After observing overnight, Hai Chengrui confirmed that Shen Qingwan’s prescription had a significant effect.

Once he was certain the remedy was effective, he immediately ordered large-scale decoction of the medicinal soup.

Anyone infected with the plague could come and receive the medicine, to be taken three times a day until fully recovered.

By noon the next day, Shen Qingwan sent another prescription through Shopkeeper Wu—this time, a formula for preventing the plague.

Treating and preventing the disease at the same time would yield better results.

That same day, Beichen Yuan, after meeting with Hai Chengrui, requested the city gates be opened so he could leave.

Initially, he thought the plague would be a major problem, so after departing, he quickly ordered preparations for an epidemic response.

However, before they could even finalize their preparations, news arrived that the plague in Ji City had already been brought under control.

Beichen Yuan sent people to investigate and discovered that the prescription had come from none other than Second Master Bai’s people, successfully containing the outbreak.

When Hai Chengrui inquired about Shen Qingwan’s identity, she credited the prescription to Second Master Bai.

It wasn’t out of sheer selflessness, but rather practicality—after all, as a mere refugee, she had no use for such great merit.

The imperial court was too preoccupied with its own struggles.

Even if Hai Chengrui submitted a petition for recognition, the court likely wouldn’t have the time to grant her any reward.

So instead, she chose to attribute the credit to the Bai family.

Not only would Second Master Bai owe her a favor, but it would also serve as a form of repayment—after all, she had taken quite a lot from the Bai family.

The warehouse full of gold, silver, and grain weighed heavily on her conscience.

Shopkeeper Wu was shocked that Shen Qingwan would give away such a significant achievement to his master.

He simply assumed she had a deep connection with Second Master Bai and refrained from questioning further.

During her stay at Wantong Bank, he treated her with the utmost hospitality.

Three days later, Ji City’s gates reopened, and normal travel resumed.

The refugees who had been trapped for three days were finally allowed to leave.

With Shopkeeper Wu’s connections, Shen Qingwan used the gold and silver she had acquired from the bandits to buy a substantial amount of grain.

The disaster was far from over, and food remained the most critical necessity.

She had a strong premonition—until the political strife within the imperial court was resolved, the common people would not see peace.

Food was the foundation of survival; as long as one had grain, there was no fear.

She purchased 20,000 stone (shi) of grain, giving 5,000 stone to Hai Chengrui.

Hai Chengrui was an honest and upright official.

Shen Qingwan had noticed the patches on his sleeves during their first meeting.

For a magistrate to live so frugally was truly rare.

He had mentioned that the porridge relief stations would have to shut down in a few days due to the depletion of grain supplies.

Previously, the food had been gathered through donations from wealthy families in the city, with the majority coming from Shopkeeper Wu.

This explained why Hai Chengrui and Shopkeeper Wu shared such a close bond—Shopkeeper Wu was one of the few who understood his struggles and was willing to extend a helping hand.

News of Shen Qingwan’s 5,000-stone grain donation spread quickly, though her identity remained a mystery.

With this additional grain, the porridge stations could continue operating.

That same afternoon, when the city gates opened, Shen Qingwan found the people from Dahe Village.

Thankfully, everyone in the village was safe.

Old Man Lu and Granny Lu teared up with joy upon seeing Shen Qingwan return safely, along with Jiao Jiao and Xiao Chen.

“It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back,” they repeated emotionally.

Although they had no idea what Shen Qingwan had experienced in the past few days, they were tactful enough not to ask.

A woman escaping from a bandit’s lair—no matter what had happened, it wouldn’t be pleasant to speak of.

So, they refrained from questioning her.

Shen Qingwan, for her part, didn’t feel the need to explain anything.

As long as everyone was safe, that was all that mattered.

Xiao Yu, upon seeing her mother return, suddenly burst into tears and ran into Shen Qingwan’s arms.

“Mom, I thought you didn’t want me anymore!” she sobbed.

Shen Qingwan scooped up the little girl and held her tightly.

“Silly girl, you’re my little cotton-padded jacket. How could I ever leave you behind? Don’t cry, I’m here now,” she said gently.

The little girl clung to her neck, unwilling to let go.

Shen Qingwan had no choice but to let her hold on, soothing her softly.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

Da Huang, the loyal dog, jumped down from the mule cart, wagging its tail excitedly and barking as if saying, “Master, you’re finally back! Da Huang missed you so much!”

Shen Qingwan reached out and petted Da Huang’s head.

From inside the carriage, five little puppies peeked out curiously, their eyes fixed on her.

In the corner, Yang’s father and son, who had been watching quietly, finally let out a sigh of relief.

The young woman had real skills—escaping from a den of bandits was no easy feat.

As the sun began to set, the village leader instructed everyone to gather their belongings, fetch water, and prepare to continue their journey.

Though the midday sun was still blazing, they were eager to reach their destination as soon as possible and settle down.

The Yang family father and son quickly followed suit. After their previous shared struggles, the villagers of Dahe Village no longer distrusted them.

Hunter Zhang and his son, who were walking at the back, even invited the Yang family to travel with them.

Shen Qingwan also took the horse she had left at the inn. Now, in addition to their mule cart, they had a horse. Although it made them stand out a bit, she decided to keep it.

Lu Wenguang’s handcart was now hitched to the horse, allowing more people to ride.

Her family no longer had to walk on foot.

After more than twenty days of fleeing, they continued heading north.

Once past Ji City, the drought seemed to ease slightly, but the weather remained oppressively hot.

For miles, there was not a single blade of grass. Even the trees on the mountains had been stripped of their leaves.

They had initially believed that the north, being free of drought, would be in better condition. However, the reality was far from their expectations.

While the drought was not as severe, food shortages remained dire.

Refugees had begun eating grass roots, tree bark, and even Guanyin clay to stave off hunger.

Those traveling the roads looked numb and lifeless, walking mechanically.

As the Dahe Village convoy passed by, they could feel the eyes of the desperate people locked onto their carts, scanning their belongings.

Then, a sudden cry rang out from behind.

“Ah!”

The convoy came to a halt.

“It’s grain! They have grain!”

“That’s really food!”

More and more voices joined in, and in the blink of an eye, the desperate refugees swarmed forward, snatching up a half-spilled sack of grain.

“You monsters! That’s our food! You can’t steal our grain!”

Widow Chen wailed as she tried to protect her family’s provisions, but her efforts were in vain.

Within moments, everything had been taken, leaving only grains scattered in the dirt—impossible to recover.

“What are we supposed to do now? We have no more food! How are we going to survive?”

Widow Chen collapsed onto the ground, wailing in despair.

She then turned and scolded her daughter-in-law, Zhang Juxiang, in fury.

“Useless thing! You can’t even push a cart properly! What good are you?”

The Chen family only had a wheelbarrow, which carried a small amount of grain and some cookware.

Along the journey, her son and daughter-in-law took turns pushing it while she cared for the elderly.

But Zhang Juxiang had tripped over a rock, causing the cart to overturn and the grain to spill—right in front of the desperate refugees. In an instant, it was all gone.

“M-Mother, I didn’t mean to! The wheel hit a rock, and the cart tipped over!” Zhang Juxiang sobbed.