Space Farming: Traveling through Ancient Times to Do Business

Under the scorching sun, time seemed to be stretched out and every step seemed extremely heavy.

The sun was high in the sky, baking the earth hot, and the air was filled with a suffocating heat.

Although the Chen family was exhausted, they still gritted their teeth and kept moving forward. Their faces were sunburned red, and sweat kept falling from their foreheads like beads that had broken off the string, dripping onto the thirsty land and evaporating without a trace in an instant.

Looking around, they saw withered fields. The lush wheat in the past had turned dry and brown, like the silent wail of nature. These scenes reminded them that this unprecedented drought had seriously threatened people's survival.

Continuing on the journey in such weather would only make everyone more exhausted, so he made a decisive decision and suggested walking a little further ahead to find a place to rest in the shade.

After another hour of arduous trekking, when everyone was almost exhausted, a glimmer of hope finally appeared in front of them - a clear stream and a few lonely trees beside the stream. This seemed to be the nectar and shelter bestowed by God, making everyone's eyes sparkle with hope.

Li Zhuang immediately stopped the team and signaled everyone to go to the stream to rest.

Upon hearing this, everyone quickened their pace and almost jogged towards the cool world.

They couldn't wait to put down their bags and dip their water bags into the cool stream water. When they were full, they couldn't wait to drink.

The clear, sweet water moistened their thirsty throats and tired bodies and minds like nectar, making them feel unprecedented comfort and satisfaction.

"Where are you going?" Jiang Xue's voice was filled with curiosity and concern. She stood by the road, her eyes fixed on the crowd hurrying along.

They either drove ox carts, horse carts, or pulled donkey carts. Some of them had to rely on simple handcarts carrying their belongings. They looked tired but determined.

Hearing this, Li Zhuang stopped and looked up at the girl who suddenly appeared. His face was full of the vicissitudes and worries of the journey, but he still tried to answer in a calm tone: "Girl, don't go north."

Jiang Xue was stunned when she heard this, and asked in confusion: "Why is this?"

Li Zhuang looked around and made sure that no one else was paying attention. Then he lowered his voice and whispered into Jiang Xue's ear, "Binzhou plague." These four words were like a heavy stone, weighing on the hearts of both of them.

Jiang Xue frowned when she heard this, and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes: "Is the situation in Binzhou serious?"

Li Zhuang shook his head, his tone filled with helplessness and uncertainty: "I don't know, I don't know the specific situation. But after I received the news, I immediately fled with my family. Now, everyone who can leave has left, no one wants to be entangled by the plague."

Jiang Xue was silent for a moment, seemingly trying to digest this sudden news.

Looking at Li Zhuang and the people around him who were also fleeing, she felt a complex emotion. She felt sympathy and worry about the epidemic in Binzhou, but also sympathy and admiration for the strangers in front of her. Although they were in difficult situations, they still maintained hope and persistence for the future.

"So where are you planning to go?" Jiang Xue asked softly.

Li Zhuang sighed and looked into the distance: "Let's go south. I heard it's relatively safer over there. Although the journey is long and full of unknowns, it's better than staying here and waiting to die."

Jiang Xue nodded, seeming to be infected by Li Zhuang's words.

"Girl, see you later." After that, Li Zhuang and Li's father got on their donkey carts and continued on their journey.

She watched Li Zhuang and his group continue to move forward, and silently prayed for them in her heart, hoping that they could safely pass this difficult journey and find a peaceful place that belonged to them.

"Xue'er, didn't I tell you not to run around?" Xuan Yuchen's tone contained some reproach, but more of it was concern that could not be concealed.

Jiang Xue looked up at Xuan Yuchen, a hint of apology flashed in her eyes, but more of it was determination. "I want to ask about the specific situation. I don't know what the current situation in Bincheng is."

"We will arrive in Bincheng in one day, let's go!" Xuan Yuchen's voice sounded in the carriage, with a hint of subtle tension and anticipation.

The carriage continued along the winding dirt road, the wheels making a dull sound as they rolled over the dry land.

The scenery outside the car window became increasingly desolate, completely different from the bountiful harvest scene that should have occurred at this time of year in previous years.

This year's drought is like a ruthless catastrophe, devouring all life on this land.

In the wheat fields, the wheat ears that should have been golden are now withered and yellow, and the dry stalks sway in the breeze, as if telling of endless sorrow. The fields without harvest seem particularly empty and lonely.

As the carriage gradually went deeper into the heart of Dongzhou, the scene on the road became more and more heartbreaking.

At first, they did not see many disaster victims, but as the road stretched, more and more disaster victims came into view. They were old or young, male or female, all of them were ragged, pale and thin, with eyes full of despair and helplessness about life.

Through the cracks in the car window, Jiang Xue saw the emaciated victims struggling in despair.

Some lay in the dry wheat fields, trying to dig out even a trace of wild grass from the soil to fill their stomachs; others gathered under the elm trees on the roadside, peeling off the bark with their rough fingers, trying to find a trace of life in them.

Their movements were mechanical and slow, as if every effort was a silent protest against fate.

These disaster victims were scattered in groups of three or four on the roads and fields. Some were sitting or lying down, silently searching for any food that could fill their stomachs.

There is a depressing and heavy atmosphere in the air, which makes people feel worried for these innocent lives.

As the carriage slowly drove into a small town close to Bincheng, the sky had completely darkened.

Xuan Yuchen looked around and decided to find a place to spend the night. "It's already dark, let's go in and find an inn to stay."

Walking into the city gate, Jiang Xue felt sad at the sight before her.

Although the street is not very busy, there are many food stalls on both sides.

The stalls were crowded with ragged victims who struggled to fish out a few copper coins from their worn-out clothes in exchange for a piece of black cake, which they could not wait to devour.

Jiang Xue took a closer look and found that the things being sold on the stalls were things that no one would normally eat - elm bark noodles, sweet potato vines, thatch roots, peanut shells, bran, cottonseed cakes... These were originally food for pigs and cows, but now they have become the staple food that people rely on for survival.