From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him-Chapter 28: Difference of Opinion

Staring at the tightly shut city gates, everyone’s spirits broke. They swarmed the entrance, pounding furiously, hoping someone might emerge from within.

"Stop your pounding! We’ve received orders from our superiors. The county town can’t help you. You should hurry on to the next city; don’t waste your time here." A head peeked over the top of the wall, and his words only enraged the crowd below.

"At least give us some water! How are we supposed to make it to the next city otherwise?"

"We don’t have any water either," the Government Official said, pointing to his own chapped lips. "The entire county town is down to a single spring. Each of us only gets less than half a bowl a day, barely enough to stay alive.

It’s still early. You’d best get back on the road!"

"Who knows if you’re telling the truth or not? There are thousands of us out here! Are you really just going to leave us to die?" It’s unclear who shouted it, but many people furiously began grabbing stones and hurling them at the wall.

But the wall was too high, and everyone was already weak from exhaustion. The stones only flew halfway before falling back down. Those standing at the base of the wall had it worst, crying out in pain as they were struck.

Ancient Wen Heng grabbed Jin Qianqian’s hand, pulling her as far away from the mob as possible. Many of the refugees were mad with hunger and thirst; they were not people to be trifled with.

"Is this going to turn into a riot?" Jin Qianqian had never witnessed anything like this before, and a sense of panic began to set in.

It was Ancient Wen Heng’s first time facing such chaos directly, and he felt a bit faint himself. Still, he forced a calm expression. "I doubt it. With just this many people, they have no hope of breaking through the gates.

As long as the guards inside hold their ground, the crowd will eventually disperse."

At the same time, he was secretly relieved. ’Thank goodness these people aren’t full-blown rioters yet. For now, there are no signs of a real rebellion. Otherwise, we’d be in a terrible spot. Getting swept up in that would be disastrous.’

With that thought, Ancient Wen Heng took Jin Qianqian’s hand and walked directly toward the several village chiefs being sheltered in the center of a protective circle.

"I have business with the Third Elder," Ancient Wen Heng said to Gu Shulin, getting straight to the point.

Gu Shulin glanced at Jin Qianqian standing behind him. He didn’t say anything, simply stepping aside to let Ancient Wen Heng pass.

"Third Elder, we can’t keep following this group forward. If we do, something terrible will happen." Ancient Wen Heng’s opening words startled the men standing nearby.

"What’s this young man talking about? We’re just refugees. As long as we don’t starve or die of thirst, what else could possibly happen?"

Ancient Wen Heng ignored him. "We’ve been on the road for over a month now. Have you seen the court lift a single finger to help us? The journey is only getting more difficult. Of all the county towns and government offices we’ve passed, how many have actually offered aid?

Everyone’s emotions are at a breaking point; an explosion is imminent. Think about the peasant revolts throughout history! Do we really want to be swept up in something like that?"

"Gu Yuan Yu, stop spouting such nonsense! You’re just fearmongering," an elder at his side exclaimed, practically jumping in agitation. "You can’t just say things like that! It could lead to disaster."

Gu Sanbu chimed in, "Yuan Yu, have your years of study addled your brain? Look at these people. They’re all unarmed common folk, not the rebels you read about in your history books.

I think you’re just delirious from exhaustion. Get some rest, and you’ll feel better."

Ancient Wen Heng pressed on, "Third Elder, you’ve seen how things are. Must we continue aimlessly down this official road? Reaching Shangjing isn’t our only option. We could head south. That region is famous for its rivers and lakes. Surely we can find a path to survival there."

"You make it sound so simple," sneered He Cao Gen, the village chief of Geda Village. "Everyone knows there’s water to the south. But have you forgotten that the roads there are teeming with river pirates and mountain bandits? A group like ours would be wiped out before we got halfway. That’s a surefire path to death."

Ancient Wen Heng had been gathering information over the past few days. "But the farther north we go, the more arid it becomes. Do you really think we won’t die of thirst before we find another water source?

Besides, would those bandits even be interested in our wild vegetables and rice husks? Either way, we only get one chance to survive. Why not take a gamble?"

"Enough. You youngsters think too simplistically. If we continue north, at least we remain under imperial authority," He Cao Gen said, even remembering to bow toward the north. "The Holy Emperor is benevolent and wise. He will surely save his people from their suffering."

They all had their own selfish reasons. If they could settle near the seat of imperial power, their descendants might have more opportunities in the future.

Ancient Wen Heng looked at the stubborn old men and sighed. He took Jin Qianqian back to where they had left their belongings.

"Are you scared?" Ancient Wen Heng asked, his gaze fixed on the refugees who were still causing a commotion.

Jin Qianqian replied, "Could I even pretend I’m not?"

Ancient Wen Heng turned his head to look at her. "It doesn’t matter if you lie to me or not. Whatever you say, I’ll believe it’s the truth."

Jin Qianqian was speechless. ’Is this really the man of my dreams I thought I knew?’

She chose to ignore Ancient Wen Heng’s last comment and vented her frustrations. "I am so sick of this god-damned life on the run! I shouldn’t have to be here suffering with everyone else, and now I have to live in constant fear. When is this nightmare going to end?"

While the first few days had a certain novelty, the journey quickly devolved into endless marching and sleeping under the open sky. If not for her inner resolve, she felt she would have already given up.

Ancient Wen Heng was silent. ’I can’t stand it either,’ he thought. ’But can a man show weakness in front of his wife?’

He felt just as stifled. "We can’t continue like this. This could be a path of no return. Even though we’re just common people, if we get swept up in this, we’ll have no say in our own fate."

Jin Qianqian understood the potential consequences. "But they’re adamant about seeing this through to the end. What should we do?

It’s not just the two of us anymore; we have our whole family with us. We can’t just abandon them, can we?"

These were living people, and what’s more, they were the family of this body’s original owner.

"On the way here, I spoke with a Scholar," Ancient Wen Heng said, gritting his teeth. "He showed me a map. In the Prefecture City ahead, there’s a main road that leads south. This is our last chance. I’ll go talk to the old matriarch and the others later. If I can persuade them, our family will leave on our own."

"And if they refuse?" In this era, everyone was expected to depend on their clan and follow their kinsmen.

Ancient Wen Heng had already made up his mind. "Then we’ll have to leave them to their fate. I’m still determined to head south. But that path will have its own dangers. Are you afraid?"

Jin Qianqian answered honestly, "I am still worried. If we set out alone, we’ll have to rely on ourselves for everything. If we run into trouble, we’ll have no one else to help us."

Even with her interdimensional space, Jin Qianqian couldn’t guarantee she’d be lucky enough to evade danger every single time.