eurekapd Chapter 220 Leaving the Imperial City
Chapter 220 Leaving the Imperial City
An hour later, a large pot of sorghum rice, brown rice and sixty dry biscuits came out of the pot.
The two people made rice balls while it was still hot and added a small piece of pickled vegetable to each rice ball.
The rice balls are big and small, and there are about a hundred of them.
For breakfast, I ate ten rice balls and twelve pancakes.
After drinking a bowl of washbasin water, my stomach felt a little bloated.
"Brother, go pack your bags and leave at dawn." Lin Shu looked at the night outside the window and whispered.
"Okay, Little Stone, you'll have to work hard along the way.
Let's buy a mule at the next town, and we'll be able to travel faster."
Lin Hongyi didn't ask the reason, but just took a look at Xiao Shitou's clothes.
It was a plain blue cotton coat with a few crooked patches on it. The only difference was the fur boots.
Thinking about the lack of a carriage, Lin Hongyi frowned and had to keep things simple.
Lin Hongyi was used to traveling in a horse-drawn carriage, but suddenly he had to rely on his own two feet to escape the famine. The thought of it made him feel extremely miserable.
Lin Shu walked through every room, and everything returned to being empty again, not even a single match left in the kitchen.
The hay in the stable was cleared away and the carriages were put away.
Looking at the courtyard that was no different from when she came here, Lin Shu clapped her hands in satisfaction.
Put ten pancakes and twenty rice balls in each of the two bags.
...
At dawn, the two brothers went out with their bags and water bags.
The rent is due in more than a month, and it's too late to return it.
Lin Hongyi was afraid that Lin Shu would be lost again, so he tied a piece of cloth on the brothers' hands and held the smaller hand with the bigger hand.
As soon as we came out of the alley, we saw more and more people on the street.
Horse-drawn carriages, mule-drawn carts, and donkey-drawn carts became the mainstream, and only a few people walked.
Carts and wheelbarrows, common means of transportation in the countryside, are rarely seen in the imperial city.
Although these people look worried, they do not look haggard.
They were completely different from the refugees I had met on the road.
Lin Shu observed carefully and found that ordinary people did not have the habit of carrying knives for self-defense.
Only the horse-drawn or mule-drawn carriages were followed by guards with swords.
The brothers were dressed like ordinary people and carried simple bags, and it was obvious that they were from a poor family.
Once you merge into the crowd, no one will even look at you twice.
...
The city gate.
The policy of strict entry and loose exit was implemented, with soldiers guarding the city focusing on checking people entering the city and conducting particularly strict searches.
Anyone leaving the city would be allowed to pass as long as they paid twenty coins.
After paying forty cents, the two brothers left the city smoothly.
Just two miles out of the imperial city, we were shocked by the large number of refugees.
It was breakfast time, and a large number of refugees lined up in front of the porridge stall, waiting for porridge.
Next to the porridge stall, refugees were drinking porridge in front of several stalls.
There were those who could read and read aloud.
"We are looking for young and strong adult men and women, five taels of silver each.
An old farmer who knows how to farm gets eight taels of silver each, and a young boy or girl gets four taels of silver each..."
"Those who volunteer to join the army will be rewarded with two taels of silver."
"Eight taels of silver for each literate servant or maid."
"Twenty taels of silver for each beautiful girl who is willing to give herself to him."
Under the clear price, some desperate or greedy refugees pushed their families out in exchange for silver.
With the silver in hand, some refugees were filled with joy, while others were filled with pain.
In order to keep their families alive, some people offered to sell themselves.
Some people even forced their family members to sell themselves in order to survive.
In order to gain greater profits, some people directly sell their daughters to brothels.
Separation of life and death is happening here all the time.
In this era where human trafficking is free, even if someone sympathizes with their plight, no one will do anything to save them.
Because only by solving the problem of buying and selling from the root can it be completely eliminated.
But this is so difficult that even those in power cannot solve it.
How can ordinary people solve this deep-rooted problem?
...
The two brothers stood in front of the porridge shed and watched the refugees coming and going, hoping to meet someone they knew.
Their mission this time has not been completed yet. Finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and there is not a single clue.
When the porridge stall started to cook the second round of porridge, there was no familiar face.
Lin Shu clenched her hands and looked up.
"Brother, let's go look in the back."
"it is good!"
The two brothers followed the crowd leaving the city and carefully crossed the refugee camp.
Two pairs of eyes kept looking at the refugees around them, hoping to see a pair of familiar eyes.
The people walking on the road felt their scalps tingling and their hair standing on end when they were stared at by the refugees.
These people were often arrested by yamen runners or beheaded at noon.
When faced with hungry and greedy eyes, I couldn't help but tremble and hugged the bag tightly.
Fortunately, there were many people leaving the city, especially the guards guarding the carriages or mule carts.
After taking out the big knife, he scared away many greedy eyes.
The two brothers were caught in the crowd, their palms sweating as they held hands together, and they could not help but follow the main group.
...
"Brother Hongyi~Brother Hongyi~Brother Hongyi~"
A hoarse duck sound came from the refugees, from far away to near.
"Brother, pick me up." Lin Shu heard the shout and said quickly.
Because she was short, all she could see was the head right in front of her.
I really can't tell who this distorted voice belongs to.
Lin Hongyi, who was bending over to hug someone, was squeezed out of the team.
He lifted Lin Shu onto his shoulders and spoke loudly.
"Little Stone, did you see that? Who is that?"
The refugees were unkempt and their faces were so dirty that their true colors could not be seen.
Either they are as black as the bottom of a pot, or they are pale, thin and have deformed facial features.
A young boy with messy hair was trying hard to squeeze outside, holding a broken bowl.
On his face as black as the bottom of a pot, only a pair of eyes were as bright as stars.
He opened his mouth wide, revealing his gap teeth, and was crying and laughing at the same time.
Lin Shu really couldn't recognize who this person was. She looked blankly at the person who was about to squeeze in.
"Brother Hongyi, me, me, me!
Hahahaha, I finally found you.
Where are my father and sisters? Are they with you?"
The excited young boy gasped for breath after he finished speaking.
Lin Hongyi looked at the person in confusion, and after thinking for a long time, he spoke tentatively.
"Wu Youtie, is that you?"
“Yes, yes, it’s me.
Brother Hongyi, wow wow wow..."
Wu Youtie rushed forward, hugged Lin Hongyi, and cried loudly.
Her snot and tears were all over Lin Hongyi's cotton coat, which made Lin Shu feel terribly cold.
"Okay, stop crying.
Tell me how you got here and who you came with."
Lin Hongyi pulled Wu Youtie away and said with a dark face.
Seeing the pool of snot and tears on my collar, my good mood disappeared completely.
"Hiccup~Hiccup~"
Wu Youtie looked at Lin Hongyi with sobs, and then he realized that the little boy sitting on his shoulder was looking at him expressionlessly.
He hurriedly pulled up his sleeves to wipe away the tears and snot on his face, which made him feel even more disgusted.
No matter how unhappy the brothers were, they never showed it in public.
"Brother Hongyi, give me something to eat!" Wu Youtie said with a grin, touching his belly which had just been filled with porridge.
Lin Shu's heart sank when she saw the refugees staring at their bags.
Their gazes were as ferocious as wolves, and some people were ready to make a move.
She put her hand on the bag and took away the rice balls and pancakes inside with a thought.
He bent down and lay on Lin Hongyi's head, taking away the rice balls and dry food in his bag.