It’s often said that treacherous lands breed difficult people, and today, she finally experienced what it truly meant to deal with troublesome folks.

“Bah! What kind of people are these? Just for a bit of food, they’ve completely thrown away their dignity!”

Old Madam Lu spat in anger at those people.

Though the others didn’t say much, they still gossiped and pointed fingers behind their backs.

These people had gone back on their own word, and the villagers weren’t fools—they certainly wouldn’t side with them.

It was only because the village head was kind-hearted that he bothered dealing with them at all.

Shen Qingwan had just returned home with the mule cart when Old Madam Lu arrived hot on her heels.

Worried that she might lose her temper again, Old Man Lu followed along as well.

Tagging along was their youngest daughter, Lu Jiaojiao.

Lu Jiaojiao was the youngest child of the old couple, with three older brothers above her.

Naturally, she was spoiled growing up and was, in every sense, a delicate young lady.

However, she was rather timid—especially when it came to Shen Qingwan.

Every time she saw Shen Qingwan, she would instinctively hide behind Old Madam Lu.

“Eldest daughter-in-law, did you really buy a mule cart? Heavens, do you know how much money that costs? You really can’t hold onto a single coin, can you? Do you absolutely have to spend every last bit before you’re satisfied? How are we supposed to live in the future?”

As soon as Old Madam Lu stepped into the courtyard, she started nagging.

Hearing the commotion, Shen Qingwan quickly came out to greet them.

“Father, Mother, Jiaojiao, come inside first.”

She led them into the house.

The place was indeed simple—inside, there were only four stools, three of which were just one-foot-tall wooden blocks.

“Grandmother, look at the new clothes Mother bought for us!”

Xiaoyu had just changed into the new clothes Shen Qingwan had bought for her when she saw her grandparents arrive.

She couldn’t help but show off, twirling around in her brand-new floral dress.

It was the first time she had ever worn such a thing.

Xiaochen was also dressed in a fresh, coarse cloth outfit, making him look especially spirited.

Seeing the two children in their new clothes and shoes, Old Madam Lu was taken aback.

This was the first time she had seen Shen Qingwan being so attentive to the children.

The anger she had just felt slowly dissipated.

Even though she was still frustrated over the spending, at least the money was used on the children—it wasn’t entirely a waste.

“They look nice, very nice. But really, why spend money on this when it’s not even a festival?”

Though Old Madam Lu complained, her tone was clearly much gentler now.

Old Man Lu sighed, feeling relieved and nodding in approval. “It’s rare for the kids to get new clothes—let’s not dampen their joy.”

“Xiaoyu, show your little aunt the hairpins I bought for you and see if she likes any. If she does, give her some. Xiaochen, you should also share some of your treats with your little aunt.”

As soon as Shen Qingwan said this, the two children eagerly pulled Lu Jiaojiao into the inner room.

Lu Jiaojiao hesitated, feeling shy, but the two children were so enthusiastic that she couldn’t refuse.

Seeing this, Old Man Lu guessed that Shen Qingwan had something serious to discuss, so he became more serious himself.

“Father, Mother, when I went to Ping’an County today, I heard some troubling news. People were saying that a rebellion has broken out in Jizhou, and the area is now overrun with violent mobs who are looting, killing, and burning everything in their path.

It won’t be long before the chaos spreads to Youzhou. We must leave before things get worse, and we need to prepare enough food for the journey. Otherwise, with the treacherous roads ahead, it will be hard for us to make it all the way to Suzhou.

Since our whole family will need to take a lot of supplies, that’s why I bought the mule cart.”

Shen Qingwan explained the situation to the old couple.

Old Man Lu was so shocked that he put down his smoking pipe. “Is this true? Has Jizhou really fallen into chaos?”

Shen Qingwan didn’t expect such a strong reaction from him, but she still nodded. “Yes, it seems to have been going on for a few days already. Right now, I don’t know how bad it’s gotten.”

Upon hearing this, Old Man Lu immediately stood up. “Come, let’s go see the village head.”

Shen Qingwan hadn’t expected him to take this so seriously.

Did he know something she didn’t?

As the sky darkened, Shen Qingwan and Old Man Lu arrived at the village head’s house.

Just as they stepped inside, they overheard Madam Zhang arguing with the village head about grain.

She was reluctant to sell food to those outsiders who had gone back on their word.

Seeing Old Man Lu and Shen Qingwan arrive at this late hour, the village head quickly put down what he was doing and went to greet them.

“Old Fourth, what brings you here?”

In the village, Lu Zhiyuan(Old Man Lu) was the fourth among his generation, so that was how the village head addressed him.

Lu Zhiyuan glanced at Shen Qingwan and spoke up. “My eldest daughter-in-law heard some alarming news today while in town. They say Jizhou is in chaos, and since it borders Youzhou, it’s likely that we’ll be affected soon. Shouldn’t we start making preparations?”

The village head immediately led them inside.

Madam Zhang poured them two bowls of sugar water, which was considered the best hospitality in the village.

“Eldest daughter-in-law, is this information reliable?” the village head asked urgently.

Shen Qingwan thought for a moment before answering.

“I overheard it at Wantong Money Exchange while I was exchanging silver. The shopkeeper, Xu, was discussing it with other important customers. Given his connections, the news is unlikely to be false.

Also, when I went to the general store, the shopkeeper mentioned that once he sold his current stock, he would be closing up for a while and moving elsewhere for safety. That alone should tell us that things are about to get dangerous here.

Even today, food prices in town suddenly doubled. That’s a clear sign that trouble is coming. If we wait too long to leave, it’ll only get harder.”

Shen Qingwan shared her observations.

The village head fell into deep thought, struggling to make a decision.

Most villagers had a short-sighted mindset.

Unless disaster was at their doorstep, they wouldn’t be willing to abandon their homes.

Fleeing was a harsh ordeal—long distances, harsh conditions.

If the entire village worked together, they might make it to Suzhou.

But if too few people left, survival would be much harder.

The three of them discussed late into the night.

The next morning, the village head went to the county to verify the news. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Shen Qingwan, but this was a major decision—he had to be certain, as he was responsible for the lives of two to three hundred villagers.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingwan decided to go hunting in the mountains to stock up on food before the crisis hit.

At the same time, she wanted to gradually reveal her hunting skills to the villagers.

She spent half the day in the mountains, and by the time she returned, she was carrying a roe deer, several wild chickens, and rabbits.

The villagers couldn’t hide their envy.

“Xiaoyu, your mother’s back! Look at all the animals she caught!”

Erniu tugged on Xiaoyu’s sleeve, pointing excitedly at Shen Qingwan.

“Wow! Mother, so many rabbits!”

Xiaoyu ran up to greet her.

Shen Qingwan, worried about getting blood on the children, told them to stay back.

Behind her, the village women couldn’t help but stare greedily.

“Eldest daughter-in-law, how did you catch so many? Even Hunter Zhang and his son don’t bring back this much,” Aunt Zhang asked curiously.

Shen Qingwan casually made up an excuse.

“I set some traps in the mountains. I was lucky this time, but it’s dangerous up there. I wouldn’t have gone if I had another choice.”