As soon as they entered the city, they saw people kneeling on mats begging on both sides of the road. Their hair was dry, their faces were sallow, and they looked emaciated.
The ground was scorching hot, and even the mats didn't help. Jiang Yue saw that their knees were already red, some even had blisters, and the blisters had broken and were bleeding.
She sighed inwardly, but didn't dare show any kindness on her face, fearing that she would be swarmed.
Even so, it seems inevitable.
When some people saw the arrival of the mule cart, they rushed forward and kowtowed to them, "Please, Master and Madam! Please save my life!"
"Please, give us some food!"
Those cries for help hit Jiang Yue's heart, but she could only harden her heart and pretend not to hear them. She couldn't be the savior of so many people.
The official who brought them into the city drove them away and then continued to lead them in. He said that the city had specially vacated houses to help refugees.
Should we provide aid or detain?
Jiang Yue hadn't expected this to happen. She had just wanted to come in to rest, ask for directions, and give the mule a couple of days' rest. Was it too late to regret and get the money back?
Fortunately, the officials did not let the refugees who paid huge sums of money live in abandoned houses. Instead, they arranged for them to live in a house in an alley. It did not look messy and seemed as if it had been vacated specially.
The officer opened the gate of one of the houses and pointed to the leftmost room, saying, "That is your house. You are not allowed to wander around, or you will be arrested as thieves."
"What if we want to go out for supplies or ask for directions?"
He smiled faintly, "There's no place to get supplies. If you need directions, you can come and ask us. You're only allowed outside between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM."
After saying that, he left.
Jiang Yue and the other man walked in pulling the mule cart. There were five rooms in the house, and the other four were obviously full of people, emitting a very strong sour smell.
They kept the doors and windows tightly closed, and when they saw someone coming, they would peek through the small crack in the door.
The house was too small for the mule cart to fit in. Jiang Nian had no choice but to tie the mule cart to the pillar by the door. He couldn't leave it too far away, as many people in the house were jealous of the mule.
He patted the mule's head and warned it, "You can't run around barking or running around. If someone pulls you away, you'll become roasted mule meat on the fire!"
The mule lowered its head, as if it understood.
Jiang Nian also closed the door of the room.
This room is not much bigger than the one Xiao Jiangyue lives in the village. It only has space for a bed, which is just right for a couple to sleep in. It definitely can't accommodate more people.
Jiang Yue sighed. 20 taels of silver were spent on such a doghouse. It would be a shame to spend such a huge sum of money if she didn't sleep well in it.
In fact, it is impossible to sleep soundly.
In the middle of the night, someone sneaked onto the mule cart. Jiang Nian put a knife to his neck and asked, "Don't you want to live?"
The thief was frightened and begged for mercy.
Jiang Nian let him go, but cut his palm with a knife as a lesson. Blood gushed out, and his screams attracted the attention of other refugees, but no one dared to come out to save him.
Jiang Nian threw him into the yard and went back to sleep.
He took Jiang Yue's hands covering her ears away and comforted her, "It's okay, go back to sleep."
The next morning, still no refugees dared to go out.
Jiang Yue and his companion went out with the mule cart.
Put the mule cart into the space, otherwise it will attract too much attention.
They walked around the city and finally chose the home of an old woman who lived alone with her grandson.
"Grandma, we want to ask you something." Jiang Yue approached her and lowered his voice.
The old woman looked back and forth at the two of them, her face hesitant.
Under Jiang Nian's protection, Jiang Yue quickly stuffed a pancake into her hand.
The old woman was startled, then looked around and whispered, "Come into the house and talk."
The walls of this house are two meters high, but the rooms inside look old. I wonder if all the money and effort went into the walls. Very clever.
The little grandson was not even as tall as her waist. She was not sure if he was five years old. He was so skinny that he dared not speak as he hugged his grandmother.
The old woman closed the doors and windows and asked in a low voice, "What do you want to ask?"
Jiang Yue said, "We want to go east, but it seems we went in the wrong direction. We want to ask you for directions."
So you're asking for directions. The old woman felt relieved. "If you're going east, you have to go out the north gate and go straight. But don't go to the north gate. There are many forks in the road there. If you don't go through them, you'll get lost again..."
The old woman hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time and suddenly started chattering.
Her eldest son, a former peddler, had mentioned that there was an ocean to the east, with plenty of rain. But now, with only the elderly and children left at home, he couldn't run anymore.
She looked into the couple's eyes and saw that they were not very old. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you living with refugees?"
"yes."
"Oh, you'd better leave quickly!" The old woman looked nervous.
"We've been running out of food in the city for a long time, and half the people have starved to death. But those guards always take the money, let people in, and then lock them up in one place."
"It wasn't long before someone would come and take the refugees away, saying they'd be given work to eat. Some people in the city would volunteer to go with them. But no one who left ever came back. After a while, we all knew there was a problem."
"How long has this been going on?"
“It started to appear during the snowstorm.”
The snowstorm happened in September last year, and it is now October, a full year ago.
Jiang Yue pursed her lips and asked, "Are all the refugees to be taken away?"
"No, they will choose anyone who is in good health and between the ages of 13 and 35."
"Don't you care about the refugees outside the city?"
The old woman shook her head. "They don't want the ones from outside the city. They say they don't know if they might be diseased, so they don't want them."
Jiang Yue seemed to have some idea. She was screening, and the inn was also screening.
Is there any connection between rich people and the young and strong? Or do they only choose between rich people and hate the rich?
Maybe it's a hidden mental illness, commonly known as psychopathy.
Jiang Yue thanked the old woman and left with Jiang Nian.
After they left, the grandson found something by the courtyard wall. He covered his mouth tightly, excitement in his eyes, and carried the thing into the house, "Grandma, they left something for us!"
The old woman rubbed her blurry eyes and took a look, her hands shaking. There was a jar of water, 10 cakes, and a few green cucumbers.
My grandson's mouth is watering.
She hurriedly took her grandson and hid all the things under the bed in the bedroom, so that they would not be stolen by bandits again.
As the two walked towards the alley, Jiang Nian whispered, "Those runners from Zhaoyang City are coming."
Those big brothers? Is that really the case?
Didn't they just rob some things and kill two people? Is it necessary to chase the murderer for thousands of miles?
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