"Ah, it's because all the cooks have died, isn't it? We two learned to help our parents cook when we were little. The Centurion asked who could cook, and we raised our hands. He then brought us up to be cooks. The process was so simple we couldn't believe it.
I heard that in the past, you had to bribe the Centurion with silver to become a cook. We don't have any silver to bribe with!
We never expected to be chosen this time. It's truly a blessing from our ancestors," Da Peng said cheerfully.
In the army, being a cook in the kitchen was one of the best positions. You could eat your fill without training. These two points alone were incredibly appealing.
If so many people hadn't frozen to death, such a good opportunity wouldn't have fallen to the Da Peng and Xiao Peng brothers.
Of course, now that they were cooks, they had learned to flatter their superiors. They often brought braised pork and steamed buns to the Centurion as late-night snacks, and the Centurion was quite satisfied with them.
Gu Qingcheng was happy for the brothers that they had unexpectedly secured good positions.
After eating the steamed buns and chatting for a while, Gu Qingcheng saw that the brothers were living a good life and bid them farewell.
Xiao Peng said to Gu Qingcheng mysteriously,
"Don't leave through the front door. I'll take you out through the back."
Gu Qingcheng was aimlessly wandering anyway, so she went along with him.
Who would have thought that just as they were about to leave, Xiao Peng would stuff a bag of rice, about twenty jin, into Mi Guo's hands and tell him to carry it away.
It turned out that Xiao Peng had never forgotten Gu Qingcheng's life-saving grace. Now that he had the means, he wanted to repay her.
Gu Qingcheng tried to refuse, but Xiao Peng got angry. Helplessly, she accepted it.
Xiao Peng led them out through the back door, saying that this was where they usually entered and exited for supplies. He opened the locked back door, and after walking down an alley, they reached the shops facing the street.
As soon as Gu Qingcheng was out of Xiao Peng's sight, she put the bag of rice into her storage cabinet, saving Mi Guo the effort of carrying it.
The two of them strolled to the Lai Feng Tea House.
Gu Qingcheng had an idea, "Mi Guo, let's go into the tea house for a cup of hot tea."
"Okay." Mi Guo was also curious and followed his sister into the tea house.
Gu Qingcheng's main reason for coming was to listen to the tea guests' gossip and stories.
The tea house was as lively as ever, but the original tea guests had been replaced. The old gentlemen who used to chat about ancient and modern affairs were no longer there, presumably having perished in this extreme cold.
The tea house's waiters had been replaced by new ones, and the customers had also changed.
Gu Qingcheng sat down, asked the waiter for a pot of premium Huangshan Maofeng tea and four types of tea snacks, and then sat to listen to the tea guests tell stories.
"Everyone is heading south now. They say the weather there is much warmer than here, and it's not as cold. The rivers are showing signs of thawing," said a bearded man.
"Who told you that? Is it true?" someone asked.
"Do I need to hear it from someone? Our own merchant guild has horse caravans that travel the southern route. The apprentices who came back said so," the bearded man said proudly.
"If that's really the case, would it be better for us to migrate south? It's too cold here. Although it used to snow, it's never been this cold. I've never seen so many people frozen to death."
"Yes, my elders are old, and my children are young. It's not suitable to stay here. Don't laugh at me, but if this continues, I won't even have money to buy coal. It's better to take a gamble in the south."
Hearing this, Gu Qingcheng suddenly realized that everyone had long been complaining about the suffering of the extreme cold and could no longer bear it. Everyone had the idea of migrating south.
The reasons they hadn't acted were: first, the difficulty of leaving their homeland; second, economic constraints; and third, confusion about the unknown future, which delayed their actions.
Gu Qingcheng felt as if she had found a new direction but didn't know what it was.
Just then, the system suddenly chimed:
"Mission to rescue refugees and migrate south initiated. Reward for completing the main mission: 10,000 Satisfaction Points. For each refugee successfully rescued and migrated, reward: 100 Satisfaction Points."
"What? So many Satisfaction Points?"
But the mission wasn't easy to complete. How could she make the refugees willing to go south?
Those who could afford to drink tea in the tea house were already well-off. They were still hesitant, worrying about various difficulties on the road. Let alone ordinary people who didn't have enough food to last the day at home.
Gu Qingcheng, excited about the Satisfaction Points upon seeing the mission, was also hesitant about its difficulty.
The waiter brought the freshly brewed Huangshan Maofeng and four types of tea snacks.
Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but sigh. Things had changed. The tea's fragrance was still the same, and the food tasted as it used to, but the waiters and the tea guests before her had all changed.
She and Mi Guo drank tea, while Wangcai squatted obediently beside them. Kele, however, began to stir in Qingcheng's arms, stretching lazily and pawing at her chest.
Gu Qingcheng ignored it. She touched it twice through her clothes, and it became quiet again, falling into a comfortable, deep sleep.
What could be more secure than being in its owner's embrace?
Not only could it snuggle against its owner's body heat, but its owner also smelled wonderful. Kele slept very comfortably and contentedly.
"Alas, if I could gather enough money for the journey south, and buy water and food along the way, I would definitely take my family to migrate south.
The environment here is getting worse and worse. If not for ourselves, we should think for our descendants!"
At this moment, a man in his early thirties sighed.
"That's true. We old bones have no hope. We have to find a better place for our descendants to live," someone echoed.
Gu Qingcheng pondered, seemingly finding a breakthrough direction, but she needed to consider it carefully.
After drinking the fragrant Maofeng and eating the delicious tea snacks, Gu Qingcheng suggested going home.
Mi Guo looked at his sister's appearance, her expression revealing hidden excitement. He had only listened to people from all over the country chat, and he didn't know why his sister was so happy.
On the way back to Ya Mountain, Gu Qingcheng organized her thoughts and considered them almost completely.
Seeing her daughter return home with a chill on her body, but her spirit seemed to be more energetic than a plum blossom in the ice and snow, Hu Lanfang's heart was filled with joy, feeling that letting her child go out was the right decision.
Like most parents in the world, she was happy when her child was happy. Even if life was a mess, her child's smiling face was a piece of candy in their lives, the sweetest! The warmest!
"Dad, Mom, we have a major event to attend to next."
As soon as Gu Qingcheng saw them, she began to share her ideas.
How rare it was that her daughter, in the rebellious phase of adolescence, wanted to discuss everything with them.
"What major event? Tell us!"
Gu Chaobei and his wife were delighted.
No matter what it was, they were willing to support it, as long as their daughter was willing to share important matters with them.
Gu Qingcheng told them her idea.
"What? Aren't you going out to look for trouble?" Hu Lanfang felt heartbroken when she heard it.
"If this has to be done, we'll go with you," Gu Chaobei said.
"Dad, Mom, you don't need to accompany me on this journey. I've grown up. Some things need to be done by myself. I'll take Mi Guo with me.
We only need to travel about 400 kilometers from here. The nearest city to the south is another 800 kilometers away. I'll provide supplies for them to reach 400 kilometers, which is enough for them to get to the south."
Gu Qingcheng had a map and knew the route clearly.