“Oh no, it’s true! The notice says we need to evacuate immediately and flee somewhere else. We can only come back after the war is over…”
“What?! We have families and children to take care of. Where are we supposed to run to?!”
…
When Lin Xiazhi arrived outside the yamen, she found a huge crowd gathered around the notice board.
Something important had clearly been posted.
She hurried over and squeezed through the crowd to get a closer look.
Sure enough, it was an evacuation order.
At least the imperial court still had some conscience.
They were warning the common people in advance and giving them a chance to escape.
The moment the notice was posted, chaos swept through the entire town.
People flooded into every grain shop, clothing store, and general goods merchant.
Whenever they emerged, their arms were packed with supplies.
Within only half an hour, prices skyrocketed across the board.
Food, clothing, daily necessities, everything had become outrageously expensive.
In some places, people were openly fighting over supplies.
Several individuals were already bleeding from head wounds over a single sack of grain.
“I saw it first! Give it to me!”
“Nonsense! It’s mine!”
“Help! Someone’s stealing my things!”
“You deserve a beating! Hand it over!”
…
The town had descended into complete chaos.
Affected by the tense atmosphere around her, Lin Xiazhi immediately joined the rush for supplies.
She could no longer wait for the textile shop to finish making the quilts and winter clothing she had ordered.
Without hesitation, she returned to the shop and purchased every unfinished product available.
There was too much to carry, however.
She couldn’t simply store everything inside her space in front of so many people.
Instead, she carried bundles of cloth and cotton to a secluded location and stored them there.
After making four trips back and forth, she finally finished transporting everything.
Then another concern came to mind.
Her mother’s injuries made a carriage absolutely necessary.
Without delay, she plunged into the crowded marketplace in search of a wagon dealer.
The moment she spotted one, she pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of a carriage.
“I want this one. How much?”
The owner looked her up and down before replying disdainfully,
“Two hundred taels. Not a copper less.”
Lin Xiazhi frowned as she stroked the horse’s neck.
Too expensive.
“If you hesitate any longer, it’ll go up to this much!”
The owner raised three fingers.
Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, he immediately sensed an opportunity and leaned closer.
“Lots of people still haven’t heard the evacuation news.”
“First come, first served.”
“If you don’t buy now, there won’t be any left when you decide you want one.”
That was true.
Lin Xiazhi decisively pulled out two one-hundred-tael banknotes.
“I’ll take it.”
But just as she handed them over, a hand suddenly snatched the notes away.
Turning around, she found herself staring directly into Lin San’s vicious eyes.
“So it really was you who stole our silver.”
“I followed you for half the day, and now I’ve caught you red-handed.”
“You want to buy a carriage with our money?”
“Not a chance!”
“Give it back.”
Lin Xiazhi’s expression darkened.
“I’ll only say it once.”
Lin San laughed arrogantly.
“The silver belongs to me.”
“You’re not getting it back.”
Unfortunately for him, his arrogance lasted only a second.
A cold smile appeared on Lin Xiazhi’s lips.
In a blur of motion, she snatched back the banknotes.
Then she drew her blade.
The knife flashed.
Blood sprayed into the air.
A severed hand landed on the ground with a wet thud.
“AHHHHH!”
“My hand!”
The agony finally registered.
Lin San stared at the bloody stump of his wrist before releasing a horrifying scream.
“My hand is gone!”
“My hand!”
Without changing expression, Lin Xiazhi stuffed the banknotes into the stunned merchant’s arms.
“Payment received. Transaction complete.”
Then she kicked Lin San aside and calmly led the carriage away.
Lin San sat up in the dirt, clutching the bleeding stump.
His face twisted with hatred as he glared at the departing carriage.
“You bitch!”
“I’ll make you pay with your life!”
Only half an hour later, the town had completely fallen apart.
People were robbing, fighting, and even killing one another.
The situation had already spiraled beyond the government’s control.
Fortunately, Lin Xiazhi had acted early.
By the time the worst of the chaos erupted, her carriage was already loaded to the brim with supplies.
As the evening sun painted the sky with golden light, she drove home fully prepared.
Before she even climbed down from the carriage, a small figure ran out of the courtyard.
When Lin Qingbei saw the large carriage, he gasped.
“Sis, why did you buy a carriage? Those are so expensive!”
Lin Xiazhi jumped down.
“We’re leaving immediately.”
“Mother is injured. Traveling by carriage will be easier for her.”
“Why are we leaving?”
Lin Qingbei looked confused.
“Where are we going?”
“We can’t stay here anymore.”
“I’ll explain later.”
The boy still looked bewildered.
“After the Village Chief left to deal with Yang Zhaodi’s matter today, he rushed back in a hurry.”
“The Chen family is packing their belongings.”
“I also saw Aunt Liu and Aunt Zhao packing too.”
“The whole village is in an uproar.”
“It feels like something big is about to happen.”
His eyes suddenly widened.
“Wait… Is everyone leaving?”
“Sis, has the enemy army arrived?”
Only then did he finally piece everything together.
Lin Xiazhi led the carriage into the courtyard and patiently explained.
“The imperial court has issued an evacuation order.”
“Everyone in Zhou County must leave and relocate elsewhere.”
“The town is already in chaos.”
Then her expression turned serious.
“No matter who comes, don’t open the gate.”
“Keep an eye on the carriage.”
“Don’t let the Chen family take it.”
“If anything happens, go find me at the Mu family’s house.”
Lin Qingbei patted his chest confidently.
“Got it!”
“Don’t worry, Sis. I’m reliable!”
“…”
After locking the courtyard gate, Lin Xiazhi gave him a few more instructions.
Then she swiftly climbed over the wall and headed toward the wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain.
Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Mu Zheng had been excited all afternoon.
Ever since hearing that his leg could be healed, he had barely been able to sit still.
He returned home early and waited eagerly for Lin Xiazhi.
If his leg truly recovered, many future plans would become far easier.
Yet after observing her over the past few days, he had become increasingly certain of something.
The current Lin Xiazhi was not the same timid girl she had once been.
Could she have experienced some miracle, just as he had?
The possibility was extremely high.
Otherwise, how could a person’s personality change so drastically overnight?
Even her eyes had changed.
She was no longer weak.
No longer submissive.
She had awakened and picked up a weapon to protect herself.
And in times like these, such a transformation was exactly what was needed.
Thinking of this, Mu Zheng finally felt relieved.
Whatever she wanted to do, she could do it.
He would bear the consequences if necessary.
“Lie down and go to sleep. I’m going to reset your leg.”
A shadow suddenly fell over him.
Mu Zheng looked up.
At some point, Lin Xiazhi had entered the cabin and was now standing over him.
“Alright.”
Suppressing the emotions in his eyes, he obediently lay down.
“Ready?”
Before he could even nod, a handkerchief covered his nose and mouth.
Within a single breath, his vision blurred.
Drowsiness swept over him.
A cool, steady voice echoed beside his ear.
“Go to sleep.”
“When you wake up, everything will be fine.”
Mu Zheng fell into an unusually deep sleep.
Yet his dreams were chaotic and fragmented.
“Mother…”
“Please don’t break Ning’an’s leg.”
“Please, Mother…”
“I still need to go back and ask that person…”
“I want to know why he abandoned Mother and me…”