Little Ya's Dad glanced at Old Gu Six's three rabbits and two wild hens, then looked down at the few pieces of fruit in his own hands. He felt a bit ashamed. The difference between them, both being men, seemed quite significant.
He took a small piece of silver from his pocket and asked Old Gu Six, "Could I buy a rabbit from you?"
Old Gu Six didn't take the silver but handed him a slightly larger rabbit.
Yang Poxiao also bought a rabbit and a wild hen with some silver.
If only they weren't on the road, they could have skinned the rabbits and made rabbit fur boots or hats for his daughter. If they could hunt a fox, that would be even better. They could make a fox fur coat for her.
After their hunted goods were all dealt with, Mu came back carrying the game he had hunted—a wild rabbit and a wild hen. Little Ya's Dad felt dejected again. Even this single guy who just tagged along managed to hunt something. This made them feel even more useless.
They collected some firewood and sat down to roast the wild hens and rabbits. After the meat cooled down, they wrapped it in leaves and stashed it in their baskets. Only then did they leave the woods, carrying their water.
The number of refugees on the road was increasing. They couldn't openly cook and eat meat, or it might cause chaos. If others couldn't eat their fill, wouldn't it be too ostentatious if they could? And even had meat?
There were all sorts of people among the refugees. It would be best if they didn't cause trouble for Old Gu Six and his daughter. Otherwise, they feared Old Gu Six might abandon them.
Old Gu Six, blending in with the crowd, also roasted a wild hen. He would have to take it home and let his daughter process it further. His daughter definitely wouldn't eat this tasteless roast meat.
As they left the mountain, they collected some dried grass to put in their baskets. They encountered many people on the road, all of whom hadn't found water. They all looked dispirited.
Seeing them all carrying water, someone asked, "Brother, where did you find your water?"
At this point, Yang Poxiao became their spokesperson. "Deep in the mountains. If you follow the path we took, you will find it."
There were no dangers on the road, as Old Gu Six had cleared them all. Since they had already fetched their water, it didn't harm to tell them.
There had been many people following them when they went to fetch water. They didn't say anything. It was those people who had given up halfway.
The man thanked them: "Thank you, brother." Then, he led his people into the mountains following the path they had taken.
As it was too hot at noon, the refugees didn't rush on their journey. They were afraid of getting heatstroke. There were no doctors or medicines on the road. If something went wrong, they might collapse on the road and not be able to get up.
The sun was scorching, and Chang'an felt she had gotten quite a bit darker. It was so hot that it was hard to breathe. Even the wind that blew was hot. She hid in the carriage to rest. Only after placing two large basins of ice did she feel slightly better.
Old Gu Six came back and didn't see his daughter. He lifted the carriage curtain and saw her leaning against the ice basin in the carriage, eating watermelon sorbet. She had also prepared a bowl for him.
She shifted a bit to let Old Gu Six into the carriage.
Old Gu Six first tied the dried grass from his basket to the top of the carriage. Then, he put two buckets of water into the carriage and handed the basket to Chang'an.
Chang'an took over the basket. It contained half a roasted wild hen, three unroasted ones, and a wild rabbit, all cleaned up.
She stowed these items into her space, planning to prepare roast pheasant with mushrooms in her space later.
The half-roasted pheasant still needed some seasoning. Eating it as is, without even a hint of salt, would be too gamey.
Old Gu Six settled into the carriage, feeling noticeably cooler. Chang'an fetched him a bowl of watermelon slushie from her space, which he accepted with a face full of enjoyment.
He sighed, "If only we didn't have to flee."
Chang'an, legs crossed, replied: "That's what everyone wishes for."
After finishing the watermelon slushie, Old Gu Six stayed in the carriage, which was much cooler than outside. He leaned against the carriage wall to rest a bit, planning to set off around noon.
Everyone was already on the run; who still cared about the old rules of men and women not sharing spaces? Who cared about men and women over seven not sitting together? At night, everyone slept on the same straw mat.
Everyone was scrambling in the wilderness, who would pay attention to you? Everyone was worrying about when this escape would end. How to use the limited food to travel the farthest?
Of course, there were those with ill-intentions even in these dire circumstances, such people existed at all times.
Approaching noon, most of the refugees had already started on their way. Chang'an fetched a pear and a small bag of cherry tomatoes from her space for Old Gu Six.
Old Gu Six finished the pear inside the carriage before stepping outside, with the small bag hanging around his waist.
They packed up the straw mats, harnessed the mule to the cart, and readied to depart as soon as Little Ya's Dad and Yang Poxiao finished packing.
Mu had exchanged half a wild rabbit for three and a half kilos of rice with Yang Poxiao. Of course, this was a friendly price, taking into account that Mu was a new member of Old Gu Six's team, and they gave him an extra half kilo.
He then traded a chicken leg for a clay pot and used a rabbit leg to repay the favor of the water bag. Now that he had his basic daily necessities settled, he packed everything into his pack and carried it himself.
Yang Poxiao suggested he put it on the donkey cart, arguing that his things wouldn't add much weight. However, Mu declined.
"Brother Yang, I'll carry it myself for now, and put it on the cart when I can't carry it anymore. Thank you."
After more than ten days of intermittent travel, they arrived at Xinping County, the first city they encountered with its gates wide open after fleeing. This city was more than twice the size of Yizhou County.
Now, however, the city gates were wide open, with refugees coming and going freely.
Little Ya's Dad said, "I'm afraid the city has already been occupied by the refugees. We probably won't find any supplies in there."
Chang'an thought about the disadvantaged member of their group and decided they should still check it out. "Dad, let's go in and see if we can find anything useful."
Whatever Chang'an said was law for Old Gu Six, so he simply said, "Let's go in."
The refugees, with their numb expressions and ragged clothing, looked at Old Gu Six's group, who still had plenty of supplies, with envy. Some harbored ill intentions.
Their group consisted of fewer than seventy people, and there were refugees who planned to rob them when night fell. Even if they were successful now, they wouldn't be able to guard their loot.
Just as they could rob others, others could rob them. It was best to act under the cover of darkness, unnoticed.
Old Gu Six led his people into the city, where the streets were filled with disaster-stricken people. Some were crying while holding their deceased children, some were struggling to carry their elderly mothers, and some families were searching everywhere for food and water.
The whole street was filled with a gloomy atmosphere. The bodies of some victims lay on the road; some had died from severe injuries, while others had starved to death.
The shops along the street were severely looted, especially the grain shops and food stalls, presenting a scene of devastation.
They knew it was impossible to find any grain. As Chang'an braced for the coming cold disaster, Mu, who had nothing, would inevitably freeze to death.
"Dad, let's check the shops that sell cotton clothes and quilts."
They searched and finally found a ready-made clothing store on another street. The shop had also been looted, but the victims were mostly looking for food. The clothes and other items were not all taken away and were left in a mess.
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