Chapter 37: Something to Look Forward To

The door to the house where Cheng Zhi's family lived was not bolted, only pulled shut, so that he could enter the room the moment he returned.

"Mother, Brother, Sister-in-law, I'm back!"

Cheng Zhi pushed the door open and entered, speaking urgently.

"How are you all? I brought rice back!"

Wen Gu and the others confirmed there was no other danger here and followed him inside.

They soon discovered three people lying against the wall: Cheng Zhi's own mother and his brother and sister-in-law.

However, at this moment, the three of them looked extremely weak and were delirious.

Cheng Zhi tried to speak to them, but received no response. His brother half-opened his eyes as if wanting to say something, but no sound came out, and his hands were trembling weakly.

Wen Gu said to the cousin beside him, "Tietou, take out your water canteen."

He then asked County Lieutenant Zhou for two pieces of hard malt sugar, threw them into the canteen, and had Tietou tighten the lid and shake it.

"Brother Cheng, do you have a clean bowl or teacup? If there is a soup spoon, bring that too."

"I-I do!"

The flustered Cheng Zhi followed Wen Gu's instructions and found a porcelain bowl and a soup spoon.

The sweet water in the Bamboo Tube was poured out.

"Feed them a little," Wen Gu said.

Cheng Zhi carried the bowl over.

Beside him, Tietou looked at the two pieces of malt sugar remaining in the Bamboo Tube; both were half-melted.

"Brother, there is still sugar here."

"Eat it yourself."

"Hey!" Tietou happily poured them into his mouth.

Wen Gu turned to look at Cheng Zhi's family and said to Cheng Zhi, "It looks like they are starving; let them drink some sweet water to recover a bit first."

His gaze swept over the surroundings, and he added, "They saved all their food for you."

Cheng Zhi fed his family in silence, his hands trembling as he held the porcelain bowl and the soup spoon.

Wen Gu did not keep staring at him and looked into the room: "Light the stove and boil some hot water."

He Da immediately jumped forward: "I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Seeing this, Yu Er did not want to fall behind and followed to help.

They had to be proactive now. The group had found quite a lot of supplies today, which were distributed based on labor; surely a small task like boiling water could count toward that?

Even if it didn't count, leaving a good impression on Wen Gu was fine too.

As He Da lit the stove, he felt a bit proud and very fortunate: It really is different when you follow the right person!

From entering the Town until now, how much time had passed?

Two large bags of salt, all kinds of grain, dried fruit, sugar—not to mention other supplies; he valued the salt and grain the most.

Wen Scholar said that he would have Qingyi Daozhang refine the coarse salt into fine salt, so it wouldn't harm the body when eaten.

When the world was at peace, how could they afford fine salt? He didn't even know what fine salt tasted like.

Now that they were refugees, they were actually enjoying a treat.

Oh, and there was sugar!

In a while, when they went back, that jar of malt sugar would be divided up!

Slurp—

What does a person live for?

There is something to look forward to!

Finally, no need to fight with his own ox for food!

He Da's gaze swept over the surroundings and saw the large vinegar jars placed to the side.

He still remembered that when Wen Gu was talking to Cheng Zhi earlier, he mentioned that vinegar might also ward off evil.

Without wine, moving a few jars of vinegar would work just as well!

He Da eyed the vinegar jars placed around the area with envy.

Yu Er had the same thought; with the big harvest today and his good mood, he was in the mood to joke: "Between the wine and the vinegar, I feel like I've been pickled."

"Isn't being pickled a good thing?" He Da retorted.

"It's pretty good!"

Being with someone whose blood and Qi are pure, evil entities will definitely choose someone else first.

What does it matter if you have a smell on you? Bring on ten times the intensity!

Once the hot water was boiled and some was set aside, Wen Gu took out a large paper package, poured the Grain Powder inside into the pot, and said to Cheng Zhi, "Cook some rice porridge for them to eat."

Cheng Zhi's eyes turned red, and he said gratefully, "Many thanks!"

Qingyi Daozhang, sitting at the door, looked at the large paper package, then glanced at Wen Gu, and finally took a peek at Cheng Zhi and his family.

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk."

After a while, Cheng Zhi's mother and his brother and sister-in-law regained consciousness one after another; although they still lacked strength, they were clearer-headed.

Cheng Zhi's mother said in a weak voice, "Mother knew you wouldn't meet with disaster; you kowtowed to the immortals before you left today!"

Xiao Liu and County Lieutenant Zhou couldn't help but peer into the room.

Which path of immortals did your family invite, exactly?

Cheng Zhi introduced the identities of Wen Gu and the others to his family and briefly recounted the dangerous situation of the day.

Cheng Zhi's mother propped herself up and thanked Wen Gu and the others for their life-saving grace.

Although she also felt pained by the wasted glutinous rice, staying alive was what mattered most.

Their attitude toward Wen Gu, a scholar, was clearly different from how they treated others.

Worried that Wen Gu might misunderstand Cheng Zhi, Cheng Zhi's mother and his brother and sister-in-law all expressed that they were doing this voluntarily, all stemming from the obsession in their hearts.

Years ago, when Cheng Zhi's father had a dispute with someone, it was clear the other party was in the wrong, but because someone in the other party's family had earned an official rank, it was his own family that ended up being blamed by everyone.

Those people seemed to judge right from wrong based solely on status.

The injuries on his father's body might have healed if he had just rested for a period of time, but the constant blame and mockery from those around him, the snide remarks, the splashing of filth at their doorway, the long-term release of collective verbal abuse, and the many rumors and gossip—

His father died of depression on his sickbed.

Wen Gu sighed softly: "Public opinion is fearsome; accumulated slander can melt bones!"

Tears shimmered in Cheng Zhi's eyes.

The Cheng family had fled to the Town years ago; they had no great skills themselves, nor any clan relatives to support them.

Before his father passed away, he was still preoccupied with this: once Cheng Zhi earned an official rank, he must go to his grave and tell him!

Cheng Zhi memorized things very quickly, and his family simply felt that such a person must have extremely high talent for study, so they gritted their teeth and supported him all the way.

As long as Cheng Zhi earned an official rank, their whole family would finally see better days.

The family members were willing to pay the price.

If he had held an official position back then, his father would not have died in bitterness.

Wen Gu could understand their thinking.

The experiences of those years left Cheng Zhi and his family with a deeper obsession with crossing class boundaries.

And for ordinary commoners, there was only one path to climb upward: studying.

Wen Gu already had a rough understanding of Cheng Zhi's memory level.

Having only memory without sufficient talent would not win the favor of those academic figures.

But even among bookworms, different backgrounds could lead to very different fates.

In this era, if Cheng Zhi's background were higher, and his family could pull some strings for him, he could have a decent reputation.

Reputation was of great use.

Looking at the present: a commoner, with an ordinary background, he might even be suppressed at the academy. His family had limited vision and could not provide more help; providing money was already the greatest sacrifice the whole family could make.

Thinking of his experiences over these years and considering the current state of the world, Cheng Zhi could not help but shed tears.

In the current state of the world, which was beyond comprehension, their last line of psychological defense was about to be crushed.

His family was considered strong-willed for having lasted until now. Many more people who could not bear the psychological pressure—the mild ones went mad, the severe ones took their own lives—had long ago given up on survival and did not live to see today.

Taking a clean cloth from nearby to wipe his tears and snot, Cheng Zhi said:

"Mother, Brother, Sister-in-law, you really don't need to save food for me anymore! Wengqi Yili, ten thousand households wiped out. The imperial examinations have long since stopped! In this state of the world, what is the use of reading more books!"

Wen Gu was startled.

Wait a minute! Why say that?

Is his mentality about to collapse?

This won't do!

The smart assistant must constantly upgrade its information database; it cannot stop!

Wen Gu observed the expressions and subtle reactions of Cheng Zhi and his three family members.

He took a step toward them, his whole body naturally exuding a vibrant scholarly aura, and there was also a kind of awe-inspiring elegance.

Over there, Qingyi Daozhang, who was sitting at the door, raised a hand to stroke his twitching forehead, looked away, and got up to go outside.

It was too painful to watch!

Inside the room.

Wen Gu discussed the Evil Plague with Cheng Zhi and the others.

It was not that the Cheng Jia had never experienced a plague, but in the past, they had only seen ordinary plagues, and at that time, the imperial court had quickly sent people down to handle them.

This time, it was said that even the Huangcheng had been ravaged by demons and evil, and the imperial examinations had been stopped; he didn't know when they would be restored, or if he would see it in his lifetime... Sigh!

After struggling for more than ten years, their goal was suddenly gone, and they had to constantly guard against threats to their lives. Now, they were just getting by one day at a time, relying only on the instinct to survive.

Regarding this Evil Plague, what circulated most among the common people were tales of gods, demons, and ghosts.

When discussing these, the Cheng Jia felt fear, and their voices trembled.

They were almost scared out of their wits; their psychological defenses were already at a very dangerous point, not far from collapse.

Cheng Zhi looked at Wen Gu with admiration: "You are actually not afraid."

Wen Gu's expression was calm, his back straight, his gaze clear and upright, his temperament profound:

"Although it appears extremely strange and evil, the Sage once said: 'All things in heaven and earth are born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence.' This saying of the Sage can also point to this Evil Plague.

"It is soundless, formless, and colorless; it is a formless form, elusive and mysterious, yet it is not 'nothing.' It is simply difficult for ordinary people to perceive and impossible for the naked eye to detect. It is by no means a matter of demons and ghosts!

"This journey north is to escape disaster, to join relatives, and also to seek a way to save the world!"

Everyone in the room: "..."

Between the words of the Sage and the talk of saving the world, although they didn't quite understand, they felt Wen Gu's stature grow taller, his aura layered, and the eyes of everyone in the room seemed to brighten a degree, giving rise to respect.

Cheng Zhi was just about to offer a word of praise.

Wen Gu looked ashamed and continued: "Of course, there is also some worldly selfishness."

Wen Gu lifted his chin slightly, turning toward a certain direction. The afterglow of the sunset shone on him from outside the window.

"The imperial capital has fallen, and the imperial court has collapsed. Now that the Evil Plague is raging and the people are suffering, the situation in each province is becoming increasingly critical.

"But there must also be noble families and high officials stabilizing the local situation and implementing local decrees... in layman's terms, they have temporarily formed small local imperial courts."

The Cheng Jia didn't understand anything else, but the term "small imperial court" was grasped precisely.

As if still worried that everyone might not understand, Wen Gu asked Cheng Zhi: "You have read history books; you should know about 'regional separatism'?"

Cheng Zhi nodded.

Wen Gu said: "Nowadays, although the situation is different, I also do not know exactly how Beidi is. It is just that I suspect the current situation in Beidi might be a little bit similar to this... uh, as long as you can understand."

Cheng Zhi continued to nod: "I understand! I understand!"

He then lowered his voice to briefly explain a couple of sentences to his mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Yes, it was indeed exactly the meaning they understood.

"Nowadays, there are not many survivors, and the noble families and powerful clans of the South are constantly moving north. The various powers in Beidi are also just in need of people, so this trip north is also..."

Wen Gu performed a bow toward the north in the air.

"I am ashamed, but I also wish to seek a future."

A future!

What has the family worked so hard for all these years? What was his father thinking about day and night on his sickbed?

If they wanted to cross class lines and change their status, the only path was the imperial examination! The whole family relied on Cheng Zhi alone; they would rather starve or work themselves to death than fail to support this one scholar!

When they first learned that the imperial examination had been suspended, they instantly lost their spirit, becoming listless, withered, and sickly...

Now, now!

The lost spirit has been injected back in!

The four pairs of eyes of the Cheng Jia brightened by ten degrees; there was no need for words, as that look almost expressed the same meaning—please, by all means, take us with you!

The family of Cheng Zhi, who were originally weak and lying against the wall, actually stood up by supporting themselves against the wall.

Outside the room.

The Daoist Priest listened to the movement inside.

Sigh!

How long has it even been?

This person Wen Gu is truly skilled at bewitching people's hearts!

It is a good thing he is not in the same line of work!

Inside the room, the Cheng Jia expressed their stance actively, hoping to be able to travel with Wen Gu and his group and head north together.

However, Wen Gu did not immediately and gladly accept the new team members, but instead sincerely urged them to consider it carefully again.

"If you search carefully inside many of the residences in the Town, you can still find some supplies. Leaving your hometown to flee north is a very difficult process; no one knows if they can arrive alive. Be cautious!"

The more he acted like this, the more the Cheng Jia felt that Wen Gu treated people with sincerity.

The sky had already turned dark, and Wen Gu led the others away.

Even He Da and Yu Er, who had been thinking about the vinegar jar earlier, were strangely silent, as if they were pondering some important question, and followed Wen Gu out obediently.

After Wen Gu left, Cheng Zhi informed his family in detail about today's experiences, as well as everything that happened just now at that wealthy household, including the words Wen Gu said about how there is strength in numbers.

"Mother, let us follow them north! Not to mention a future, if just the four of us stay here, we will not be able to survive!"

Cheng Zhi discussed with his family.

Having drunk the rice porridge and sweet water, they had strength and hope, and their thinking returned to clarity.

This night, they would make a decision after careful consideration.

On the other side, Wen Gu led the people back to the peddler's residence.

He secretly pondered in his heart: giving them one night to consider carefully, they must think it through clearly!

There might still be survivors in the Town; the Cheng Jia should think carefully about who else is left! Hurry and dig out all these living people hiding in their homes!!

Wen Gu smelled the complex and mellow sour fragrance of vinegar in the air.

Hmm, when I go back, I will give the dog Daoist Priest some words of encouragement to hurry up and refine the crude salt, then go refine the vinegar!

(End of this chapter)