Famine and Chaos: Weaving Cloth in Exile to Escape the War

Hearing Kyoto Haru's voice from inside the door, Su Heng felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

His aunt also said that Jing Shi was probably frozen to death in this heavy snow, and that he shouldn't have made a wasted trip. Luckily, he didn't listen.

He quickly pressed himself against the crack in the door and said rapidly, "Madam Shen, my grandfather sent me to deliver a message to you. The bandits have come down from the mountain and are expected to attack us in the next few days. Therefore, my grandfather instructed you to find a place to hide as soon as possible and not to show your face for the next few days."

"bandit?"

Jing Zhichun was taken aback and continued to ask through the door, "Where are the bandits now? Approximately how many of them are there?"

Su Heng was caught off guard by Jing Zhichun's barrage of questions and didn't know how to answer them for a moment.

His grandfather didn't even know how many people were there this time...

However, his grandfather said there would definitely be a lot of people this year.

"My grandfather doesn't know the exact number yet... However, Madam Shen, you came later, so you probably don't know."

Two years ago, a woman who had been exiled here was kidnapped by bandits while gathering firewood in the mountains.

Everyone thought she was dead, but last winter she returned with a group of bandits, robbed many families of their food, and kidnapped several exiled women.

I heard she was taken to the mountains to be a bandit's wife.

Just now, my grandfather and I came back from gathering firewood and saw those kidnapped women sneaking back.

So, my grandfather said that they were most likely back to scout the way for the bandits.

It might not be long before those bandits come down the mountain to rob grain, just like they did last year.

So, my grandfather told me to come and tell you quickly: hide first, and come out only after they leave... It would be best to hide in the mountains.

Jing Zhichun never expected that there would be bandits in the place of exile.

Isn't there a sentry guarding this place?

"Did your grandfather tell the sentries at the garrison about the bandits?" Jing Zhichun asked through the door.

Su Heng, standing outside the door, let out a long sigh.

"Madam Shen, you probably don't know, but the sentry post only has five soldiers left. The rest have all been transferred to fight the barbarians. The remaining five... spend their days drinking and gambling or harassing the women in the exile area. My grandfather said they are completely unreliable."

"Then what about going to the city to report to the authorities?" Jing Zhichun pressed.

"Then it's even more useless. The other day my uncle wanted to go to the city to get medicine, but the city gates were closed and no one was allowed to go in."

Whenever someone approached the city gate, the soldiers on the city wall would fire arrows without saying a word.

My uncle witnessed several people who wanted to go into the city to buy grain being shot to death outside the city gate.

My grandfather said the imperial court is unreliable. In this world, we can only rely on ourselves.

Jing Zhichun leaned against the door panel without saying a word.

She got it.

The reason they were not allowed to enter the city was probably because the plague was completely out of control, so the government chose the most brutal form of isolation.

But once the city gates are closed, the people run out of food. What will happen next?

Riots, refugees, arson, murder, looting, and so on...

The Northwest is likely to descend into chaos soon.

Just thinking about Kyoto Spring gives me a headache.

She sighed and thanked the boy through the door, "Thank you for telling me this, Young Master Su. Please also thank your grandfather for me."

"Madam Shen, you're too kind. If it weren't for you sharing those ephedra grains with us, allowing us to exchange them for more food, my family probably wouldn't have survived. My grandfather and our whole family will remember this kindness."

Jing Zhichun was stunned. She hadn't expected that the reason the Su family had told her about the bandits was because of this.

They are all people of integrity and loyalty.

Moreover, through the crack in the door, she could see that the seven or eight-year-old boy outside was thinner than the last time she had seen him.

In such cold weather, he was only wearing a thin, tattered piece of clothing, his face was blue from the cold, and his body was shivering.

His shoes were also worn out, and his big toe was sticking out, turning a bit purple from the cold.

This child...

Ugh.

For a moment, Kyoto Haru felt very uncomfortable.

She called out to the person outside the door, "Wait for me!"

After saying that, she quickly turned around and bought 20 kilograms of brown rice from the system and put it into a sack, and then bought 3 kilograms of cotton and put it in as well.

After tying up the sack, Jing Zhichun opened the door and handed it out, then quickly closed the door again.

She was very grateful for the Su family's kindness.

Hopefully, what she has can help them.

Jing Zhichun said to the door panel, "Thank you for coming to inform me of the news today, Su family. This is a little bit of coarse rice. I know your family is large and you are having a hard time. This is a token of my appreciation. Please do not refuse, young master."

Su Heng stared in disbelief at the grain on the ground.

He had come today to repay the favor he owed Ma Huang, but he never expected that Jing Zhichun would give him grain, and such a large bag at that.

He had heard his grandfather say that Jing Zhichun's husband ignored her and her in-laws didn't care about her either. She was the only woman raising two children on her own, so she had a very difficult life.

He couldn't accept Jing Zhichun's kind gesture.

Thinking of this, Su Heng quickly waved his hand, "Madam Shen, I can't accept this. Your family is also in trouble. I've delivered the message, and I should go back now."

After saying that, he turned around and tried to run home as fast as he could.

Just then, Su Heng felt his collar being grabbed, which made his neck hurt. He turned his head and saw a tall, dark figure.

"what!"

"what!"

"A ghost!"

Jing Zhichun quickly released the boy's collar and shoved the sack into his arms. "Where did this ghost come from in broad daylight? It's me. Take these things back quickly. Your grandfather is old and can't go hungry. This is a small token of my appreciation, and it's on behalf of my father for your grandfather. Please accept it on his behalf."

After saying that, she immediately went back to the hut and closed the door.

Su Heng looked at the sack in his arms, and tears streamed down his face.

His family is almost out of food.

To save food rations for the younger children, Grandpa ate snow water every day and went hungry for two days. No matter how they tried to persuade him, Grandpa refused to eat.

Grandpa always says he's old and won't live much longer, so eating even a single extra grain of food would be a waste.

Therefore, we must prioritize feeding the children, hoping they can survive.

Looking at the sack in his arms, he could no longer hold back his tears.

This food could save their family's lives.

He didn't want his grandfather to die.

He wanted his grandfather to live.

Su Heng wiped away the tears on her face, her small figure standing straight in the wind and snow.

He solemnly straightened his tattered clothes before the tightly closed wooden door, clasped his hands together, and bowed respectfully.

"I will forever remember Madam Shen's life-saving grace. From now on, whenever Madam Shen has any request, I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life."

Inside the thatched hut, Kyoto Haru leaned against the door, listening to the child's innocent yet resolute vow outside, and gently shook her head.

It's hard to survive in chaotic times, and hearing such words from such a young child only made her feel heartbroken.

"Go back quickly, or your grandpa will start to worry."