Old Sun worked hard carrying things, and after he was done, he helped pack them up, sorting the delivered supplies by category.
By the time he finished, it was past noon.
Seeing that the tenant farmers had worked hard, Master Wu gave them some money and told them to go to Zhoukou County to buy what they needed, as Wujiazhuang would be sealed off from then on and no one would be allowed out.
Old Sun took the small amount of money and went to Zhoukou County with his companions to buy supplies.
Zhoukou County did not have too many people, but the city was quite large. After all, many people who had no manors to go to had to hide in the county town, so Zhoukou County town was quite substantial.
There were not many people queuing at the city gate. After Old Sun and the others each paid one copper coin, they entered the city.
Zhoukou County was sparsely populated. There were only two streets that were more prosperous, with merchants selling goods. The rest were residential areas.
Old Sun and the others did not have many things to buy. They did not have to worry about food or clothing at the Wu family's place, but there were still some small items they wanted to buy for themselves.
Little by little, the copper coins they received were almost all spent.
Old Sun finally calculated, and bought four ounces of strong liquor at a winery. It was the worst kind, and it even tasted a bit sour and astringent, but this was Old Sun's greatest enjoyment.
When he returned home, Old Sun would dilute this liquor with water and take a few small sips every day, which would last him almost a month.
Finally, at a clothing store, Old Sun gritted his teeth and bought a set of clothes for his son. He was old and didn't care, but his son couldn't be too slovenly, otherwise no girl would look at him.
As Old Sun was waiting for the tailor to adjust the size, he overheard people nearby talking in low voices.
"Hey, have you heard? There's going to be a war around here!" one person said mysteriously.
"Whoa, no way," another person said with some surprise. "Are the Xiongnu coming? I heard the Xiongnu were driven away by the Zhao people, and they're back?"
"What Xiongnu? They're Romans, the ones with pale faces, high noses, and blue eyes. They look like monsters, and they seem to like eating people!" that person said.
"Is that so?" another person said. "Then we can't deal with them. The court will have to send more troops."
"The court? Forget it! Think about how many people the court has sent in recent years. That county magistrate hasn't left his yamen for half a month, and people from the court can't be relied upon!"
"Yes, it seems we need to buy more grain. It's better to have grain in hand than to have worries in your heart."
Old Sun listened to the two men's words, said nothing, and quietly took his clothes and left.
If it was said that it was not peaceful recently and there might be a war, Old Sun would believe it, because if nothing was happening, the master would not be so anxious to hoard so much grain.
But as for monsters that eat people, Old Sun didn't believe a single word. Once, a group of bandits called themselves "Black Whirlwind," who were said to have a penchant for eating people alive and had set their sights on Wujia Village, but they were killed and repelled by the Wu family's tenant farmers.
At that time, Old Sun saw that those people were not monstrous in appearance, but ordinary people. From that day on, whenever anyone boasted about wicked people, Old Sun would not believe them.
As for the court... ha, no impression.
...
Wujia Village was not very far from the county town, but it took a round trip, plus the time to buy things. When Old Sun returned home with the group, the sun had already set.
At this time, the Wang family's ancestral hall was brightly lit.
"Big brother, is that really true?" said a plump middle-aged man.
"Naturally, I have no reason to lie to you," Wu Caisheng said. "This is what the Prefect said, and it cannot be faked. People from outside will definitely break in."
"But how can our family's fortress be breached?" a young man couldn't help but interject.
Wu Caisheng looked at him calmly and said, "A county in front of us has already fallen, and several families' fortresses have been captured. Are you sure our family is safe?"
"These people are not like the nomads on the prairie, nor are they bandits who have gone astray. They are bona fide regular troops, and they are very skilled at siege warfare. How long can our family's fortress hold?"
Wu Caisheng's words were very direct. The current crisis was real, because a county in front had already fallen!
The Wu family originally paid only ordinary attention, not too much, but after inquiring from the Prefect's office, coupled with the news from the previous counties.
Those Romans had indeed invaded the territory of Great Wei, and unlike the nomadic tribes on the prairie, these people had many siege weapons and were also skilled in siege warfare.
Even worse, although these people were not nomadic tribes, they acted like nomadic tribes, based on plundering wealth. They had no intention of using the populations of enemy states as their own, as the Central Plains countries did during their conquests.
After killing some, the rest were turned into slaves.
This was also unacceptable to the Wei people.
The Wu family was in a state of panic, and many people were at a loss. They began to chatter in the Wu family's ancestral hall.
Seeing this, Master Wu frowned, then banged on the table heavily and said, "Now is not the time to waste. Those Romans could come at any time. Why are you all arguing!"
Master Wu said to Wu Caisheng, "Father, a decision must be made at this time. Should we leave? Where should we go? How should we arrange it?"
Wu Caisheng's eyes were sharp at this moment. "Indeed, we can't waste any more time. Notify all the families now to pack up and leave, and don't bring anything from home."
"Also, except for easily portable money and gold and silver jewelry, all other family properties must be discarded!"
Wu Caisheng clearly had some courage. He was willing to abandon so much of the Wu family's wealth. Wu Caisheng was indeed capable of building the Wu family to this extent.
But others were starting to get restless. The plump middle-aged man said, "Big brother, our family has so much wealth? Besides gold and silver, there are many other things. If we don't take them, it's too much..."
"Those things are too cumbersome, you can't take them!"
Wu Caisheng was clearly a decisive person. He said, "I'll give everyone an hour to gather at the manor gate. If you bring too many things, you don't have to leave!"
Wu Caisheng was clearly very dominant in this family and would not allow anyone to object.
"Other cities are not safe either. Our family will go directly to the prefectural capital to see the situation. If it's not good, we'll run directly to the east."
Master Wu nodded. In fact, he had wanted to do this for a long time, but he lacked support.
Although the others were unwilling, they did not dare to contradict Wu Caisheng. They all got up and went back to pack. It was only an hour, and the time was very tight.
Wujia Village was once again in a state of chaos.