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Wang Xiuyun spoke swiftly, her words sharp as she quickly explained what had happened, her expression tinged with worry.
Su Zhi furrowed her brow. She hadn’t expected refugees to come here. Despite the drought, there was wheat harvested earlier; there shouldn’t have been a shortage of food. Why would these famine refugees leave their homes? Moreover, upon hearing that many people had come together, not just a single family in need, it was quite surprising.
As Su Zhi walked alongside the others, she voiced her doubts.
“I heard about it,” Wang Xiuyun replied. “These people are from a neighboring county. They had wheat planted, but due to the unusually hot weather, and some cursed arson, all their wheat, which was in one stretch, was burned to ashes. With no wheat and the rice all dried up, they had no choice but to flee.”
Upon hearing Wang Xiuyun’s account, everyone felt sympathy towards the refugees. They couldn’t believe their misfortune—already facing a year of disasters, now their wheat had been burned. It was truly heartbreaking. They wondered how these people had managed to survive these days.
Su Zhi still had some doubts. “Even if their wheat was burned, it should only affect one village. They’re from another county. If their village is without food, they should seek help from the county officials. Why would they need to flee all the way here? If they were fleeing, they should head to a nearby place. How did they end up here?”
Li Qing’s wife and the others were also curious and pressed Wang Xiuyun for more details.
Wang Xiuyun blinked, at a loss for words. Finally, she said, “I only heard this much. Who knows why they ran so far? Even if they were begging for food, they could have gone to their county seat. It’s strange how they ended up here. We should go and see what’s going on.”
The group exchanged glances, unable to find an answer, so they quickened their pace together.
Shugen’s Wife spoke up, “It’s not that we’re heartless, but we should hurry these people along. I heard once during a major disaster year, some villagers took in refugees, only to be robbed and many injured. It was like dealing with mountain bandits, nearly even taking away children. It was as if they wanted to eat people. Our village can’t afford such calamity. We must be on guard.”
Li Qing’s wife added from the side, “Exactly, I’ve heard of such incidents too. My cousin married into that village, and she was terrified back then. They even raided her family. In the end, they had to come to my family for grain to avoid starving.”
With these words, the group hastened their steps even more.
Su Zhi wasn’t entirely shocked; having watched countless TV dramas, she had considered such scenarios. However, knowing there was a Sacred Beast in her home gave her a sense of security. Yet, she couldn’t dismiss the potential harm to the villagers. Most of them were kind-hearted and simple folk. Over the days, as she frequented their homes to fetch water, she had grown familiar with them. She could tell their kindness towards her wasn’t just because she let them use her water, but because they were genuinely good people. Seeing them in trouble made her uneasy, especially considering the possibility of casualties in this situation.
Clearly, news of the incident had spread. Many villagers were running towards the village center, some carrying tools. They were scolded by elderly villagers and reluctantly put them down, though some still held onto them as they ran. It was evident that the villagers were worried about being raided.
Su Zhi couldn’t help but think how these ancient people were both simple-minded and cautious at the same time.
On the road, they encountered members of the Shen family. All the Shen brothers had rushed out, even the older boys following behind. Chunlan and the others stayed behind, standing by the door. When they saw Su Zhi, they immediately stopped her.
“Fourth Aunt, are you going to see too?” Chunlan asked. She also wanted to go, but her mother stopped her, saying she was a girl and shouldn’t go to such places. But she felt she was old enough now, and since her parents were going, she wanted to go too. Chunxiang also wanted to go; she stood beside Chunlan, her eyes brighter than usual.
Su Zhi nodded. “I’ll go take a look. Are Grandpa and Grandma at home? I hope we won’t startle them.”
Chunxiang said, “Grandpa and Grandma didn’t go; they’re at home. My sister and I stayed back at home. At Third Uncle’s house, only Chunhua and Wulang are at home. Everyone else has gone to see. Fourth Aunt, we also want to go, but Mom won’t let us. Could you take us with you, please?”
Su Zhi gently tapped her forehead and said, “Your mom wants you to stay at home, so stay. She’s doing it for your own good, afraid you might get scared. These people coming are surely pitiful, and she worries you’ll feel upset. Listen to your mom’s kindness and stay put. I won’t take you.”
Chunxiang bit her lip, realizing she shouldn’t have asked Fourth Aunt to take them. Otherwise, Mom might blame Fourth Aunt.
Su Zhi handed over her and Liu Siniang’s baskets to them, instructing them to take them back inside the house, then she pulled Liu Siniang along and continued walking ahead.
Chunxiang and Chunlan could only take their baskets and head back inside the house. However, after sitting for a while, they couldn’t stay still any longer. They exchanged a glance and then ran back out.
Su Zhi followed the crowd towards the west side of the village. Soon, they reached the village head, where a large group of people had gathered—seemed like half of the village had turned out. Su Zhi noted that the people from Riverside Village were indeed very cautious about these refugees. She walked along with Wang Xiuyun and the others, finally reaching the front.
The village head of Riverside Village was an open space, used as a threshing ground for the village. It was well leveled, with several large trees on either side. In this dry weather, the leaves on the trees were withered but still hanging on—thanks to the villagers who had regularly watered them, even using several rounds of water, which kept the trees green.
Now, many people stood under the big trees, while others stood in the sun without any shade, looking quite listless one by one.
Among these people were men and women, old and young, all dressed in tattered clothes that looked dirty and unwashed for many days. Due to their long journey, their bodies seemed covered in a layer of dust, even their faces were grimy, and their hair was unkempt. At first glance, it was clear they were refugees, not much better off than professional beggars.
Li Zheng was currently talking with a few of these people.
Su Zhi had keen ears, perhaps enhanced by her association with the Magical Spiritual Spring, enabling her to hear and see clearly with agility. Though she wasn’t very close to Li Zheng and the others, she could not only see these people clearly but also hear what they were saying. It was only then that she fully understood what was happening.
It turned out these people weren’t from the neighboring county but from the county beyond that, several hundred miles away. The drought in their county was particularly severe this year, exacerbated by a fire that destroyed their wheat crops and dried up all their rice paddies. Even sweet potatoes couldn’t be harvested. With no mountains nearby, they couldn’t gather wild fruits either. When they tried to request grain from the county officials, they were denied and even warned not to cause trouble. In the end, they had no choice but to come together and flee, hoping to survive this year and return home afterward—it was their only way out.
In rural areas like this, when some families have a bad harvest and can’t feed themselves, they take their whole family out to beg for food, returning only when it’s time to sow their fields again.
These people had chosen this path.
“Sir Li, most of the people from our village have come out. Not just us, but people from many other villages nearby as well. Perhaps because of the mountains separating us, the drought here seems much lighter than in our area. Please allow us to rest here for a while. We’re all country folk, all hardworking people—it’s not easy for any of us. Please, show us some kindness.”
One of the leaders, a young man around twenty years old, though thin and small, spoke eloquently. Despite being in a position of begging, his demeanor did not reflect it.
Li Zheng furrowed his brow slightly. It wasn’t that he wanted to turn these people away out of cruelty, but rather, he had learned from past experience. Allowing refugees to stay had once led to trouble when they began stealing from the villagers, bringing calamity upon the community. As the village head, he could not risk that happening again.
“Young man, fellow villagers,” Li Zheng began, “It’s not that I refuse to let you stay. Our village is also suffering from disaster right now, with no surplus grain to spare. Even if you stay here, you won’t find enough to eat. It’s better for you to go to the county town or the nearby township. There are wealthy people there, and if they don’t turn a blind eye, you’ll find enough to eat. That’s where you should go. I’m pointing you in the right direction—please, go.”
The nearby villagers all chimed in, expressing their thoughts one after another.
Upon hearing Li Zheng’s words, the refugees from outside grew even more disheartened. They had made their way here with great difficulty, hoping to find a peaceful place to settle temporarily. To be driven away was unexpected. However, accustomed to being turned away in recent days, they pretended not to hear and continued discussing matters with their spokesperson. Throughout this period, they had relied entirely on these individuals for guidance, without whom they would have been utterly lost.
The person negotiating with Li Zheng was persistent and continued to plead: “We also tried going to the town, but they drove us away. Please, have mercy and let us rest here for a while. Otherwise, if someone dies at your village entrance, can you really have peace of mind?”
An older man nearby, waving his hand towards the crowd behind him, spoke loudly: “Everyone, speak up! Let’s plead with Village Head Li Zheng to give us a way out.”
In an instant, everyone responded. Those who had been silent moments ago now all spoke up, creating a chaotic uproar. You could hear their pleading tones, some even breaking into tears as they begged. Amidst the clamor, the crowd stirred as if ready to surge forward at any moment.