The two of them could think of this, so naturally, the other people in Dahe Village could also think of it.

That’s why the way everyone was looking at them was a little strange.

The village chief glanced at them but said nothing, leading the group away in a hurry.

On the fifth day of their journey as refugees, they arrived at Qing’an Prefecture.

Outside the city, many refugees had gathered, but few were entering.

After asking around, they learned that the entrance fee was a hefty two silver coins.

It was already getting dark, and if they left now, they would have to camp in the wild.

Before, they might not have minded, but as the number of refugees from nearby towns increased, so did riots and bandit attacks.

Spending the night outside was clearly dangerous.

Especially since there were mountain bandits near Qing’an Prefecture, many refugees chose to stay outside the city. Even if they couldn’t get in, sticking together provided some sense of security.

Shen Qingwan glanced at the refugees gathered outside the city.

She wanted the villagers to enter the city and rest, but the entrance fee was obviously too high, and they might not be willing to spend that money.

“Uncle, there are too many refugees outside the city. It might not be safe at night. Why don’t we go inside to rest?”

Shen Qingwan found the village chief and shared her thoughts.

The chief hesitated and said with difficulty, “The entrance fee of two silver coins is indeed too high. Every household in the village has seven or eight people, some even more than ten. Just the entrance fee alone would cost one or two taels of silver—that’s a whole year’s worth of expenses for a family. They definitely won’t be willing.”

Not just the villagers—even he, the village chief, was reluctant to spend that money.

Shen Qingwan didn’t insist. “Then I’ll take my family into the city tonight. If anyone in the village wants to join us, they can come along.”

The village chief nodded. “Alright, I’ll ask around. If anyone wants to go, you can travel together and come back out tomorrow morning.”

After speaking with the chief, Shen Qingwan returned to their mule cart.

Old Man Lu wasn’t pleased when he heard she wanted to enter the city, and Old Madam Lu immediately objected.

“Big daughter-in-law, our family has more than ten people! If we go into the city, that’s over two taels of silver. That’s enough to buy a lot of grain! Can’t we just stay outside with the villagers?”

Shen Qingwan knew the old lady was reluctant to spend money, but they were no longer lacking silver.

“Mother, we have money now. Staying outside would indeed save some, but look at those eyes staring at us. The night outside won’t be peaceful. If something happens, we’ll lose more than just two taels of silver.”

“Mother, sister-in-law is right. She has plenty of silver now, so why should we suffer outside? If we run into bandits at night, we might lose all our money!”

Lu Wenzhi immediately agreed with Shen Qingwan.

Just thinking about all the gold and silver she had made him feel that they shouldn’t be living in hardship.

Shen Qingwan glanced at him but said nothing.

Old Man Lu thought for a moment and found her reasoning sound.

Old Madam Lu also looked at the refugees and their unfriendly gazes, feeling a little uneasy.

In the end, no one objected anymore.

They followed Shen Qingwan into the city, paying the entrance fee.

The mule cart cost an extra two silver coins as a carriage toll.

Most of the villagers chose to stay outside the city, except for the hunter Zhang’s family, Lu Dachuan’s family, and the village chief’s two sons, who drove a donkey cart into the city.

They didn’t just enter to stay overnight but also to replenish their water supply.

They had brought plenty of food, but not much water, so they had to refill in the city.

The Zhang family was relatively well-off in the village because they often hunted in the mountains and had saved a fair amount of silver, living better than even the village chief.

Aside from them, Aunt Zhang’s family was also quite well-off.

Lu Dachuan’s father had worked as an accountant in town when he was young, so their household was more prosperous than most, which was why they could afford to enter the city.

Shen Qingwan led the group into the city and found an affordable lodging house.

Lodging houses were specifically for travelers to rest in; they didn’t provide meals and were much worse than inns, but they were cheaper.

Lu Wenzhi was unhappy when he saw where they were staying. “Sister-in-law, you have so much silver—why are we staying in such a rundown place? Why don’t we stay at an inn?”

“If you want to stay at an inn, you can take your wife and children there. No one’s stopping you,” Shen Qingwan replied coolly.

She chose the lodging house because she considered the financial situation of the others.

The inns in the city were surely expensive, and if they stayed there, their money wouldn’t last until they reached Suzhou.

It wouldn’t be right to leave everyone behind just so her family could live comfortably. Besides, the wealthier one was, the more they needed to stay low-key.

If she wanted to flaunt her money, she would have bought a few carriages already.

Lu Wenzhi was speechless. “Then give me some silver so I can stay at an inn.”

Shen Qingwan sneered.

Where did he get the audacity to ask for money as if it was his right?

“I don’t owe you silver, nor am I obligated to support you. Stay wherever you like.”

With that, she turned and walked into the lodging house.

Lu Wenzhi still wanted to argue, but Old Man Lu shot him a look to shut him up.

“Be grateful you have a place to stay. You still want an inn? Your sister-in-law was right to scold you.”

Even Old Madam Lu, who doted on her third son, wasn’t unreasonable and scolded him too.

“Guests, are you staying overnight or just resting?”

A waiter quickly came up to them when he saw Shen Qingwan leading a group in.

Shen Qingwan looked around and asked, “How much is it to stay here?”

“We have premium rooms, standard rooms, and shared sleeping areas. Premium rooms are 50 wen, standard rooms are 30 wen, and a spot in the shared area is 10 wen per person. Our prices are the lowest in the whole city,” the waiter replied skillfully.

Shen Qingwan looked at the others and asked for their opinions.

The Zhangs and Lu Dachuan’s family had no objections, and the village chief’s two sons, Lu Dajiang and Lu Dahe, also agreed.

She booked three premium rooms for the women and children and two standard rooms for the men.

The lodging house didn’t have many premium rooms, so she made sure the other families could also get one.

Lu Dajiang and Lu Dahe chose shared sleeping spaces since they were all men and didn’t mind roughing it out.

Lu Dachuan’s family followed Shen Qingwan’s example—women in a premium room and men in a standard room. The Zhang family did the same.

With their group, the lodging house was almost full, with only a few shared spots left.

Shen Qingwan had the waiter take their mule and donkey carts to the stables before finally going upstairs to rest.