"We've traveled all night and are now quite far from Ganzhou City. Let's find a shady place to rest."
Old Lu was also panting heavily, feeling like his old bones were about to fall apart.
Everyone readily agreed and went to find a tree to rest and cool off.
He Jiuniang secretly took out a wet wipe to wipe the puppy's sweat. The little guy's face was rosy, and his voice was sweet and childish: "Mommy, it's so cool and comfortable!"
"Even if it feels good, you can't overindulge. You can only apply it once, or you'll get sick."
He Jiuniang pinched the dog's face; it was finally getting a bit chubby. It was really not easy for it to grow up like this on the road.
"Does getting sick mean you'll die?"
"...It's not that bad, but it will be very uncomfortable because I can't play with my older brothers and sisters."
The dog suddenly realized, "Then I don't want to get sick, I want to play with my older brothers and sisters!"
These past few days, Gou'er has been in great health. As long as it's safe, He Jiu's mother will let him run around with everyone to work up a sweat, just to help him stay fit.
"Alright, alright, you can play with your older brother and sister!"
He Jiuniang looked at her adopted son in her arms with loving eyes. She didn't know if it was because her maternal filter was getting thicker and thicker, but lately she found puppies so cute. She even wondered if she had done something great in her past life that she didn't even know about, so that she could skip men and have such an adorable son in this life.
The men were also chatting. Lu Fugui said, "It will take another month or so to get to Anzhou. I'm really afraid that something might happen on the way!"
"Yes, we're all scared, especially since there are mostly women and children in our group, and some of us are injured. If something really happens, I'm afraid..."
Lu Daping couldn't help but speak up. It was really not easy to survive until now. He just hoped to arrive in Anzhou safely, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to survive.
"What's going on? We've come this far, why are you still saying such discouraging things?"
Old Man Lu said with dissatisfaction, "I told you to sit down and rest, not to say these unlucky things! Haven't we faced many dangers on this journey? We still made it through, didn't we? As long as we are united, we will definitely reach Anzhou safely!"
It's impossible for Old Man Lu not to be afraid, but as the oldest member of the group, he couldn't be the first to show fear. Besides, he believed that his third daughter-in-law's good fortune would lead their family safely to Anzhou.
His third son's wife is incredibly lucky these days!
"Third Uncle is right, we will definitely make it to Anzhou!"
Lu Fugui immediately echoed, and the others instantly gained confidence. It had indeed been difficult along the way, but hadn't they overcome them all?
Besides, they have food and drink now, and such a large group of people. As long as they don't encounter bandits or anything like that, they have nothing to fear!
After resting for about an hour, everyone ate something and drank some water, and decided to continue their journey, hoping to find a safe place to spend the night.
After all, I didn't get much rest last night, so I naturally need to get a good night's sleep tonight.
Meanwhile, Madam Qian of Fengyun Tower sat on the threshold, looking utterly disheveled. Her clothes were tattered, a far cry from her former glamorous self, and tears streamed down her face. She looked as miserable as could be.
Most of the girls in the building escaped during the chaos last night. Fengyun Building first caught fire, and then it was looted by refugees. Even if she had three heads and six arms, she couldn't save it.
Most importantly, when she remembered her savings from the past years, she found that they had been completely stolen.
At this moment, the two petty thieves, who had slept well the night before, rushed back in a panic. They were stunned when they saw the mess in front of them.
"Aunt Qian, what... what happened?"
The two stared wide-eyed. If it weren't for Mama Qian sitting at the door, they wouldn't have believed that this was the once-famous Fengyun Tower.
"It's burned down, everything's gone... All my hard work over the years is gone, waaaaaah..."
Madam Qian didn't even bother to ask why the two of them were only returning now. She covered her face and started crying again. It was truly not easy for her, a woman, to support this brothel. She had built up a lot of connections by welcoming and seeing off guests, but she had also offended many people. Now she had nothing left, and she didn't know how her old enemies would deal with her.
The two thieves exchanged a glance, ran into the yard to take a look, and found that everything had indeed been burned to the ground.
Not to mention Qian Mama, all their belongings were stored inside, and with this fire, all their savings were gone.
So, two more men dressed as servants appeared on the threshold of Fengyun Tower, crying like children, their faces covered, just like Mama Qian.
Passersby gave them a disdainful look and then hurried away.
Chaos erupted in the city, and families with even a little wealth fled overnight to avoid being implicated by the refugees. At this time, escaping was the priority, and there was no time to gossip.
The first thing those refugees did upon entering the city was to wreak havoc on the government offices, and then they would randomly enter people's homes to rob and loot for food.
Although some of the riots were suppressed by the government troops, the number of refugees far exceeded that of the soldiers, resulting in numerous casualties among the troops. The prefect was so frightened that he dared not even leave his house and sent people to other prefectures overnight to seek help. He just didn't know when the riot would be quelled.
If He Jiuniang knew how pitiful Qian Mama was right now, she would definitely be laughing and clapping her hands. But she couldn't care less about that now, because she was looking at the man in front of her, whom she had met once before, with a bit of speechlessness.
There's nothing particularly beneficial about it, yet I always seem to run into it. What kind of strange fate is this?
On the contrary, Old Man Lu felt particularly embarrassed when he saw Qin Jian, remembering how his family had swindled money from others. So he was exceptionally enthusiastic.
Qin Jian didn't expect to run into this family again by such a coincidence, but he found that their group seemed to have grown quite a bit. This family has had a tough time.
"Uncle, I didn't expect to meet you again. It's really fate."
Qin Jian dismounted and paid his respects to Old Man Lu, thus fulfilling the formalities. Old Man Lu waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "It is quite a coincidence. Where is Young Master Qin headed?"
"Go south and do some things for your master."
The statement was ambiguous, as if it said something, yet also as if it said nothing at all.
However, the Lu family didn't dwell on it, since they weren't really interested in knowing; it was just a casual question.
"Do a good job! Young Master Qin is so handsome and capable; he's sure to have a bright future!"
I don't know why, but seeing him reminds me of my third son. If he were alive, he would probably be the most successful one in the family.
"Thank you for your kind words, sir. May I ask where your family is headed?"
"Alas, where else can we go? There is a famine in Changzhou. We heard that Anzhou is willing to take in us homeless people, so we want to go to Anzhou to find a way out."
Old Lu sighed, his face full of helplessness.
Qin Jian looked at the large group of people, most of whom were women and children, and gently shook his head: "As far as I know, Anzhou can no longer accommodate any more people."
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