As the sun set again, they had only reached a point half a mile from the city gate of Linshui County.
There were already many refugees resting on both sides of the road, and there should be even more ahead. So, Han Deshun called out to everyone to rest for the night in the woods beside the road, and to go into the city to check the situation early the next morning.
After a long day of walking, even the men were exhausted, and the children and elderly were even more tired. The children fell asleep as soon as they lay down, and the adults, feeling sorry for them, didn't wake them up. They would wait until the food was cooked before waking them up to eat.
This meal was supposed to be eaten separately by each family, but Li Lanzhen insisted that her parents and brothers eat with them.
Tears streamed down Ye's face as she held Li Lanzhen's hand, repeatedly saying, "Lanzhen, you have a whole family to support. Let's separate and eat our own food."
Li Xishui also said they should eat separately, but Li Lanzhen got angry and they stopped talking.
Li Lanzhen called Xue Nizi and Tonghua over, handed them bags of grain, and told them to cook porridge. She also said that from now on, cooking would be their responsibility.
Han Minghai went to feed the mules, Han Mingjiang tidied up the place where they would sleep that night, and Han Mingxiang and Han Yuemei took the children to collect firewood.
Seeing that everyone in the car had gotten off, Li Lanzhen went over and looked around. She saw a large, pot-bellied water vat that was almost empty, while the large wooden bucket still had about half a bucket of water. She admired them for their thriftiness; otherwise, given her own water-saving habits, the water would have been empty long ago.
She figured the water would last until tomorrow morning, so she went into Linshui County to see if she could get any more water. She didn't risk adding more.
More people arrived one after another, with people coming from both sides. Adults were shouting and children were crying, creating a chaotic scene.
The village chief told everyone to keep an eye on the children and protect their belongings. Han Deshun found Xue Laohu and called over the butcher Han Dazhong. The three of them discussed keeping watch that night.
Finally, a three-shift system was arranged, with one person from each household participating in the night watch. The first shift was led by Xue Laohu and Han Mingjiang, the second shift by Han Dazhong and a villager, and the third shift by Han Deshun and Zhang Songshu. Those who were not assigned to the shift would continue to take turns the next day.
Nothing happened overnight, but before dawn the next day, the crowd started making a ruckus.
No one had any appetite for breakfast. The children ate a piece of dry food with water, while the adults discussed with the village chief how to get to the city.
Xue Bao said to the village chief, "Village chief, I went to the city gate early this morning and saw a notice posted there saying that each person has to pay one tael of silver to enter the city."
Everyone was stunned.
"Damn it, are they trying to kill us? Why would we need to flee the famine if we had money?!"
"All corrupt officials in the imperial court are the same, black-hearted and rotten."
"What are we going to do? How are we going to buy food if we can't get into the city!"
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Li Lanzhen sat on the ground, her ears filled with the angry complaints of the villagers, wondering what to do.
It's too risky to take out food from my space again if I don't go into the city. Which son should I take with me if I go into the city? Should I tell my son that I have a space so that someone can cover for me and make the journey easier? Ugh, this is giving me a headache.
"How about this, we'll elect a few people who agree to go shopping, and we'll all contribute one or two taels of silver to those going into the city. Of course, if they're going to the capital themselves, they'll pay for their own entry fee."
"Also, put all the broadswords away, wrap them in cloth, and put them under the carriage." The village chief presented the plan for entering the city and reminded everyone to put away their broadswords.
Li Lanzhen said to the village chief, "Village chief, our family needs to go to the city to buy things ourselves."
Soon, everyone elected Han Deshun, Han Dazhong, and Xue Laohu to go to the city to be in charge of purchasing for the villagers.
After he finished speaking, the villagers registered what they needed to buy in front of Han Deshun, gave him money, and then dispersed.
"Lanzhen, are you going to the city?" Madam Ye asked as she greeted Li Lanzhen upon her return.
"Yes, Mother, I need to go to town to see if I can buy any grain at the grain shops."
Ye took Li Lanzhen's hand and led her to her family's cart. She then took out a silver hairpin and a silver bracelet from her bosom and put them into Li Lanzhen's hands.
“Lanzhen, this is what your maternal grandmother left me. You can use it to exchange for grain. We can’t always let you pay for the grain.”
“Mother, I have a way to get food. This is what your grandmother left you. Keep it as a memento.”
"No. Even if your grandmother knew, she wouldn't blame me. She would praise me for handling this matter well."
After the mother and daughter stepped back for a while, Ye insisted that Li Lanzhen take it to the city to exchange for grain. Li Lanzhen insisted that she didn't want it, but Li Erhan told her to take it.
“Woman, anything can happen on the road to escape famine. We’re lucky to have found a county town where we can buy food now. But in the future, we may never be able to get close to a county town again. Take this and buy some food.”
Seeing that the two old people were urging her to take the money to the city to exchange for grain, Li Lanzhen accepted it. Exchanging it was impossible, so she decided to keep it in her spatial storage and give it to Ye Shi when the time was right. She told Ye Shi that she didn't need it at the time and had kept it.
Li Lanzhen walked from her parents' house toward her beloved mule cart. She was awake and wondering who she would take into town later. She decided to take them one by one. Last time, her third son went with her, so this time she would take her second son.
"Second brother, pack your basket and come with your mother to town to buy grain. Next time, the eldest brother will come with me."
Looking up, she saw Han Yuemei staring at her expectantly. Her heart softened, and she patted Han Yuemei's head, saying, "If there's a next time, Mother will take you to the city."
Han Yuemei immediately beamed and nodded vigorously.
Li Lanzhen and Han Mingjiang followed behind Han Deshun and the others, queuing together to enter the city.
Once the money was paid, entering the city was quite smooth. Han Deshun asked Li Lanzhen, "Sister-in-law Lanzhen, are you coming with us or are you going to explore on your own?"
Han Deshun asked this question because he felt that Li Lanzhen had changed a lot. She was still very capable, but she was no longer unreasonable. Moreover, she was decisive and had her own opinions. Since she brought Han Mingjiang into the city with her, she must want to look around and buy some things.
In fact, when the people of Hanjiacun saw the big blue mule cart at Li Lanzhen's house, they were quite surprised. They were all talking about it in private, saying that Li Lanzhen's family had encountered a good thing, as they had actually bought a mule.
Upon seeing the plight of Li Erhan's family and Li Lanzhen's rise to fame in Yejiawan, they all kept their mouths shut again. They were simply afraid; they knew the saying that loose lips sink ships.
They certainly didn't want Li Lanzhen to be stabbed to death by some kind of wooden splinter.
Sure enough, Li Lan smiled and said, "Yes, my daughter and I will wander around and explore on our own. You two go on your way."
"Alright, we'll meet at the city gate in an hour and go out together."
“Okay.” Li Lanzhen nodded and walked forward. Han Mingjiang and Xue Laohu, who were walking behind her, called her back and handed her a small bamboo whistle. “Take this. If anything happens, just blow it loudly, and I’ll hear you and come find you.”
"Okay, thank you, Dad. You all be careful too."
The interaction between the father-in-law and son-in-law drew envy from the two people standing nearby. They thought, "What a wonderful in-law family! Han Mingjiang is so lucky."
After parting ways with Han Deshun and the other two, Li Lanzhen took Han Mingjiang to check on the price of grain.
Before she even reached the grain shop, she heard someone calling her from the entrance of an alley.
"Grandma, Grandma."
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