Chapter 70: The Road Ahead Is Worrying
Gu Zhang clenched his hands tightly. What his daughter said in the history book was right. There was drought in the north and flood in the south. The Great Ying Dynasty might be over.
The village chief's hands were shaking when he heard it. Gu Laoer was right. It was indeed a severe drought in the five counties. Only those who have been running around all year round know it.
The leading man pointed to the grain on his car and said, "I have to sell this grain at least ten times the price of last year. There is no other way."
"Along the way, there are refugees everywhere. Our Xiqin County is better. The situation in Hedong County is not good either. The worst is Xishan County. There was originally little food. This drought has left most people with no way to survive. The refugees are wandering around, and some are coming to our Xiqin County."
"How could I know that we are also suffering from drought!"
"If I hadn't hired these escorts, this little food would have been robbed long ago."
"Even so, I also had a car robbed and lost a car of food!"
Gu Zhang was silent after hearing this.
In ten days or so, they will enter Xishan County. There are too many refugees. Can they still go?
The leading man asked, "Where are you going?"
The village chief sighed, "I originally wanted to go to Donghai County. From what you said, the road is not safe."
The leading man looked at the mule cart of the Gu family from a distance, "You are fine. There is not much food. The refugees are mainly robbing food. And you should pay attention to your mules."
He said meaningfully, "I see a few particularly large mules over there. I am afraid that one weighs about a thousand pounds. Although the old saying goes that you would rather die of starvation than eat mule meat, it is hard to say now."
After the leading man finished speaking, he saw that the village chief's face turned pale, and kindly comforted him, "You have a lot of people, and I see that you have a lot of young and strong people. As long as you work together and don't encounter a large group of refugees, you don't have to worry too much."
The village chief's face turned even paler.
Gu Zhang thanked the leading man and walked back with the village chief.
Both of them looked solemn.
The village chief asked as they walked, "What should we do? Should we continue to move forward?"
Gu Zhang glanced at the village chief and said, "Let's go back and discuss it with everyone."
The two of them went around and gathered all the men in charge of the family together. The women and children knew that they had heard the news and gathered around.
The village chief told the leader of the caravan what he said. Shanzi's mother was the first to cry out, "Oh my God, what can we do? The grain price has increased tenfold. What can we eat in the future!"
The men were thinking about more than just this problem. Boss Zhang asked, "There are many refugees in Xishan County. Can we take a detour?"
Gu Zhang shook his head. He knew from the map that if he wanted to bypass Xishan County, he had to go through most of Xiqin County and then enter Hedong County.
Not to mention the long detour, Xiqin County and Hedong County might not be peaceful.
The village chief sighed, "Do you guys want to move forward? Or go back?"
The eldest uncle smiled, "Our family will follow the second brother-in-law. Wherever they go, we will go."
The second brother-in-law can be said to be the most knowledgeable and clear-headed among this group of people. Moreover, the second brother-in-law is a kind person. It's right to follow him.
Shanzi's mother rolled her eyes, "My family will also follow the second master Gu."
Gu Rong didn't need to ask, "I will follow my second brother anyway."
Only Zhang Laoda, the village chief, and Gu Zhong did not express their opinions.
Gu Zhong saw that his sister and brother wanted to follow the second brother. What could he do? Brothers together are always better than going back alone. He is the only strong laborer in his family, so he has to rely on his brothers and sisters.
Gu Zhong nodded, "My family will also listen to the second brother."