About half an hour later, a soldier emerged from the city, carrying a steaming bucket.
The medicine boy called out, "Don't come any closer, just put it on the ground."
The soldier knew the severity of the situation. He set the bucket down from a distance and went back.
Smelling the aroma of food, Tian Cuihua and the others couldn't help but swallow hard, their stomachs cramping with hunger.
Inside the bucket was cabbage and radish porridge.
Since cabbages and radishes were highly yielded, the cook had diced them into small pieces, added some rice, a little oil, and a bit of salt.
Truth be told, the cabbage and radish porridge made this way was quite fragrant, and it was also perfect for refugees who hadn't eaten in a long time.
Tian Cuihua tremblingly took the bamboo bowl filled with porridge and stammered, "Is... is this for us?"
Liu Mi nodded. "Our Lord is merciful. For the few days you are out here, our Lord will provide you with food and drink for free."
Tian Cuihua's lips trembled, her eyes turning red. "Our... our Lord is so good, so good. I... I must kowtow to him."
With that, she kowtowed toward the direction of Gefeng.
Her son and daughter followed suit.
They bowed in sheer sincerity. In this chaotic world, their lives were as worthless as grass. This was the first time someone treated their lives as actual lives and was willing to offer them help.
Liu Mi sighed and did not stop them.
After kowtowing, the few of them got up, picked up their bamboo bowls, and regardless of the heat, squatted on the ground and wolfed down the food. It was a heartbreaking sight.
Fortunately, having been carried all the way out here, the porridge was no longer scalding hot.
Liu Mi handed a bowl of porridge to Tian Erniang. "You have to look forward. You still have a child."
Tian Erniang was still somewhat dazed. She numbly took the bamboo bowl and looked down at Daya.
She saw Daya staring back at her with exceptionally large eyes, filled with worry.
Tian Erniang felt a pang of pain in her heart. She reached out and patted Daya's head. "Eat."
Daya nodded vigorously. Smelling the aroma of the food wafting from the bowl, she couldn't help but salivate. In all her life, she had never eaten anything so good.
Now with her mother's permission, she lowered her head and began to eat in big gulps.
Tian Erniang kept her head down and ate slowly. Perhaps she was too heartbroken to feel hungry, or maybe she had simply starved past the point of hunger.
But she knew she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days. She had to eat. Only by eating could she live, for her Daya had yet to grow up.
When Liu Mi returned to the medical clinic, Suo Qian was just coming out of the laboratory. "How is it?"
Liu Mi took a step back, trying to keep her distance from Suo Qian. "It looks like they haven't contracted the plague, but we need to observe them for a few days."
She let out a heavy sigh as she spoke. "The common people suffer too much."
Suo Qian shook his head. "If we weren't in Gefeng, perhaps we would be just like them."
"Yeah," Liu Mi replied softly. If she hadn't followed Jiang Jin, she might have ended up even worse off than Tian Erniang and the others.
She took off her mask. "The temporary shelters outside the city are still being built. They should be able to finish two today. I'll go sprinkle some lime later."
"When the time comes, let them take a bath, and then give them some medicinal soup to clear heat and detoxify."
Personal hygiene was also a crucial factor in preventing bacteria, so it was highly necessary to let them, who were covered in dirt, take a bath and clean themselves up.
Because Jiang Jin had made ample preparations in advance, the water supply in Gefeng was sufficient. Although they couldn't be as luxurious as before, daily living was not a problem at all.
Suo Qian showed a look of admiration. "You did well. Drink a bowl of the medicine yourself too; it can somewhat help prevent the virus."
Jiang Jin was riding her horse along the official road, with Yun Chengxuan beside her and dozens of Dragon Shadow Guards following behind.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she came out. Since she planned to take down Shanguan County, she figured she might as well familiarize herself with the routes and the surrounding environment first.
Yun Chengxuan had candy in his mouth, speaking indistinctly. "Auntie, the candy Liqiu and the others made is really delicious."
Yun Chengxuan loved sweets, so Jiang Jin had taught Liqiu and Guyu how to make some handmade candies and pastries.
The two were very talented and constantly innovated, creating quite a few sweet treats.
Jiang Jin was even planning to open a pastry shop. Pastries were still relatively rare in this era, and she believed her pastry shop would definitely do good business.
Jiang Jin cast a sideways glance at him and reminded, "Even if it's delicious, you can't eat too much. Watch out for your teeth."
Yun Chengxuan broke into a wide grin, revealing his bright white teeth. "It's fine, my teeth like eating candy too."
Jiang Jin: "..."
At this moment, the scout who had gone ahead to check the road conditions came galloping back.
Jiang Jin furrowed her brows slightly and slowed her horse.
"My Lord, there is a robbery ahead. A group of Han people is robbing the grain carts of the Quzhao people." The scout's expression was a bit strange.
Jiang Jin was astonished. In the Fengzhou territory, was there anyone other than her who dared to rob the Quzhao people's grain?
"Han people? How many people, how much grain, and what is the state of the battle?" She was genuinely intrigued now.
Ever since bandits ran rampant in Gefeng, the Quzhao soldiers had stopped passing through the Gefeng official roads. They didn't even frequent the vicinity of Gefeng anymore, they were truly terrified of being robbed.
This also resulted in Jiang Jin losing her business, unable to rob grain or kill enemies.
The scout replied quickly, "There are over a hundred grain carts and about six or seven hundred Quzhao soldiers. The Han people robbing the grain outnumber them slightly."
The scale wasn't small. Jiang Jin grew even more interested and waved her hand. "Let's go take a look."
On the official road, carts piled high with hemp sacks were parked. There were already quite a few corpses scattered around, both Han and Quzhao.
The cart slaves were fleeing in panic in all directions, and many were hiding under the carts, shivering in fear.
Meanwhile, the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, with agonizing screams ringing out from time to time.
"Brothers, kill them! The grain will be ours! Kill, kill, kill!"
A burly man holding a broadsword with a chipped and curled edge roared at the top of his lungs.
Before his voice even faded, he slashed at a Quzhao soldier.
The Quzhao soldier was greatly alarmed, but he reacted quickly, dodging to the side to avoid the fatal strike while thrusting his own blade forward.
The burly man raised his sword to defend himself.
Clang.
The two blades clashed violently, letting out a piercing sound.
The burly man took a step back, used the momentum to flick his blade up, and then slashed downward.
The Quzhao soldier couldn't dodge in time and was struck directly in the neck, blood spurting out.
The other Han people also fought as if pumped up with adrenaline, showing no fear of death. They hacked at the Quzhao soldiers relentlessly, cooperating with unspoken tacitness.
Watching the fight from a distance, Jiang Jin's gaze narrowed slightly. There was a method to these Han people's fighting style. It was obvious they had been trained; they didn't look like ordinary mountain bandits or rioting mobs.
Hearing the sound of horse hooves, the burly man currently engaging the enemy felt his brow twitch. They were already struggling to handle these Quzhao people. If another unit of Quzhao soldiers arrived...
He shot a ruthless glare toward Jiang Jin, only to find that the newcomer was actually a Han woman. He couldn't help but frown.
Soon, he noticed Yun Chengxuan beside her, as well as the Dragon Shadow Guards following behind.
His pupils shrank. The feeling these people gave him was extremely dangerous!
The Quzhao soldiers also spotted Jiang Jin's squad. Surprisingly, the two fighting groups paused their movements in perfect unison and then separated.
Jiang Jin: "..."
She had originally planned to join the fray without saying a word. Now that both sides were staring blankly at her, going on a random killing spree would just seem terribly impolite.
She reined her horse to a halt a dozen meters from the skirmish. Looking from the Quzhao soldiers to the Han men, she asked, "Why did you stop fighting?"
