Farming Family's Pocket Dimension: A Charmed Little Lady Comes to Farm

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Keep a Close Watch on That Spy

"Uncle refuses to go," Gu Erlang said. "He says that no matter how bad the drought gets, you can’t starve to death in the mountains. If it still hasn’t rained by next spring, they’ll leave then."

Gu Zhang sighed. ’What can we do if they won’t go? It’s not like I can force them at knifepoint.’

Li Chunhua lowered her head. "My parents won’t go either. They also said they’ll wait and see what happens next spring."

Gu Zhang didn’t say anything more. He had spent the last few days trying to persuade everyone and was mentally exhausted. ’Everyone has their own destiny,’ he thought. "Alright," he said. "Let them know we’re heading to East Sea County. If they decide to leave next spring, they can look for us there."

Li Chunhua nodded.

Meanwhile, in a courtyard of the Imperial Music Bureau, Xiao Yu was listening to a report from Stone.

"Old He assigned men to follow the Gu Family. The Gu Family’s eldest son has been driving a mule cart around, making purchases. He’s bought charcoal, hand and foot warmers, frostbite ointment, medicinal herbs, fodder, and things like that."

"He delivered the items to a rented house in the city. Old He’s men got a clear look—there are two other mule carts in the courtyard."

"As for Gu Zhang, he went to several bookstores. In the end, he found a proprietor who secretly sold him a map."

A glint flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes. ’That girl really is suspicious.’

’Why would common folk need a map? That’s something you need for military campaigns!’

Stone continued, "Old He felt something was off, so he had Old Ma make contact with Gu Zhang. Gu Zhang said that his village was planning to flee south to escape the famine, so Old Ma offered to be their guide."

Xiao Yu nodded slowly. "Tell Old Ma to be careful. Especially with that girl. Watch her every move. I suspect she might be a spy from an enemy nation!"

Stone jumped in surprise. "No way. How could a delicate little thing like her be a spy?"

Xiao Yu sneered. "If you could spot a spy that easily, they wouldn’t be called a spy."

"I’m even beginning to suspect she had a hand in the raid on the Marquis Mansion."

"In any case, have Old Ma keep a close eye on this family. They want to go south, so he should go with them. Let’s see what they’re really up to!"

After a moment, he added another instruction, "From now on, all intelligence Old Ma gathers on the Gu Family is to be reported directly to me. No one else."

Stone nodded. "Young Master, we’ve been away for a long time. Shouldn’t we be heading back?"

Xiao Yu stood up. "We’ll head back tomorrow."

He thought for a moment, then added, "Don’t spend the gold that girl gave us. Hold on to it."

Gu Fei, however, had no idea she was now considered a spy.

She was lying on the heated bed, studying the map.

She pulled out the map from her history book and laid it out for comparison.

East Sea County was to the southeast of Lin City.

Lin City was part of West Qin County. To get from Lin City to East Sea County, they would have to pass through West Mountain County, Hedong County, and Huainan County.

’Huainan County could technically be considered part of the south, but Gu Fei had no plans to settle there. For one, it wasn’t as prosperous as East Sea County. For another, East Sea County was on the coast. If the world truly descended into chaos and things became desperate, escaping to an island by sea wouldn’t be a bad option.’

Gu Fei used the map’s scale to make a rough calculation. The distance to Ping’an City, the capital of East Sea County, was about sixteen or seventeen hundred kilometers—over three thousand li!

’And that’s the straight-line distance. The actual roads won’t be straight. They’ll have to detour around mountains and rivers, so the real journey will be even longer!’

’If they cover forty to fifty li a day, it will take at least three months!’

Gu Fei felt a pang of despair.

’She did have an off-road vehicle with plenty of gasoline in her storage space, but she couldn’t use it!’

’If she actually took the car out, she’d probably be captured by the Da Ying Dynasty’s Red-clothed Guards in an instant.’