Yun Yiyi and the others were chatting and laughing, and time passed quickly.
"Village chief, do you see a city gate in the distance?"
"Yes, village chief, we are almost at the county town."
"Yes, the county town is ahead. Let's keep going forward and try to rest at the city gate." The village chief shouted loudly in front of the team.
After hearing what the village chief said, the other refugees on Guanlu Road also started talking about it.
"Great! We've finally reached the county town. We can go there to replenish our supplies."
"Although the weather is hot now, it will get colder in the future. Let's find a way to settle down in the county town."
"I wonder if the county gate is still open? What if they don't let me in? What should I do?"
"I think settling in a county town is great. It's convenient for shopping and safe. But I'm not sure how outsiders can live in a county town."
The refugees' chatter was getting louder and louder, and Yun Yiyi felt it was a bit noisy. They were probably almost reaching the county town, which gave the refugees infinite hope.
Yun Yiyi took two quick steps, jumped onto the donkey cart, and stood up to look ahead. About three miles ahead should be the county town. All she could see now was the outline of a city gate and a dark mass in front of it, likely representing the gathering refugees.
Yun Yiyi jumped off the donkey cart and came to Yun the Butcher.
"Dad, I just looked from the donkey cart. It's about three miles to the county town. However, there are also a lot of refugees gathered at the city gate." Yun Yiyi said in a low voice.
"Think about it, there are a lot of refugees ahead of us. I guess when they reach the county town, they will all gather at the city gate." Yun the Butcher also said in a low voice.
"Dad, we need to learn from our experience in the prefectural capital. When we stop later, we need to choose a place far away from the city gate. Also, I observed that the county town is built on the mountain, with mountains on both sides."
"When the time comes, ask the village chief to choose a location near the foot of the mountain. Or perhaps a wooded area on the mountain. But it has to be accessible by car."
"The closest distance to the city gate should be no less than one mile, and the farthest should be no more than three miles. Personally, I feel that a little more than one mile from the city gate is just right."
"Yiyi, is there anything special about this? Does it have to be so far away from the city gate?" Yun the butcher asked curiously.
"Dad, we're too close to the city gate. If refugees start causing trouble, it could easily affect us. Plus, it's hard to ship the things we bought out because the refugees are watching us."
"It's too far away, and it's easy for something to go wrong on the way. So, I thought about it and decided that it would be best to keep it a little more than a mile away from the city gate. We can get there quickly by car at this distance." Yun Yiyi explained carefully to Yun the Butcher.
"Okay, let your eldest brother push the cart. I'll go talk to the village chief."
"Boss, you push the cart, I'll take a break." Yun the butcher shouted.
"Here I am, Dad." Boss Yun ran over quickly, took the cart from Yun the Butcher and started pushing it.
"Wife, Yiyi and I have something to discuss with the village chief. We will be back soon." Yun the Butcher said as he took Yun Yiyi to the front of the team.
"Okay, I understand." Zhang replied.
"Village chief, I have something to discuss with you." Yun the butcher said as he approached the village chief who was driving the cart.
"Oh, Yun the Butcher, it's you. Wait a minute, I'll get off. Boss, you drive the car." After the village chief said this, he jumped out of the car.
The village chief's eldest son jumped into the car and continued driving.
"Uncle Village Chief, I'm looking for you." Yun Yiyi walked to the village chief and said.
"Uncle Village Chief, when you're looking for a place to stay, it's best to find a place more than a mile away from the city gate. Uncle Village Chief, you see, the county town is built on the mountain, and there are mountains on both sides of it."
"You can choose to stay at the foot of the mountain or in the woods, but you have to be able to drive in."
"I just looked from my donkey cart and saw that the gate of the county town was crowded with people. So, don't even think about settling down there." Yun Yiyi said in one breath.
"Yiyi, is there anything particular about this?" The village chief was also confused. It's just a place to stay, why are there so many things to pay attention to?
Yun Yiyi sighed and continued to explain.
"Uncle Village Chief, where a crowd gathers, there's no privacy and no safety. No matter what we eat, what we use, or what we do, we'll be watched by other refugees. I don't think you'd want that, would you?"
"I definitely don't want to. I can't even enjoy my meal if people stare at me like this." The village chief said unhappily.
"There's another reason, Uncle Village Chief. We need to go to the county town to make some purchases, and we'll need to go in and out several times. Staying away from the crowds will be a little safer."
"Another thing is, if the refugees in the square start causing trouble, we're far away and can evacuate in time. It's like we've left ourselves a way out."
"Uncle Village Chief, think again about Grandpa Wu. Do you think what I said makes sense? Besides, it's only a little over a mile away. We can get there quickly by car."
After hearing Yun Yiyi's words, Yun the Butcher and the village chief fell into deep thought. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that Yun Yiyi's words made sense.
"Okay, what you said makes sense. Let's do as you say." The village chief said readily.
"Uncle village chief, please observe carefully. It's best to find a forest, like the kind of forest where we usually rest, next to the official road, so that it is convenient for us to go in and out. It can also block the sight of some people." Yun Yiyi added.
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on the roadside for a while."
"Then we'll go back first, Uncle Village Chief. Once we've packed up our place, we'll send someone out to gather information."
"Okay, let's do it this way for now," said the village chief.
Butcher Yun took Yun Yiyi back and stopped at the Yun family's location. Butcher Yun took over Boss Yun's cart and continued pushing it.
Boss Yun continued to help Zhang hold the cart. Yun Yiyi also followed Zhang and walked forward together.
"Mom, we will be able to rest soon. Please hold on for a while." Yun Yiyi asked Zhang to lower her head and helped wipe the sweat off her face.
"Just now I heard the villagers say that they saw the city gate, so I knew we were almost there. Yiyi, don't worry, mother is very strong now." Zhang pushed the cart and strode forward.
Yun Yiyi turned her head to look at the refugees beside her. Most of them had more smiles on their faces, and there were more voices talking in the group. It felt like the group had more life and was no longer so oppressive.
Yun Yiyi looked back at the group from Yunjia Village. They were advancing at a rapid pace. No one in the group was talking, everyone focused on getting on. This was a stark contrast to the refugee group next to them.
"Yiyi, walk faster, or you'll fall behind." Brother Yun pulled Yun Yiyi's arm forward.
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