In order to see more clearly, Yun Yiyi deliberately left the team and carefully observed the refugee group in front.
She noticed that some of the refugees ahead were pushing carts, some were driving donkey carts, and some were driving horse carts. A closer look at their carts revealed they were carrying a lot of stuff.
"Everyone line up and let's speed up. Every adult should keep an eye on their children. Also, keep up with the team and don't fall behind." After the village chief said loudly, he lined up in front of the team and started walking.
The refugees walking in front heard the village chief's shout, looked back, then turned back and continued walking forward.
The team from Yunjia Village was very fast and they overtook some of the refugees.
Yun Yiyi looked at the refugees beside her. They all looked good. Their faces were plump and their spirits were high. The clothes they wore were made of good material.
Yun Yiyi thought about it for a moment, and finally understood why she had felt so strange before. The refugees she saw now didn't look like refugees, but more like residents of the prefecture who had migrated with their families.
After Yun Yiyi figured it out, she looked at the refugees passing by and realized that her guess was correct.
The group she had just passed must be a large family. They were driving several carriages, all of which were probably occupied. There were also women dressed as maids walking beside the carriages. The servants driving the carriages were also tall and strong.
Behind the horse-drawn carriage were several donkey carts laden with goods. Yun Yiyi had also identified the area by the deep ruts left on the ground by the donkey carts.
The carriage wasn't going very fast, and the people from Yunjia Village quickly overtook it. Yun Yiyi looked at the team next to her again.
This group was likely a merchant company. It was quite large, with over twenty carriages. Only a few of them were occupied; the others were likely filled with goods. Behind the carriages were a dozen or so strong-looking men.
Yun Yiyi guessed they were from the escort company. Usually, when a business ventured far away, they would hire escorts for protection.
When the people in Yunjia Village saw that there were many refugees nearby, they unconsciously quickened their pace and moved forward.
Thus, under the leadership of the village chief, the people of Yunjia Village surpassed many refugees. Of course, many of the nearby groups might not have been refugees. But in the eyes of the people of Yunjia Village, anyone who left their homeland for another place was a refugee fleeing famine.
When the village chief felt that they had walked twenty miles, he went to the side of the road and rang the gong to ask everyone to stop.
"We've already walked over twenty miles. Let's stop walking. Let's go to the woods by the roadside to rest. But we can't stay as far away from each other as we did before. As you can see, there are people on this road ahead and behind."
"So, we have to gather together, do you hear me?" the village chief said loudly.
"Understood, Village Chief."
"Hurry up, village chief. Everyone is tired."
The village chief heard everyone's discussion and drove into a nearby forest. The forest was quite large, so all the people from Yunjia Village went into it. The forest instantly became lively.
"Everyone, just have a quick bite at noon, and then take some time to rest. Those on duty, please continue on duty, don't forget." The village chief kept giving instructions to everyone in the woods.
Yun the Butcher and his family settled down near the edge of the woods. Yun the Butcher used a shovel to dig a hole in the open space under the tree. He then dug a round hole to the side and used a shovel to dig through the top as well.
Zhang placed the large iron pot on the pit dug at the back and found it was just right. In this way, a simple stove was built.
Butcher Yun had previously used stones to build the stove because that was faster. Digging the stove like we just did would still be much slower. However, the advantage was that it saved him the time of collecting stones everywhere.
Zhang took the eldest brother Yun to cook, while the second and third brothers Yun took Yun Yiyi to clean up the sleeping and dining area.
Butcher Yun went to feed the little donkey and secretly fed a hen.
Some of the refugees walking on the official road continued to move forward, while others stopped to rest and cook in the woods nearby.
The front and back of the woods where the Yunjia Village people were staying were soon filled with people. The young man on duty from the Yunjia Village was nervously turning around.
Following the instructions from the village chief, the villagers all prepared a simple meal, and no one had a strong aroma.
Yun Yiyi ate the simple dumpling soup in her bowl, smelling the aroma of meat coming from the woods in front and behind. Suddenly, she felt that the dumpling soup no longer had any flavor.
"Dad, smell the meaty aroma coming from the woods in front and behind. They don't look like refugees fleeing famine. I looked closely and think some of them are probably residents of the prefecture migrating to the next state."
"There are also some trading companies that are transporting goods. It seems that we are much safer this way. Because, now the people in our Yunjia Village are the poorest and have the least supplies." Yun Yiyi said in a low voice.
"Yiyi is right. I have also looked at it carefully, and it is indeed as Yiyi said. However, we cannot be careless. We still need to be vigilant." Yun the Butcher also said in a low voice.
"Mom, let's keep the cooking simple recently." Yun Yiyi said after thinking for a while.
After hearing what Yun Yiyi said, Zhang looked at Yun the Butcher in confusion.
Butcher Yun shook his head and said nothing.
Yun Yiyi saw that no one understood why this happened, so she continued to explain.
"Mom, among a group of people, no one cares about the poorest ones. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yiyi, do you mean we should pretend to be poor? But we are already very poor." Zhang still didn't understand.
"Mom, Yiyi means that among all the people we've met, we in Yunjia Village are the poorest. But others don't know how poor we are. So, we have to show our poverty."
"Because only poor people are not threatening to others." said Brother Yun.
"Yes, that's what second brother said." Yun Yiyi said in agreement.
"I understand, Yiyi. We want others to know that we are not a threat to them, right?" Zhang asked.
"Mom, that's what I mean. There's no harm in keeping a low profile. We don't know anyone here, so it's best to keep our distance."
"Yiyi, you have thought it through very carefully. I will go talk to the village chief now and ask him to tell the villagers to pay attention." Yun the butcher said hurriedly.
"Dad, I guess the same situation will happen when we travel in the next few days. Please ask the village chief to tell everyone to keep a low profile and not cause trouble. We are in a weak position now, which is a good thing and a bad thing. It all depends on our actions." Yun Yiyi emphasized.
"Okay, I'll go find the village chief now. You guys should finish your meal and go to bed quickly. There's no need to wait for me."
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