The matter of whether or not to obtain a travel permit was definitely something Gu Chaobei and his wife had to agree to. Gu Qingcheng, being so young, couldn't possibly overstep her authority.
Gu Qingcheng returned home to discuss it with her parents.
Before, when she was Gu Qingcheng, she had already discussed with them whether to separate from the large group of refugees.
Gu Chaobei had previously felt that if it were just their family of three, without social interactions, it would be difficult to earn "satisfaction points."
But now, knowing that Jinsha City was a town of a hundred thousand people, they could indeed stay and live there. In Jinsha City, they would surely have many social activities, need to rent a house, and look for work... all opportunities to earn satisfaction points.
Moreover, the temperature was dropping significantly day by day. They felt cold even in their old padded jackets. If they traveled further, the temperature would drop even more, and they would be forced to resort to measures like wearing down jackets.
If they stayed with everyone else and camped outdoors, it would be very easy to expose themselves.
But staying in Jinsha City was different. They could rent a house, stockpile more supplies, and try not to go out during periods of extreme cold, staying warm and enduring the crisis.
After much discussion, the family of three decided it would be better to stay in Jinsha City. Furthermore, this way, they could shake off the detestable Gu family members.
Thus, Gu Chaobei went to find Gu Qingshu to apply for a travel permit.
A travel permit was an identity document of that era. With a travel permit, one was a law-abiding citizen, allowed to enter cities, travel, and engage in commerce. Otherwise, they would be regarded as individuals of unknown identity by the authorities, arrested and imprisoned, or even exiled.
Gaining Gu Qingshu's support was particularly important. If Gu Qingshu were rigid and refused to issue them a travel permit, their wish to stay in Jinsha City would vanish like smoke.
Therefore, before going to see Gu Qingshu, Gu Chaobei cut a baguette into slices and wrapped them in large leaves, preparing to present a gift to Gu Qingshu.
After much discussion, the three of them decided to name these slices "you mo."
Before, Gu Qingcheng had called the baguette "jian bing" in front of Gu Dou out of quick wit. Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't very descriptive. "You mo" was relatively more fitting.
In their current situation, bringing you mo as a gift was more valuable than anything else. No amount of money could compare to a mouthful of food.
Gu Dou had wanted to dismember Gu Qingcheng for a mouthful of food...
Gu Qingshu's family also consisted of over twenty people. He had eight sons, all of whom were married. Each son had at least two children. More than twenty people, with the younger ones squabbling and the older ones bickering, their journey had also been arduous.
Gu Chaobei found Gu Qingshu, bowed respectfully, and said:
"Clan leader, we have some leftover you mo. If you don't find it too humble, please accept it!"
When you have a favor to ask of someone, and it's something they can easily do, it's appropriate to be direct when offering a gift.
Gu Qingshu's heart stirred upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Gu Laoliu's family to still have you mo to eat!
By virtue of his status as an elder, he shouldn't accept such a gift. However, seeing his grandchildren circling him with hungry eyes, Gu Qingshu ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and accepted the bag of you mo.
After accepting food from someone, one's tongue is tied. Gu Qingshu said very politely:
"You've spent too much, eldest nephew. Your family isn't well-off either; you should keep it for yourselves to eat?"
He said this, but the you mo was firmly in his hands.
Gu Chaobei continued respectfully, "Clan leader, you have helped us a lot along the way. This small amount of you mo is just a token of our gratitude. We don't have any other good things at home right now. I know how to hunt, so if I manage to catch any game later, I'll bring some to you."
Gu Qingshu thought Gu Chaobei was just being polite.
But such polite words were pleasant to hear, so he nodded with satisfaction.
After some pleasantries, Gu Chaobei stated his purpose, asking Gu Qingshu to help him obtain a travel permit.
The groundwork had been laid, and Gu Qingshu had no reason to object. He took out the village's official seal from the wooden chest he carried, wrote out a travel permit voucher, stamped it with the village's official seal, and handed it to Gu Chaobei.
Gu Chaobei thanked him respectfully and reiterated that he would bring him game later.
In this era, grain and meat were more precious than gold. Especially on the road fleeing famine, catching a wild chicken and sharing a bowl of soup among the family might allow them to hold on for another two or three days.
Seeing Gu Chaobei repeatedly express his intentions, Gu Qingshu felt he had not helped the wrong person and said with gratification:
"Hunting is not easy. A few days ago, you risked your lives to hunt a giant python and shared it with the villagers, allowing them to last a few more days.
If you catch any more game, you should keep it for yourselves to eat; you don't need to consider me."
"I understand, young nephew."
Although Gu Chaobei said this, his body language made Gu Qingshu understand that Gu Chaobei would still bring him game if he caught any. Thus, he even harbored a faint expectation.
After Gu Chaobei left, he opened the leaf package. The you mo slices were emitting an alluring aroma of food and an indescribable fragrance of oil.
Gu Qingshu instinctively took a bite of the you mo. The taste was simply extraordinary, a delicacy he had never experienced in his life!
The pure flour mixed with the rich aroma of butter overwhelmed his senses of taste and smell. When he came to his senses, he realized he had already finished a slice of you mo, and had even licked the crumbs off his fingers.
Gu Qingshu's old face flushed. He quickly re-wrapped the you mo in leaves and put it back into the box where he kept the official seal.
He could see that this type of you mo used a lot of oil and could be preserved for quite a long time. Especially with the current drop in temperature, it could last at least ten days in this weather.
He made up his mind that only if someone in his family was starving unbearable would he break off a piece for them to eat!
This was a life-saving bread!
Gu Chaobei had no idea that Village Chief Gu treasured the you mo more than his own eyes.
However, if one thought about their state upon arrival, when the family was so hungry they were chewing on licorice roots, they would surely understand the village chief's actions.
By evening, Gu Chaobei indeed brought a freshly caught wild chicken to Village Chief Gu.
The wild chicken weighed about seven to eight jin, very fresh, clearly caught not long ago. Touching its wing, it was still warm.
Village Chief Gu's entire family was overjoyed. After some perfunctory polite refusal, they accepted Gu Chaobei's kind gesture.
They proceeded to process the wild chicken by the river, plucking its feathers and cleaning its innards.
They wouldn't waste the innards either. The intestines were cut open and washed clean; these were important ingredients. The wild chicken was utilized to its fullest. Even the feathers were collected, intended to be made into a downy pouch for warmth and hand protection.
Gu Qingshu had initially been reluctant to eat the wild chicken so soon, but a remark Gu Chaobei made as he left gave him pause.
Gu Chaobei said, "Everyone has walked a long way and is very weak. If they don't eat some meat to nourish their bodies, I'm afraid they won't be able to endure the rest of the journey."
Village Chief Gu thought about it and agreed. If life was lost, what was the point of saving food?
Even if they knew they would go hungry tomorrow, at least today they needed to fill their stomachs.
Thus, that evening, Village Chief Gu's family ate a pot of fragrant and delicious chicken soup, as if they were celebrating a small festival.