Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

The men were eating meat and drinking and discussing things outside, and the faint sound of talking penetrated into the house. Gu Huanxi sat cross-legged on the Kang, listening and eating with a calm expression. There was an elm wood Kang table in front of her, and a few tables on it. A small plate, braised pig offal, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised pork trotters, and a plate of fried vegetables. What I drank was thick millet porridge with two spoons of brown sugar added to it.

Gu Xiaoyu sat opposite her, eating and drinking politely.

Gu Huanxi was more casual. When he was biting the pig's trotters, he didn't care at all about the elegance of the action. However, it didn't look rude and ugly when he asked her to do it.

Gu Xiaoyu asked, "Mom, do you really want to escape?"

Gu Huanxi said "hmm", raised his eyes and asked him, "Don't you want to? Or do you have other opinions?"

Gu Xiaoyu thought for a moment and shook his head, "My son can't think of any other way to go. A wealthy family with enough money and food can go to Qingzhou City for a while. As long as the drought passes, there is no need to be displaced. Ordinary people have no choice but to flee. Now the food supply has reached a point where they can no longer bear it. Without relief, they will never make it through next year. They must either sell themselves into slavery or flee from famine."

Gu Huanxi asked casually, "Then do you think the imperial court will send someone to help?"

Gu Xiaoyu was silent for a long time this time. After a while, he said sadly, "It should be... we won't send anyone here. The Tatars are on the border. Food must be secured first for the soldiers in the northwest."

Gu Huanxi said calmly, "Yes, so we can only sacrifice the people of these dozen states in the Central Plains."

Hearing this, Gu Xiaoyu's expression changed and he said subconsciously, "It's just a temporary helpless move. If the border can't be defended and the Tatars march in, the people of the whole world will suffer."

Gu Huanxi raised the corners of his lips mockingly, "Then whose problem do you think this is?"

Gu Xiaoyu defended dryly, "Drought is a natural disaster, not a man-made disaster. Even with talented people, it is difficult to control it. I can only say that it is bad luck..."

Gu Huanxi interrupted, "Yes, drought is indeed a natural disaster, but it is not impossible to cope with. Qingzhou and nearby state capitals have not experienced droughts in the past few years. Why didn't the local people flee the famine?"

"In the past, the imperial court would allocate food for disaster relief, but this year..."

"We can't allocate food this year. All the food has been requisitioned to the northwest, right? But do you think this reason is convincing? How much military rations can the northwest need? Doesn't it require the efforts of the whole country? Jiangnan is a land of plenty, isn't it? Can't we levy food for disaster relief? What about the capital? The capital is at the foot of the emperor. There are countless powerful and powerful families, and the rich and powerful families have only a few. There are often tens of thousands of acres of land under their names, and the remaining grain is enough for them to squander it for a few years. Can't they buy any food? Even if the imperial court wants to go to war, there won't be so much money to mobilize for the time being, but if the higher-ups are really serious, there will always be a way to raise food."

In the end, it was just unintentional.

Or maybe they feel that the drought is not significant enough for the people in these places to take them seriously enough to think of ways to rescue it.

After hearing this, Gu Xiaoyu's face turned a little pale, "So, what you are saying is that there are natural disasters and... man-made disasters?"

Gu Huanxi said nothing, only looked at him calmly.

Silence is acquiescence.

Gu Xiaoyu lowered his head, his whole person shrouded in frustration and sentimentality.

Seeing this, Gu Huanxi brought the topic back to the beginning, "You said that those wealthy families can temporarily take refuge in Qingzhou City and do not need to flee. Do you think Qingzhou City will be stable?"

Gu Xiaoyu was startled for a moment, then recovered, nodded, and explained, "Qingzhou is one of the nine ancient states. Its location is very important. It has always been heavily guarded. Unless there is a strong attack by foreign enemies, otherwise..."

The implication is that even if there are refugees rioting and bandits running rampant, they will not affect Qingzhou City.

Therefore, only the lower class people are unlucky.

Gu Huanxi asked again, "So, there is enough food in Qingzhou City?"

Gu Xiaoyu hesitated and said, "Logically speaking, it should be."

"What about the water source?"

"I heard that there is a river near Qingzhou that has been running continuously for many years. Even if the wells in the city encounter drought, the water level will not be greatly affected. It is enough for daily drinking, but it cannot cope with the drought of the crops in the fields."

Hearing this, Gu Huanxi was thoughtful.

Gu Xiaoyu asked tentatively, "You don't want to go to Qingzhou, do you?"

Gu Huanxi shook his head.

Gu Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm afraid it's already too late to go now. Unless you are a wealthy family with a house in Qingzhou City, ordinary people can only build sheds outside the city if they can't survive. Waiting for the wealthy households in the city to be kind and giving porridge, but this is a bad idea. Waiting for the cold weather will make it difficult for the elderly, weak, women and children to survive. Moreover, if there are too many refugees, the soldiers guarding the city will also If you can't drive them away, it's easy for refugees to get into trouble, which is more dangerous than fleeing..."

Gu Huanxi naturally understands these principles, but she is worried that other people in the village do not understand. After all, it is more acceptable to them to beg for food in Qingzhou than to flee to an unknown place.

"Xiaoyu, how do you know so much?"

"What about mother? What's your knowledge..."

"I have traveled with your grandfather for ten years. In addition to the barbarian lands that are not suitable for entering, I have been to the northwest frontier and most of the state capitals, including the feet of the emperor. I have seen the prosperity and romance, and the poverty and ignorance. Your grandfather also entrusted me with everything he learned. I know that these things are ordinary, but you..."

Gu Xiaoyu pursed his lips, raised his eyes to meet hers, and said, "Everything my son knows was taught by the teacher hired by the family, and some of it was read in books and newspapers..."

Gu Huanxi nodded and smiled, "Let's eat, the food is cold."

Gu Xiaoyu's eyes flashed, and he asked with a bit of confusion, "You, don't you continue to question me..."

Gu Huanxi took over, "Do you want to ask about your family background? There's no need."

Gu Xiaoyu was stunned, "Why?"

Gu Huanxi said casually, "What's the point of asking now? You are already my son."

"But, you are not afraid of me, I will bring you trouble?"

Gu Huanxi asked, "If I were afraid, would you leave?"

Gu Xiaoyu choked and asked after a while, "Then will you abandon me?"

Gu Huanxi said without hesitation, "No, unless you betray this family."

Gu Xiaoyu said without thinking, "I will not betray..."

Gu Huanxi raised the corners of her lips, "That's no problem."

"But are you really not afraid that my identity will cause trouble?"

"It's useless to be afraid. I'm your mother. If something happens to your son, others will find reasons to avoid it, but as a parent, you have a responsibility. If the worst happens, we'll shoulder it together."

"...You can still give it up."

"Family cannot be abandoned."

Her tone was calm, but she seemed to have the power of great force and thunder. His eyes instantly turned red, and he felt that the grievance and sadness in his heart surged out, seeming to drown him.