The man whose hand had been chopped off was screaming incessantly on the ground.
Lin Jinyue turned her head away and gagged. On the way to escape the famine, she had never seen such a bloody scene.
Jiang Yun quickly hugged her. Even as a doctor who frequently visits the emergency room, she was shocked by the scene. She finally understood what it meant to have "life as cheap as grass".
The lives of ordinary people are truly worthless.
But we still have to go to Runan County.
Lin Jinyue suppressed her nausea and took out two eggs and a palm-sized piece of smoked meat from her spatial storage.
Famine is rampant everywhere right now, and food is more useful than silver.
Lin Shucheng walked to the city gate, still feeling apprehensive, and Lin Jinyue followed a little closer.
The maximum distance is five meters. Within five meters, she can take Lin Shucheng into her space, but doing so will definitely result in a warning or the system unbinding him. However, her father's life is more important than anything else.
Fortunately, the eggs and bacon did work.
Lin Shucheng stuffed the food directly into the guard's arms: "Sir, I am passing through Runan County with my wife and daughter. We are starving. Could you please make an exception and let us go into the city to find a restaurant to eat something and leave immediately? We will not delay your business at all."
Lin Shucheng wore a fine cloth robe and clean boots. Although he was not extremely wealthy, it was clear at a glance that he came from a well-off family.
The guard accepted the smoked meat, swallowed hard, and then instructed, "Go on, go straight into the city, turn right after four intersections, Chen's Restaurant has the best food. After you finish eating, go out the door and turn right. You won't have to walk far before you see a general store. You should bring plenty of supplies along the way."
Lin Jinyue breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the guard had stopped drawing his knife and was even being friendly.
Nowadays, food is scarce everywhere. In the past, those who could guard the land would ignore these things. Even in ordinary years, some well-off farmers might not even care about them.
But things are different now; food is more useful than money.
It was only the size of a palm, and the guards never mentioned the travel permit, even kindly giving him directions.
When Lin Jinyue saw her father waving to them, she knew that the matter had been settled.
Lin Jinyue and Jiang Yun had an extraordinary air about them, and they didn't look like farmers at all.
The three of them entered the city without any problems.
Lin Shucheng was very calm outside, even chatting and laughing with the guards, but as soon as he came in and turned a corner, his legs went weak and he almost fell.
He found a quiet spot and sat down on the ground, his hands trembling. "Wife, you know what? I saw a picture of a crossbow at the city gate. I was so afraid the guards would notice something was wrong. I was terrified..."
Jiang Yun hugged him and patted his back to comfort him.
Lin Jinyue not only got to witness her parents' public display of affection, but also had to keep watch for them.
If someone were to pass by, they would definitely say something like, "This is indecent."
It took Lin Shucheng a while to recover; his clothes were soaked with sweat.
The guards simply chopped off the refugees' hands without even blinking.
He quickly went to his spatial dimension to change into dry clothes, washed his face with river water, and calmed down. When he came out, he took out two bolts of cloth from the warehouse, leaving one more for the three of them to make clothes.
Lin Jinyue suggested splitting into two groups to save time, and meeting here in half an hour.
Lin Shucheng only had five hundred copper coins in his hand, so Lin Jinyue gave him a task: to exchange two bolts of fine cloth for silver and buy some iron tools.
Lin Shucheng was truly reluctant to part with the two bolts of cloth, but his family lacked everything except food.
These days, anything edible is expensive. I was thinking of buying a roast chicken for my daughter to satisfy her craving, but a roast chicken costs twenty taels. Who can afford that?
They used to sell for only 200 coins each.
How much money can you get by selling grain now?
But Lin Shucheng quickly calmed down, realizing that having money doesn't guarantee you'll live to enjoy it.
After three years of severe drought, everyone is now short of food and would rather sell everything they own to buy food. He entered the city without a travel permit, unaware that someone was secretly watching him. He dared not sell any grain; if he were targeted, his whole family would be ruined.
Lin Shucheng carried the cloth and went around asking about the price.
I asked at several shops, and the prices were all about the same: one tael of silver for a bolt of fine cloth and two taels of silver for a bolt of silk cloth. The prices were similar to usual, and apart from grain, the prices of other things hadn't increased much.
Lin Shucheng sold the two bolts of cloth and had three taels and five hundred coins left, so he went to buy some odds and ends.
On the other side, Lin Jinyue found a secluded spot to bring the horse back to the farm. This was her first time visiting an ancient commercial street, and everything seemed strange and wonderful to her.
Jiang Yun first went to the clinic, intending to buy some medicinal herbs, but who knew that these herbs could be sold at exorbitant prices.
Jiang Yun only bought a few kinds of medicinal herbs at this price for emergency use and to treat acute illnesses. She wasn't afraid of anything else while traveling, but she was afraid of getting sick on the road and not having any medicine.
A small packet of medicine cost all my money.
With a little change left, Jiang Yun asked, "Could you send me a set of silver needles?"
The silver needles weren't expensive, so the shopkeeper didn't want to charge her any more money and gave her a set.
Just as the two were about to leave, they saw a woman stumble in, carrying a three-year-old child in her arms.
The woman was dressed in a dark green cotton dress embroidered with flowers, and the child in her arms was also neatly dressed, clearly indicating that she came from a wealthy family.
After all, clothes that are dyed and embroidered are not something that ordinary families can afford.
But the woman's son couldn't afford medical treatment.
As soon as Liu entered the door, she knelt down with her child in her arms, making a "plop" sound. She cried and said, "Dr. Li, please save my son, please have mercy... the medicinal herbs weren't this expensive in previous years..."
Lin Jinyue hissed, and just from the sound, you could tell how painful it was to kneel down.
But Doctor Li shook his head: "It can't be cured. All the doctors who can cure it have been taken to the military camp to serve as military doctors. Besides, the medicine for this disease is expensive. It won't be cured without a hundred taels of silver."
Liu wiped away her tears: "Manager Li, we've already spent over a hundred taels of silver on my son's treatment, almost all of our family's savings, but his condition hasn't improved. Please, have mercy..."
Manager Li was annoyed and ordered his men to kick the mother and daughter out.
The waiter spat, "What kind of medical treatment can you get if you don't have money?"
Jiang Yun sighed and shook her head. They already felt the prices were too high when they bought the medicinal herbs, so in the end they could only buy some cheap and practical ones.
Lin Jinyue felt sorry for the mother and child and asked Jiang Yun, "Mother, is there any hope for this child?"
Jiang Yun stepped forward and looked at the mother and son who were slumped on the ground, crying desperately. She said, "I might be able to cure your son."
Liu was also anxious. Regardless of whether Jiang Yun could cure him, she took off the silver bracelet on her wrist and handed it to her, saying, "Please, my son is only three years old..."
Jiang Yun did not accept the bracelet, but only the money for the consultation: "It's nothing serious, a few acupuncture treatments will make you better. I will write another prescription, just give me ten coins."
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