Zhen Wanwan had gathered everyone together and repeated what Wu Sheng had said.
Everyone's faces showed fear and unease.
After all, war is costly and exhausting, and when the government runs out of food, it directly extracts food from the people.
They have no money or land now. If the imperial court forcibly conscripts soldiers, then all the able-bodied men present will probably have to put on armor and go to the battlefield.
Old Mrs. Li, who had already lost a son in the war, shed tears one by one.
She cried and wailed, recounting the hardships she had endured over the years.
The rest of the people remained silent, and the atmosphere was very heavy.
Instead, Zhen Fuyu, who is usually cheerful and carefree, lowered her head silently, her clenched fists almost drawing blood.
Looking at the dejected crowd before her, Zhen Wanwan sighed softly.
"Don't be discouraged, everyone! I've found out that Anqing Prefecture is quite far from both the capital and Xinyang Prefecture. I've heard that things are much the same as usual in Anqing Prefecture."
"As long as we reach Anqing Prefecture safely, everything will be alright!"
Qu Huaiyuan had many thoughts, but faced with the chaos before him, he could only comfort everyone first.
“That’s right! Although the capital is in chaos right now, there haven’t been any clashes of swords yet. I suppose those important figures still have many concerns.”
"As long as they don't make a move, and with General Xiao helping us guard the border... if we get to Anqing Prefecture as soon as possible, we can avoid facing the flames of war. After these things have calmed down, we can make proper plans!"
Everyone knew that by now the deed was done, and there was no use in being anxious anymore.
"But there are no boats to leave right now! If we travel by carriage, we might run into enemy troops or government soldiers."
After all, in addition to food, war also requires a severe shortage of manpower! Each of these families only had two or three men!
If all the men are taken away, it's hard to say whether the old, young, and weak will survive to reach Anqing Prefecture!
Qu Huaiyuan didn't know how to respond to this matter, especially if something really happened.
Even a lowly student like him might be captured and sent to the battlefield.
"Don't worry, everyone! I've already sent my elder brother to the dock with the token to inquire. If there's a ship that can only go to Xinyang Prefecture, then we can all leave this place safely!"
Wang Er stood in a small corner on the outermost edge with his wife and children. He hadn't said a word while everyone was discussing.
Madam Ma, standing beside her, couldn't help but worry, "Madam Zhen, there are so many of us. What if they don't let us all go up..."
Upon hearing this, Wang Er pulled her behind him, his face showing a hint of anger.
"What nonsense are you thinking, you woman! Things haven't even started yet, and you're already creating anxiety for everyone!"
With a mournful face, Ma shrank back behind Wang Er, looking aggrieved.
Apart from Wang Er's family, who had forcibly attached themselves to the group, the others present were from the Zhou family, the Qu family, and the Dongzi family.
These three families, along with the Zhen family, have been united since the very beginning of their escape from famine, helping and supporting each other.
In particular, after hearing this, Sister-in-law Zhou glared at Madam Ma with disdain.
"Some people have skin thicker than my wall; they'll shamelessly come crawling over whenever there's something to gain."
"If we really run into trouble, we'll probably run faster than a horse!"
Sister-in-law Zhou glanced furtively at Madam Ma, causing the couple opposite her to blush.
Zhen Wanwan glanced at Wang Er and his wife indifferently, and also remembered how they had clung to her second brother before.
She didn't have much contact with them, but seeing that Wang Er was quite clever, she tacitly allowed the two of them to follow.
Unexpectedly, the seemingly honest Ma family member on the road had quite a few ulterior motives.
What she just said was that she was afraid the Zhen family would abandon everyone once they got the boat!
What are the other three families who have always followed the Zhen family supposed to think?
If the families are not united, Zhen Wanwan really can't imagine whether her family will be plotted against.
She felt she needed to talk to her second brother about this!
Thinking about this, it's really strange that Zhen Wanwan went everywhere looking for Zhen Fuyou!
Zhenfu is usually quite active, so why didn't he come out to express his thoughts today?
Seeing Zhen Fuyu looking upset in the corner, Zhen Wanwan slowly moved over with her child on her back.
"Second brother! What's wrong?"
Zhenfu emerged from her emotions and, seeing her younger sister's concerned gaze, put on a roguish smile again.
"Nothing's wrong! I was just wondering why my older brother hasn't come back yet!"
Upon hearing this, Zhen Wanwan also looked at the courtyard gate with concern; an hour had already passed!
I hope nothing bad has happened!
As soon as you mention Cao Cao, he appears!
Zhen Fugui's familiar figure gradually came into everyone's view.
Everyone looked at him with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
Zhen Fugui blushed at the sight.
Zhen Wanwan asked excitedly, "Big brother! You're finally back! How did things go?"
When it came to serious matters, Zhen Fugui didn't care about the strange looks from others.
With a hint of joy on his face, he said, "Alas! I went at the wrong time; the person in charge wasn't there, but I did run into an inspector."
"I was afraid you'd get impatient, and since you're all important people, I gave him Madam Fang's letter!"
Zhen Wanwan asked anxiously, "Then what? Can we board the ship to Anqing Prefecture as soon as possible?"
After running all the way, Zhen Fugui was very thirsty, but so many people were waiting for his reply.
He could only swallow a few mouthfuls of saliva to moisten his throat before continuing, "After the official finished reading the letter, he asked me what Zhen Wanwan was to me, and I told him the truth!"
"After learning that we wanted to take a boat to Anqing Prefecture, he said that we should go with him! Then the master instructed us to go to the dock early the next morning to wait for him."
Everyone was overjoyed and wept upon hearing the good news, especially Zhen Wanwan, who was most afraid of being visited by Zhang Mama's enemies.
That's wonderful! They can leave by boat tomorrow!
Now she felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders, though she was still heartbroken about losing those twenty taels of silver.
But life is far more important than money.
I wonder if she had a lump in her head back then, otherwise why would she invite trouble for herself!
Heaven knows, she still thought that Zhang Mama's enemy wouldn't go so far as to kill the grandmother and grandson.
After all, one was just an old lady, and the other was a four-year-old girl who didn't know any better; they posed no threat to him whatsoever.
Sigh! Oh well, I guess I'll just consider it a lesson learned!
Now that they've decided to leave, they should go back and pack their bags.
Zhen Wanwan wanted to say goodbye to Wu Sheng in advance.
Let's see what she asked Wu Sheng to do for her.
"Oh! You've come at the perfect time, Lady Zhen! I was just about to tell the servants to inform you!"
Wu Sheng led her to the woodshed in the backyard with a smile.
The once empty space has been filled with miscellaneous items, mostly food and household goods.
"Except for the potatoes you mentioned, everything else is here. Take a look, Zhenniangzi..."
Zhen Wanwan could no longer hide her smile as she stepped forward and casually tore open a bag.
The aroma of chili peppers wafted over, along with various kinds of flour, rice, and brown rice...
Almost everything edible is here, along with some daily necessities.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Wu! Here! This is what I promised you..."
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