Chapter 9: Escape from the Troubled Times 7
In the evening, we returned with a full load.
Lin Xia caught three snakes, found several bushes of wild vegetables, and found a larger water source on another hill.
However, the water source over there was obviously a drinking place for many animals, and there was a lot of feces dried up around it, but Lin Xia couldn't tell what kind of animal's feces it was.
She washed all the meat and wild vegetables as quickly as possible at the water source, scrubbed her body, rinsed all her clothes, and finally filled a clay jar with water and left. It took less than two hours in total, and fortunately nothing happened in the middle.
Without staying for long, Lin Xia hurried back to the broken clay jar.
There was still some time before dark, so Lin Xia lit a fire, blanched the wild vegetables one by one, and placed them on stone slabs to dry in the shade.
Weigh the snake meat in your hand, about four or five pounds. Boil a small half first, and cut the rest into long strips and dry them. If they are not dried, they will become rancid overnight.
Today's food was very sufficient. Lin Xia mixed some wild vegetables and added a pheasant egg. It was the first full meal she had since she traveled through time.
After finishing the meal, start counting the remaining food.
After the snake meat shrunk due to drying and was eaten, there was less than two pounds left. There was still half a bowl of cicadas, which should be less than half a pound. There were also some wild vegetables, which should be about one pound after they were all dried. There were also 5 pheasant eggs.
Take the boiling water away and put it aside. After turning off the fire, it is time for a new round of cicada catching.
The next morning.
Lin Xia got up and followed the posture shown in the TV series, sitting cross-legged facing the sunrise, with her palms facing up and her eyes closed.
This sitting position was particularly smooth, and she chased and absorbed more purple light points.
After waking up from meditation, Lin Xia started his busy day. Today, he changed his location and stationed on the hill south of the No. 2 water source.
Another day passed like this, and just when Lin Xia was enjoying herself, a burst of noise broke the peace here.
"Come on, there's water!"
“There are wild vegetables here!”
“Dig quickly!”
Lin Xia had no curiosity and did not explore anything. She immediately packed up her things and left quietly.
If it weren't for the arrival of this group of refugees, Lin Xia would have forgotten that she still had to flee famine.
Troubled times are coming.
She warned herself in her heart that she must always be on guard against danger, whether it was a natural disaster or a man-made calamity, and giving up would be just waiting for death.
She will hurry up and travel today.
I don’t know how long it will take to walk from here to Lingzhou, the southernmost city. There are several states and counties in between.
Walking out of the green hilltop, all I saw was the dead silence and desolation I felt when I first arrived. I tightened the straps of my backpack and resolutely embarked on an unknown journey.
The wild vegetables in the backpack, the dried meat in the bag under her waist, and the sickle in her hand all gave her the confidence to live.
It took Lin Xia a whole afternoon and half a night to walk out of this dead silent hilly area.
It was another meditation session. Before walking out of the mountains, Lin Xia rolled on the ground a few times to make himself look more like a refugee.
However, in just four days, the road suddenly became busy, and people rushing on the road could be seen everywhere. They were not large groups of people fleeing famine, but mostly small teams composed of families with considerable assets.
Faced with the unusual scene, Lin Xia felt uneasy.
Something must have happened that she didn't know about.
Lin Xia wanted to ask people for information.
As soon as others saw Lin Xia coming, they hurried away, so she gave up asking for information. She could always find out from their conversations, so there was no rush.
In this way, Lin Xia was mixed in the intermittent and long group of people fleeing famine.
People on the road were very silent, perhaps they were saving their energy just to take one more step.
At noon, the people on the road finally felt tired and stopped to rest one after another. Some set up tents, some ate dry food, and some took care of their physiological needs.
Lin Xia has had plenty of food and water these days, and the original owner's previous weakness has recovered 70% to 80%. The only thing left is the distension in her lower abdomen caused by not taking good care of herself after giving birth, but she can bear it.
However, no matter how strong one's physical strength is, one cannot withstand continuous running under the scorching sun. Lin Xia sat down with the crowd, took a breath, drank some water, and quietly stuffed two cicadas into his mouth.
Looking at the tents that someone had set up, there was envy in my eyes.
The road here was flat and there was no place to provide shade. Lin Xia remembered the straw mat her grandmother taught her when she was a child. Looking at the weeds around her, an idea suddenly occurred to her. Well, weaving is a skill that can teach you a lot. Why didn't she think of weaving a straw hat for herself?
Lin Xia walked away from the crowd and cut a handful of slightly tough weeds. She first weaved a dome the size of her head circumference, then pulled it up like a backpack to a height of ten centimeters, and then expanded the brim outwards. After weaving, she tried it on her head and made some minor adjustments. It was perfect!
Although the one I made myself is not as beautiful as the one I bought, it is practical!
At this moment, a family of three not far away suddenly spoke up: "Little brother, excuse me."
"I think this hat you made is very useful. Can you teach us how to make it? My little grandson can't stand the scorching sun."
The older lady begged.
Lin Xia turned around and looked at them carefully: an old lady with a haggard face, a young daughter-in-law with pleading eyes, and a three-year-old child lying listlessly in the shadow of a wheelbarrow.
In her mind, she slightly reduced the level of danger they were in.
"Okay, I'll teach you. It's very simple."
It just so happened that she also wanted to ask them for some information.
As soon as Lin Xia opened her mouth, the lady realized that she had called the wrong gender and looked at her apologetically.
She didn't care and then started to teach them how to weave straw hats.
Other people on the roadside also saw this scene, moved over here quietly, and pricked up their ears.
So one corner of the crooked crowd was actively weaving straw hats.
Ignoring the distorted air and scorching sun, there seems to be a sense of peace and tranquility here.
Lin Xia ignored the other people who were trying to steal her skills. After teaching the woman in front of him, he began to inquire about the news.
"Auntie, where are you from and where are you going?"
When the old lady heard this, she sighed and the young woman secretly wiped away her tears.
Perhaps it was Lin Xia’s kind act that caused the old lady to break her silence and start complaining.
"It's all because of those damned foreigners! Our village is in Yicheng County in the northwest. Since the death of the emperor a few days ago, the foreigners have completely made no secret of their wolfish ambitions and broke into Yizhou, burning, killing and looting everywhere."
The old lady was filled with anger when she talked about it.
"Originally, our village was several cities away from the border, and there were also the ancient river and Changqing Lake. The drought had no impact on us. But because of the plague-ridden Hu people, the higher-ups forced conscription and all the men in our village were taken to the battlefield. My old man and son were also... If only..." It would be great if General Zhou was still here.
The last few words were stuck in his mouth.
The old lady was immersed in her own memories, her back teeth were creaking, and then her face became numb again.
"Yes, I heard that another city was conquered before I left."
Someone nearby added silently.
Several other families also fell silent after hearing this. Yes, they also came from the northwest, and their sons and husbands were also arrested.
But they still couldn't stop the brutality of the Hu people. They massacred every city they conquered. Those who were able to escape were considered lucky.
Lin Xia clenched the weeds in her hand tightly, and a huge wave of fear surged in her heart.
Not only did a war break out, but the old emperor also died.
After living in isolation for 5 days, the weather has changed when I come out. Fleeing from famine has instantly turned into fleeing from disaster.
The most important thing is! The Hu people in the northwest are different from the Hu people in the north!
Previously, the border was repeatedly invaded by the Hu people in the north.
There was already a drought, and after the emperor died, there was no news of a crown prince or outstanding successor, so the possibility of civil unrest was too high.
Even with the existence of Gu He, it couldn't stop the Hu people from wanting to get a piece of the pie.
The Guhe River is worthy of its name. It is a river that has existed from ancient times to the present day. It is so famous that the original owner also knows about it. It is a horizontal river that runs from the northwest to the northeast. The small river in the original owner's village is a small tributary of it.
If the original owner's village was simply fleeing famine, it would actually be closer to the north. However, the north was not safe and news of wars could be heard frequently, so they eventually decided to head east towards Kyoto.
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