Wang Caiyue nudged her younger son beside her. "Le Xi, go check on your grandmother. What is she whispering about with your Seventh Uncle over there?"
Gu Lexi turned his head away. "Ask my brother to go. I don't want to go over there and get scolded."
"You child, that's your biological grandmother. Is she going to eat you alive?
"I just want you to go over and see if she is giving your Seventh Uncle rations again. If your grandfather and grandmother squander all their rations, we'll have to save ours to feed them when the time comes. Otherwise, do you think your mother likes meddling in other people's business?"
"That's enough," Gu Yuanmu said, grabbing Gu Lexi, who was just about to move. "Mother knows what she's doing. Besides, the youngest is keeping an eye on things over there. It's not our place to play the bad guys."
Wang Caiyue shot a resentful look in that direction before turning her head back. "Then don't just stand around here. Haven't you seen that Eldest Brother and the others have already gone out to look for wild vegetables? If you don't go now, you won't even be able to scavenge any grass roots."
「Meanwhile.」
As soon as she handed over the money, Li Cuicui regretted it.
"Old Seventh, why don't you just borrow 100 copper coins? You can go in alone, and your wife can wait here."
Gu Wenheng quickly stuffed the copper coins into his robes. "That won't do. This is her dowry, after all. I have to let her know what's going on, or she might think I swindled her. It'll be hard to explain later."
Li Cuicui pursed her lips tightly and waved her hand weakly. "Then hurry up and come back. Don't cause any trouble inside."
Gu Wenheng was speechless. Why did that sound so awkward?
Forget it, he had no time to worry about such things right now.
He piled all his luggage in front of Li Cuicui and hurried toward the city gate with Jin Qianqian.
Do not underestimate their refugee group; some people still had substantial savings and were using this county town to restock their rations.
Others pooled their money among several families, sending a representative inside to bring back necessities.
Gu Wenheng had only reached the middle of the line when an acquaintance greeted him. "Yuan Yu, what do you need to bring back this time? Come chip in with us."
If they could get one more person, it would mean one more person to share the cost of entering the city.
Gu Wenheng merely smiled at them, leading Jin Qianqian straight to the back of the line.
Seeing that Gu Wenheng was not going in alone and was actually bringing his wife, everyone looked a bit surprised.
"Yuan Yu, it costs 100 copper coins per person to enter. Don't anger the Brother Officers," Gu Shulin said, kindly advising his cousin.
Gu Wenheng looked up at him. Receiving the man's goodwill, he smiled and nodded. "We know our limits."
Seeing the couple stubbornly standing there in line, Gu Shulin said nothing more. It was almost his turn to register.
Indeed, to prevent these refugees from running amok in the city, every person entering had to register their household registration, and their identities would be verified again when they left.
「At the county town.」
"This is the county town?" Jin Qianqian blinked in disbelief. The dilapidated houses and messy streets were far from what she had imagined.
"Don't trust the things you see in TV dramas too much," Gu Wenheng said. "Those have been beautified hundreds of times over.
"This is a relatively remote county town, so the environmental conditions are definitely worse.
"It's just a pity that in such a small place, these two little mirrors probably won't fetch a good price."
"That doesn't matter," Jin Qianqian replied. "At least we have an excuse to not go hungry anymore."
Otherwise, if the two of them had empty pockets yet didn't starve to death, it would arouse everyone's suspicion.
Gu Wenheng led Jin Qianqian forward. In the distance, he could vaguely see a few shops that looked somewhat decent.
"Even this yellow millet costs 28 copper coins? Isn't that too expensive?" Gu Shulin's voice came from the shop next door.
"That's not considered expensive anymore. Look at the white flour and rice; their prices have multiplied several times over. If you can't afford it, look at the chaff over there. That's also something that can keep you alive," an elderly voice replied, full of bitterness.
"How much is the chaff per catty?"
"That's 16 copper coins as well. It just arrived; we didn't even have any yesterday."
"Then I'll take some of this. Can you give me a better discount?"
Gu Wenheng quickened his pace, leading Jin Qianqian forward. He hadn't expected life to be so difficult even for the village chief's family.
Jin Qianqian clutched her chest. She didn't even dare to imagine what it would be like if she had to eat chaff.
"We'll buy some of that on our way back," Gu Wenheng said, shocking her. This was exactly what she had feared.
"That stuff doesn't weigh much, but it takes up space. It'll be good for us to use as a cover," Gu Wenheng hastily explained, knowing the girl had gotten the wrong idea again.
「Inside the pawnshop.」
"What do you want to pawn?"
Watching the pawnshop clerk poke his head out from the tall counter, Jin Qianqian couldn't help but stand on her tiptoes. She really wasn't used to being looked down at like this.
Gu Wenheng withdrew his assessing gaze. "Are you the steward here?"
The man looked them up and down, his tone carrying a hint of disdain. "We don't accept ordinary trinkets here. Take out your items for me to see first. If I can take them, I will. If not, you'll have to figure something else out."
Everyone knew what the situation outside was like. Seeing these two people in tattered clothes, he figured they had fled all the way here from the famine. These kinds of people rarely had anything good on them—it was usually either broken bracelets or busted earrings, which brought absolutely no profit for the shop.
Gu Wenheng also knew that people always judged a book by its cover. Right now, they naturally weren't a welcome sight.
He took out a mirror and waved it in front of the clerk. "I suspect you can't make the call on this item. If your steward isn't here, we'll just have to go ask elsewhere."
"Don't, wait," Xiao Li said. Even though he hadn't seen it clearly, he knew from the flash of light that the item in their hands was definitely not simple.
If the Shopkeeper found out that a precious item slipped away because of him, he would definitely get into trouble.
If it was truly a rare treasure, his higher-ups would value him more, his position as a clerk would become more secure, and he might even be appreciated enough to become a shopkeeper in the future.
Weighing the pros and cons, the originally arrogant clerk immediately changed his attitude. Not only did his tone soften, but his face also took on a hint of flattery.
"Please wait a moment, you two. I'll go to the back and call our Shopkeeper right away."
Without waiting for them to decline, he slipped away and disappeared from their sight.
In less than a moment, a deep voice rang out. "Xiao Li, let me tell you, if it isn't anything good this time, I'll transfer you to the back to scrub buckets."
"Shopkeeper, I didn't see it clearly either. But the item flashed with light, which is why I asked you to come appraise it."
"I've told you hundreds of times, you need a sharp eye in our line of work. If you make a mistake, even paying with your little life won't be enough!
"Even if they only let you take one glance, you should have a basic idea in your mind. Don't always call me for every little thing."
"Just this once. Take a look first, sir." As they spoke, the two of them appeared in front of Gu Wenheng and Jin Qianqian.