Upon reaching the lobby, Jiang Wanwan found the waiter. She smiled and said, "Waiter, do you know if the inn has any carts? Could you rent one for me? I need to transport some things."

"Yes, there is one in the backyard. I'll take you to see it right away," the waiter said happily.

Making money is tough these days, so every little bit counts. Having money gives you more options for the future.

Upon arriving at the backyard, the waiter pushed out a handcart. The handcart looked somewhat old, but fortunately, the two wheels were not rusted, so it wouldn't hinder the turning of the axle.

The waiter helped Jiang Wanwan tie the cart to the horse with the reins, and soon a simple horse-drawn cart appeared.

Jiang Wanwan gave the shopkeeper about twenty coins as payment for renting the cart.

The waiter happily accepted the coins, grinning broadly. "Thank you, Madam. Are you going out alone? Isn't your husband with you?"

“My husband has other things to do, I can do it myself, it’s nothing serious.”

The waiter nodded and added a few words of advice to Jiang Wanwan. "Then, Madam, please be careful when you go out, and make sure you return before sunset."

"Thank you for the reminder, brother. I will definitely be careful."

After Jiang Wanwan finished speaking, she drove the carriage away from the inn.

Soon, she drove her carriage out of the city. From afar, she saw the woman selling fish maw standing there waiting for her.

"Sister, have you been waiting long? I'm so sorry," Jiang Wanwan said apologetically as she drove the carriage to the woman.

The woman waved her hand and said somewhat shyly, "It didn't take long."

"Hey lady, where's your stroller? I can't find it."

The woman pursed her lips and smiled somewhat憨厚ly, "My husband took my little cart back first. I was thinking that my wife is going to our village to buy a lot of fish maw, and she will definitely need an oxcart or horse-drawn carriage or something like that. So I had my husband take the cart back first, and I'll ride back to the village with my wife's cart later. That way, my wife can save some time and get back to the county town before dark."

"Eldest sister is so thoughtful. Eldest sister, hurry up and get on the carriage, there's no time to lose, let's set off."

"Okay."

After the woman nimbly climbed onto the carriage, Jiang Wanwan flicked the reins, and the horse reared up, heading in the direction the woman had indicated.

Along the way, Jiang Wanwan didn't see anyone walking on the road, not even refugees.

Jiang Wanwan casually asked, "Big sister, there are no refugees in Anhuai County. Were all the refugees captured by that band of mountain bandits?"

After all, there's still a locust plague going on, and because of it, the people's almost-harvested grain has been destroyed. Given how greedy the magistrate of Anhuai County is, and how he colludes with bandits to oppress the people, logically speaking, Anhuai County should have more displaced people than Anyang County.

However, it was quite strange that not a single refugee was seen on the road.

Aside from being captured by bandits, Jiang Wanwan couldn't think of any other reason.

“Madam, your guess is absolutely right.” After saying this, the woman looked around and lowered her voice before saying, “Before the county magistrate colluded with the bandits, Anhuai County was full of refugees.”

Since the locust plague, the people have had no food and are starving. They went to the county government office in groups to ask for help, pleading with the magistrate to distribute relief grain. You should know that our Anhuai County is a land of fish and rice, with a huge granary.

The magistrate not only failed to distribute relief grain, but also ordered his officials to drive the people out, fearing that they would rob the granaries and leave him without food.

The people could not tolerate this, so they decided to fight the county magistrate to the death, gathering a large group of people to attack the county government office.

However, the magistrate had already guessed the people's thoughts. He had long ago colluded with the bandits, using them to help suppress the rebellion. After that, the bandits would come down the mountain every day to capture these refugees and bring them up, some of whom were selected to become bandits. Women and girls were taken up the mountain, while the older ones were beaten severely and left to fend for themselves in the wilderness.

At the time, it caused a huge uproar. The people of Anhuai County lived in constant fear; those without food preferred to starve to death at home rather than dare to gather in the county seat to protest against the magistrate.

As she finished speaking, the woman stared blankly into the distance and murmured, "If one day someone can wipe out Black Wind Stronghold and kill the dog magistrate, that person will be my god, Liu Xiaohua's god!"