After passing through a pillaged village, the group arrived outside Liao City before dark.
Snowflakes the size of goose feathers fluttered down, beautiful and transparent six-pointed crystals covered the earth.
The snow now was almost knee-deep, and even with the roads cleared, the carriage moved with great difficulty.
Everyone looked ahead, seeing the towering white city walls, beneath which many people had gathered, so had already set up tents. They began to cook als on buried pots, so won and children huddled together on carts or mule carts, while the n gathered and chatted about sothing unknown.
They wrapped themselves tightly in their cotton coats, but still shivered with cold. Upon inquiry, they learned that the people staying outside the city were those who couldn’t afford the high entry fee.
The entry fee for Liao City was two taels of silver per person; wasn’t this extortion? For two taels, how many pounds of rice, how many pounds of dark bread could be bought.
When everyone heard this price, they were dumbfounded. Even though they were wealthy now, money wasn’t to be spent like this!
There were 139 people in their group, if it cost two taels per person, that would be 278 taels. In the past, even if the entire village pooled their resources, they couldn’t gather that amount.
An old man with a beard, sucking in his red nose from the cold, lanted to Cheng Yong who ca to inquire, "Isn’t that so? Us common folk can’t even earn more than ten taels of silver a year, this is not giving us a way to live."
A younger man beside him, blowing on his hands to keep warm, interjected, "That’s right, we can’t just wait here to die, can we? People are discussing gathering so silver, letting the resourceful n enter the city to buy grain and supplies."
The leading middle-aged man, looking at Cheng Yong’s large group behind him, was sowhat moved. Seeing they even had guards with knives; teaming up with them to enter the city for supplies would be safer.
So he asked, "Brother, I see there are quite a few people in your group! If you enter the city, it will cost quite a bit of Silver Coin.
If you’re only sending people to buy food, can we team up together?"
"We can invite more families to go together, in case there’s trouble, we can help each other," the old man also quickly chid in, seeing this group was not to be trifled with, teaming up would be best.
Cheng Beiniu chid in, "Most people in our group are surnad Cheng, uncles and brothers can just call Xiao Cheng. If we go into the city to buy supplies, we will surely call on you."
The middle-aged man didn’t hesitate, raised his hand, and cupped his fist, "Then thank you, Brother Cheng."
The old man repeatedly expressed his gratitude, "In these tis, there are too few people willing to help others. With soone kind like Xiao Cheng, we are not afraid of being robbed. Yesterday so people went in and have not co out, we don’t know what happened, it really makes everyone uneasy."
"Is there such a thing?" Cheng Beiniu was surprised, the city’s security couldn’t be that bad, could it?
The leading man nodded, pointing to his left, where near the city gate, there was a group of two or three hundred other people. It seed those who had just arrived were not part of the sa group.
"It was those people who went in and didn’t return, which is why everyone is being extra cautious. Brother Cheng, if you are willing to travel with us, we would be most grateful."
"We are all Tianqi’s people, it’s right to help each other, but I still need to go back and discuss it."
"Of course, of course, we plan to enter the city early tomorrow morning. If Brother Cheng decides, rember to let us know."
The two returned to the group, relaying the invitation to enter the city from the other group, and the risks involved. Everyone looked at each other and then at Cheng Xiaoxiao, who seed out of sorts.
So what was Cheng Xiaoxiao doing at that mont?
She was digesting the latest disaster news from the system after her upgrade, which struck her like a bolt from the blue, shocking her to the core.
In twenty days, this world would face its first global catastrophe.
The previous heavy rains, plagues, and wars were re child’s play.
Those were just localized disasters, but the impending frozen world would cover the globe!
Did you think plunging temperatures and snow sealing off mountains would be the end of it?
No, this is just the beginning.
The real disaster was yet to co; three months in, this blizzard wouldn’t stop, and there was no telling if it would continue beyond that as per the endga scenario; there’s no worse, only worse still.
So, it won’t stop anyti soon.
By the ti spring cos next year and the snow doesn’t stop, dare to imagine the consequences?
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