Half an hour later, while the crowd held their bowls and sipped the savory meat congee, Cheng Zongyang was also seated nearby.

He had warned them not to overeat, lest their long-starved stomachs fail and they fall ill.

Because of Cheng Zongyang’s intimidating presence, everyone, though eager, could only obediently and quietly drink their congee, their eyes drifting to the large iron pot from time to time.

If Cheng Zongyang hadn’t been keeping them in check, they probably would have gulped down the congee in their bowls in just a few bites, no matter how hot it was.

A quarter of an hour passed. Seeing that everyone had finished eating and was still staring longingly at the meat congee in the large pot, Cheng Zongyang sighed and said:

"Don’t worry, the rest of this congee will still be yours tomorrow morning. Now, listen to what I have to say."

Seeing everyone fall silent, too afraid to speak, their faces timid, Cheng Zongyang’s tone softened, and he continued:

"The chaos in the County Town is beyond what you can imagine. If you stay here, you will either die or be driven out again. The County Town simply can’t hold this many refugees.

I’m not from the county government either. I’ve come to take some people to a certain place—my family’s garrison.

Once there, you will absolutely be able to eat your fill, have meat to eat, a house to live in, and eventually, land to farm.

There, you will have your own homes and live a better life than before. You might even learn to read and become a Martial Artist. You’ll be protected by Martial Artists, so you won’t be bullied by other refugees.

But there are requirements. Once you arrive, you cannot leave as you please. If you come with me tomorrow, it means you agree to my terms, and you cannot go back on your word.

If you enter my family’s territory and then try to renege on our agreement and leave, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

The crowd listened to Cheng Zongyang, their faces filled with anticipation, but no one dared to speak. They only watched him timidly.

Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly. "Get some rest. The congee will be here for you in the morning. I’ll take you with me after the city gates open. Of course, if you don’t want to go and prefer to stay here and wait to die, that’s fine too. I won’t stop you. Rest well. You’ll need your strength for the journey tomorrow."

After speaking, Cheng Zongyang stood up and started to walk out. But then he added a reminder, "Don’t go into the backyard. Just find a place to sleep here in the front courtyard."

The moment Cheng Zongyang left, all ninety people present breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Cheng Zongyang’s presence had been so oppressive that they hadn’t dared to say a word, or even breathe too loudly.

Now, most of the ninety people there just looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Some had already gotten up to find a place to lie down and rest.

Two cooks were watching over the pot of congee. Without Cheng Zongyang’s order, no one could eat any more. Still, many people continued to stare at it greedily.

"Sir said we can’t eat more for our own good."

One of the old cooks said with a relaxed expression, "We haven’t had a full meal in who knows how many days, nor have we had anything with oil in it for ages. Sir is being considerate. He’s afraid we’d eat too much and burst, or that our stomachs couldn’t take it. That’s why he gave us thick congee, not dry rice. Also, the meat was just lean meat, not fatty. Otherwise, we’d all have diarrhea tonight for sure."

"Old man, does this mean you’re going with Sir tomorrow?" The middle-aged cook, lying on the ground, also broke into a relaxed smile—the first one he’d shown after months of leaving his home, traveling through mountains and rivers, and witnessing all sorts of tragedies.

"Hahaha, if Sir is even willing to take an old man like me, it means he really needs people over there." The old cook chuckled, his high cheekbones prominent on his face.

"Then... does this mean we’ll become servants?" a weak male voice asked from the crowd.

"You don’t need to overthink it. Just think about whether you want to live or die. That Sir wasn’t wrong. There are too many people in the County Town. I can’t compete with the young and strong, so I could only hide here, getting a little something from the soup kitchen every day, barely scraping by. Living for as long as I can. If you can live, who would want to die..."

After his last words, the old cook let out a long sigh, then walked to the doorway of the room and lay down in the corridor.

The crowd immediately fell silent.

Just then, a boy of about twelve or thirteen in the crowd pulled the hand of the girl next to him and whispered, "Sis, are we going with him tomorrow?"

His voice was very quiet, but in the silent surroundings, it sounded somewhat abrupt. Many people turned to look at the two of them.

The girl hadn’t washed her face clean, nor did she dare to. Although her body was gaunt and thin, she was only sixteen or seventeen. Her features weren’t exactly beautiful, but she stood out among the plain-looking crowd. Not disguising herself would only bring her harm. So, she could only make herself look ugly, just like a boy.

But now, hearing her brother reveal her identity, she quickly covered his mouth. Not daring to speak, she looked around nervously and cautiously, then pulled her brother to a corner to sit down.

Seeing that the others weren’t paying attention to them, the girl breathed a sigh of relief. She then hugged her brother and said in a low voice:

"You let it slip again! Call me ’brother’! And yes, let’s go with Sir. We have no one to rely on in the city; I’m afraid one day we’ll be beaten to death by someone. Even if we become house servants, we can at least live well. Father and Mother told us we have to survive, no matter what." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"..."

「West City, outside the Li Family Winery.」

Cheng Zongyang looked at the main gate, which had been damaged, then repaired and rehung. He went around to the back door and knocked.