Han Minghai looked at Li Lanzhen disapprovingly.
"Mother, how can you manage with two little children? What if you run into bad people? You must go down the mountain to find my little brother; I'll go down with you!"
Han Zhaoxiong also stepped forward and said, "Aunt Lanzhen, I'll go too! I'll go with you to find your sister!"
Xue Bao and Han Mingjiang both stepped forward to speak, but Li Lanzhen waved them off.
"Alright, all of you stop arguing. Take the two kids, and the three of us will pretend to be refugees. We won't attract attention. But what if we run into the gang that's after you guys?"
Everyone thought it made sense, and the old village chief looked at Li Lanzhen with concern.
"Lanzhen, if you insist on going, why don't you go in a couple of days? Didn't Hunter Xue say that there was a riot in Youzhou City? I wonder what the situation is now. How about we go down and check it out in another ten days or so?"
Li Lanzhen's parents, Li Erhan and Ye Shi, came over, took his hands, and said worriedly.
"Yes, honey, we're worried about you going alone!"
Tonghua and Xueni stepped forward and shouted in loud voices, "Mom, we'll go with you. We're women, and they won't conscript women."
Li Lanzhen said, "No, I can't take you two. You're both too beautiful!"
Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
The two of them were taken aback by Li Lanzhen's words and blushed deeply.
The burst of laughter eased their worries.
After everyone went home, Xue Laohu said to Han Mingjiang, "Second brother, the two of us will escort your mother down the mountain, and then we'll come back."
Seeing that Li Lanzhen was about to refuse, he said, "My dear in-law, why don't you let me and my second son escort the three of you down the mountain? We don't know if there are any wild beasts on this mountain. After we escort you down, we'll wait for you and be ready to help you if anything happens."
Li Lanzhen thought about it and realized that it made sense. If she wanted to take out supplies from her space, someone had to go and receive them. Otherwise, how much could the three of them carry?
He nodded in agreement, "Okay."
Xue Nizi and the others quickly prepared food and water bags for the three of them.
Li Lanzhen seemed reluctant to accept the offer; she opened her mouth slightly but then remained silent.
Don't refuse your children's care and filial piety. Otherwise, if you refuse too often, your children will take it for granted and think that their parents don't need this kind of care and filial piety.
The happiest people were none other than Gou Dan and Han Yinan.
The two little ones quickly ran home to pack their baskets.
Grandma Gou Dan held Gou Dan's hand and kept instructing him, "Gou Dan, you have to be careful after you go out. Don't cause trouble for your Grandma Lan Zhen. You have to be smart and stay close to your Grandma Lan Zhen. Don't get lost. What will Grandma do if you get lost?"
Gou Dan hugged his grandmother tightly, his eyes filled with tears. He patted her back and comforted her, "Grandma, don't worry! Grandma Lanzhen even said I'm the smartest."
I'll accompany Grandma Lanzhen to Youzhou City. If I can get you a white flour bun, Gou Dan will bring it back for Grandma.
Grandma Gou Dan wiped away her tears and handed him the wild boar meat she had just received.
"Dog Egg, take this wild boar meat with you. When you get to Youzhou City, see if you can exchange it for some food. We've been eating food from your Grandma Lanzhen's house all this way while we were fleeing famine."
Gou Dan pushed her hand away, saying, "No, put these meats down. I'm going to Youzhou City, and I'll see how things go. Grandma Lanzhen isn't taking them."
Grandma Gou Dan stopped trying to persuade them. The two were talking when they heard Han Yinan calling from outside.
"Dog Egg, are you ready? We're leaving."
Li Lanzhen, along with Gou Dan and Han Yinan, prepared to go down the mountain.
Seeing Su Chen standing next to Han Yinan.
I was thinking of taking this child out for a trip as well.
She waved and called out, "Su Chen, do you want to go to Youzhou City with Grandma?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as Li Lanzhen finished speaking, Su Chen shook his head like a rattle drum, his eyes filled with terror, and he quickly backed away.
"No! Grandma! I'm not going to Youzhou City!"
Perhaps realizing he was overreacting, he quickly explained.
"Grandma, you should take Yi Nan and Gou Dan with you. I'll only cause you trouble if I go."
Looking at the fear in his eyes regarding Youzhou City, Li Lanzhen knew that there must be a secret about the two children's background.
But since the child didn't say anything, she didn't want to reopen his wounds.
Perhaps one day he will open his heart to her and tell her about his relationship with his sister.
He smiled and said, "Okay, watch over your little sister and wait for Grandma to come back at home."
Han Mingjiang led the big blue mule, Xue Laohu carried a basket on his back containing a bow and arrows, and the five of them went down the mountain together.
The old village chief suggested that Li Lanzhen take the freshly slaughtered wild boar meat to Youzhou City to exchange for grain or silver, but Li Lanzhen refused.
"Old village chief, there are too many things to carry by myself. Besides, even if I do go, I don't know what the situation will be like in Youzhou City."
"Let's wait until I return this time. If the situation in Youzhou City is better and things have settled down, we can trade wild boar meat or other small animals for food in Youzhou City next time."
The old village chief agreed with this reasoning and stopped insisting.
Other families in the village also wanted Li Lanzhen to bring some salt, but none of them had any money, so they were too embarrassed to ask.
Xue Bao's guards escorted them out of the valley, put the large rocks back in place, and disguised the vines before returning to the valley.
They were already familiar with the path down the mountain, so they walked relatively quickly.
After leaving the valley, we descended the mountain and crossed another mountain to reach Youzhou City.
As the sun set, they descended the mountain where the valley was located, reached its foot, and then hurried up another mountain. By the time they reached the mountainside, it was already late, so they stopped climbing.
Xue Laohu and Han Mingjiang found a place to rest.
Han Mingjiang called out, "Mother, let's rest here for the night. We'll cross this mountain early tomorrow morning and reach Youzhou City."
Li Lanzhen stood there and looked around. She realized that by going from this side of the mountain, they could avoid the side of the mountain from which they had fled from the underground river.
He nodded and said, "Alright, the two children and I will rest here for one night, and we'll head to Youzhou City tomorrow. You two go back to the valley."
Xue Laohu shook his head and said, "My dear in-laws, tomorrow my second brother and I will take you to the foot of the mountain, near the official road leading to Youzhou City, and then we will return to the top of this mountain."
While we're at it, let's take a look at the situation outside Youzhou City.
If the area outside Youzhou City remains in chaos, preventing refugees from entering, then we will return to the valley together.
Li Lanzhen thought it made sense; if the situation of the riots outside Youzhou City did not improve, she certainly could not go down the mountain to approach the city gate, and would have no choice but to return to the valley.
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