Gu Wenheng looked at Jin Qianqian with absolute sincerity. "Jin Qianqian, my dear junior, your senior is truly latching onto you now."
Jin Qianqian looked smug. "Then you'd better treat me well from now on. If you do, I guarantee I'll feed you until you're plump and chubby."
Gu Wenheng reached out to pinch the bridge of her nose, but Jin Qianqian dodged in disgust. "Don't you realize we reek right now? We need to hurry up and clean ourselves."
Gu Wenheng shook his head. "We can't do that. Everyone else is in the same boat. If you suddenly become clean and refreshed, people will get suspicious.
"Just bear with it a little longer. Once we reach the next town, I'll figure something out."
Jin Qianqian knew he made sense. With so many people starving and thirsty outside, she couldn't overcome her own conscience either.
She sighed, but soon thought of another issue. "We can't possibly find such a hidden place every time. Do you think we should take some things out to use as a cover? After all, no one knows what anyone else actually owns."
Gu Wenheng thought of their previously flat, empty bags and frowned. "The things you have in there are too extraordinary. We'd better wait."
At the same time, he knew they couldn't just blindly follow the group. Historically, recorded disasters always ended tragically. If they didn't want to be buried among the masses, they first had to break free from this predicament.
However, this required long-term planning. Fortunately, the timing of their arrival wasn't too bad. The fleeing had just begun, and the true sinister nature of humanity had not yet surfaced. They still had a chance to escape this torrential tide.
Afraid that this young woman didn't understand the sinister dangers involved, Gu Wenheng carefully explained it to her in detail. Finally, he didn't forget to instruct, "For the days ahead, it's best if we stick together at all times. Neither of us should be left alone."
Jin Qianqian had already been stunned by her male idol's words. Besides, she wasn't some naive damsel. She might not have experienced it firsthand, but she had gleaned enough from historical books and movies. The few terms her senior had just vaguely mentioned left her even more terrified.
When panic set in, human instinct was to search for life-saving tools. The pepper spray, stun batons, and even the gun she had managed to procure in the Beautiful Country were laid out between them.
With every item she pulled out, Gu Wenheng picked it up with pleasant surprise and examined it in his hands.
After all, in this world, he was nothing more than a useless scholar and a farmer. Relying solely on the few years of Taekwondo he had practiced, he really had no confidence if he had to face off against ruthless thugs. But things were different now. With these life-saving items, they had an extra layer of protection.
"It seems our Qianqian is truly a treasure of a girl. I really hit the jackpot." Gu Wenheng picked up two bottles of pepper spray and placed one in each of their cloth bags. "Put the rest of the things away first. We can't use these right now."
By the time they dawdled back to the resting area, the people keeping watch had already been peering in their direction frequently. Seeing the two return in the dark, the night watchmen didn't forget to scold them. "Hurry up and rest! We still have to travel tomorrow."
As for why the two had been out for so long, they had their own guesses. Exchanging meaningful glances, they continued their patrol duties.
「After several days of traveling.」
The city walls Gu Wenheng had been longing for finally appeared before his eyes.
With the high perimeter walls and the Government Officials standing guard with broadswords at their waists, ragged refugees like them only dared to watch from afar. A few leading village chiefs, holding household registrations and road permits in hand, cautiously went over to ask for information.
Seeing the village chiefs walk back with heavy expressions, everyone's hearts sank.
"The county has issued a notice. Anyone who wants to enter the county town must pay 100 coins. Furthermore, we aren't allowed to stay overnight out here. Those Lord Officials just said that we need to retreat a bit further and not crowd around here," Gu Sanbu said, shaking his head as he relayed the newly received news to the villagers under his jurisdiction.
"This really isn't leaving us any way out! At the very least, they should let us go in to restock, even if it's just to buy a few ounces of salt. With no water and no food, if we don't even have salt, how will we have the strength to keep moving forward?" Those from inadequately prepared families began to complain bitterly.
"However, it's not like there isn't any good news," Gu Sanbu quickly comforted them, seeing that the crowd was about to erupt into chaos. "Every morning, philanthropists hand out alms outside the city. Everyone will be able to drink a bowl of hot porridge tomorrow."
"Really?" Li Cuicui's eyes lit up as she quickly squeezed to the front. "Sanbu, will there really be rice porridge to eat tomorrow?"
Gu Sanbu's tone carried a hint of hesitation. "That's what those Lords said, so it shouldn't be wrong, right?"
"Who cares if it's true or false? We'll know by tomorrow," Li Cuicui said, turning to stare at her family. "Hold on, everyone keep your stomachs empty for now. Stop wasting our provisions."
Gu Wenheng and Jin Qianqian exchanged a glance and walked over to an empty corner, lowering their heads to discuss.
"How many copper coins do you still have on you?" Jin Qianqian didn't hold much hope. After all, the two original hosts of their bodies had been far too poor.
Gu Wenheng fumbled around his belt for a while, putting in a great deal of effort before finally fishing out three copper coins.
Jin Qianqian opened her mouth wide. "You're the head of the household, and that's all the savings you have?"
Gu Wenheng also felt ashamed on behalf of the original owner. Looking at the three copper coins, he realized for the first time just how truly impoverished he was.
"This has nothing to do with me. I was a tall, rich, and handsome guy in my past life. I just couldn't bring my assets over."
Seeing him still trying to act tough, Jin Qianqian felt for the first time that her male idol also had such a cute side. She couldn't even dare to imagine how they would survive without her. If she didn't have her cheat-like spatial dimension on hand, the two of them probably wouldn't have lasted a single day.
Sometimes, a man's pride still needed to be looked after. She quickly shoved two gold bars into his hand. These were items she had specifically bought at a jewelry store just in case.
"I don't have a huge stockpile of these things either, but keep them on you for emergencies."
Gu Wenheng grabbed her hand and folded her fingers back, covering it. "Hurry up and put these back. Don't forget our current identities. These things are too eye-catching."
Jin Qianqian suddenly realized her mistake, but she felt a bit disheartened. "The craftsmanship on the other silver jewelry is clearly intricate at first glance, making it even harder to bring out. Are we really just going to let this opportunity slip by?"
"Find two small, smooth-backed mirrors," Gu Wenheng said. He had already formed a plan along the way. "To the people of this era, those things are rare novelties. Plus, they're compact and relatively easy to sell off."
Jin Qianqian frowned. "But we're completely unfamiliar with the people and the area here. If we happen to run into a shady shop, we'll be the ones taking a loss."
Gu Wenheng leaned his head down and whispered in her ear. By the end of it, Jin Qianqian looked at him with admiration, suddenly feeling that her biggest cheat code in this world wasn't her spatial dimension, but the male idol standing right in front of her.
The two discussed for a while longer before walking toward Li Cuicui with firm steps.