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Upon learning about the true identity of Fei Yanchen, the Shen family and the others clearly showed a great deal of respect and awe towards him.
However, Fei Yanchen continued to behave just like his usual self, and gradually, the others let go of their worries.
The following days went on as usual, with Shen Yu’an making small touch-ups to Fei Yanchen’s makeup on his face every day.
And on the fifth day at noon, they finally arrived outside the city of Linan.
The gates of Linan City were wide open at this moment, with people coming and going, but there were no refugees here yet; they were likely the first wave.
As Bai Wu looked at the three large characters “Linan City” written above the city gate, his eyes became slightly red.
He said, “We have finally arrived.”
Everyone felt deeply moved in their hearts. It had been almost five months since they left home.
They went from scorching summer days to the point where they had to bundle up in thick clothes to keep warm.
They walked forward with heavy steps and arrived beneath the city gate.
The guards at the gate saw them and loudly asked, “Where are you coming from? What is your purpose for entering the city?”
Grandpa Shen took a step forward and said, “Dear officials, we are refugees fleeing from the area where a locust plague occurred in the east. We don’t know if the city is accepting refugees.”
The guard confirmed once again, “Are you from the estate of Duke Changding?”
He looked at the cattle carts behind the Shen family and the things on them. No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like they were fleeing.
Shen’s grandfather respectfully nodded and handed over the road guide for the Shen family from his bundle, saying, “Yes, this is our road guide.”
The guard examined the road guide handed over by grandpa Shen and found that it was indeed genuine. However, he still asked, “Why is the number of people incorrect?”
Grandpa Shen truthfully replied, “Some of these people were rescued from other refugees along the way, so we lost track of the road guides and such.”
Upon hearing grandpa Shen’s explanation, the guard thought about the current situation outside and looked at them sympathetically. He decided not to give them a hard time.
The guard, with a relatively good attitude, informed them about the current situation in the city and called for a soldier to lead the Shen family inside for registration.
Grandpa Shen expressed his gratitude to the guard and followed the soldier who came to escort them.
The city was bustling, with shops open along the streets and constant cries of merchants.
As soon as Hua Ling entered the city, her eyes felt insufficient as she looked around left and right.
The others also looked around in different directions, as most of them were experiencing such a lively place for the first time.
As the soldier led them inside, many people couldn’t help but constantly glance at them.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in the appearance of a steward happened to come out of a pharmacy. He glanced in their direction, then rubbed his eyes in astonishment.
When he opened his eyes again, he realized he hadn’t mistaken it; it was indeed the Second Young Master!
Knowing that Duke Changding’s estate had suffered from locust plagues and earthquakes, the master of the house became worried about the Second Young Master and the Miss. He sent people to look for them.
However, they arrived too late. By the time their men reached the area, they learned that the county had already been overrun, and they had no idea where the Second Young Master and the Miss had fled.
They diligently followed the path leading here but couldn’t find them anywhere.
The master of the house was already prepared to accept the fact that the Second Young Master and the Miss were gone, and yet, this person unexpectedly appeared here.
The steward ran over excitedly and stood in front of the Shen family.
The soldier, displeased by the sudden obstruction, said, “Step aside quickly.”
The steward smiled like a tiger and said to the soldier, “Young man, I am the steward of the Bai Clan in this city. There are people here whom I know. Could you please make an exception?”
As soon as the soldier heard that he was the steward of the Bai Clan, his expression immediately changed.
The Bai Clan in Linan City was known for supplying a significant amount of medicinal herbs to the military every year, and even General Qi would give some face to the people of the Bai Clan.
He said, “So, you’re the Bai Steward. Did you just say you know these people? They are all recent refugees.”
The Bai Steward continued to smile like a friendly tiger and said, “Of course, I know some of them. So, you’re taking them to the government office for registration?”
The soldier nodded and explained.
The Bai Steward approached him and discreetly slipped a purse into his hands, saying with a smile, “No need to trouble you, young man. I’m familiar with the process. I’ll take them directly.”
The soldier felt the weight of the purse and happily said, “Since that’s the case, I’ll trouble the Steward Bai.”
Meanwhile, in the Shen family’s procession, because Bai Wu and Bai Miaqing were walking in the middle, they didn’t see why the group had stopped ahead.
However, the others heard that the middle-aged man who suddenly ran over claimed to be from the Bai Clan and knew someone in the group.
Someone they knew?
Could it be that they are relatives of the Bai family, the father and daughter?
Shen Yun turned his head, took two steps back, and walked to Bai Wu’s side. He gently patted Bai Wu and said, “Dr. Bai, do you see the person ahead? Is he someone you know? I heard him mention Steward Bai.”
Bai Wu asked in surprise, “Steward Bai?”
By this time, the soldier had already left, and Steward Bai hurriedly ran to the middle of the procession and stood in front of Bai Wu, with his eyes red.
Then, he shouted, “Second Young Master, the old servant has finally found you!”
Bai Wu’s hand was suddenly held, and he instinctively pulled it back.
After recognizing that it was Steward Bai, Bai Wu’s eyes immediately turned red. He placed his hand back into the Bai Steward’s hand.
“Steward Bai?”
“It’s me, Second Young Master!” “You’ve suffered on this journey, but what about Miss?”
The Steward’s gaze swept over Shen Yu’an, Bai Miaqing, Song Xiao Ni, and Hua Ling, uncertain which one of them was their second young lady.
Since the birth of Bai Miaqing, he had only seen her once when she was just a toddler. He had no idea what she looked like now.
He could only make a rough estimation of their ages in his mind and realized that, except for the one who appeared to be the youngest, the ages of the other three matched up.