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The luggage in the carriage was tossed around, creating a mess, with many items scattered on the ground.
The group quickly gathered their belongings and hurriedly left, fearing that those people might change their minds and come back for a surprise attack.
After another two hours of walking, they finally arrived at a nearby forest.
They drove the ox cart into the woods, planning to camp there for the night.
Once they stopped, everyone began setting up their tents.
The weather had cooled down compared to the previous days, especially after the rain shower.
It would be too cold to sleep outside without any cover.
A few men set up the tents while Grandma Shen, along with several other women, started cooking.
Despite having their meat confiscated by the officials earlier in the day, they needed to channel their frustrations into their appetites and prepare a good meal to reward themselves.
After all, they couldn’t predict whether the unexpected or the next meat feast would come first.
If the unexpected happened, the meat would end up in someone else’s belly.
Ji Xun gave two bundles for those people. One bundle contained roasted buns with slices of meat, while the other contained pan-fried scallion pancakes.
Originally, these snacks were meant to be eaten on the road during the day, but they had been taken away by those people.
If they wanted to eat, they would have to cook again.
Grandma Shen used the remaining two chickens and the mushrooms they had picked on the mountain to make a large pot of chicken and mushroom stew.
The aroma filled the air even before the rice was cooked.
In addition to that, they stir-fried a dish with the preserved wolf meat.
Seeing that tonight’s dishes were all meat-based, Shen Yu’an walked over to the cart and brought back two handfuls of wood ear mushrooms and some wild vegetables. She planned to make two bowls of cold salad.
Satisfied with the delicious aroma of the food, Shen Yu’an couldn’t help but feel content.
If she ignored Ji Xun, who had been constantly asking her to clean the makeup off his face, everything would be even more perfect.
“Just help me clean it off. You’ve already stripped me of my dignity,” Ji Xun said, recalling the disdainful looks he had received from the officials, feeling like bursting into tears.
Shen Yu’an instinctively and firmly refused, “No, what if those soldiers come back and see someone in our group with a different face? It would be obvious that we’re up to something fishy.”
Ji Xun crossed his arms defiantly, “Shen Yu’an! You’re not keeping your word!”
“You promised that if I got those people to leave, you would help me clean the stuff off my face!”
Shen Yu’an stood her ground, “But you caused us to lose a bag of meat and a bag of cakes. So you’ll have to keep that face for a few more days. Once we reach the next town, I’ll help you get a more handsome one.”
Upon hearing the possibility of getting a more handsome face, Ji Xun finally gave in.
The onlookers couldn’t help but laugh at Ji Xun, who had been easily fooled by Shen Yu’an.
It was surprising to see Ji Xun, who was usually so clever, acting foolishly.
Even if he were to get another face, would it be as handsome as his own?
However, a few days later, the onlookers were proven wrong.
With Shen Yu’an’s skilled hands, Ji Xun’s face did become more handsome.
There were too many people in their group, so the food they made was divided into two portions.
Although there was a large quantity of food, there were also many people to feed, and they exerted a lot of energy each day. In the end, not even a drop of soup was left. They soaked the bread in the broth and devoured it.
After the meal, Grandma Shen wanted to make more of the cakes that had been taken away by the officials.
At the same time, she brought up the events of the day.
Grandpa Shen sat beside Grandma Shen, took a puff of his cigarette, squinted his eyes, and said, “I wonder where that prince has gone.”
“The Wuding Prince is a great general who defends the country. I don’t know where this prince has ended up.”
“Sigh, the court has been searching for him for so long without any success. It seems that the situation is more bad than good.”
Everyone felt a sense of regret and believed that the person who attempted to assassinate the Wuding Prince was truly despicable.
Only Shen Yu’an and Ji Xun looked at Fei Yanchen with a meaningful glance.
Fei Yanchen maintained his innocent expression and asked, “An An, what are you thinking about?”
Shen Yu’an replied nonchalantly, “I was thinking of helping you wipe off those things on your face in a couple of days and give you a new face.”
Fei Yanchen’s smile suddenly froze on his lips. Did ‘An ‘An find him ugly?
…Well, he did look quite unattractive in his current state.
Ji Xun observed everyone’s expressions of sympathy for Prince Wu Ding and said, “Don’t worry, everyone. Perhaps he’s living a good life right now.”
The group sighed, realizing that it was not their concern to worry about.
As the stars filled the night sky, leaving behind the night watchmen, the group dispersed and returned to their respective tents.
The next day dawned bright and sunny.
After waking up, everyone embarked on their journey south once again.
If there were no delays on the road and they maintained a brisk pace, they could reach the first county in the south, Dashan County, by evening.
Eager to arrive at Dashan County today, everyone walked with determination, they only took a short break at noon to eat the leftover oil cakes from the previous night.
If anyone grew tired along the way, they would take turns resting on the ox cart for a while.
Finally, in the evening of that day, they caught sight of the tall city walls of Dashan County from afar.
Mr. Shen couldn’t hide his excitement and said, “We’ve finally arrived! If Dashan County can accommodate refugees, we can directly go in and register with the authorities. We can finally find a place to settle.”
The other two elderly gentlemen chimed in happily.
“After settling down, we can acquire a few acres of land. Life will gradually get better.”
“Yes, as rural folks, we can only find peace of mind when we have land and property.”
Grandpa Shen Xingwang, who had injured his legs when he was young and couldn’t afford proper treatment, ended up with the consequence of walking with a limp.
On the way, Baiwu took a look and said that the injury could still be treated, but it would take some time.
After these days, Grandpa. Shen Xingwang could finally walk on the ground, albeit not like a normal person. Nevertheless, it was no longer a hindrance to his mobility.
He now walked alongside Grandpa Shen, feeling that they were finally approaching their destination. The legs of the two elderly gentlemen were much more agile.
Everyone was filled with joy. Although the journey had been tiring, compared to other refugees, they couldn’t imagine how much better off they were.
But who wouldn’t want to find stability?
They quickened their pace and managed to reach a clearing not far from the city gate just before sunset.
But as they approached, they saw a crowd of refugees gathered outside the city gate, and everyone fell silent.
Were these people yet to be counted by the officials, or were they being denied entry by the authorities?
If it was simply a matter of the officials not having finished their count for the day, they could wait until tomorrow.
But if it was the latter situation…