Upon hearing that it was Lu Chuan and Xu Han, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, Uncle Zhang immediately rushed over from the backyard.
"I'm so glad to finally see you two! How have you been lately? I was so worried about you," Uncle Zhang asked anxiously.
"We're all doing well. How's Uncle Zhang doing lately? Is he doing alright?" Lu Chuan asked in return.
"Okay, okay, I'm fine. I was just worried about you guys because I couldn't get in touch with you. I'm so glad you've come today."
Yes, even though Lu Chuan was quite familiar with Uncle Zhang and Manager Li, they had never been to Lu Chuan's house.
They only came to see Lu Chuan when he entered the county town. They only knew that Lu Chuan lived deep in the mountains, but they didn't know his exact location or direction.
The group walked into the inner hall of the backyard while talking.
After the four were seated, Lu Chuan finally had time to introduce them to Uncle Zhang.
"This is Master Xuanyi, who is currently living with us in the mountains."
He then turned to Master Xuanyi and said, "This is Uncle Zhang, who is also the manager of this pharmacy. Uncle Zhang and my father are old friends."
After exchanging greetings, the two sat down and began to chat.
"There was a locust plague a while ago, and the farmers down the mountain were all devastated. They were supposed to have some grain this autumn, but the locust plague ate all the crops, leaving not even a single leaf or wild vegetable."
"When I learned about the locust plague, I was so worried about your safety! You live deep in the mountains, so the situation must be much worse than down below, but I couldn't find you, and it really worried us," Uncle Zhang said anxiously.
“Uncle Zhang, we’re fine. Xiao Han spotted the locusts beforehand, and we harvested everything we could before the locust plague arrived. There were basically no losses, except for some sweet potato leaves that we didn’t have time to cut, but thankfully the sweet potatoes underground were unharmed. Thank you for your concern, Uncle Zhang,” Lu Chuan explained.
"It's good that you're alright. The locust plague was terrifying. When it came, there was a huge, dense, black mass of locusts. It was unsettling to look at," Uncle Zhang said, recalling the scene.
"Yes! We were in the mountains. The locusts came in the afternoon. As soon as they arrived, we hid inside the room. The noise outside didn't stop all night. When we opened the door the next morning, there was no green at all. The whole valley was extremely desolate."
"So, are you planning to move to the county town this time? My family has an empty courtyard, it's not big, but it's definitely enough for you to live in."
"It's really not safe for you to be on the mountain by yourselves. If something happens to you, no one will know," Uncle Zhang asked.
"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Zhang, but we're staying with the Taoist priest now. Grandpa Zhao is also waiting for us at home! We're all quite skilled, so our safety is guaranteed on the mountain. The situation in the county town isn't good right now, so let's stay deep in the mountains for now!" Lu Chuan politely declined.
"Alright, the situation in the county town is indeed not good right now. Since the locust plague, grain prices have increased many times over. Even though the county magistrate has been suppressing grain prices, many people still can't afford to eat. And now the water supply in the county town is also decreasing."
Although the wells haven't dried up yet, the water level has dropped significantly. The county magistrate has ordered each household to take water according to the number of people in the household, so as not to waste water resources.
This is actually less convenient than living deep in the mountains.
“The situation in the mountains isn’t good either. The stream in front of our house has completely dried up. Now, only the waterfall behind our house still has water, but the flow has obviously decreased a lot,” Lu Chuan said, frowning.
"Sigh, life is tough no matter where you are these days. Even the living standards of the rich have declined a lot. After all, there are some things that money can't buy."
"Do you have enough food? Every time I ask you, you say you do, but you two can't lie to Uncle Zhang! If you don't have enough, just tell me, and I can spare some for you." Uncle Zhang sighed.
"Don't worry, Uncle Zhang! We came down the mountain mainly to buy some medicinal herbs from you. Here's the prescription; see if you can get some of them." Lu Chuan handed the prescription to Uncle Zhang and changed the subject.
Uncle Zhang looked at the list of medicines and said, "I can give you some of these medicines, but the quantity is not large. There has been a drought recently, and we have run out of medicinal herbs. These are all transported back from other places, and the quantity is not much."
“Okay, you can give me whatever you think is appropriate!” Lu Chuan said.
Then Uncle Zhang called over a waiter and asked him to prepare the medicine. Just as everyone was walking outside, Uncle Zhang suddenly grabbed Lu Chuan's arm and whispered...
"What's the deal with this Taoist priest? Did he force you to live together? Is he trustworthy?"
Lu Chuan was taken aback when he heard this, realizing that Uncle Zhang was worried that he and Xu Han might be threatened.
He quickly explained, "Uncle Zhang, don't worry, the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao are not bad people. They saved us before, which is why we live together."
Lu Chuan didn't tell Uncle Zhang the truth, but instead made up a lie.
These words were clearly heard by the Taoist priest who was walking ahead and had excellent hearing. The Taoist priest turned around, glanced at Uncle Zhang, and then spoke.
"Shopkeeper, who knows what will happen in the future! Rather than staying here now, it's better to leave before others take action."
I think the shopkeeper is a well-connected person. It shouldn't be difficult for us to find a place to settle down now, so that we won't be unable to escape when we join the other refugees.
That's all I have to say. What you do is your own choice.
Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhang was stunned. He looked at Lu Chuan with disbelief, desperately seeking an answer from him.
Seeing this, Lu Chuan said, "The Taoist priest is right, Uncle Zhang, you can consider it."
"Will it really come to this? Is it really going to stop raining?" Uncle Zhang asked incredulously.
"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. If it weren't for your kindness to Xiaochuan and Yatou, and your concern and love for them, I wouldn't have said those words."
And I hope you won't spread what I said today. If something goes wrong, it will be a responsibility that neither of us can bear.
"If you dare to leak this out, your life will be in danger," the Taoist priest threatened Uncle Zhang.
"Xiao Chuan, why don't you come with us? I have connections. We'll leave ahead of time, and we'll definitely be fine," Uncle Zhang said anxiously.
Lu Chuan felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing Uncle Zhang's words, but he still declined.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Zhang, I can't come with you for some reason, but don't worry, we're safe here."
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