“Dad, so that means the rest of the villagers already passed through Yiyang City?”
“That’s right. Village Chief Ge really had no choice.”
Lin Yan nodded in understanding.
He could understand it too.
After all, the village chief was responsible for an entire village. He could not possibly leave everyone stranded there waiting for just their family.
At the city gates, with water scarce and food running low, every extra day of waiting meant greater danger.
Earlier, Lin Yan had already read the notice posted beside the gates.
Yiyang City itself had also suffered from the disaster.
Only a single well inside the city was still producing water, and even then the amount was limited.
Every morning, city residents could line up to receive free water.
In the afternoon, roughly one hundred refugees from outside the city were allowed entry.
The city did not accept refugees permanently.
Each person entering had to pay ten copper coins.
They were forbidden from lingering inside the city. After entering, they either had to leave through the eastern gate or return back out through the western gate.
Two days earlier, the villagers from Dahe Village had lined up, entered Yiyang, and continued onward toward Jiangzhou.
The Lin family, however, had separated from the village in order to wait behind for Lin Yan and his daughter.
“Big Brother… I’ve dragged everyone down.”
For all these years, Lin Yan had always carried deep guilt toward his elder brother’s family.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Say something like that again and your big brother will really get angry.”
Lin Dian scolded with a darkened face.
The Lin family were scholars.
Lin Dian himself had also studied from childhood, though he knew his mind could never compare to Lin Yan’s.
Later, he gave up the imperial examinations and took responsibility for supporting the household.
Meanwhile, Lin Yan successfully became a xiucai scholar, exempting the family from corvée labor and military service while also reducing their agricultural taxes.
Deep down, Lin Dian had always felt immense pride in his younger brother—and relief as well.
Their father had only attained the level of tongsheng scholar, while Lin Dian himself merely knew how to read and write somewhat.
Fortunately, there was his second brother.
Because of Lin Yan, the Lin family truly deserved the title of a scholarly farming household, rather than being ordinary peasants.
In Lin Dian’s eyes, no one could compare to his second brother.
“Then if we want to enter the city again, do we have to line up from the beginning?” Lin Zhiyue suddenly asked.
“Probably,” Lin Dian replied.
“Dad, Guard Pei is still waiting for us. Maybe we can ask if he has a solution.”
Lin Zhiyue immediately thought of Pei Heng.
His identity clearly was not ordinary.
“Oh, right.”
Lin Yan slapped his forehead lightly.
Pei Guang was still waiting for them.
As Lin Yan led the family back toward the carriage, he recounted everything that had happened during their journey.
At that moment, around a hundred refugees had already formed a line at the city gates.
The main gates remained closed, with only a small side door open.
One after another, refugees paid their copper coins and entered the city.
Yamen officers carrying blades stood both inside and outside the gate, prepared in case the refugees suddenly rioted.
“Yueyue.”
Lin Zhixing, still holding Lin Zhiyue’s hand, nudged her suddenly.
Following the direction of her cousin’s gaze, Lin Zhiyue spotted the same old woman who had tried to abduct Lin Zhixing earlier.
The old woman, together with her son and daughter-in-law, was standing in line to enter the city.
Beside her stood a boy around ten years old.
He staggered awkwardly with each step and drooled from time to time.
“Don’t be scared. If she dares bully you again, I’ll beat her up again,” Lin Zhiyue comforted.
“I’m not scared at all! Hehe, Yueyue is the best!”
Lin Zhixing happily swung their clasped hands twice.
The group carried their belongings toward the carriage.
Pei Guang sat bored atop the carriage shaft, lazily kicking his legs.
The moment he looked up and saw Lin Yan approaching with several others, he jumped down.
“Brother Lin, you found your family?”
Lin Yan introduced both sides to one another.
Then Lin Zhiyue deliberately spoke up,
“Dad, looking at this many people, we’ll probably have to wait several more days before entering the city, right?”
“Wait? No need to wait!”
Pei Guang hurriedly interrupted.
“I’ll go speak to someone.”
“That works too. Many thanks, Guard Pei. The sooner we reach Jiangzhou, the sooner Guard Pei can be freed from all this trouble.”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”
After the introductions, Pei Guang now knew Lin Zhiyue was actually a little girl.
He also realized she was still annoyed about his earlier suspicion that they had schemed against them.
Awkwardly scratching his head, he stammered,
“I-I’ll go now. Just wait here.”
Then he hurried off.
Meanwhile, the line at the city gate loosened slightly.
The Lin family spread grass mats beside the carriage and sat together.
The carriage itself had been baking under the blazing sun all day, making the inside unbearably stuffy.
The horse pulling it snorted repeatedly, stamping its hooves restlessly against the ground.
Seeing this, Lin Zhiyue found a chipped bowl and poured half a bowl of spring water for the horse.
After feeding the horse, she looked at her family and began thinking about how to bring out food for everyone.
Climbing into the carriage, she lowered the curtains and retrieved steamed buns and eggs she had prepared earlier from the space.
She also refilled the empty water pouch.
After hesitating for a while, she ultimately filled it with spiritual spring water.
Her grandparents looked terribly weak.
At a time like this, their health mattered more than anything.
“Dad, come inside for a moment.”
The moment Lin Yan entered the carriage, he saw his daughter busy arranging food.
“Dad, eat a piece of chocolate first to fill your stomach a little. Then give Grandpa and Grandma the eggs and steamed buns.”
“The hot-water bag contains ordinary water. The pouch has spiritual spring water. Use them carefully.”
Lin Yan first picked up the hot-water bag and the water pouch from the floor.
He tucked the pouch into his robes while wrapping the hot-water bag inside the bundle.
Only then did he take the chocolate.
He had not eaten all day, and his stomach was already painfully hungry.
Awkwardly tearing open the wrapper, he discovered the chocolate had nearly melted from the heat.
He hurriedly stuffed the soft, gooey chocolate into his mouth—
Only to accidentally smear it all over his hand.
At that exact moment, the carriage curtain lifted.
A little head poked in from the side.
“Yueyue, ah—… Second Uncle, you…?”
Lin Yan froze.
His young nephew’s cheerful greeting for his cousin suddenly cut off midway into horrified silence.
The curtain dropped shut again.
Outside, Lin Zhili’s tearful voice rang out loudly:
“Dad! I don’t want dinner anymore! Give it to Second Uncle instead! Second Uncle’s so hungry he’s eating poop!”
Inside the carriage, father and daughter stared blankly at each other.
Outside, Lin Dian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You little brat! What nonsense are you shouting?!”
Lin Dian absolutely refused to believe that his refined, scholarly, gentle younger brother would ever eat poop.
Besides, judging by Lin Yan’s healthy appearance, he certainly did not look desperate enough to do such a thing.
Lin Dian immediately got up to beat his son.
“Then go look yourself! If it’s not poop, then what’s that black sticky stuff?!”
Lin Zhili shouted while running circles around the carriage to avoid his father’s chasing hands.
Inside, Lin Yan silently wiped the corner of his mouth clean.
His face turned completely black.
Carrying the bundle, he climbed down from the carriage without acknowledging either father or son.
“Dad, Mom, Sister-in-law… here, eat something.”
Lin Yan took out the eggs and steamed buns from the bundle.
Yet seeing that no one moved while all stared fixedly at him, he hurriedly explained,
“I-I didn’t eat… that. It was just a special kind of pastry.”
Even saying the word “poop” aloud was too much for him.
At this moment, he dearly wanted to beat up that little brat himself.
Inside the carriage, Lin Zhiyue sighed helplessly.
Then she took out several more pieces of chocolate, unwrapped them, and placed them all into a wooden bowl.
Originally, she had not wanted to reveal them because they were difficult to explain.
But if she did not bring them out now—
Her father might truly end up carrying the lifelong reputation of “the scholar who ate poop.”