Following Old Gu Six and his daughter, the group of people entered the shop without any questioning, doing whatever he asked them to do.
They had a blind trust in Old Gu Six - if he asked them to find cotton clothes and quilts, there must have been a reason for it, and they simply did as instructed.
In the storeroom behind the clothing shop, they found five thick cotton quilts and ten sets of cotton clothes.
"Give Mu two quilts and two sets of cotton clothes and pants. We'll go to the shoe shop later to find cotton shoes. Since we'll still be on the road in winter, let's prepare for it in advance."
With the cotton clothes and quilts, Mu could no longer carry everything by himself.
Old Gu Six told him to go with Little Ya's Dad and the others, "Yu San's group has a pushcart that can hold things, you can put your things on it and help push the cart."
"Yes," Mu said as he placed his belongings on the pushcart, then turned to Little Ya's Dad and the others, "Thank you all for your help along the way."
Little Ya's Dad and the others helped Mu secure his belongings on the cart, patting his shoulder and saying, "We're all brothers, it's only natural to help each other."
Then the group went to the shoe shop, but it was empty and everything had been looted.
Chang'an, seeing the desperate looks of the refugees earlier, said, "Dad, let's leave the city. We shouldn't stay here tonight."
The city had become a gathering place for refugees, and even if there were any supplies left, they wouldn't be able to get them.
As they passed by a pharmacy, they stopped and took some medicinal herbs, mostly for treating injuries, colds, and fevers.
On their way out of the city, more people started following them, their greedy eyes revealing their intentions.
The people trailing them thought Old Gu Six's group would stop and rest once they left the city, but to their surprise, the group only walked faster without any intention of stopping.
Old Gu Six's group headed north, and when the last bit of daylight was swallowed by darkness, they stopped to rest in a dried-up, cracked riverbed.
There were too many refugee camps along the main road, some people were even coughing, so Chang'an thought it was better not to stay close together.
Conveniently, there was a wide riverbed by the road, so they stopped to rest there.
The refugees who followed Old Gu Six's group out of the city were very patient, trailing them for thirty li before stopping to rest when the group did.
That night, they didn't cook any meals, and everyone ate dry rations. Mu had no rations, so he ate the dried meat from the animals he had hunted along the way.
Chang'an cut open the pre-steamed buns from the middle, stuffing them with meat and vegetables, and she and her father ate their dinner in the cart as usual.
Old Gu Six knew that tonight someone might come looking for trouble, so he was more vigilant than ever before.
In the dead of night, someone with a sickle approached Little Ya's Dad and the others at the rear of the group. There were people keeping watch, and the intruders were spotted as soon as they approached.
Where did these people find the courage? They were mere skin and bones from starvation, how could they overpower those who ate seven or eight meals a day?
Zhang Quan raised his hoe and struck, with a high accuracy rate, hitting his mark with a single blow.
The leader was struck down, wailing on the ground, waking up the surrounding refugees. Women hugged their children tightly, while some bold men lit torches and approached the riverbed.
With their leader down, the others still didn't give up their evil intentions, swinging their sickles forward. But these people were no match for Old Gu Six's blade.
By the time the other refugees came to see what had happened, it was already over. This time, they had struck with deadly force to deter the other refugees. As more and more refugees fled, all kinds of people emerged, and they needed to leave an impression that they were not to be trifled with.
They couldn't let anyone think of attacking them, and when the refugees saw the seven or eight people lying on the ground, none dared to approach.
Old Gu Six led the group a bit further before stopping to rest again.
The refugees who had come to investigate returned and told their families, "Stay alert tonight, some refugees tried to loot food at night but were killed in retaliation."
Not all refugees were fleeing alone; many were entire villages traveling together.
Qingfang Village's group may have been among the first and fastest to scatter.
Ever since Little Ya's Dad, Yang Poxiao and the others joined them, Chang'an could sleep soundly, as they took turns keeping watch, no longer needing the eight-year-old child to do it.
In the morning, everyone only boiled water and soaked some stir-fried noodles to eat. Chang'an and Old Gu Six had the best living conditions in the group, secretly eating steamed dumplings and milk away from the others.
Old Gu Six led the group resolutely northward, while most refugees headed southeast, likely having heard about the disasters in different regions.
Only a few were heading north, and kind-hearted people they met would try to persuade them otherwise.
"The northern lands are wild and uncivilized. Who flees disasters in that direction? You should go to Lingnan instead. No matter how bad the environment and climate, at least there are mountains and water."
Old Gu Six thanked the old woman, "We've decided to go north. If it's not suitable for living, we can always go to Lingnan later."
"Young people always love to make things difficult," the old woman said with an expression of exasperation, unable to dissuade them.
Old Gu Six did think this way - how would they know if a place was good or bad without seeing it for themselves? Either way, they had plenty of time, so they might as well treat it as a journey.
They bid farewell to the old woman and continued on their way. Perhaps because they were heading north, after half a month, they encountered fewer and fewer refugees on the road.
Unlike half a month ago when the roads were crowded with people, now they only saw individual families fleeing northward, rarely seeing any entire village groups.
At noon, they passed through a forest and stopped to rest, sheltered from the scorching sun.
As usual, Old Gu Six led a group to find water and hunt, while Chang'an and the others stayed behind to cook and rest.
With fewer refugees on the road, Chang'an's group didn't bother hiding anymore, cooking meat when they had it.
Chang'an disliked the makeshift stove, as it turned everything into one big stew, though the chaotic stew was actually quite delicious.
They would stew radishes, cabbage, vermicelli noodles, and pork together, saving time while tasting good.
"Ah! What a surprise!" Chang'an exclaimed in shock, noticing the disfigured young man sitting back-to-back with her against the same tree, only realizing his presence after finishing cooking.
Little Ya's Mother hurried over, "Chang'an, what's wrong?"
Chang'an nodded her head, "Nothing, Auntie Zhang, there's someone here."
Little Ya's Mother walked over and took a look, also startled. The young man seemed to have passed out. His face was crisscrossed with gashes, his flesh mangled, making his original features unrecognizable – it appeared someone had deliberately disfigured him.
"Ma'am Zhang, let's get him inside. He seems to still be alive, I don't see any wounds other than on his face," Chang'an squatted next to the young man and examined him, confirming only his face was severely injured.
Who could have been so cruel, to ruin the young man's face like that? Was it out of jealousy over his good looks?
Chang'an guessed half the reason – the young man was disfigured partly because he was too handsome, but his identity played another role.
She thought she'd heard online not to randomly pick up strange men from the roadside. But this could hardly be called a man – he looked only thirteen or fourteen years old, just a child.
Moreover, his attire suggested he was from a well-off family. He wore cloud-patterned brocade, a jade hairpiece of imperial green glass, had fair skin, and a slender yet sturdy build, clearly never having gone hungry.
[Save him, you'll earn great merit.]
"If I don't save him, you save him yourself."
[I can't come, but if you save him, you'll earn great merit. It's a really good deal, and you can let him leave once he's recovered.]
"What if he ends up brain-damaged?"
[He won't, I promise.]
"Fine, but make sure to record that merit for me. No credit, only cash up front."
[Got it, got it.]
