Chapter 124: Different Roads

Old Man Su held her hand and said, “Stop talking and leave first.”

He gave his wife a look, and Mrs. Su quickly came back to her senses. Though she was still cursing, she hurriedly gathered her belongings and directed the family to leave quickly.

Because the people behind were scrambling for water, more than half of the refugees on the official road were missing.

After a few people had gone far enough, Mrs. Su eagerly opened the water bag and bamboo tube to check the contents. When she saw the water inside, her face broke into a smile.

However, when she checked the third bamboo tube, her expression suddenly darkened, and she muttered dissatisfiedly, “Why is there only this little bit?”

“Mom, there’s only so little water because everyone was grabbing it. If it weren’t for my sharp eyesight and quick hands, I wouldn’t have been able to grab this much.”

Old Mrs. Su still wanted to nag, but Old Man Su stopped her.

“Okay, it’s good that there’s water at all.” After saying that, he turned to Su Xiaozhong and added, “Third brother, there are many people in the family, and the water you got is really little. Next time you get such an opportunity, you should gather more. Your second brother is useless, and the family depends on you.”

He slapped Su Xiaozhong on the shoulder with an expression of “I care a lot.”

Su Xiaozhong felt a bit flattered and touched in his heart, but he also felt guilty for having resented his parents before.

“Dad, I want to drink water,” Su Xinguang said.

Seeing the corners of his son’s mouth peeling and his weak state, Su Xiaozhong looked at his father and asked, “Dad, can you give Aguang a drink of water?”

Old Man Su’s expression paused. “I don’t have to worry about food. Ask your mother.”

Su Xiaozhong turned to Mrs. Su again, pleading, “Mom, can I give Aguang a sip of that water?”

What could he do if he had just grabbed that water and now wanted to give his son a sip? He knew she wouldn’t easily agree, but reality hit him hard.

“What are you drinking? Didn’t we provide you and your son with food and water today?”

Su Xiaozhong looked at her in astonishment, and the trace of emotion and guilt that had just arisen vanished.

He smiled bitterly and said, “Mom, that water is for Ashin to save his life.”

“If you are willing to give food to one person, that is your business. But if you don’t share it among yourselves, how can you still have the nerve to keep reaching out? If everyone else in the family is like you, then it’s fine.”

Su Xiaozhong was taken aback by Mrs. Su’s retort.

Su Xinguang, not wanting to embarrass his father, said, “Dad, I won’t drink anymore.”

Seeing his son’s pitiful appearance, Su Xiaozhong felt another crack form in his heart regarding his filial piety toward his parents.

“Dad, why can’t I drink the water you brought back?” Su Xinguang asked, looking at him with wide, innocent eyes, “It’s obviously Dad who worked so hard to get it.”

Su Xiaozhong fell silent; he didn’t know how to answer that question.

The eldest son, who was being carried, spoke up softly, “Dad, my sister said that you are foolishly filial.

In fact, my brother and I used to listen to our grandparents in everything, which hurt Mom and Sister’s hearts.”

“Dad, can you stop being so stupid and filial, okay?”

This was the second time he had heard the term “foolish filial piety.”

The first time was from his eldest daughter’s mouth. At that moment, he didn’t think he was that kind of person.

He just felt the term was unpleasant and should not exist.

Filial piety is filial piety; there is no such thing as foolish filial piety.

As a child, you should be filial to your parents. There is nothing foolish about it.

But now, even his young son felt he was being foolishly filial.

Foolishly filial?

A wry smile appeared on Su Xiaozhong’s lips.

“Well, Dad promises you.”

Su Xinyang was very happy to hear that Dad agreed. “Dad, Mom and Sister will definitely be very happy if they know about it.”

Thinking of his wife and eldest daughter, Su Xiaozhong’s face brightened. “I don’t know where they went?”

“We didn’t stop along the way. We will definitely catch up with my mother and sister soon,” Xinyang said optimistically.

But they didn’t know that Su Yin and his party were heading south, taking a completely different route.

Su Yin and his party, the subject of conversation for the Su family and his son, had already crossed Yunhe County and were deep in the hinterland of Nanshan County.

Only after passing through the hinterland of Nanshan County could they reach Jinghe County.

They had expected a difficult situation in Nanshan County, but they didn’t anticipate it being so dire that nine out of ten houses were empty.

Even the people in the county town were gone, leaving it a ghost town.

The group stood at the open city gate.

In the vast county town, the streets were deserted, only littered with stinking, rotting corpses.

The doors of shops on both sides of the street were closed. Many were violently vandalized, their contents looted. Numerous houses showed signs of fire.

When Su Yin saw Nan Wu about to step forward, she hurriedly shouted, “Don’t go there.”

Her voice stopped everyone in their tracks, halting their forward movement.

Su Yin covered her mouth and nose, glancing at Doctor Li.

Seeing her behavior, Dr. Li realized something and said to everyone, “These corpses have been decomposing here, making it easy for diseases to spread.”

At the mention of “epidemic,” everyone was too scared to approach.

“The situation in the city is basically like this. We’d better not go in,” Zhou Youcai said.

Everyone agreed unanimously, none daring to enter the city and instead continuing along the official road.

This situation caused widespread panic.

“The situation in Jinghe County is not optimistic.”

Facing the empty county town, Su Yin was as shocked as when he heard that the emperor had fled in advance.

The expression on Mr. Wan San’s face also turned serious. He owned many properties in Nanshan County.

In this situation, not only would he lose all his money, but all the basic goods were gone.

Su Yin gathered Wan Sanye, Nan Jingzhi, and Doctor Li together.

“Is there any other way to reach the ferry in Xialinzhou Fucheng without passing through Jinghe County? Or is there any way to take a shortcut to Linzhou?”

Su Yin was unfamiliar with this world. She learned everything from others or through her own experiences.

“Yes, but it’s a long detour and the risks outweigh the benefits,” Nan Jingzhi said.

Mr. Wan Sanye nodded. “Then we have to go around another state. The situation there might not be good. Many of you might not be able to afford it.”

“They are right, the safest and shortest route is through Jinghe County, then to Linzhou, and finally to the pier of Linzhou Mansion.”

Su Yin knew this route was the safest and shortest, but she was worried that once Nan Jingzhi left, it would be difficult for them.

Su Yin had never inquired about other people’s itineraries and destinations. This was the first time she looked at Nan Jingzhi so boldly.

With just one glance, Nan Jingzhi understood her concerns.

“We will also go to Linzhou on this trip, but we will not go to the capital city of Linzhou. When we arrive in Linzhou, we have to separate from you.”

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[Note]: Linzhou is similar to a province. State, represents province.