In order to reduce the impact, everyone sped up, but still met the village head.

"Village Chief Li, are you all fleeing famine? Where are you going?"

The village chief was a little nervous. Would he be punished for such a big move without reporting it to the head of the village?

"Hello, village head! The wells and rivers in the village have all dried up. I have no choice but to go south to make a living."

The number of refugees passing through the town and the number of those stranded there increased day by day, and the village chief also found that the situation was getting worse and worse.

Nowadays, the town is running out of water and food, and sooner or later people will have to flee the famine.

The village head sighed helplessly, "Life is indeed difficult. It's right to find a way to make a living. The road ahead is difficult, so take care of yourself!"

The village chief breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly replied with a "take care", and hurried away with the villagers.

When passing by the martial arts gym, Gu Yuchen asked Brother Xiaokang to help drive the mule cart while he went to bid farewell to Master Qiu.

Walking into the martial arts hall, I saw Master Qiu and his two sons packing their luggage. "Master, Brother, have you decided to leave too?"

Master Qiu replied while busying himself: "Yes, thank you for your reminder yesterday. It's safer to go out early."

Seeing the once bustling martial arts training ground now deserted, Brother Gu felt a little lost and really hoped that the relationship between master and apprentice could continue.

"We have already set out from Qingshan Village. If you don't have a companion, you can come with us. It's safer in numbers."

Master Qiu thought that a family had no advantage in front of a large number of refugees, so they still had to stick together to escape famine.

"Okay, let's pack up and go after you."

Brother Gu was very happy to hear the answer he wanted.

"Great! Let's take the official road through the county town to Chengzhou Prefecture."

Master Qiu asked with some concern, "Will the county government intercept such a large-scale migration?"

Gu Yuchen pondered for a moment and spoke carefully, "The news from the capital says that the imperial decree forcing the migration south will arrive soon. The county government should know about it and won't stop it."

The two brothers looked surprised, "Can this escape from famine be forced?"

“It is said that the Imperial Astronomical Observatory predicts that drought will continue in western China next year.

If refugees move north, the capital will be unstable. It just so happens that there is a shortage of people in southern Xinjiang, so this decree was issued.

But until we find a clear path, it’s fine as long as we know it ourselves.”

Master Qiu looked at Gu Yuchen gratefully and said, "Thank you. We won't talk nonsense."

He turned to his two sons and said, "Hurry up!"

After saying everything that needed to be said, Gu Yuchen said goodbye and left to catch up with the main force.

Gu Xinran drove the best mule cart. Grandma Gu and Mother Gu sat in the mule cart without rest and continued to make fur cloaks, giving priority to sewing them for the driver because the wind was too cold.

Little Tingting was the most leisurely. She was warming herself by the clay stove and eating the snacks that Gu Xinran had left in the secret compartment. She was very comfortable.

Brother Gu drove the second mule cart.

Grandpa Gu was pulling the ox cart and chatting with Uncle Zhang as they walked. He was reluctant to add weight to his beloved ox, or maybe he really wanted to chat.

Xiao Ba rode a horse beside Gu Xinran's mule cart, holding Xuanxuan in his arms and sitting on the horse.

Gu Xinran asked Xuanxuan to get in the car to warm up. The kid held the little starling tightly and refused to let go. "Sister, riding a horse is super fun. I'm a man and I'm not afraid of the cold."

There was no other way, so Mother Gu could only take out an adult's cotton-padded jacket and let the little starling cover him with it.

"You can only play for another quarter of an hour. It will be too cold soon. Getting sick on the road is no joke."

Xuanxuan nodded happily, without any awareness of fleeing famine.

The Gu family has the most relaxed life in the village. It would be great if it could be like this all the way.

Many villagers had difficulty walking, especially those who had many children and elderly people and did not have livestock or carts.

It was very strenuous for a strong laborer to push a cart piled with things. After a long time, he had to be replaced. Children had to be carried and the elderly had to be supported, which slowed down the progress.

Walking in front of the Gu family was Zheng Quezi's family, whose conditions were the worst in the village.

Zheng Dazhu used to be a bricklayer. He fell from a height while working and became lame.

His wife has been ill for the past two years, and all the money his two sons earned has been spent on it.

His eldest son, Zheng Wen, was twenty years old and was pushing a cart filled with water and various items. His youngest son, Zheng Wu, was eighteen years old and was carrying a load of grain.

Zheng Quezi, who was staggering, was carrying a heavy bag and supporting his sick wife, and was about to fall behind.

Seeing that his parents could not keep up, Zheng Wu hurriedly put down his burden and went over to help.

He carried his father's bag on his back and picked up the basket again. He looked so tired that he couldn't even straighten his back.

After holding on for another quarter of an hour, the two patients could no longer walk.

Zheng Dazhu and his wife collapsed on the ground. After discussing for a few words, they spoke with tears in their eyes:

"Big Brother, Second Brother, your mother and I are planning to return to Qingshan Village. We really can't walk anymore and we can't hold you back."

When Zheng Wen and Zheng Wu heard this, tears started to fall. "Mom and Dad, we are a family. We will follow you wherever you go. We are useless. Even buying another cart would give you a break."

Mother Zheng beat her chest and cried, "It's all my fault. The money we finally got was spent on medicine for me. Why didn't I die earlier~"

The four of them sobbed together.

This miserable family made everyone stop, but every family has its own difficulties and the village chief could not think of a good solution, but returning to the village was definitely the worst option.

Gu Xinran felt sad. This was a family with a loving father and filial son.

She decided to be a good person, and she didn't want her grandfather to drive the car because it was too cold outside.

"Zheng Bo, can you drive a carriage?"

The four tearful people looked up at Gu Xinran. Zheng Dazhu wiped his tears and replied, "Yes, my family also had an ox cart before."

"Then you can help my family drive the cart and let my aunt get on it."

"Really?" Zheng Wen raised his head excitedly, and the smile shook off the tears on his face.

Gu Xinran discussed with her family that it was too cold outside and her grandfather was sixty years old and could not drive in the cold wind.

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