d Hongqi Commune organized a farewell party. The eight students who had been admitted to university wore red flowers and received congratulations from everyone in the village. They celebrated all nigh..."Our own Liangzhou to the north is even more out of the question. It would be the first place that refugees would flock to, after all, within the same state, there's no need to trek over mountains and rivers, which is the preferred choice for all refugees."

The ripple effect was analyzed in great detail.

Here, of course, there was news provided by the stone mill, and ripples went to the bookstore, staring at the shopkeeper's murderous gaze, after checking the Daqian map, only then did they reach a conclusion.

"So, where do you suggest we go"

Go to Huangzhou.

The ripples spoke directly.

But I heard that place is near the border, with vast lands and sparse population. The soil isn't fertile either.

Song Dachuan said, these messages are all passed down by word of mouth. When men get together to boast, they'll talk about things their companions don't know. So Song Dachuan had heard it from someone before.

"Because the land is vast and sparsely populated, there's a shortage of people. Our going there would be beneficial for settling down, and we could even get more farmland."

The ripples continued to deceive.

But war is common at the border, and it's said that death is commonplace.

"The border fortresses are always guarded by powerful generals, so it's not easy to break through. Besides, we are going to Huangzhou, not settling down directly at the border. Huangzhou has two large Liangzhou troops!"

"This matter is not trivial, we still need to investigate it carefully."

The head of the Zhang family was clearly moved, but after all, this involved the lives of his whole family, so he had to be cautious.

"Big Boss, tomorrow you take ShiTou (Zhang Shi) and Dagu to the county. Find out what's happening there. It would be even better if you could buy some food."

"Okay, Father!"

All three agreed.

"Go back and tell your wives about this, and discuss it among yourselves."

Mr. Zhang then made a concluding speech.

"Yes, Father."

When Song Dachuan and his family returned to their own house, Huzi hugged Lianyi's neck and whispered:

"Sis, are we leaving here"

"Well, in order to survive, we might have to leave here for a while."

Will it be back

I don't know.

Okay!

"Are you unwilling to leave here, Tiger"

"No, he went to a new place where Tiger can make new friends."

Hǔzi whispered.

Because of his health, Huzi has basically never left home from childhood to adulthood. Before the age of three, he was not in good health and spent most of his time in Hui's arms. After the age of three, he was in Lianyi's arms. He only became stronger this year, but to avoid getting sick and because Hui didn't feel safe letting him go, Huzi basically had no playmates his own age.

"Tiger, don't pester your sister. I'll take you to wash your face, and we can rest early. Your father still has something to discuss with your sister."

Hui Niang hugged Tiger Cub and went to the bedroom. Song Dachuan was also discussing next steps with Lian Yi.

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the county with your uncle and your second uncle to see the situation. If the situation is really that bad, our family will have to prepare ourselves. I estimate that after autumn, each household will run out of food. Without food, people will starve to death. Hungry people are terrifying."

Song Dachuan said in a low voice.

“My father and I are on the same page. If my maternal grandfather’s family doesn’t want to join us, we will set off on our own. However, before that, my father still needs to make a trip to Songjia Village.”

The ripples continued.

"What are you going to Songjiacun for"

"Borrow grain, and if you can't borrow it, tell them we're going to flee as refugees."

Ripples said calmly.

Song Dachuan is not a fool, he understood it with a little thought.

Now that they're going to borrow grain, even if the Lao Song family has some, they won't lend it to them. They can't get the food they need, so naturally, they will have to flee their homes for survival. The Lao Song family wouldn't bother with them, and would even prefer if they went as far away as possible. It would make things easier for them, after all, their store of grain is plentiful.

After discussing what they would do next, Song Dachuan also went to rest early.

The next day, after seeing Song Dachuan off, Lian Yi went back up Wankou Mountain under the pretense of finding food.

The outskirts of Wanku Mountain were now almost devoid of green. Anything that could be harvested had been taken, and groups of women with children walked towards the mountain hoping to find something to eat.

Luckily, it's almost autumn. Many things in the forest have already borne fruit, although they are not yet ripe. At least they can stave off hunger for a while. These things are also decreasing rapidly. Ripples could only go deeper. She picked a basket of dandelions and hurried down the mountain.

It wasn't until the sun set that the Zhang brothers and Song Dachao returned to Zhangjia Village. However, the three of them didn't look too good. Their clothes were torn, they had wounds on their faces, and each of them held a wooden stick in their hands. They had returned empty-handed.

"Dad, you're hurt!"

Hui Niang let out a cry of surprise, her eyes immediately reddening.

Liàn Yī also frowned and spoke:

"Father, did you encounter refugees"

"Well, I bought half a bag of grain in Yongfeng County originally, but it was robbed halfway. If I hadn't noticed something was wrong and picked up a stick to disperse the people surrounding us, we three would have been in trouble."

Song Dachuan said with lingering fear.

Although there are no grains harvested in the field now, he listened to Lian Yi's words and stored a lot of food before the New Year. Therefore, his family can still afford to eat and drink. Especially as the strong laborer, Hui Niang and Lian Yi would rather eat less than let him starve.

To avoid drawing too much attention, Song Dachuan would darken his face every time he went out, making him look thin. In reality, because he ate well, he was quite strong. This time, it was all thanks to him that the three of them were able to return safe and sound.

"Has it gotten that bad in the county town already"

Ripple frowned and asked.

"Well, Yongfeng County has already closed its city gates and won't let the disaster victims in. Since our village belongs to Yongfeng County and hasn't had any major incidents, we were allowed into the city."

The situation in the county isn't good either. There are beggars on the streets, wealthy households keep their doors tightly shut, and there are few pedestrians. The only thing missing is a flood of refugees, so for now, it's relatively safe.

The only open grain store was lined with a long queue. We queued for ages and only managed to buy half a bag of grain mixed with sand. As we left the county, before even reaching Wangshan Town, we were swarmed by refugees and robbed.

Your uncle was unwilling to accept defeat and tried to reclaim it, which is why he was surrounded by those desperate refugees with envious eyes. I could only grab a stick and rush in to scatter them before we managed to escape.

Mother Hui was heartbroken. She had already brought over some warm millet porridge and steamed buns, and there was also a dish of stir-fried dandelion greens, which Liàn Yī had dug up from Wǎn Kou Mountain during the day.

Song Dachuan didn't say much. He finished the dinner he had set aside for himself in a few bites, then wiped his mouth and said:

The situation is not good right now, if we had prepared earlier, we could have left a day earlier.

"Got it, Tiger's dad. Let's ask your father about his plans again tomorrow."

Hui Niang still wants to walk with her relatives, after all, she has four younger brothers. Having more male offspring is safer.

"I know, I'll definitely ask my parents. I'm also going to Songjia Village, just in case they start spreading rumors about us everywhere."

Hui Niang didn't know what was going on, but she still nodded. Just then, she heard Huzi calling for his mother from the bedroom, so she immediately turned and went into the bedroom.

"Father, I went to Mount WanKou today and had an unexpected gain."o persistent that he climbed onto our carriage and insisted on visiting you. We tried to get rid of him, but he wouldn't budge. Afraid someone would see us and delay our departure, we had no choice bu...