The capital of Qi wasn't far from the next town, but they hadn't taken the official road, so there shouldn't have been so many refugees here...
After a while, she settled her family in. The horse was grazing quietly nearby. Qin Qing quietly took out a bowl to give it water, and after hesitating for a moment, she limped over.
"Ma'am, where are you from and where are you going?"
The old woman looked up when she heard the voice, and Qin Qing could then see her face clearly. Her face was tanned dark, and her skin was cracked due to dryness. Her lips were covered with dry skin, indicating that she hadn't had water in a long time.
Seeing Qin Qing, a stranger, suddenly approach, the old woman hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking. Her dry throat emitted hoarse sounds, and she couldn't even utter the first two words of her sentence...
"Ahem! We are villagers from Xiawei, Yongcheng. It hasn't rained much in the last six months, and the crops in the fields aren't growing. We were thinking of going to the capital to make a living..."
After saying that, he coughed again, making Qin Qing feel uncomfortable...
A man not far away heard the commotion and hurried over, giving Qin Qing a look of impatience.
"Don't let my mother speak. It's already done, so get out of here!"
Qin Qing wasn't annoyed. After a moment of silence, she turned and left. Meanwhile, a man and a woman were also drawn to the commotion. The man's eyes lit up when he saw Qin Qing!
After seeing so many dark, ugly, thin, and dirty women among this group of refugees, it was quite pleasing to the eye to suddenly see a fair-skinned woman, especially her pink lips, which were not chapped or peeling at all.
The woman also saw Qin Qing, and while admiring her fair complexion, she also noticed something unusual.
"Hey Lao Tong, look at that woman, don't you think something's off about her?"
Upon hearing this, the man named Lao Tong glanced at the woman beside him and noticed her dirty, dark yellow skin. He immediately lost his appetite and said impatiently.
"Strange? Who isn't strange these days? Are you just jealous because she's good-looking?"
Hearing her husband praise another woman like that, the woman felt uncomfortable. Looking at Qin Qing's elegant and fair appearance, a strong sense of jealousy welled up in her heart.
"Pah! Who's jealous of her? Who knows which rich man's kept vixen! She's obviously not young anymore, a middle-aged woman, who would be jealous of her?"
Then, as if remembering something, he stared intently at Qin Qing's back and whispered something.
"There's no village or shop around here, so why doesn't she look thirsty at all? Even if she's not in the sun, she shouldn't be this dry! Could it be..."
As she spoke, the woman's eyes were fixed on the carriage, revealing a hint of greed and anticipation. The man beside her immediately realized what was happening. After glancing around at the carriage, he looked at the three children and the woman who had stepped down from it. This group of elderly, weak, women, and children was without a single man by their side…
At first glance, they didn't seem like a threat. Otherwise, how could they travel so cleanly and comfortably in this weather? Did they have enough water and food in the vehicle?
The man thought to himself, and subconsciously licked his dry lips. The hot weather and the mouthful of ulcers made him feel even worse, and he longed for a sip of cold water to soothe his mouth!
So he gestured for the woman next to him to go and check, to sound out what she was saying...
The woman was reluctant, but thinking of her gender advantage and her throat that was so dry it made her sick, she stood up and slowly walked toward the carriage.
Qin Qing had just sat down on a rock to rest when she thought to herself, "Wasn't the initial place of the drought the capital of Qi? If that's the case, the nearby towns might have already been in trouble. With the drought coming, why didn't I see any signs of it in the capital before?"
At that moment, a hoarse yet gentle voice reached my ears.
"Um... is this lady also heading to the capital of Qi?"
Qin Qing looked up and saw a dark-skinned woman speaking to her, her eyes revealing a hint of embarrassment and restraint. She subconsciously became wary, a helpless, fake smile on her face.
"No, our family is leaving the capital of Qi. The recent drought is too severe; the capital is probably already a disaster area..."
The woman was taken aback, seemingly not expecting such an answer. After all, their destination was the capital of Qi. If that place also fell, what would be the point of their journey?
"Look at what you're saying, sister. Our capital of Qi is no ordinary place. It's the land of the Son of Heaven, protected by a true dragon. How could it become a disaster area!"
The woman thought Qin Qing was just bluffing her, and while she was disdainful, she smiled gently, which then turned into a hint of disappointment and sadness.
"It's not like we've been cursed. There's already been little rain in the last six months, making it even harder for crops. Now it's stopped raining altogether. How are we supposed to survive?"
Qin Qing nodded, instantly wiping the smile from her face. She didn't want to explain anything to her in the face of others' suspicions, but the woman's sudden approach made her feel a little uncomfortable.
"Yes, it's not easy for anyone."
After saying that, he calmly looked into the distance, showing no intention of replying.
Seeing this, the woman looked somewhat embarrassed, and her gaze involuntarily shifted to the man not far away...
Seeing how useless she was, the man grew even more impatient. "Can't you even do this simple thing right?" he thought, and got up and walked over as well.
"Ma'am, my wife has been bothering you. She hasn't spoken to anyone in a long time, and seeing you today made her feel warm and fuzzy, so she couldn't help but come over for a chat. We're really sorry to bother you."
As he spoke, the man wore an apologetic yet honest smile, but stopped beside the carriage without approaching Qin Qing, his eyes glancing almost imperceptibly into the carriage.
Qin Qing saw this unintentional, subconscious movement and instantly understood the two people's purpose. At that moment, she suddenly noticed the difference between the group of refugees and her own family!
Although they were all wearing the same thin, light gray clothes, the family was dressed relatively cleanly, looked radiant and energetic, and showed no signs of fatigue from a long journey, nor did they have chapped lips or pale faces due to thirst.
As they got closer, their awareness of each other became very obvious, which explains why they attracted the attention of the man and woman!
After thinking it through, she smiled.
"Really? You feel a sense of familiarity when you see me, but feel like a stranger when you see other villagers? That's quite novel!"
The man froze, realizing the problem with his words, but he didn't care and continued shamelessly.
"Is this your daughter? She's so cute! If my daughter were still alive, she'd probably be about the same age as her now."
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