Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

After walking all morning, everyone was exhausted and stopped to rest by the stream.

Jiangjia Village arrived first and occupied a flat area upstream, close to the stream. Zhaojia Village, for some reason, ended up behind Jiangjia Village and could only find a place downstream.

The downstream area is low-lying and close to a reed bed, so there are many mosquitoes and the ground is damp. The village chief of Zhao Family Village was unhappy and stood with his hands on his hips to argue with Shen Dehou.

"Why are you taking up the best spots? We got here first!" The village chief of Zhao Family Village said to Shen Dehou, hands on his hips.

"You got here first? We clearly arrived together!"

"We're half an hour ahead of you!"

"Half an hour is considered 'early morning'?"

The two village chiefs argued for a long time, and finally each compromised. Jiangjia Village gave up a piece of land to Zhaojia Village, and Zhaojia Village gave Jiangjia Village two bundles of firewood.

Jiang Xing took the calf to collect dry straw and made a nest next to the oxcart.

Uncle San tied up the ox and started a fire to cook.

Zhang took out the bag of smoked meat from her bundle, sliced ​​a few pieces, and put them in the pot with the brown rice. There wasn't much meat, so the aroma didn't waft far, but several households still looked over.

The calf squatted by the pot, its eyes fixed on the bubbles inside.

"Sis, are you done yet?"

"Wait a little longer."

"How long is 'a while'?"

"Count to one hundred."

The calf began counting: "One, two, three, four, five..."

When he counted to seventy-three, Jiang Xing lifted the lid of the pot.

The steam was intense, and the aroma of the meat congee was irresistible.

Jiang Xing first served a bowl to his third uncle, then a bowl to Zhang Shi, then a bowl to Xiao Niu, and finally a bowl to himself.

"Eat."

The little calf held the bowl, blew on it repeatedly, carefully took a sip, and then its eyes lit up: "Sister!"

"Okay. Keep your voice down. Your wound is still healing, drink more porridge."

The calf nodded eagerly and drank loudly.

Third Uncle held the bowl, took two sips, and suddenly said, "Xing'er."

"Um."

"Should we be more careful with our food? Let's start digging up some wild vegetables to eat with it tomorrow. We don't know what the future holds, so we need to plan ahead."

"When we get to the prefectural city, we'll see if we can buy some grain. I'll go and buy some more then. You and Grandma are getting old, and you need to eat well to have the strength. Little Niu's head injury hasn't healed yet."

Third Uncle nodded without saying anything more and continued drinking his porridge.

After the meal, the village chief didn't let anyone linger. At their pace, they could reach the prefectural city in the afternoon if they walked quickly. Sure enough, after the group crossed a mountain ridge, the prefectural city came into view.

From a distance, the city walls appeared gray and hazy.

Flags could be vaguely seen on the city wall, but it was unclear whether they belonged to government troops or something else.

"The prefectural city!" someone shouted.

A buzzing sound came from the queue, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the city gate was closed, and a long queue stretched out at the city gate, with some people entering the city and others leaving.

Shen Dehou squeezed to the front to inquire about the news.

After a while, he returned with a complex expression on his face.

"We can get into the city!" he raised his voice.

"But there are restrictions: only two people from each household can enter! They must leave before 5 PM! If they don't, the guards will execute them!"

An uproar erupted in the crowd.

"Only two people can enter per household?"

"We have to be out before 5 PM? It's already 3 PM now!"

"What if the main group departs on time at 5 PM, but we miss it?"

Shen Dehou raised his hand to quell the noise: "Quiet down! Listen to me! The main force will depart precisely at 5 PM. Anyone entering the city must be out before 5 PM to catch up with the group! Those who miss it are responsible for their own actions!"

The crowd quieted down, and everyone started calculating the time. It was now Shen Shi (3-5 PM), and there was still one hour left until You Shi (5-7 PM).

Is an hour enough to go into town, buy things, and leave town? It has to be enough, even if it's not.

"Each household can decide for themselves who goes into town!" Shen Dehou said. "Those with money should buy more, and those without should buy less. Remember, they must be out before 5 PM!"

Each household began to discuss the matter.

Aunt Wang's family sent Wang Laoshi to town, while Aunt Wang stayed outside to look after the children and the cart. Granny Zhao's family sent her grandson Jiang Ergou; young people are quick on their feet.

Jiang Dazhu's family sent Jiang Dazhu and Jiang Qingshan.

Zhou wanted to go with them, but Jiang Dazhu stopped her with a "You're walking too slowly."

Jiang Erzhu's family sent Jiang Erzhu and Jiang Laifu. Liu wanted to say something, opened her mouth, and then closed it again. Jiang Caiyun huddled next to the cart, holding her bundle, without saying a word.

Third Uncle pulled Jiang Xing aside, took out a cloth bag from his waist, opened it, and inside were a few pieces of silver and a string of copper coins.

"Xing'er, take this." Third Uncle stuffed the cloth bag into Jiang Xing's hand.

Jiang Xing glanced at it; it was about five taels of silver, which was all the money his third uncle owned.

"Third Uncle, this is yours..."

"Take it." Third Uncle interrupted her, "You know how to buy things better than your Third Uncle. Buy some grain, some salt, and some medicine."

Jiang Xing looked at the cloth bag in his hand, paused for a moment, and then accepted it.

"understood."

Zhang also got out of the car and handed over a piece of paper, which was their household registration document.

The calf poked its head out of the cart: "Sister, come back soon!"

"Understood." Jiang Xing put away the silver, tucked in his short sword, and slung the basket over his shoulder. "Little Niu, take good care of Grandma. Help Third Uncle watch the cart. I'll definitely be back before 5 PM."

She turned and walked towards the city gate.

A long queue formed at the city gate, where soldiers checked each person one by one, shouting, "Two people per household! Come out before 5 PM! Remember! If you don't come out before 5 PM, your weapons won't have eyes!"

Jiang Xing stood in line, head down, trying not to attract attention. In front of him was Zhao Xiaohu, and behind him were several strangers he didn't recognize.

When it was her turn, the soldier glanced at her and asked, "Which family are you from?"

"Jiangjia Village, this is my family's registered address."

"How many people?"

"Just me."

The soldier glanced at the household registration, confirmed it was in order, and waved for her to go in.

The scene inside the city was a completely different world from that outside.

Outside the city were grime-covered refugees, thin porridge, and tents; inside the city were cobblestone streets, signs, and pedestrians coming and going. Although there were far fewer people than usual, it still felt like a human world.

But there was a tense atmosphere in the air. Many shops were closed, with signs on the doors saying "Owner is avoiding trouble, temporarily closed." Long queues formed in front of the shops that were still open.

Jiang Xing first went to the grain and oil shop.

There was a long queue outside the grain shop, even longer than the queue at the city gate. She waited for fifteen minutes before she could get into the shop.

The grain shop owner was a tall, thin middle-aged man with dark circles under his eyes, clearly having not slept well for several days. He stood behind the counter, his voice hoarse: "Coarse rice is thirty-eight coins a pound, wheat flour is forty-five coins a pound, and coarse salt is ninety coins a pound. No bargaining."

Jiang Xing's heart sank; the price had gone up again.

She took out the loose silver coins her third uncle had given her and bought ten catties of brown rice, five catties of wheat flour, and three catties of coarse salt.

The shopkeeper packed the grain into a sack and handed it to Jiang Xing. Jiang Xing put the grain into his basket, turned around, and left the grain shop.

She didn't rush to leave. She wandered around the street again, went into a cloth shop, and bought a few feet of coarse cloth.

Then she turned into an alley.

The alley was deep, with high walls on both sides, and some broken baskets and rotten wood were piled on the ground. There was no one there.

After confirming that no one was around, she opened the system shop.

Three large cotton-padded coats, one medium-sized cotton-padded coat, four pairs of cotton-padded trousers, and eight pairs of cotton-padded shoes.

She flipped through the grain and oil categories again. The prices in the mall hadn't changed. She bought eighty catties of brown rice, fifty catties of white flour, and ten catties of coarse salt.

She also bought ten packets of wound medicine, ten packets of medicine to ward off colds, an iron pot, several rough porcelain bowls, two new wood-chopping knives, and a piece of oilcloth.

I spent over four thousand points.

Some supplies appeared out of thin air in her hand. She stuffed them into her basket, filling it to the brim, and put the rest into her spatial storage.

She walked out of the alley with a heavy basket on her back and blended into the crowd on the street.