the bill, Wen Yu returned to his seat. The group had finally eaten and drunk their fill and were ready to leave.

As they were leaving, the family members stood at the restaurant entrance, reluctant to go, stroking the children's hair and giving them careful instructions.

"Remember to dress warmly when you get back, don't catch a cold. We're waiting for you to come home for the New Year..."

The simple words were repeated again and again, yet it was never considered too many.

It's only when it's time to part that we realize how short the time we spent together was.

With a calm expression, Wen Yu led the three girls to say goodbye and looked up at the sky above.

The clouds were thick and fluffy, a heavy gray, and it looked like it was about to snow.

She turned around and said, "Let's go to the Su residence."

The children didn't speak, they just nodded.

-----------------------

Author's Note: While writing this, a sentence came to mind. [Heart]

To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations. —Zhang Zai, "Four Lines of Hengqu"