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

Jing Zhichun paused, then turned to look in the direction of the thatched hut.

On the other side of the snowstorm, there was indeed a chestnut horse, its mane still fluttering in the wind.

However, Xiao Liu often came to the place of exile, and the horse he rode was indeed a chestnut horse.

However, maroon Ma Da Zhou Dynasty horses were everywhere; the Liu family had them, and so did the barbarians.

Thinking of this, Jing Zhichun gripped Xiaoman's hand tightly: "Let's go, we have to hurry on our way. That might not be Uncle Liu's horse."

Xiaoman shook her head: "But, Mother... that really is Uncle Liu, I really recognize his horse. Shouldn't we go see Uncle Liu? What if it really is him? Aunt will be sad if she finds out we're missing."

Upon hearing Xiaoman's words, Jing Zhichun glanced at the Yang family members walking ahead.

If she were to go back alone to confirm whether it was Xiao Liu, it would be too dangerous.

If it wasn't Xiao Liu, but a barbarian or a member of the Liu family, it could bring disaster upon themselves and the Yang family.

Therefore, she absolutely cannot take the risk.

Moreover, if things settle down in the future, and if there's an opportunity, she'll take Xiaoman to the capital to try and see the original owner's older sister.

Then she comforted Xiaoman, saying, "Xiaoman, once we've settled down, I'll write to your aunt. That way, she'll know we're still here and won't be sad anymore."

Xiaoman pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.

Actually, she felt a little disappointed.

Since Uncle Liu came to the place of exile, it must be that Aunt asked him to bring them things again.

It seems they will never see the things their aunt sent.

"Sigh." Xiaoman sighed quietly.

Without her aunt's help, she can no longer dig up tree roots to sell to peddlers for food. Her mother is raising her and her younger brother alone. How will they survive in the future?

How can she help her mother make life a little easier?

At this moment, Xiaoman's little head was filled with worry.

Jing Zhichun had no idea what Xiaoman was thinking.

She was holding her two children's hands and walking at the very end of the line.

Looking at the path on the ground, she noticed that the deeper she went into the forest, the thicker the snow became.

Where people step, a deep pit will be left; where carts roll, two deep ruts will be plowed out.

Such marks cannot be covered up by the fresh snow in a short time.

If the barbarians arrive early, we can catch up with them by following these footprints.

Kyoto Haru felt she had to find a way to erase some of their footprints.

With a quick thought, she came up with a solution.

He picked up a thick branch from the snow, squatted down, and began to sweep away the footprints they had left behind.

In this way, once the snowflakes rise up and fall onto the swept snowfield, and fresh snow covers it again, it will soon be impossible to tell that someone has walked by.

When Xiaoman saw this, she quickly found a small twig, squatted down next to her mother, and began to erase her tiny footprints one by one.

Su Heng, holding the pottery jar in his arms, picked up a twig and started sweeping as well.

When the Yang family's three children saw this, they also wanted to come and help.

Jing Zhichun quickly waved to the three children of the Yang family: "You go help your family push the cart, otherwise your father and the others won't be able to pull it, and our whole group will have to slow down. We can stay here."

When the Yang family children heard Jing Zhichun say this, they obediently ran back and bent over to help their family members push the cart.

The snowy road was already difficult to travel, and since it was uphill, the cart wheels got stuck in the snow, making every step forward very difficult.

Jing Zhichun, with her two children, finished sweeping a section and then jogged to catch up with the group ahead, quietly helping to push the cart for a while.

Once the wheels started rolling again, they fell a few steps behind, squatted down, and continued to smooth out the newly made footprints, one by one.

This process was repeated over and over.

The line didn't stop.

The snow didn't stop.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the forest was so quiet that only the sound of the wind and the rustling of branches sweeping through the snow could be heard.

The traces left by Kyoto Haru and her group were gradually covered by layers of new snow, and soon they were no longer visible.

Once they were deep in the forest, Kyoto Haru looked back at the footprints in front of her.

The path she had come from was mostly buried by fresh snow. She stopped, leaned on her knees, and caught her breath.

enough.

she thinks.

As long as the road ahead is clear enough that the barbarians can't tell that people have entered the forest, then it's fine.

As for their footprints afterward, the snow will cover them up.

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Outside the woods, in front of Kyoto no Haru's thatched cottage.

Xiao Liu dismounted and pushed open the unlocked, dilapidated wooden door.

As soon as he entered, he found the house completely empty, with nothing inside...

Instantly, his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Was this house burgled?

According to his master's original plan, he should have waited three years, until the young master was older and the restrictions in the place of exile were loosened, before secretly taking the young master away.

But now the barbarians have invaded, and the plague has broken out. The Northwest is on the verge of descending into chaos...

He had no choice but to take the young master away ahead of time.

But... now the young master has disappeared?

The thatched hut was deserted. Not only was the young master gone, but even Madam Jing and that maid were nowhere to be found. He didn't even know if they were alive or dead…

How is he going to explain this to his master?

When the master finds out that the young master is missing, he will surely lose his head.

Thinking of this, Xiao Liu wiped the sweat from his brow and said to one of his subordinates beside him, "Go quickly and check the Shen family's thatched hut. See if Madam Jing and the young master are there!"

"yes!"

A man in black mounted his horse and quickly disappeared into the snowstorm.

Xiao Liu paced back and forth for a couple of steps, wiping away cold sweat in his anxiety.

Before long, the sound of horses' hooves returned.

"Sixth Master!"

The man in black dismounted, panting, and said, "Madam Jing and the young master are not at the Shen family's residence. Moreover, everyone in the Shen family is dead; their corpses have been gnawed to pieces by rats..."

Xiao Liu's eyelids twitched, his face filled with disbelief: "They're all dead? Was it murder or...?"

"Well, when I went in, the body was already mangled beyond recognition, and I couldn't tell if it was murder or something else..."

"Did you see the bodies of Madam Jing and the young master at the Shen family's residence?"

"I've looked at this carefully and searched the entire Shen family compound, but I haven't found the Jing family, nor the bodies of the young master and that girl."

Hearing this, Xiao Liu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good, it's good that they're not here. That means Jing Shi and the young master are still alive."

The other men in black also breathed a sigh of relief.

One of the men in black asked, "Sixth Master, since Madam Jing isn't at the Shen family's, where could they have gone?"

"Do you think it could be..." He pointed in the direction of the capital before continuing, "that the one above ordered the killing of the Shen family, and also the Jing family and the young master..."

"Shut up!"

Before the man in black could finish speaking, Xiao Liu interrupted him.

Xiao Liu glared at the man in black and said, "Who is Shen Qingzhou? Have you forgotten? He's ostensibly the emperor's pet, but secretly he's a trusted minister who raises a private army for him in the Northwest. No matter how crazy the emperor is, he won't touch his own people at this time."