The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 190 Return to the City

What are you saying? Are you blaming her for reading official documents without permission, or blaming her for sending the children away?

Looking at his wife's haggard face, Wang Hengzhi was speechless and finally sat down dejectedly.

"Ah..." He lowered his head, sighed, and murmured, "It's good this way, at least they are safe."

That’s right, Wang Hengzhi himself was not optimistic about this war and felt that his side had little chance of winning.

Although he did not understand military tactics and had no say in how the military responded to the battle or what tactics they adopted, he knew that due to the long period of peace over the years, the military was no longer as strong as it once was.

He knew that military funds were in arrears and the army's food and fodder were delayed more than once, and he knew that the situation in the army was definitely not good.

He didn't know whether this was because the national treasury was in a tight situation and couldn't provide money and grain, or because of the bargaining among the top bosses.

However, no matter what, the soldiers in the army should not be treated like this.

You know, the largest group in the army are still the lowest-level soldiers. Most of them come from civilian families. They serve in the military because their families have no money, so they go to the army to find a way out!

If they can't even get enough to eat, how can they have the energy to fight in the battlefield? If they can't get their monthly salary, how can they support their families? Not to mention that if they die in battle, what will happen to their parents, wives and children?

With so many concerns, how many people are willing to risk their lives to fight for the country? It would be good if they don't desert the battlefield!

Although Wang Hengzhi is a civil servant and sometimes disagrees with some of the practices of military generals, he does not agree with factional struggles between civil and military officials that affect the people at the bottom!

However, his influence was insignificant and he was a local official, far away from the center of power. He had no right to interfere in such struggles among the upper echelons!

Often when he finds out, things are already over and he can only infer one or two things from the results.

After receiving the urgent report of the war, he immediately presented it to Lord Ma.

Lord Ma was also frowning after reading it. He had been in officialdom longer than Wang Hengzhi, had a wider network of connections, and knew more about some inside stories.

However, no matter how pessimistic they are about the war, the two cannot take any open actions now, so as not to disturb the people and cause them to panic and flee in all directions, which will cause more public security problems.

No action can be taken overtly, but preparations must be made in secret. The inventory of granaries and grain shops must be checked, and the existing daily necessities in the city must be checked. The yamen runners were ordered not to take leave in the near future and to be on standby at all times.

But what Wang Hengzhi didn't know was that as soon as he left, Lord Ma had already quietly sent away his children and concubines, leaving only his wife at home to keep things stable.

At this moment, he looked at his wife with red and swollen eyes and sobbing, and suddenly felt guilty.

On one hand, the war situation was not very optimistic, and on the other hand, the two children were sent away. The couple had no appetite for food and no one picked up their chopsticks.

"How about you go back to your mother's house with the children and stay there for a while?" Wang Hengzhi pondered for a long time and spoke in a low voice.

Zhang Ruomei was startled and cried even harder. She went forward and hugged Wang Hengzhi's arm: "No, I won't leave. If I leave, what will you do? I want to stay with you."

Wang Hengzhi couldn't help but tear up. His wife knew the risks, otherwise she wouldn't have sent the child away. But she was willing to stay with him even if she might die.

He hugged Zhang Ruomei tightly, buried his head in her shoulder, and tears fell silently.

What more can a husband ask for when he has such a wife?

The next morning, Wang Hengzhi and Zhang Ruomei temporarily put aside their homesickness and worries about the situation and regained their spirits. One dealt with the affairs of the government, while the other arranged matters in the workshop and at home.

Because they had made up their minds, both of them acted with an indescribable tenacity.

Zhang Ruomei asked the workshop to buy more food, some of which were sent to the mansion and some of which were kept for their own consumption.

No matter how the war will turn out in the future, once the news of the war comes, food prices will inevitably rise. If you don’t store food now, you may have nothing to eat in the future.

Wang Hengzhi estimated that within a day and a half, the news of the war at the border would reach the provincial capital. By then, all kinds of daily necessities would suddenly become scarce, and many people would take the opportunity to stockpile them. Additional personnel would have to be dispatched to patrol to prevent scoundrels from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos.

The day after Chen Cui and her companions set out, news of the war at the border reached the provincial capital, and a large number of people flocked to the streets to buy food and some essential daily necessities.

The experience passed down by our ancestors tells us that if we don’t buy it now, we may not be able to buy it later.

Therefore, even if these stores heard the news and raised their prices, and everything became at least 30% more expensive, they could only grit their teeth and take out their money to quickly buy the things and take them home!

Even though there were yamen runners patrolling the streets, the entire city was in chaos. At this time, Changping and Xu Dagui entered the city in a carriage.

The two men saw the chaos on the street and after a quick inquiry, they found out what was going on. News of the war at the border had come back!

They learned about the war a day ago. Changping immediately set out to return to Longnan after hearing the news. Fortunately, they left in time. As soon as their carriage left the city, the city gate was closed and the people were no longer allowed to pass!

Changping was extremely anxious when he saw this. He rushed home in a hurry and urged the coachman to hurry up.

The coachman could no longer hold on, so Changping and Xu Dagui took turns helping him drive the coach, letting him rest before taking turns.

In this way, Changping traveled early in the morning and slept at night, almost without stopping except for eating. It took him two and a half days to travel more than 400 miles and return to Longnan Prefecture to reunite with his family.

Such a big thing has happened, no matter what, the family should at least stay together.

Unexpectedly, when Changping and Xu Dagui arrived home exhausted and in a mess, they found the door was locked. No one answered when they knocked. Only the calls of Dahuang and Xiaohuang answered them.

Changping's heart suddenly tightened: What happened at home that made everyone away from home?

Because the eldest girl can't talk and doesn't like to go out, Aunt Mai is afraid that she will be lonely, so she stays at home with her daughter when she is not working.

So, even if everyone else is out, these two will always be at home.

But now, the door was locked and no one answered.

The two of them finally returned home after struggling for their lives, but they couldn't find their relatives. Thinking of the chaotic situation on the street, Xu Dagui became a little panicked.

He first knocked on the door and called Xiaoman's name, but no one answered. Then he called Xiaoxue, but no one answered either. Finally, he called his wife's name in a crying voice: "Chunhua, Chunhua, where are you?"