Chapter 144: We Must Become Citizens of the Prefecture City!

Yan Yu gave her father a thumbs-up with her eyes.

That’s right.

No matter how they traveled or changed their route, they would definitely be able to catch up.

A moving convoy always left traces.

Changing the route wouldn’t change anything.

Unless they cleaned up as they traveled…

Forget it, that was simply impossible.

Yan Huaiwen furrowed his brows in thought. “You mean, we should continue on the original route?”

Yan Yu whispered, “Uncle, let’s move faster. Once we reach Guanzhou’s borders, will they still chase us? Guanzhou’s military should be stronger than Leshan’s, right?”

Yan Huaiwen’s brows relaxed a little.

Indeed, no matter how they changed their route, it would always lead through sparsely populated areas.

Rather than diverting, they might as well speed up.

“Those people fled in disgrace. If they go back to get reinforcements and chase us again… Father, they might make it in time.”

“Brother, I’m suggesting that instead of taking the main road, we make a detour westward,” said Yan’s second uncle.

Yan Yu: Huh?!

Dad, what are you talking about?!

Going west would bring them closer to Xizhou, and they would still have to cross the main road. That would be a huge detour.

“Explain in detail,” Yan Huaiwen said.

“This is my thought process. Isn’t there an old saying: ‘Darkness under the lamp’? They would never expect us to take the main road. Even if they react and track us there, the main road is full of traces from travelers. The surroundings are also populated. We can find interconnecting paths, keep heading west, then enter Guanzhou from the western side. Essentially, we’d be shifting from one side of the main road to the other. With this kind of maneuvering, how could they still find us?

Once we reach Guanzhou, we should lay low for a few years… Oh, right, Brother, if the disaster victims reveal our identities, won’t we be exposed when we register for household records? What do we do then?”

Yan’s second uncle was getting excited about his plan when he suddenly remembered the issue of settling down and grew troubled.

“Guanzhou is Prince Ying’s fiefdom and has a strong military presence. The rebels wouldn’t dare act recklessly. As long as we keep silent afterward, they won’t be sure if we know anything and wouldn’t take the risk. But we must still be cautious. The best option is to register our household in the prefecture city.”

Yan’s second uncle and Yan Yu exchanged a look and silently made up their minds.

They must become citizens of the prefecture city!

—

They reloaded the carts without caring which cart belonged to whom—whatever fit was fine.

The horse meat was temporarily stored in the carts without being distributed.

Once the Yan family finalized the route, the entire convoy immediately set into motion.

The injured disaster victims were lucky enough to ride in the mule carts, and the Yan family’s ox cart was repurposed for decocting medicine.

They boiled medicine while traveling, with the charcoal stove proving extremely useful.

Doctor Cui was so busy he practically flew, constantly moving between the mule carts and occasionally checking on the medicine pot.

Yes, the Yan family’s large clay pot had been commandeered by Doctor Cui and was now referred to as his “medicine pot.”

It really did resemble a small medicine pot—just a larger version.

In truth, Village Chief Luo had approached Yan’s second uncle about what to do with the disaster victims.

As the old man put it, they had saved them time and time again, fulfilling their moral duty.

Leaving them behind now was unavoidable. Without those extra people, they could travel faster.

Yan’s second uncle didn’t argue.

He simply told Village Chief Luo, “We haven’t reached that point yet. If disaster truly strikes, we’ll all have to fend for ourselves. But right now, we still have options, we still have a path forward. If we abandon them here, it’s as good as watching them die. Even if the bandits don’t catch them, without guidance, they’ll struggle to make it out of this barren land. Since we brought them in, we’ll take them out. Once we reach the main road ahead, they can decide their own fates.”

Village Chief Luo sighed but also chuckled, murmuring with the other village elders.

They freed up several mule carts, ensuring all the injured were accommodated.

They traveled from dawn until dusk, gritting their teeth and pushing forward.

Everyone understood the reason why.

It was to survive!

—

As the moon rose above the treetops, the lead ox cart of the Yan family finally came to a stop.

Those who had been struggling to keep up staggered and collapsed.

Their legs were numb and swollen. After nightfall, their clothes had been soaked with sweat, dried, and soaked again. The sticky, clammy feeling was unbearable.

Even so, they forced themselves to stand, preparing food to fill their empty stomachs.

Li Xuemei enjoyed special treatment as a pregnant woman, sleeping the whole way. The swaying ox cart hadn’t woken her, but the strong scent of blood did.

Yan’s second uncle grabbed Liang Manshan to help distribute the horse meat.

Before the meat was even handed out, people were already eyeing the carts carrying it with undisguised hunger.

To ensure everyone had the strength to continue, Yan’s second uncle took inspiration from his brother-in-law, Cui, running back and forth along the convoy to calculate meat distribution in advance. The moment they stopped, he prioritized handing out the horse meat.

The moment people heard about the meat distribution, those who had been utterly exhausted sprang to their feet in excitement.

Li Xuemei smelled the blood because Yan’s second uncle had been handling the meat.

He was also trading meat.

He exchanged their prepared jerky for fresh horse meat.

Jerky was easier to carry, lighter in weight, and didn’t take up much space, making it more convenient for travel.

The families receiving the meat were primarily those who had fought against the private soldiers.

Those who had stayed back to protect their families didn’t need Yan’s second uncle to explain—they knew they weren’t entitled to a share.

In critical moments, those who stepped forward deserved rewards.

Among them, Yan’s second uncle didn’t forget his daughter’s “Young Scouts.”

Ha!

Those little ones had actually done a great job.

Their enemy kill count was no less than the adults’.

As their leader, Yan Yu brought back a significant share of horse meat.

Her father and her uncle from the Qi family had helped carry it back.

The reason they had so much was because of the Young Scouts’ pre-established rules.

The horse meat had to be stored collectively in the Young Scouts’ “warehouse,” and rewards would be distributed based on merit.

The kids, their voices hoarse, shouted that this was called “rewarding merit.”

And who did they trust to guard their storage? None other than Yan’s second uncle.

Thus, the Yan family’s area became a full-blown horse meat distribution center.

Huge chunks of meat hung from their ox cart.

When Li Xuemei climbed down from her sleeping spot, she was met with this grand scene.

Unfortunately, she was not pleased. Her face turned pale, and she felt nauseous…

—

People kept coming to Yan’s second uncle to trade for meat.

Five pounds of fresh meat for one pound of jerky.

Yan Yu sat on the ground—she had no choice, her legs were too tired to squat.

Watching her father amass piles of horse meat, she was absolutely delighted.

Exhausted but happy.

“What is your father up to?” Li Xuemei pinched her nose and asked.

“Five pounds of horse meat for one pound of jerky. Mother, if Father had been born in a different era, our family would be unimaginably rich! Having him run our little shop is a complete waste of his talent!”

Li Xuemei chuckled, exasperated. “That jerky is salted. Ask them how much salt they have. Can they make much jerky? Without ‘Three Treasures,’ do you think your father would still be trading like this? Doesn’t drying meat take time? Isn’t time also a cost?”