Gu Qingcheng smiled and said, "No matter, eating well gives us strength to walk. I bought a lot of food at the city market recently, enough to last."
Seeing Gu Qingcheng's generosity, it would have seemed distant not to accept, so Dai Fa and the others had no choice but to accept Gu Qingcheng's kindness.
Wang Da Ya and Luo Juan both felt that the food Gu Qingcheng brought out was more delicious than usual.
Take this meat patty, for example. The skin was grilled to a golden crisp, and the filling inside was not just one kind. Tasting it, it should be a mixture of cured meat, salted meat, and fresh meat, with even salted egg yolk. It tasted incredibly good, and each bite brought a different sensation.
If they were only eating the meat patty and not observing their surroundings, they would have thought they were feasting at a restaurant banquet!
After finishing two meat patties with a cup of fragrant tea.
Gu Qingcheng threw the paper cups they had drunk from into the fire.
Dai Fa felt that the beautiful paper cups were exquisitely made and a waste to burn after one use, so he asked about their origin.
Gu Qingcheng smiled and said that they were obtained through trade with merchants from foreign lands.
Beyond the city of Jinshacheng, there were indeed cities by the sea where foreign merchants with blond hair and blue eyes would come to trade.
The foreign merchants brought peculiar products, such as intensely flavored spices and cat's eye gems, gold, and then loaded tea, silk, and porcelain from this side back to their own countries.
The profit from a round trip was very substantial, even considered exorbitant.
However, the risks were also obvious. If they encountered a great storm that capsized the ship, their lives and fortunes would be lost.
Therefore, maritime trade was extremely risky and highly profitable, but ordinary people dared not try it lightly.
Gu Qingcheng casually mentioned the origin of the paper cups, but when Dai Fa heard it, he felt that Gu Qingcheng had a mysterious background and an extraordinary origin.
Dai Fa began to wonder why this mysterious young person, with such an impressive background, still chose to associate with them.
But then he thought, the more outstanding the disciples of a prominent family, the more extraordinary their experiences had to be. Great families would send their heirs into the jianghu for training and testing.
Based on Gu Qingcheng's demeanor, this was likely the case.
Dai Fa became even more respectful of Gu Qingcheng, feeling that he had latched onto a powerful ally.
All merchants in the world wanted to curry favor with the government, but the government wouldn't easily allow them to do so.
Someone like Gu Qingcheng was a promising prospect. If one befriended them in their humble beginnings, they would remember to offer support when they became successful and prosperous in the future.
Gu Qingcheng had no idea that Dai Fa had already imagined her as a descendant of a mysterious family.
However, this was also good, greatly facilitating Gu Qingcheng's ability to lie low and fish for her own benefit.
Since she had decided to stick with Dai Fa's family, Gu Qingcheng had conducted loyalty tests on most of them.
The first time they met, Gu Qingcheng's test for them was "qualified," meaning the host could meet their needs and they could be trusted.
Now, after saving their lives yesterday, their loyalty had soared to "excellent": loyal and trustworthy.
It seemed that people cared greatly about their savior, and it was good that they possessed a grateful heart.
After breakfast and a simple tidy-up, they continued their journey.
On the road, they saw batches of refugees, all heading south.
Some traveled in groups of a dozen, while others were entire families migrating.
Seeing their dust-covered appearances, one could tell the hardships they had endured along the way, but the increasing greenery and warming temperatures around them also made them feel that their arduous journey was worthwhile.
After another 5 days, they arrived at the first larger county town they passed along the way, called Wangchun City.
Wangchun City was still reserved towards the incoming refugees. The government had designated an area outside the city for them to temporarily settle, called the Wangchun Settlement.
Then, they were notified to go to the city gate for identity registration.
The so-called settlement provided no living facilities; it was just an open space. Based on a first-come, first-served basis, people could set up makeshift shelters wherever they found a spot.
This environment was somewhat disappointing to Dai Fa's family, who had arrived with hope. However, having just arrived and not yet understanding the situation, they decided to first follow the government's instructions, settle in the settlement, and then continue to gather information.
Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo went to a nearby small hill to chop trees to build shelters.
Wang Da Ya and Luo Juan saw this and followed to help.
The so-called shelters were the simplest triangular ones, capable of temporarily warding off wind and rain. The structure was simple, and they quickly built four shelters. The shelters were crude, but at least they could lie down straight at night.
Dai Fa asked Luo Juan to stay and take care of Zheng Wu Niang while he went to gather information.
As a merchant, he was most adept at this.
Gu Qingcheng gave him ten taels of loose silver to facilitate any necessary bribes or expenses.
Gu Qingcheng checked the thermometer; it was only minus 5 degrees here, which, compared to Jinshacheng's minus 20 degrees, felt like spring.
Wang Da Ya and Luo Juan also commented that this temperature felt like a warm spring. Outdoors, one didn't feel completely frozen, which was quite comfortable.
Gu Qingcheng built a bonfire in front of the shelters, and Mi Guo, with nimble hands, set up a simple triangular stove, placed a pot on it, and began cooking noodles.
The noodle soup was made with pork bone broth, which had been stewed beforehand and stored in Gu Qingcheng's pantry. Gu Qingcheng took it out when Da Ya and the others weren't looking and poured it into the pot.
Mi Guo, being a great cook, did not skimp even when cooking outdoors. He added some dried oysters and meatballs to the pork bone broth, and then cracked 6 poached eggs, placing one in each bowl of noodles.
Snow-white noodles, fragrant bone broth, and golden, fragrant poached eggs made Wang Da Ya and Luo Juan feel like crying as they ate.
With her two daughters by her side, Zheng Wu Niang's appetite had been good lately. Luo Juan was eating when suddenly an extra poached egg appeared in her bowl. Wang Da Ya's bowl, meanwhile, had two more meatballs.
"Mother, eat this. Don't give it to us, we have enough."
The two saw that it was Zheng Wu Niang who had given it to them.
They were deeply moved.
The bond between family members was forged through such ordinary, mundane moments.
"You are growing, eat more. Mother is old and doesn't need to eat much."
Zheng Wu Niang was gentle and kind, and at this moment, her mind was completely clear and normal.
Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo watched from the side, feeling envious.
With family together, no matter how difficult things were, mutual care was enough.
"Husband, you're back? Hurry up and eat your noodles."
Zheng Wu Niang saw Dai Fa walking towards them, dusty and tired, and quickly got up to serve him noodles.
"How was it? Did you find anything out?"
Gu Qingcheng saw that Dai Fa's expression was not particularly happy and her heart sank.
It seemed that no matter where one went, it was not a paradise. Strangers needed to pay a price to survive in someone else's territory.
Indeed, Dai Fa shook his head repeatedly.