A large basket was lowered from the city wall.
Lord Shen had clearly stated in his letter that there were too many refugees, so the city gates could not be opened. They had to use baskets to bring them up to the city tower.
This method was quite practical.
Even when the refugees saw the baskets, they quickly reacted, scrambling to reach for them, eager to jump into the baskets for a chance to enter the city.
Jiang Wan did not mock the refugees for their naivety, thinking they would smoothly enter the city once they got into the baskets.
These people, in desperation, would grasp even the slightest chance of survival with all their might.
Seeing the refugees fighting and bleeding each other to get into the baskets, Jiang Wan quickly signaled to the people on the city tower to stop lowering them.
Lord Shen immediately instructed the soldiers, "Stop, stop!"
Jiang Wan turned to Yan Li and asked, "Uncle, can you help my father and the others jump into the baskets?"
Yan Li nodded, "No problem."
"Then I'll trouble you."
After speaking, Jiang Wan pushed off with her feet, sprinted, and jumped onto the city wall. With a flip, she landed steadily in the basket.
"Send my sister up first!"
Without a word, Yan Li grabbed Jiang Xiao's wrist and pulled her into the basket with a surge of strength. Then he flipped down again.
The basket, carrying two people, was quickly pulled up by the soldiers above. Seeing the basket ascend, the refugees cried out in despair, "Don't leave us behind, please, sir, save us, let us enter the city too!"
However, no one paid any attention to their desperate pleas.
Soon, the two sisters arrived at the city tower.
Jiang Wan jumped out of the basket and bowed to Lord Shen, "Greetings, Lord Shen."
Jiang Xiao, on the other hand, knelt before Lord Shen with a thud, "Thank you, Lord Shen, please show mercy and let me see my child."
Lord Shen quickly offered a hand to help her up, "Madam, please rise. I have already sent people from my manor to look for your child. You should be reunited with your child once you arrive at the manor."
As they were speaking, Jiang Pan and Chen Yuezhi were pulled up by soldiers, while Yan Li and his disciple Gu Chenzhou flew up themselves using their qinggong.
Their movements drew the suspicion of the city guards, and a row of gleaming weapons was pointed at them.
Yan Li quickly smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. We are escorts for the Jiang family."
Jiang Wan added, "We are one of our own, one of our own."
Lord Shen waved his hand at the guards, and the weapons were lowered.
Lord Shen bowed deeply to Chen Yuezhi, "Thank you, divine doctor, for saving my wife and child's lives."
Chen Yuezhi quickly sidestepped to avoid the bow, "Lord Shen, you must not. I am a physician, and since I encountered this, I naturally would not stand by and watch them die. Moreover, Madam Shen paid me handsomely at the time, so I do not deserve such a great courtesy from you."
After a few pleasantries, the two parties immediately descended the city wall and boarded the Shen family's carriage.
Huinan Prefecture City, the Jiang family had also visited once, about half a year ago. They had passed through this place on their way to Yaoxian and had entered the city to resupply.
When they came then, the place was quite prosperous and bustling. Now, the entire prefecture city was quiet. The autumn wind blew, scattering fallen leaves everywhere, making it appear exceptionally desolate and deserted.
Lord Shen explained, "The citizens in the city are afraid that the refugees will rush in, so they have not dared to go out these days and have all stayed indoors."
Jiang Pan said, "Before we came, we had anticipated that the situation here would be very bad, but we never expected it to be worse than our predictions."
Lord Shen sighed heavily, "At first, we also considered opening the granaries to provide relief to these refugees, but there were simply too many of them, and our grain reserves were limited. With no end in sight for the refugees' departure, we had to order the city gates closed for our own safety."
"I don't know what the situation is like outside. These past few days are the peak season for harvesting grain. With so many refugees, I fear there will be nothing left in the fields outside the city."
Jiang Pan nodded with a grave expression, "All the farmland we passed on the way was in disarray."
Lord Shen's brow furrowed, "Then I don't know how those farmers outside the city will manage to survive."
As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the Shen residence.
The doorman hurried out to greet them, and Madam Shen also appeared. Upon seeing Chen Yuezhi, Madam Shen quickly stepped forward, intending to take Chen Yuezhi's hand.
"Doctor Jiang, I didn't expect we would meet again. You must have had a difficult journey."
Chen Yuezhi quickly took a step back, "Greetings, Madam. We squeezed through the refugees and have gotten dirty. For the sake of your young master, Madam, it would be best to maintain some distance from us for now."
Madam Shen was touched and nodded, "Alright, then I will arrange for someone to prepare hot water for you all to wash up."
Jiang Xiao, unable to contain her anxiety, said, "Madam Shen, my child, Xiao Bao, he..."
Madam Shen quickly replied, "Miss Jiang, do not worry. Xiao Bao is in the manor. He is unwilling to come out, so I have asked him to wait inside."
Chen Yuezhi said, "Da Niu, don't be anxious. Clean yourself up first before seeing Xiao Bao."
Jiang Xiao, tears welling up, nodded, "Okay, I'm not anxious, I'm not anxious."
She had already taken nine hundred and ninety-nine steps; she could endure this last one.
Madam Shen welcomed the group into the manor and arranged for them to stay in the guest courtyard.
The servants of the Shen residence brought hot water and clean clothes for them to wash and change into.
As soon as Jiang Xiao had finished tidying herself up, she heard a familiar voice.
It was Xiao Bao's voice!
Jiang Xiao leaped to her feet and dashed out, not even noticing the stool she had knocked over behind her.
As she exited the room, she saw Chen Yuezhi and Jiang Pan also rushing out.
Across from them, a tall man walked towards them, carrying a frail child in his arms. The child seemed shy, burying his face tightly against his shoulder.
From his silhouette alone, Jiang Xiao recognized him as her child.
She rushed forward like a madwoman, wanting to pull Xiao Bao into her embrace. "Xiao Bao, Xiao Bao! Mommy is here to pick you up, Mommy is here!"
However, the man made a gesture to stop her from approaching further.
"The child has suffered a great shock and has forgotten everything from before, including... you."
The color drained from Jiang Xiao's face, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
The child, so close, had forgotten her as well.
Seeing Jiang Xiao about to collapse, Chen Yuezhi and Jiang Wan quickly stepped forward to support her.
"Da Niu, pull yourself together! Xiao Bao is alive, which is a great fortune. Although he has forgotten his past and forgotten you, you can let him get to know you again, recognize you, and acknowledge you."
Jiang Wan added, "Mother is right. Those past events were not good anyway, so forgetting them is not a bad thing."
Saying this, she took out a handful of candies from her pocket and handed them to Jiang Xiao, "Sister, go ahead. Control your emotions, don't scare Xiao Bao."
Jiang Xiao's senses were brought back by these words. She quickly wiped away her tears, took the candy from Jiang Wan, took several deep breaths to steady her emotions, and slowly walked towards Xiao Bao.