The Challenge of a Farmhouse Son-in-Law-Chapter 1001 - 996: Rumors Abound

Gu Youyou’s face was pale, and she whispered to Yuancheng in consolation, "They will definitely come out. Don’t worry too much for now, eat more and fill your stomach."

Gu Youyou emerged from the carriage and suggested to Jin Zijin that they find someone to take Yuancheng back first.

This was an extremely sensitive child. Gu Youyou vividly remembered how he had cried his heart out when Doctor Zhou had passed away. With no kin to care for him, over the years Qin Changlin had provided him with great care, and he had come to regard Qin Changlin as his only family. If they had indeed met with disaster, Gu Youyou did not wish to tell him under such circumstances.

Yuancheng was sent back to Beijing, and Gu Youyou’s group continued south.

Along the way, they distributed most of the food and medical supplies they had brought to treat the refugees, keeping only a small portion to continue their search.

During this time, they encountered another person, Doctor Zhou’s head disciple, Cao Tianyou.

Cao Tianyou, to repay his master’s kindness, had already joined Gu Youyou’s ranks, changing the name of his pharmacy to Jisheng Hall.

With Cao Tianyou at the helm, the Jisheng Hall in Yangguan City had become the transportation hub of Jisheng Hall in the entire Zhuzhao Country, as well as the branch with the largest volume of goods traded.

He should have been making money hand over fist, so why did he now look like a beggar mingling among the crowd?

Gu Youyou sent someone to invite him into the carriage, and as he saw Gu Youyou, he kept sighing.

"Youyou, Cao feels truly ashamed. I thought I would have to beg all the way to Beijing, but unexpectedly, I ran into you halfway."

Gu Youyou surmised that the flood in Yangguan City must have caused heavy losses to Jisheng Hall, and she felt guilty.

She hurriedly said, "Man-made disasters can be avoided, but natural calamities are hard to dodge. Shopkeeper Cao, those are just external possessions. You needn’t feel guilty."

After chatting with Cao Tianyou for a while, she learned that he had noticed something amiss with the rain and immediately had people transport their inventory elsewhere. Since there was so much stock, and the flood had come too quickly, even his precautions had been too late.

Most of the goods had been moved ahead of time, but many were still destroyed by the flood.

His family had already been evacuated, and he was the last one to leave.

Cao Tianyou, along with two house servants, had been rushing along the road in a horse-drawn carriage. With too many starving refugees along the way, the carriage had been looted, and he had lost touch with the two house servants. He had been begging for two days before he met Gu Youyou.

For days on end, Gu Youyou had been searching along the way and had encountered the last of the evacuees, but she had yet to see any members of the Gu Family or Qin Changlin.

Gu Youyou couldn’t help but grow even more worried.

"Shopkeeper Cao, you go ahead to Beijing. I need to take this road to Qingshui Town."

Cao Tianyou sighed, "Qingshui Town was the worst hit, with severe casualties. If you’re waiting for your family, I’m afraid... Sigh, it’s still good to look for them, but you must be careful. It’s no place for people right now."

Gu Youyou nodded gently, "I understand, Shopkeeper Cao, you go ahead to Beijing."

Cao Tianyou, however, waved his hand, "I’ll not go to Beijing. I had heard about the fame of Jinxiu City a long time ago, and as soon as I found something wrong, I made arrangements for my family to go there. Yangguan City is unreachable now, so I’m heading to settle in Jinxiu City."

"If that’s the case, then I’ll take leave of you here." Gu Youyou called someone to send Cao Tianyou to Jinxiu City.

Since he had made arrangements early, he should be alright.

Along the way, apart from the wailing and crying of the disaster victims, they heard some unusual voices.

"The current emperor is heartless, angering the heavens, yet making us common people suffer such a great calamity. Where is the justice in this?"

"Yes, the first mountain to collapse was none other than Tianmen Mountain. If it hadn’t been for the emperor’s obstinate search for fairies on the mountain, we wouldn’t have angered the fairies and brought down this torrential rain."