If the populace does not unite, this nation will truly fall.
The old shopkeeper sighed.
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao were polite, and only then did the elder agree to speak more.
Dealing with enemy soldiers is no small matter.
People were fleeing everywhere, also related to the civil war. Several factions were fighting on the battlefield, with only one or two remaining. The others were not even causing trouble, it was all chaotic. The common people saw that the officials could not be relied upon.
Naturally, they had to find their own way out.
This led to a large number of people migrating to distant places, and the conflict officially began.
The old shopkeeper also said that Que Zhou City was quite good, at least the major families in charge were considered benevolent. Otherwise, the city and its surroundings would have already descended into chaos.
"But look, the number of people coming here is increasing. Who knows what will happen in the future."
The old shopkeeper was also worried.
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao exchanged a glance, and then spoke a few words of comfort.
The old shopkeeper nodded, but also expressed that it was not easy to let go. When he came to his senses, he said to the young couple again, "Oh my, I'm old and talk too much. Weren't you asking me about renting a place earlier? You can go to the human trafficker's agency and ask for a woman named Ma Sanniang. Just ask for her directly when you go, and someone will point you in the right direction. Everyone here knows her."
He said that this woman had a silver tongue, was very eloquent, impatient, but had a tough exterior and a soft heart, and was also upright and generous.
It was reliable to ask her for help.
Her fees were not expensive.
Whether it was renting a house, buying servants, or buying livestock, it was all possible.
She had many connections.
Cheng Hao naturally expressed his gratitude and asked, "May I ask, sir, if there is a reliable pawnshop nearby?"
The old shopkeeper saw that this child was dignified and courteous, and had a good impression of him from the start, so he was naturally willing to tell him everything.
He pointed to the small alley over there and said, "Do you see that wine shop over there? Go into the alley beside it, and you'll reach another street. Our pawnshops here are all decent, but the Huang family pawnshop is the most honest. You can go there and see, they buy everything!"
Cheng Hao expressed his gratitude and kept thanking him. The old shopkeeper said it was nothing. "Since the beginning of spring, many people have come to Que Zhou City, several groups every day, and many are asking for information. I'm idle anyway, and since you two are pleasing to the eye, I'm happy to chat with you more."
The elder wore a pair of Western-style glasses, a long robe, a short jacket, and a jade thumb ring on his hand, exuding a strong scholarly aura.
But he was very amiable.
Seeing Cheng Hao's etiquette and demeanor, he was by no means a child from an ordinary family. Not only was his appearance dignified, but he also had a scholarly air, yet his build was stronger than that of ordinary scholars who spent their days buried in books. He curiously asked him a few questions, "Are you studying? How many years have you been in school?"
Cheng Hao replied truthfully, neither humble nor overbearing. Having the memories of the original owner was good.
The old shopkeeper nodded as he listened, praised him as a good young man, and wished him success. He then sighed, "If there were more young people like you, our nation would not be in this situation."
The people here either valued civil arts or martial arts, with very few combining them.
Most of those who studied were bookworms, spending their days in studies, making themselves weak and frail. Those who practiced martial arts were mostly impulsive and reckless, preferring to solve problems with force. These two groups had always looked down on each other.
Of course, it wasn't entirely like that.
But it was the general trend, and many young people liked to blindly follow.
The old shopkeeper lamented this.
Seeing such an outstanding child as Cheng Hao, he couldn't help but show gratified smiles repeatedly.
Cheng Hao looked at the sky and did not linger any longer. He said, "I have urgent matters to attend to today. When I have time in the future, I will definitely come to have a cup of tea with you, sir. I will take my leave now."
The old shopkeeper did not insist on keeping him. Hearing that he would come again, his beard trembled with joy, and he repeatedly agreed, "Good, good, good. If you don't mind this old man's rambling, please come. I will definitely find the best new tea to treat you!"
Su Miaomiao saw Cheng Hao interacting with the shopkeeper and did not disturb him, just listened quietly. Seeing that they were about to leave, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
She felt they could finally leave!
She also happily bid farewell to the elder. The young girl was beautiful, and her smile was so bright that it was dazzling. In this world, someone like this was not ordinary, and her heart must be broad.
The old shopkeeper was a good judge of character. This girl looked like a good one, generous and not coy, so he nodded and said, "Good, good, good, take your time."
Su Miaomiao waved her hand and was led by the hand towards the alley entrance.
People on the road noticed them.
Seeing her sincere smile, they were momentarily stunned.
In this day and age.
Whether men or women, they were either hysterical and throwing tantrums indoors, or bowing and scraping with fawning smiles when they went out, or laughing heartily during moments of carefree abandon. That laughter rarely reached their eyes, and it all carried a hint of weariness, for their nation was on the verge of collapse.
But seeing the young girl's smile, they could feel her joy and freedom from the bottom of their hearts, not the fake smiles of pretense and flattery.
Passersby felt a dull ache in their hearts. They could no longer laugh.
But it did not prevent them from experiencing a moment of her joy.
A faint smile appeared on everyone's lips, and then they shook their heads.
Their hearts remained heavy.
**
Meanwhile.
Su Miaomiao followed Cheng Hao towards the old pawnshop the old shopkeeper had mentioned.
That place was indeed large.
At this time, there were quite a few people, and a small queue had formed outside the store.
Su Miaomiao looked around, then took his sleeve with her other hand and said, "I wanted to say this from earlier. It's already so lively here in the morning, and the crowd gets bigger as the day goes on. It shows that there are really a lot of people."
Cheng Hao held her hand tightly, occasionally shielding her from being bumped by passersby, and replied, "Didn't the old shopkeeper say that since the beginning of spring, new people have been coming in every day? It's not strange that there are so many people."
As he spoke, he gestured for Su Miaomiao to look into the distance. Many houses were still being built, and floors were being added. "Most of the houses here are only two or three stories high, but most of the houses here are three or four stories high, and the upper floors look very new, likely newly built."
Su Miaomiao listened to him and looked into the distance, then looked around. It was indeed so. Furthermore, the new buildings in the distance appeared to be going up to five or six floors, and in this area, it was more of a feeling of adding extensions.
This made her gasp.
"This can't go on like this, can it? And adding extensions like this is also very dangerous."
Cheng Hao immediately replied, "This place has obviously considered that, otherwise, they wouldn't be adding more than one or two floors." He then reminded her to watch her step.