"Grandma Su, I heard that Sanhua Town is just ahead. Because of the hailstorm a couple of days ago, it seems that the villagers near Sanhua Town will also have to flee with us!"
Walking on the official road, young Liu Enze held Ge Xiaoyu's hand the whole time.
Although he obediently stayed by the two adults' side, he overheard all the conversations around him.
Then he selected the important information he had heard and told it to Lin Xue.
"Not all the shops in Sanhua Town should be closed yet. Let's go see if we can buy some grain!"
The pancakes that were made earlier have all been eaten, leaving only some hard-to-eat coarse grains.
Whole grains are fine as a side dish for experiencing different lifestyles, but no one can stand eating them three times a day. Haven't you noticed that those two have been spending more time in the bathroom these past few days?
In addition, there were no wild vegetables to be found near the official road; as soon as they sprouted, they were all picked clean by the disaster victims in front of them.
When they arrived at their place, everything edible, whether good or bad, was stripped bare, leaving them not even a scrap of edible bark.
"If only I could buy some rice or millet, or even cornmeal if that's not possible!"
"Grandma Su, you eat beans every day, your farts are so smelly!"
There was only a little bit of soybeans left in the basket. Soybeans can be either fried or boiled, and the three of them had had enough of them no matter how they were cooked.
Liu Enze, in particular, was a little embarrassed when he first farted while eating beans. After all, living in a wealthy family, such an unseemly behavior as farting was considered very impolite.
If Ge Xiaoyu hadn't also been unable to hold back her constant farting, he probably would have preferred not to eat anything rather than become a farting bug.
"Once we get there, let's see if we can buy some refined grains, black rice or wheat flour will do. I've had enough soybeans, and my stomach is really bloated!"
Lin Xue reached out and touched Liu Enze's hair. There hadn't been any water to take a bath along the way, and the three of them weren't much better off than the other refugees.
However, along the way, Lin Xue would find some unusual plants for the three of them to use to wipe themselves.
Although these plants won't remove stains from the body when rubbed on, they can help prevent the body from becoming sour and smelly.
It's one thing if she doesn't shower, but if she's constantly smelly, she can't stand it herself.
"We've arrived at Sanhua Town! Everyone, hurry up, or all the grain will be bought up by others!"
The shouts of a man in front immediately attracted the attention of Lin Xue and her two companions.
"Hurry up! There must be a lot of people buying grain. If we're late, we won't be able to get any!"
Without any hesitation, Lin Xue scooped Liu Enze into her arms and started running with Ge Xiaoyu.
It's no wonder Liu Enze couldn't stand it; no one could stand farting like that every day.
"Grandma Su, it seems there are guards at the main entrance; not all refugees can get in!"
The town of Sanhua is surrounded by a two-meter-high earthen wall. At this moment, a long queue has formed at the main gate, all of them refugees who want to enter the town to buy food.
Most of the people gathered on both sides; these were disaster victims who couldn't afford to pay and could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.
Lin Xue led Ge Xiaoyu and Liu Enze through the crowd to the front, and then took a few steps to the gatekeepers.
These people were all tall and heavy, and they were all carrying weapons. It seemed that they were a defensive force organized by Sanhua Town.
This shows the competence of the mayor of Sanhua Town. He did not turn away all the refugees; they only needed to pay a small fee to enter and buy food.
As for those who cannot afford the toll, they will not be able to afford anything once they enter the city.
Letting people like that in will only cause chaos; it's better not to let them in at all in the first place.
You can also reach the other side of Sanhua Town by going around the city wall.
The town mayor kindly put up a sign by the roadside, just in case these refugees couldn't find their way.
"Hey, why aren't you in line, old lady? Don't you know the difference between first come, first served at your age?"
Lin Xue's blatant queue-jumping behavior angered many people. However, she didn't care; as long as she lacked manners, manners couldn't restrain her.
"Grandma, we have to queue to get into town here. Isn't this a bit much for you?"
The militiamen blocking the gate didn't treat Lin Xue, an elderly woman, as harshly as they did others when she tried to cut in line.
"Young man, I'm an old lady, and my legs aren't very strong. If I have to wait in line, I probably won't get a single grain of food!"
"Here, here, this is the toll for the three of us. Please be lenient, young man!"
He first displayed his shameless, old-fashioned spirit, and then slipped a coin into the hand of the embarrassed militia captain.
The captain weighed the silver in his hand, a thought crossed his mind, and then discreetly slipped it into his waistband.
Originally, each person entering the city was required to pay 5 copper coins, but Lin Xue and her two companions paid 1 jiao (0.1 yuan) at once, causing the militia captain, who had originally intended to maintain order, to immediately give up his position.
Although the people behind didn't know what was going on, they didn't stop them since their captain had made way.
This scene aroused dissatisfaction among many people behind, but when the militia captain raised the long knife in his hand and waved it, the dissatisfaction immediately disappeared.
Upon entering Sanhua Town, Lin Xue led Ge Xiaoyu and Liu Enze straight to the grain shop.
"Boss, why is there so little food left in your shop?"
As soon as Lin Xue entered the grain shop, she noticed that there wasn't much grain on display.
Refined grains were scarce, with only a few things like soybeans and brown rice available.
"We suffered a disaster here recently, and most of the food was bought up by refugees. This is all that's left in the store!"
"Buy them quickly if you want them, we're leaving after we sell these!"
The waiter seemed very anxious, and Lin Xue, knowing the current situation, quickly bought all the fine grains from the several cloth bags.
Although the price of grain was 10 times higher than usual, with the money given by Steward Liu, she could afford it, so there was no need to make herself suffer.
All the refined grains combined only filled half a basket, so Lin Xue bought some coarse rice and coarse flour. Only after filling a full basket did she leave the grain shop with Ge Xiaoyu and Liu Enze.
There aren't many shops open in the entire Sanhua Town, especially food shops.
Lin Xue and her two companions strolled from one end of the street to the other, and finally exited from another exit of Sanhua Town.
Besides buying some food, I also bought two sets of clothes for each person.
Ge Xiaoyu touched the fine cotton fabric, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.
She has never worn new clothes in her entire life; she always wears hand-me-downs from her older sisters.
Ge Xiaoyu was the fifth child in her family. Everything she owned was patched and patched, and some items were so old that they would break at the slightest touch.
This was the first new dress she had ever received in her life, how could she not be excited?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com