Chapter 52: Traveling Together

Yan Lao’er casually remarked, “So, that magistrate isn’t such a bad official after all.”

Yan Huaiwen let out a cold snort. “He’s soft-hearted, afraid of taking responsibility, and always relies on his superiors’ compassion instead of fighting for what’s needed. To those above him, he is incompetent; to those below, he accomplishes nothing. Is such an official truly good?”

“At least he turned a blind eye to the gentry delaying their taxes,” Yan Lao’er pointed out.

“If the imperial court decides to investigate, that magistrate will be fine, but those gentry won’t escape punishment.”

Yan Lao’er mulled it over and realized it made sense.

“People like him cling to outdated rules, believing that doing nothing is better than making a mistake. They refuse to take even a single step beyond what is expected.

They act fairly and cautiously, making no major errors. But under their governance, nothing changes—the place is the same when they arrive and when they leave. The common folk call such officials ‘clay Bodhisattvas.'”

Yan Lao’er was curious. “What does that mean?”

“It means they are fine to worship and revere in peaceful times, but when disaster strikes, they are of no use at all. They can’t even save themselves, let alone others.”

Yan Lao’er: …

The common folk really had a vivid and interesting way of describing things.

Yan Huaiwen couldn’t help but reflect on the many types of officials he had encountered—so many faces, so many temperaments.

Were they bad people? Not necessarily.

Some of them were kind-hearted, sympathetic, and genuinely moved by the people’s suffering—some even wept upon seeing it.

But when confronted with responsibility, they would say, ‘I am incompetent’ on the left and ‘I am ashamed’ on the right.

You wouldn’t even know how to deal with them.

They weren’t bad enough to be dismissed, yet they remained in office, eating up resources while contributing nothing.

Sometimes, he found these mediocre officials even more detestable than the corrupt ones.

At least the corrupt officials put some effort into maintaining appearances. The useless ones had nothing but incompetence to offer…

“I’ve spoken with the village elders. We will leave here as soon as possible. If we encounter refugees on the way, stay alert.”

Yan Huaiwen understood that these villagers, having just set out, still had some food rations left and were not in immediate danger.

“We travel until the Hour of the Boar tonight and set out again at the second quarter of the Hour of the Tiger tomorrow. Tianyou, don’t wander off in the coming days.”

Yan Lao’er agreed.

Once the headcount was confirmed, the group set off.

As usual, the Yan family’s ox cart led the way. The elderly, children, and women stayed in the middle, while the village’s able-bodied men positioned themselves around the group for protection.

This stretch of road overlapped with the main official route, which Yan Lao’er and Sanbao had carefully checked beforehand.

Initially, they had planned to avoid relay stations and only return to the main road when necessary.

But now, with a larger group to blend into, there was no need for such trouble.

They simply traveled directly on the official road.

For those used to mountain paths, stepping onto the wide official road suddenly made them feel like they could walk twice as fast.

They soon encountered other refugees, mostly small family groups traveling together. None were as large as theirs.

The Yan family’s two-tiered ox cart stood out conspicuously. From a distance, one could see the strong young men around it, along with several mule and donkey carts.

San Tie returned and shared information about the nearby town’s situation, leaving everyone unsettled.

Had they not left early with the scholar, they would have been forced to pay grain taxes first. By then, they wouldn’t have had enough left to make it this far.

Having traveled mostly on rugged paths, they found it unsettling to suddenly be among so many people.

Especially since these strangers kept staring at them and constantly trying to engage them in conversation.

“Which village are you from? Never seen you before.”

“Where are you headed? This road doesn’t lead to the prefectural city. Are you also going to Leshan Prefecture?”

“We’re going to Leshan Prefecture to seek refuge with relatives. What about you?”

The village elders had already warned them to keep quiet—if they weren’t sure what to say, it was better to say nothing at all.

Fortunately, their pace was quick, so they only needed to deflect the questions briefly before leaving others behind.

No matter how much those following tried to catch up, they couldn’t.

After passing group after group of people, they finally saw a relay station ahead.

The area around the station was completely occupied by refugees, leaving only a clear path on the official road.

Judging by the time of day, most of them were stopping to rest.

Yan Lao’er drove the cart through, and many had already noticed their unusual ox cart.

At first, they assumed this group would stop to rest as well.

But to their surprise, they passed straight through…

By the time the stragglers who had been trying to catch up arrived at the relay station, they were panting for breath.

“Hey, have you seen a group with a double-decker ox cart? Where did they go?”

“They left a long time ago. Didn’t even stop. Why? You know them?” If you knew them, why didn’t they wait for you?

“Oh, just met them on the road. They had a big group, with young and old alike, so I wanted to travel with them. Didn’t expect them to be so fast. Even my donkey cart couldn’t keep up.”

“Anyone can see they have enough people and supplies. Look at those strong young men—they have no need to take on more travelers. Plenty of people would love to tag along. See those folks over there? And those ones? They’re all packing up, getting ready to catch up to them.”

“Guess I wasn’t the only one thinking the same thing, huh?”

…

After some discussion, Yan Huaiwen agreed to let a few trailing groups follow behind them, but he made it clear from the start:

They were just farmers, traveling fast. Others were welcome to follow, but they wouldn’t wait for anyone.

“Scholar, why let them tag along?” Village Chief Luo and the elders asked. “Didn’t we say to be cautious and not reveal our situation?”

“My brother says if we keep avoiding people, it will only make them suspicious. Besides, they’re only going as far as Leshan Prefecture. We won’t be traveling together for long,” Yan Lao’er explained.

“Most of the road ahead is an official route. Having more people around can actually help cover us.”

“But what if the group keeps growing?” Elder Luo had experience—refugees tended to cluster together, and the larger the group, the more likely trouble would arise.

“If it gets bad, we’ll take side roads. They won’t be able to keep up,” Yan Lao’er said smugly.

Yan Huaiwen glanced at him, then addressed everyone. “Leshan Prefecture’s situation is unclear. Most of these people are going to seek refuge with relatives—we can use the opportunity to gather some information.”

In truth, this year, it wasn’t just Qishan Prefecture that suffered disasters—Leshan Prefecture also reported calamities.

But compared to Qishan, it had remained relatively inconspicuous.

Yan Huaiwen clearly remembered that Leshan’s reports included not just droughts, but also bandit attacks.

The two prefectures were adjacent, and both had “shan” (mountain) in their names, yet they were quite different.

Qishan had mostly flatlands, with few real mountains, while Leshan was filled with endless mountain ranges.

Yan Lao’er had wanted to take shortcuts through the mountains, but sticking to official roads was safer.

…

Just as Elder Luo feared, once a few followers joined, more and more people began trailing behind.

No matter how fast they walked, the determined ones kept up, stretching their refugee procession into a long line.

Nighttime was the most nerve-wracking.

Distant shouts, curses, the sharp screams of women, and the wails of children filled the air…

At some point, these noises began to cut off abruptly, as if something had choked them into silence.

A chilling, unexplainable sensation spread through the refugee group.

Along with the relentless sun and stifling heat, it pressed down on them, making it harder and harder to breathe.