It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Shen Qingwan, but throughout history, plagues had always been incurable.

The only way to eradicate them was through relentless slaughter—killing and burning those infected to prevent further spread.

But Shen Qingwan claimed that the plague could be cured. How could he dare believe that?

Shen Qingwan knew that most people wouldn’t believe such a thing, so she wasn’t surprised.

She said calmly, “Second Master, if you don’t believe me, you can try it on someone first. The plague spreads rapidly, and if it isn’t controlled soon, the consequences will be dire.”

“Alright, I’ll keep this prescription. Once I return, I’ll have someone test the medicine. If it truly works, it will save many lives.”

After speaking, Bai Yong’an carefully stored the prescription close to him.

Then, after some hesitation, he looked at Shen Qingwan and said, “Girl, if you’re willing, I can take your whole family with me. Even if you want to settle in the capital later, that wouldn’t be difficult. It’s far better than fleeing to Suzhou and enduring hardship.”

This girl was not lacking money—why insist on heading to Suzhou to suffer?

The journey of fleeing from disaster was too exhausting.

Shen Qingwan patted his shoulder and said cheerfully, “Life is only complete when one experiences all its flavors. These hardships are nothing. Since I’ve decided to take everyone safely to Suzhou, I won’t go back on my word. As for the capital, I will go there one day. And when I do, I’ll be sure to find you for a drink.”

Bai Yong’an burst into laughter. “Haha! You’re quite the girl. Alright, I won’t try to persuade you anymore. Who knows? Maybe after the disaster passes, I’ll visit you in Suzhou. And if you ever come to the capital, you must visit the Bai family.”

A strange sense of reluctance flickered in Bai Yong’an’s eyes.

Though this girl seemed aloof and distant, she was actually deeply sentimental, loyal, and straightforward in her dealings.

The more he interacted with her, the more he admired her character. It was a pity they had to part ways today.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely visit.”

After bidding farewell to Bai Yong’an, Shen Qingwan took the key to the grain storage and headed toward the courtyard where the food was kept.

She had to check how much food was left.

If there was a large amount, she would store some in her secret space first.

Otherwise, the villagers wouldn’t be able to take it all with them, and it would only end up benefiting those bandits.

As soon as she opened the granary, Shen Qingwan saw a small mountain of grain stacked inside.

She quickly estimated—there had to be at least a thousand stones of grain.

Li Defu had mentioned that the bandits had taken more than half of it.

That meant they must have taken over a thousand stones!

Shen Qingwan left behind a hundred stones of grain and stored the rest in her secret space.

Then, she locked the granary and searched through Li Defu’s courtyard for any valuable items that had been left behind.

Only after securing everything did she go call the villagers to come and take the remaining food.

She moved quickly—everything was done within the time it took to brew a cup of tea.

By the time she returned to the outskirts of town, the people who had gone to fetch water had also come back.

The town of Jixiang had three communal wells, two of which had already dried up.

The remaining one charged ten coins per bucket of water.

The people who fetched water returned to ask if they should buy some.

But Shen Qingwan stopped them and told them about the well in the Bai family’s backyard, which still had water.

She also mentioned that Bai Yong’an had generously left them a significant amount of grain.

The villagers were stunned—Bai Yong’an had never met them before, yet he was willing to give them so much food?

There was no time to say much. Shen Qingwan immediately led the group with carts to transport the grain.

The Yang family father and sons, who had been following behind, saw the villagers all rushing into a large courtyard and hesitated at the entrance.

Yang Zhiming, the father, observed for a moment before his fourth son, Yang Chengzhao, eagerly asked, “Dad, should we go in too? They must have found something valuable. Maybe we can get a share.”

Yang Zhiming flicked his son’s forehead and scolded, “You fool! Didn’t you see them unlock the door with a key? That means they either know the owner or have permission to be there. Barging in uninvited wouldn’t be right. Besides, we’ve relied on their protection all this way. Even if there is something valuable inside, it has nothing to do with us.”

Yang Zhiming was a reasonable man—he wouldn’t let his sons act recklessly.

Inside the granary, Shen Qingwan instructed the villagers to load all the food onto their carts.

There were exactly a hundred stones of grain.

The villagers filled their carts to the brim, but carrying so much food made them an easy target for bandits.

“Elder, let’s leave fifty pounds of grain for each family, and distribute the rest to the refugees. The bandits attacked Jixiang Town yesterday, and they’ll likely return soon. We must leave as soon as possible. Carrying too much grain will only slow us down and make us a target.”

Hearing that bandits were coming, the elder grew anxious. But at the same time, he was reluctant to give away any grain.

“Qingwan, we won’t slow down the journey! Can’t we keep all the grain?”

“That’s right! Our families are large—we can each carry thirty to fifty pounds. This food is our lifeline!”

The villagers were unwilling to part with the grain.

In a famine year, giving away food was almost like giving away their lives.

Shen Qingwan regretted leaving so much grain behind.

Her original plan had been for the village to take half and distribute the rest to the refugees.

Outside the town, many refugees were barely clinging to life. Without food, they wouldn’t survive much longer. Seeing their plight had moved Shen Qingwan’s heart.

“The bandits will be here soon. If we take too much grain, we won’t be able to escape. In the end, we might not even keep half of it. Even if we avoid the bandits, traveling with so much food will make us a prime target for other desperate people. We must leave half behind. You’ve all seen the refugees outside the town—if we give them some food, they’ll have a chance to live. Otherwise, the bandits will take everything.”

Her words were firm and decisive.

Though the villagers were reluctant, they weren’t unreasonable.

In the end, with the elder’s persuasion, they reluctantly agreed to leave some food behind for the refugees.

Although they hadn’t spent long in the granary, when they emerged, their carts were fully loaded with grain.

The Yang family father and sons, watching from the entrance, were utterly shocked.

Yang Chengji gasped, “Dad, am I seeing things? Is that… grain?”

Yang Chengxing stammered, “How do they have so much grain?”

Yang Chenggao swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the carts.

Yang Chengzhao stretched his neck forward, unable to look away.