Everyone who had been eagerly waiting for the stew to start cooking stopped in their tracks after hearing Old Lady Zhu's sigh, staring blankly at her.
They exchanged glances, and finally Liu spoke first, asking anxiously in a low voice.
"Mother, are you tired? Why don't you give Xixi to me?"
"Mother isn't tired, she's just worried. With so many things happening one after another, Mother is worried that one day our good luck will run out."
Thinking about what had happened in the past few days, Grandma Zhu couldn't help but sigh with gratitude, thankful for her granddaughter's help.
That's how they manage to escape from every predicament, but they still have a long road ahead and can't always rely on their granddaughter's good fortune.
Thinking about this problem made her feel worried.
Liu listened attentively to her mother-in-law's words and sensed unease in her tone. She gently patted her arm and asked her what was wrong.
"Mother, do you have any ideas? Why don't you tell us, and we can all think of a solution together?"
Hearing her daughter-in-law's question, Grandma Zhu hesitated for a moment and gestured towards the pork bubbling in the pot.
"Let's eat first! We'll talk about it after we eat."
The crowd, who had been quietly waiting for their mother to speak, all happily took their bowls and waited in an orderly fashion for Liu to serve the pork from the pot to everyone after hearing what Old Lady Zhu said.
After a hearty meal, apart from Zhu Haotian and Zhu Chenfeng going to the courtyard to fetch water, the rest of the women gathered around the stove, quietly waiting for Old Madam Zhu to speak.
Tao had just carefully analyzed what her mother-in-law had said, and she also felt that she could no longer sit idly by and wait for death, otherwise she didn't know how long she could survive in this dog-eat-dog world.
Seeing that her mother-in-law remained silent, she looked at her with a serious expression.
"Mother, what are your thoughts?"
"I'm thinking of... starting a small business on the road."
Grandma Zhu hesitated for a long time before finally speaking her mind; this suggestion was actually quite impractical for them.
But it was the only way to survive.
Sure enough, when everyone heard this suggestion, they all looked at each other with embarrassed expressions, stammering and not daring to speak.
Grandma Zhu noticed the hesitation among the crowd and sighed with a half-smile, "Just say what you have to say! There's no need to hide it."
With a troubled expression, Tao looked around at her sisters-in-law. Seeing that none of them dared to speak, she forced herself to speak.
“Mother, then I’ll tell you, this… isn’t this just wishful thinking! We’re all criminals now, we have neither travel permits nor capital, how can we do business? Even if we solve both of these problems…”
"Then how am I supposed to do business in a moving queue?"
Grandma Zhu had considered these issues before, and it was only after much deliberation that she decided that earning money and traveling was the most suitable way.
"How did Zhu Yanyan manage to earn money while traveling? Didn't you notice that she always had a steady stream of silver?"
“For example, this time, if we didn’t have medicine, wouldn’t these children be left to suffer from the wind and rain outside?”
"If we had money, many problems would be solved. Although the escorts are government officials, the emperor is far away and the mountains are high. In the end, what can sway them is money and food."
Just as she finished speaking, Zhu Haotian and Zhu Chenfeng entered the room carrying buckets of water. After hearing their mother's suggestion, both of them agreed with her approach.
"That's right. The reason why the guards were willing to meddle in Zhu Yanyan's business this time was all because of money. If we also had money, Zhu Yanyan wouldn't be able to bribe the guards to bully us."
Zhu Chenfeng placed the wooden bucket next to the iron pot, sighed, and sat down beside Sun Shi, explaining with a serious expression.
Although Zhu Haotian wasn't as quick-witted as his younger brother, he managed to identify the problem from the events that had occurred during this period.
“I agree with what the third brother said. Have you noticed that the post station is strange? First of all, there are more refugees outside the post station than we have reported before. Secondly, why is the post station so deserted? Apart from the messenger, there is not even a post station waiter.”
The questions raised by Zhu Haotian and Zhu Chenfeng instantly plunged everyone into deep thought. Even Tao Shi fearfully clung to Zhu Haotian's arm, speaking uneasily.
"My lord, could something have happened? We've been on the move and are unaware of the disasters across the country."
"Mother, I also think this refugee thing is very suspicious! What should we do next? If we really want to do business, customs clearance documents and goods are very important."
After everyone's analysis, Madam Sun also felt uneasy. She frowned and looked anxiously at Old Madam Zhu.
Zhu Xixi, who had been quietly listening to everyone speak in Grandma Zhu's arms, was very happy to hear that everyone had new plans for the future, and waved her hands and feet joyfully.
[Now, with the sweltering heat and war raging, refugees are everywhere, and the most pressing needs are food and medicine.]
[Zhu Yanyan gained the support of the guards by claiming she had unearthed valuable medicinal herbs like ginseng.]
From then on, they could only travel to and from the county town, living a life free from worries about food and drink.
In order to attract Grandma Zhu's attention, Zhu Xixi made a lot of faces and waved her chubby little hands and feet to express her feelings.
Grandma Zhu couldn't hear her granddaughter's ramblings very clearly, but she did catch an important clue: digging up ginseng to sell in the county town was a pretty good idea.
Thinking of this, she smiled and lowered her head to gently tap her granddaughter's forehead.
"Is my Xixi hungry? Let Mommy feed you, okay?"
After she finished speaking, she gently handed Zhu Xixi over to Liu Shi.
Upon hearing her mother-in-law's words, Liu hurriedly wiped her hands, smiled, and took her daughter, saying, "Xixi, let Mom feed you milk. After you finish, take a bath to feel better."
After handing her granddaughter over to her daughter-in-law, Grandma Zhu picked up a wooden bucket and poured water into a clean, large iron pot, talking as she did so.
"Once you have the customs clearance documents, the goods will naturally follow."
The group, who had been feeling uneasy, felt much more at ease after hearing what Old Lady Zhu said, and hurriedly got up to help her pour water.
"Mother, the travel documents are all in the hands of the escorts. If we ask them for them, they definitely won't agree."
Zhu Haotian stepped forward first to take the bucket of water from his mother, and expressed his concerns with some worry.
“That’s right, so we have to outsmart them, and we can’t let Zhu Yanyan find out.” After handing the bucket of water to her son, Old Mrs. Zhu rubbed her lower back and nodded.
When Sun saw her mother-in-law rubbing her back, she quickly went over to help her sit down and then took out some ointment from her bundle.
"Mom, I think the ointment has worn off, so I'll put it back on for you."
"Don't apply it yet. Wait until you've wiped your body before applying it. You can hold it for a little longer."
When Grandma Zhu saw her daughter-in-law preparing the ointment, she shook her head with heartache. Besides food, medicine was the only thing that could keep everyone alive on the road.
Thinking of this, she pursed her lower lip, glanced back at Zhu Xixi, gestured for everyone to come closer, and whispered.
"We'll set off tomorrow. Slow down on the road and look carefully around for any usable medicinal herbs, especially during rest periods. Take the time to search around."
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