The Humble Family's Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket! novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Chapter 10, Meeting Obstacles_1

Two days later, Daohua and her group entered the territory of Zhongzhou Prefecture.

Daohua had originally thought that, upon entering Zhongzhou Prefecture, the journey would become smoother. However, to her surprise, the number of refugees on the road only seemed to be increasing.

"Why are there more and more refugees?"

Xiao Yeyang snorted coldly, "What other reason could there be? It's definitely because the local officials are neglecting their duties, merely warming their seats without doing any work."

Daohua glanced at him and didn't speak, but she largely agreed with him in her heart.

The common folk were suffering; if not due to the officials' inaction, then what?

However, Yan Wentao wasn't pleased, "You can't tar everyone with the same brush, many officials are actually quite good."

Old Madam Yan nodded in agreement, "That's right, young Xiao, you haven't conducted any field investigations. You shouldn't speak so carelessly without knowing the facts."

Daohua knew that her grandmother and third brother were speaking up for her father, who was a Seventh-rank County Magistrate. After some thought, she diverted the topic, "Brother Xiaoliu came by earlier and told me that upon entering the city, the Escort Bureau intends to part ways with us."

Old Madam Yan frowned slightly, "There's still a considerable distance from Zhongzhou Prefecture to Linyi County..." With their group comprising both old and young, traveling alone could prove to be unsafe.

Daohua, too, was worried about safety on the road and thus suggested, "Grandmother, how about this, once we enter the city, we don't leave right away. Instead, we can write to Linyi County and ask Father to send someone to pick us up."

All along the way, robberies and even murders committed by the refugees were not unheard of. For the sake of safety, it was best to remain cautious.

Old Madam Yan nodded, "That's a good idea, let's do it this way."

Daohua then turned to Xiao Yeyang and Zhao Ergou, "We will be reaching the city soon. Do you two have any plans?"

Upon hearing this, both men pursed their lips in silence.

Xiao Yeyang had a way out. He could go directly to the Governor's Office. If the people there knew of his identity, they would certainly send him back to Beijing respectfully.

But by doing so, his story of being trafficked by slave traders would be impossible to conceal. If those in Beijing found out, he would be hugely embarrassed.

As for Zhao Ergou, he simply didn't know what to do. He had been sold by his family and even if he returned, he was destined to be sent off as a child groom.

Seeing them like this, Old Madam Yan's heart softened, and she sighed deeply, "Let's get into the city first, then we can figure things out."

With grandmother having spoken, Daohua didn't ask any further questions.

As noon approached, Qin Xiaoliu of the Escort Bureau suddenly arrived at the Daohua family's carriage in a rush.

"Brother Xiaoliu, why have you come? Are we about to enter the city?" Daohua asked with a smile.

During this journey away from home, Old Madam Yan had prepared a lot of food, and they had been taking some over to the Escort Bureau. This gave them the chance to become quickly acquainted with Qin Xiaoliu.

Qin Xiaoliu shook his head, his expression somewhat serious, "I'm afraid we won't be able to enter the city today."

Daohua was taken aback, "Has something happened again?"

Qin Xiaoliu shared the news he had gathered from the Escort Bureau, "Last year, several provinces in the north suffered from severe drought. Zhongzhou Prefecture, being close to the Dayuan River, was not as badly affected. This led to a huge influx of refugees moving this way."

"With the increase in refugees, trouble was inevitable. The road leading to the city, a crucial passageway, has been occupied by a group of refugees for the past few days. The Government Office is trying to find a solution, but no one knows when the issue will be resolved."

Old Madam Yan grew anxious and slapped her thigh sharply, "What in the world is going on!"

Daohua, holding Old Madam Yan's arm, tried to console her while looking at Qin Xiaoliu, "Brother Xiaoliu, what does the Escort Bureau plan to do?"

Her question led Old Madam Yan and everyone else to turn their attention to Qin Xiaoliu.

Qin Xiaoliu's face bore a look of apology, "We have a timeline to deliver the escorted goods, and the foreman said we might take a detour through the city, due to a length of mountain road we'll have to take. This might mean... we can't continue to escort you any further."