Chapter 38: Want to Enter the City? Not a Chance

The next morning, Jiang Chen donned his travel clothes, preparing to set out for Ziyang. Last night, he had promised Wu Yue to take her out into the world to broaden her horizons, so the two of them would be traveling together today.

Jiang Chen’s purpose was to explore the market for his medicinal wine, to get a sense of the situation in Ziyang ahead of time. Wu Yue, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement—this was the first time in her life she had ever left Shanguan Town.

“Brother Chen, do you think Ziyang City is very different from our Shanguan Town?”

“Hm, that city is much larger than ours, its streets are bustling, probably stretching from our house all the way to the foot of Mount Rao.”

“That long?” Wu Yue’s eyes widened in shock.

Jiang Chen teased, “Look at you, silly girl, you’re already so surprised just hearing about it. What will you do when you actually see Ziyang City—you’ll be overwhelmed!”

Wu Yue pouted and pretended to be upset. “Are you embarrassed to have me with you?”

“I wouldn’t dare! Not only would I never be embarrassed, but if anyone dares make fun of you, I’ll make sure they apologize to you! No one is allowed to bully my Yue’er, that’s a promise!”

Seeing Jiang Chen’s earnest expression, Wu Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

The two of them rode a mule cart, and it was not until dusk that the walls of Ziyang City finally came into view.

But what astonished Wu Yue even more than the towering walls were the hundreds of refugees camped along the roadside, who had settled in a patch of woods close to the city gate. Some of them looked to be on the verge of starving to death.

“Brother Chen, why are they staying outside the city?”

Jiang Chen sighed, “Because the city’s commander won’t let them in. They’ve come as far as they can from the north, and if they go on, there’s no guarantee they’ll find any hope of survival. So here they wait, stranded.”

“Isn’t that as good as sentencing them to death?” Wu Yue covered her mouth, deeply shaken by the harshness of the world.

Looking at these emaciated, hollow-eyed people, their faces so different from those of ordinary folk, their expressions of despair and vacant stares wounded the conscience of anyone with a shred of compassion.

Jiang Chen had hoped Wu Yue wouldn’t see such misery, but fate had other ideas.

Their mule cart passed silently by the woods heavy with the scent of death, stopping at last before the city gate, where two city guards quickly approached them.

“Hold it!”

“Ziyang City is no place for the likes of you. Leave, now!” The guards didn’t bother asking their business, simply barking at Jiang Chen and Wu Yue to turn back at once. When Jiang Chen explained that he carried a letter written by the county magistrate himself, the guard impatiently held out his hand.

He frowned, examining the letter for a long moment, then grumbled, “With handwriting like a dog’s scratch, you say your county magistrate wrote this?”

Jiang Chen smiled wryly, “He was drunk when he wrote it, so the script is a bit messy, but the official seal is genuine.”

The two guards had a quick, whispered discussion, then said bluntly, “Our general has said these are extraordinary times. Even with your magistrate’s letter, it’s useless.”

“We only want to enter the city to do a little business. Please, couldn’t you make an exception?”

“No way. If we let you in without orders, the general will have us executed. I’d like to live a few more years, thank you.”

Jiang Chen asked, “Then what must we do to enter Ziyang City?”

The guard sneered, “Unless you have a letter from an official of the provincial governor’s rank or higher, don’t even think about it!”

With that, he waved them away impatiently, making it clear they should turn back at once—or face harsher measures.

A letter from a provincial governor? For ordinary people, that was pure fantasy.

Jiang Chen turned to Wu Yue with a helpless smile. “Sorry to put you through this, Yue’er. We’ve come all this way for nothing. I had no idea things would be like this.”

Wu Yue, sensible and understanding, smiled. “It’s all right. Wherever you go, I’ll go. Whether we enter Ziyang City or not doesn’t matter to me.”

Such innocence and kindness moved Jiang Chen to gently stroke her hair. But just then, a few muffled sobs drifted over from the refugees—not far away, it seemed another had died of hunger.

Wu Yue, unable to bear it, asked, “Isn’t there anything we can do to help them?”

“My abilities are limited, so there’s little I can do right now. But since you’ve asked, we can at least do what we can. If we can save even one person, or help for just a little while, it’s better than nothing.”

With that, Jiang Chen turned the mule cart back along the road they’d come. He told Wu Yue that earlier they’d passed a river, where he was sure they could catch some fish.

“Brother Chen, you want to catch fish for the refugees to eat?”

“Yes. It’s a drop in the bucket, but at least it might help some of them survive a little longer. When we get back, I’ll think of other ways—maybe we can save them yet.”

As they spoke, they reached the riverbank. Using an old, tattered curtain from the cart, Lin Bufan fashioned a fishing net and set it at a gourd-shaped bend downstream. Sure enough, before long they had caught several large, lively river fish.

Wu Yue clapped her hands in delight. “Brother Chen, you’re amazing!”

Once they had nearly two dozen fish, Jiang Chen drove the cart back to the refugees. Wu Yue borrowed a large pot from someone, and the two of them got to work, building a fire and cooking with brisk efficiency.

“Everyone, bring your bowls! Come and have some fish soup! Only with full stomachs can we hold onto hope!”

Under Wu Yue’s encouragement, the starving refugees dragged themselves to gather around the pot. For those too weak to walk, Jiang Chen and Wu Yue thoughtfully brought the soup to them, caring for them with great tenderness.

Some drank the fish soup in great gulps, tears streaming down their faces, calling Jiang Chen and Wu Yue their saviors sent by heaven.

Jiang Chen spoke earnestly, “Please, hold on a little longer. You’ve come so far—what’s a few more days? If you can just endure, I believe hope will come.”

One man cursed, “That city general isn’t even human! If only he had half the kindness you two have, we wouldn’t be left here to die like this.”

As the refugees recalled the hardships they’d faced along the way, their suffering flooded back, and soon they were all in tears.

Jiang Chen did his best to comfort them. “Rules are dead, but people can be flexible. Give me some time—I’ll try to win you a chance.”

Just then, a voice sounded behind Jiang Chen. “And who might you be, wanting to play the great hero saving the world in these troubled times?”