After dressing as a widow

There were four buckets on the trolley, and each bucket was filled to the brim. However, since the river was about to dry up, the water was scooped up with a ladle against the bottom, making it turbid.

It is such turbid water that people are scrambling to scoop it into their buckets, fearing that if they are too late, it will disappear.

Lin Zhen looked away, and supported the other side of the cart: "Let's go, there are too many people here, if you don't pay attention, you will get involved in other people's disputes."

The two of them pushed the trolley back to the city. All the people they met along the way were people who went out to fetch water like them or came back from fetching water. There were also some horse-drawn carriages and people who were driving out. The current situation in Fucheng is really a bit bad. , Those who have a way to run are looking for their own way, such as Bingzhou, I heard that there were several heavy rains in the spring, and there was no shortage of water.

"What do the people in your academy say, has the township examination been canceled this year?"

Gu Lin was wearing short brown clothes that were convenient for work, and he carried a bow and a pot of arrows on his back. He shook his head: "Master Ren didn't give me the exact words, but Uncle Lin, no matter whether this township test is held or not, we have to do it as soon as possible." Leave Fucheng."

If you don’t take the test this year, you will have to wait until three years later, not to mention how long this severe drought will last. According to the household registration system for students returning to their hometowns, Gu Lin can only take the rural test in Fucheng, and there is no qualification for reference in other places.

Lin Zhen sighed: "It has to be like this. Later, we will bring water back and ask our lady Zhong Yan to come to our house. Zhong Yan is a frail scholar. It is dangerous to go anywhere. It is safe to go on the road together."

"There are also Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen. They only have servants by their side. It would be better to walk with us."

"Well, you are at home when you go back, and I will take them with you."

Suddenly, as soon as the two of them finished talking, four or five people appeared in front of them, each holding a kitchen knife or dagger, and stopped them on the way back: "Leave your water and valuables on your body, or you will be killed." The young master told you to hang your corpse—"

"Clang!" A flying arrow brushed against the ear of the shouting man and pierced hard on the wall behind him, and a strand of broken hair fluttered down on the man's shoulder.

"Next time, he will aim at your throat." Gu Lin took out a new arrow from the quiver and drew the bow into a full moon.

The person who was holding a kitchen knife to rob the two little sheep didn't even see when Gu Lin took off the bow from his shoulder, nor did he see when he drew the bow and arrow.

He knew that he had encountered a hard stubble.

"Let's go!" He glanced at the water in the trolley unwillingly, turned around and left.

Several young people headed by him were also frightened by Gu Lin's extremely fast arrow. They are the lowest-level gangsters in the city. People in Fucheng are panicking now, and they want to take advantage of the chaos to gain some benefits, but they don't want to confess their lives here.

Looking at the backs of these people quickly disappearing in the street, Lin Zhen was thankful countless times that his little boy had worked so hard to learn archery, otherwise he would not be able to be good at it today.

He glanced at the desolate streets and roadsides before it was autumn, but the leaves were all yellow and the trees. Gu Lin, who was sullen and put away his bow and arrow, pushed the car back.

The two shops were closed a month ago. Afraid of any accidents, Lin Zhen added a bigger and stronger lock to it, and locked it whenever he went out. Here, after going in, the cabinet is turned down and pressed against the ground, and it will never be opened without seven or eight people pushing hard from the outside.

Putting the water in and putting it away, Lin Zhen said to Gu Lin: "Go to Mrs. Chen Zhong Yan and the others. I will make all the food into cakes at home. It will be more convenient on the road."

"After I go out, you block the door, and don't open the door if anyone knocks on it." Gu Lin put a firewood knife at home behind his waist, put a bow and arrow on his back, and looked at him.

Lin Zhen nodded: "Don't worry, it's you, you must avoid people when walking outside. Although you are good at archery, you can't beat four hands with two fists, so don't be careless."

"Uncle Lin, I know."

When Gu Lin walked out of the shop, he saw that this bustling Sitong Street was full of people coming and going a few months ago, and now every household closed their doors and arrived at their houses. Occasionally, two of them were strong men, and they were in a hurry, with a sad face.

Gu Lin stepped on the dead leaves on the ground and a puddle of dark spots on the ground, and walked towards the place where Mrs. Chen and Zhong Yan lived. The mother and son did not have much money, and they lived a little far from the bustling road. It's in a small alley in the west of the city.

Along the way, he bypassed several small groups with obvious malicious intentions, and knocked on the doors of Zhong Yan and Mrs. Chen's house.

For a while, there was no sound inside, even the slight sound from the alley next to it disappeared.

Gu Lin said: "Miss Chen, I am Gu Lin."

Behind the door, Mrs. Chen, who was silent like a cicada, and Zhong Yan, who had a heavy face, heard the voice from behind the door, and their tense bodies suddenly relaxed. Zhong Yan told Mrs. Chen to sit down, and opened the door by himself: "Brother Gu."

Gu Lin saluted casually, and walked in: "Ms. Chen, Brother Zhong, the situation in Fucheng is going to be bad right now. Uncle Lin asked me to pick you up to our store, and discuss leaving the city as soon as possible."

Mrs. Chen was terribly frightened by what happened recently. When she heard that Lin Zhen, a reliable person, was leaving the city, she wished she could leave now.

And Zhong Yan looked at Gu Lin: "The township exam is going to be in one month, so you gave up this exam."

Gu Lin: "Life is the most important thing, but come back after three years." He will never let Lin Zhen be in danger because of himself, he can take many scientific examinations, but Lin Zhen cannot be hurt.

Zhong Yan originally wanted to go to the capital to take part in the examination with their students this time next year, but now it seems that will not happen, he said: "In that case, my mother and I will pack up our things and go with you immediately."

Zhong Yan and Mrs. Chen bought a lot of things in the house rented by Zhong Yan and Mrs. Chen in the past two years, such as tables, chairs, benches, bottles and cans. Usually, the two of them would never be willing to throw them away, but now the two of them just took a look at it. Yan Yan's pen, ink, paper and inkstone, a stack of books, half a bag of food and a small amount of money in his purse were put on, and he followed Gu Lin with two backpacks on his back.

A few families quietly looked behind the crack of the door, and they were relieved to see Gu Lin and the others leave, and immediately closed the door tightly.

Gu Lin took them to pick up Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen. The two were as old as Gu Lin. They had no family but servants around them. They couldn't wait for the letters from Anyuan Town's house, so they had been spending time here.

When Gu Lin came to the door, the two blushed with excitement, packed up their things and followed without saying a word.

It's hard to have acquaintances in a foreign country. This feeling is not felt in peaceful times. When isolated and helpless, it almost makes Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen cry with joy.

Lin Zhen was pulling out the flour from the room, and Lin Zhen, who was about to make fried flour, heard a knock on the door. After confirming that it was Gu Lin outside, he quickly removed the cabinet against the door, and saw Zhong Yan Chen Niangzi Wang behind him. The four of them, Qin Huang Yuwen, finally felt the stone in their hearts: "It's all right now, I have companions on the way back."

"Brother Zhen, if not, I really don't know what to do." With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Chen walked over and grabbed Lin Zhen's hand.Ever since there was chaos in Fucheng, she and Zhong Yan stayed at home, except to go out to buy food and fetch water, never stepping out.

Just the night before yesterday, they heard voices coming from the neighbor's house next door. When they got up with the people around them to see, all seven members of the family died. They chatted with Mrs. Chen's age, and the aunt who had called the network and Her daughter-in-law and an unmarried girl fell on the ground naked, with a cloth stuffed in her mouth, and her intestines flowed out of her stomach. Several other men died earlier than them, and their bodies were all hard.

If the evildoers hadn't deliberately made noises, they would have been ignorant.

Mrs. Chen was terrified, she and Zhong Yan were the only ones in her family, if something happened, it would be nothing more than man-made swords and me as fish and meat, and there was no room for resistance.

Although Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen didn't encounter any evil things, nor did they lack food or drink, but they were pampered sons since they were young, and they had never seen such a battle.

Lin Zhen patted Mrs. Chen's hand to comfort her, looked at the people in the yard and said, "I'm afraid it won't rain for a while, and there will only be more chaos in the city. The day after tomorrow at the latest, and the soonest Tomorrow, I will leave the city and return to Anyuan Town."

"There are a lot of things to do before we leave. We need to make the food that is not easy to hold and can't help but make it into cooked food with a long shelf life, and use it as dry food on the road. As for the ten of us, if we walk back, we don't know how long it will take. Let's see what we can do. I can’t find someone who sells livestock to buy two cows or mules, and I can take a little more to go on the road.” From Fucheng to Anyuan Town, it takes half a month’s journey, and there are still no other unexpected situations. If everything goes well, Lin Zhenxin It's a bit uncertain, but it's a better decision to go back to Anyuan Town than to wait in Fucheng for the worsening situation to come.

Wang Qin raised his hand: "Uncle Lin, I bought a horse before, and it is still tied in the stable in the backyard."

Huang Yuwen also said: "The servants in my family bought mules to drive the carriage and take me to school."

"Why didn't you lead me here just now?" Lin Zhen quickly knelt down for the two masters. What is the most important thing when traveling far is food, water and foot strength, otherwise how many things they can carry.

Wang Qin scratched his head: "When I came out, I only remembered to clean up the clothes, and didn't care about the rest."

"..." Lin Zhen said to Gu Lin, "Take Wang Qin and the two servants around Huang Yuwen to bring the horse and the mule, and see if there is any food and salt in their house by the way. .”

"it is good."

Then Lin Zhen said to the remaining six people: "Let's cook food that can be preserved from today on."

Fry the flour, let it cool, and then put it into a ten-jin bag made of cotton cloth by Mrs. Chen. Lin Zhen specially added nuts and sugar in it. It has high calories. Replenish stamina within time.

There are also dried bacon, dried noodles made by myself and fried into simple instant noodles without seasoning packets, as well as cooking cakes, rice cakes...