The outside was still bustling. Lying in bed and thinking about last night's gains, Lin Zhaozhao's drowsiness dissipated quite a bit, and she immediately entered her spatial dimension.
What came into view were piles of gold, silver, jewelry, grain, and silk. Lin Zhaozhao was overjoyed. She admitted that she was a commoner and had never seen the world.
Lin Zhaozhao kept the loot from the treasure vault and the secret room separately. Compared to the loot from the secret room, the small pile in the secret room was obviously not enough. However, it was still quite valuable. After exchanging it all, she paid off two-thirds of her debts.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Seeing that she didn't have much debt left, Lin Zhaozhao stopped touching the things she had scavenged from the treasure vault, lest the system, that old rascal, try to scam her again.
After mentally organizing her belongings, Lin Zhaozhao went to the wooden shed. The cows, sheep, and pigs with babies were being well cared for by the sheep, their bellies round and their fur smooth. Seeing this, Lin Zhaozhao picked some strawberries and cherries and fed them to the animals.
After tidying up the shelves and promoting the growth of the plants, Lin Zhaozhao left the space.
Lin Zhaozhao, who was busy with her work, did not notice that the usually arrogant Meimei was now shyly leaning against a strong and handsome cow, and the way she was licking and nuzzling was simply unbearable to look at.
Once outside the space, Lin Zhaozhao fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
The noise outside gradually subsided. After some time, Li Jue appeared at the door. After a moment of silence, he pushed the door open and walked to the bedside.
Lin Zhaozhao was fast asleep on the bed. Li Jue bent down and stared intently at her. After some time, Li Jue chuckled and rolled over onto the bed.
Lin Zhaozhao, who had been fast asleep, seemed unhappy that her bed had been taken over. She resisted and pushed him with her hands and feet, but the moment her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled into his arms, she calmed down and burrowed her head into Li Jue's arms like a satisfied cat, muttering something unintelligible.
Li Jue's smile deepened as he listened, and he drifted off to sleep contentedly.
Lin Zhaozhao slept until dawn. She opened her eyes sleepily and subconsciously stretched, but felt an unfamiliar constraint. Her sleepiness vanished, and Lin Zhaozhao woke up instantly. When she raised her eyes slightly, she saw the man's broad and hot chest.
Lin Zhaozhao:...
Where did her vigilance go? How could she sleep so soundly? And that scoundrel Xiao Teng, how dare he not notify her of a thief?
Playing tricks.
Also, why are they hugging so tightly? Are they very close?
Lin Zhaozhao mentally complained, while secretly trying to escape. She moved out of the encirclement little by little, and just when she was about to succeed, a large hand grabbed her waist and pulled her back.
"Why didn't you sleep a little longer?" Li Jue's voice was still low and magnetic, as if he hadn't woken up yet. And with his voice close to her ear, Lin Zhaozhao felt a tingling sensation spread from the tip of her ear throughout her body.
Damn, who can handle this?
Depend on.
“It’s been a long time since we last met, and Madam has become increasingly cold towards me.” Li Jue sighed and buried his face in Lin Zhaozhao’s neck. He had just shaved, and the touch on her tender skin was both itchy and painful. Lin Zhaozhao gritted her teeth and sat up. “Believe it or not, I’ll beat you up.”
"It was my fault." Li Jue admitted his mistake very quickly, his head drooping like a big dog that had made a mistake.
Lin Zhaozhao:...
That's a fucking foul.
The two didn't stand still for long before Ping An was brought over. With Ping An in the middle, Lin Zhaozhao felt much more relaxed. As a peony, she was really afraid she wouldn't be able to withstand this onslaught.
To be honest, Li Jue was exactly her type, with a good figure and being Ping An's biological father. Although there was the original owner of the body between them, it wasn't unacceptable to Lin Zhaozhao, who was used to the moral decay of the post-apocalyptic world.
We're all adults; it's not wrong to enjoy life to the fullest.
After resting for three days in the mountain stronghold, the family decided to travel to Mengcheng together with Yang Yuan and Li Jue.
Firstly, Lin Zheng is in Mengcheng, so Lin Fusheng and Li Xiujuan won't object. Secondly, Lin Zhaozhao's original intention was to go south. Thirdly, she's with Li Jue, so there's no need to worry about safety.
In conclusion, this is the best option so far.
Before setting off for Mengcheng, Lin Zhaozhao told Li Jue about Xu Lianhua and Li Zhong. As for what would happen or how to deal with it, that was none of her business.
However, the outcome of this matter will determine her future attitude towards Li Jue.
A month and a half later
"We'll arrive in Mengcheng tomorrow." Li Jue sat on his horse, holding Ping An in his arms. The little guy was very restless, babbling and spitting on Li Jue's face when he stood up.
"Once we arrive in Mengcheng, we won't have to go through all this trouble."
"Mmm." Lin Zhaozhao responded, and when she saw Ping An reach out to her, she took the baby from him, took out the bottle, and heard a gurgling sound.
When the bottle was empty, Ping An fell asleep.
"Shall we run a lap?" Li Jue suggested at the opportune moment after settling Ping An in.
Sitting in the carriage every day was boring and uncomfortable, so Li Jue got a horse for Lin Zhaozhao to relieve her fatigue.
Lin Zhaozhao agreed, squeezed her legs together, gripped the reins tightly, and ran off. Li Jue followed closely behind, the two of them one in front of the other, quite a sight to behold.
A warm breeze whistled through her hair. Lin Zhaozhao squinted, a long-lost pleasure welling up inside her. Her breathing quickened, and the joy she felt made her happy.
Just then, a person suddenly darted out in front of her. Lin Zhaozhao subconsciously pulled closer to the reins, and the horse neighed and changed direction. Lin Zhaozhao, who was sitting on the horse, was lifted into the air and was about to fall. She used the small vine to steady herself and calmed the frightened horse.
Li Jue's heart nearly jumped into his throat. Only when he saw that Lin Zhaozhao was unharmed did he return to his original spot, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Please spare our lives, sir! We really didn't mean to offend you." The group of more than ten people were dressed in rags, their faces were sallow and thin, and their eyes were full of timidity. They didn't dare to look up when people looked at them. Instead, they knelt on the ground trembling and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Stop hitting it." Lin Zhaozhao dismounted and looked away when she saw a child in the crowd, not even three years old, whose face was filled with undisguised fear. "Be careful next time. Not everyone can react as quickly as I can. If you're not careful, you could lose your life."
"It's a relief to be gone, at least I won't be living a life worse than death."
"Don't talk nonsense." The boy's mouth was covered by the adult, and he was filled with resentment. Lin Zhaozhao and Li Jue exchanged a glance. "What do you mean?"
These words were like opening a box; the boy bit down hard on the hand of the person who had covered his mouth, his eyes reddening like an angry lion cub. "Would you help us if I told you?"
"If it weren't for this, why would we have to leave our homes and suffer this ordeal?"
Where are you from?
Mengcheng.
"Tell us in detail, and maybe we can really help." Perhaps it was Li Jue's words that convinced the boy, and with a sob in his voice, he recounted his family's ordeal in Mengcheng.
Mengcheng is located by the sea, and the Mo family has lived here for generations. Their clan is prosperous, and compared to the poverty and destitution recorded in ancient books, Mengcheng is a prosperous commercial city where people live in peace and contentment.
However, this period of prosperity was short-lived. Mengcheng was targeted by bandits, who first tested the waters with petty theft, then murder and robbery, and finally open killing and looting.
At first, the government did some work, but after reaching a consensus with the bandits, the people began to suffer.
The Mo family was a complete victim in this whole affair. Their business was robbed, their brothers and sisters were kidnapped and killed, their clan fell into ruin, and in order to preserve their last remaining bloodline, they had no choice but to flee Mengcheng.
Upon hearing this, Li Jue and Lin Zhaozhao's expressions changed. Logically speaking, although the Lingchun Yang family had been demoted, they still possessed considerable power, and it was impossible for such a thing to happen within their jurisdiction.
There's only one possibility: something happened that caused the delay.
The two exchanged a glance, realizing the seriousness of the matter. They immediately sent someone to settle the Mo family and informed Yang Yuan of the situation.
In stark contrast to their previous leisurely pace, after giving their instructions, the group quickened their pace to prepare for any eventuality. Li Jue led the group on horseback to Mengcheng at breakneck speed.
A day and a half later, we arrived in Mengcheng.
Lin Zhaozhao stepped down from the carriage, and thinking about the scenes she had seen along the way, she felt quite uneasy.
Everywhere there were ruins and rubble, and cries for help echoed endlessly. Judging from the scene, Lin Zhaozhao could tell that a major earthquake had struck Mengcheng.
In ancient times, earthquakes were a very troublesome problem.
Earthquakes themselves are not scary; what is scary are the epidemics and infectious diseases they trigger. If not handled properly, they could wipe out the entire population.
With Ping An, Li Xiujuan, Old Lady Lin, and others all around, Lin Zhaozhao can't just sit idly by. This concerns not only Mengcheng but also themselves.
After settling the Lin and Li families in, Lin Zhaozhao decisively led Lin Yangyang to the most severely affected area. The earthquake was quite powerful, but fortunately, the houses were mainly made of wood, unlike the cement and steel structures of later generations. Although there were some casualties, the death toll was not horrific; most of the victims were trapped under the roof beams.
In this situation, Lin Zhaozhao and Lin Yangyang quickly joined the rescue operation. Perhaps because of their participation, they took the lead, and one after another, people who were not injured or only slightly injured joined in.
Many hands make light work, and by the time the government sent people to the scene, the rescue operation was already coming to an end.
Before they could catch their breath, Lin Zhaozhao and Lin Yangyang were chased away. "Get out of here, get out of here! A woman like you is getting in the way. Do you know where this is? Get out of the way!"
"You're the ones who should get out of here. If it weren't for these two girls leading the way, I'd still be buried here."
"If we were to rely entirely on you, I might not be alive today."
"How dare you! Hit him!" Enraged by being exposed, he brought down the stick, but Lin Yangyang caught it in time and kicked him far away.
"You...you...you..." The person who was kicked rolled around in pain, "How dare you hit me? Do you know who I am?"
"Who cares about you?" Lin Zhaozhao said coldly. "No unauthorized personnel allowed. Everyone should think about how there could still be people buried. The sooner we arrive, the greater the chance of survival."
After these words were spoken, everyone united as one and got busy again.
Lin Zhaozhao didn't know how long she had been working, but she felt that she was only holding on by willpower. Just when she wanted to take a break, her hands and feet became sore and weak, and she fell backward.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
