12dz Chapter 170: The Widowed Mother in Famine 2
Chapter 170: The Widowed Mother in Famine 2
Not long after Village Chief Li and Li Wanwan left, Zhao Shitou ran in from outside the door.
"Aunt, my parents said they are ready and can leave at any time."
Nan Xi nodded, "Let's set off early tomorrow morning."
Zhao Shitou agreed and ran back happily.
Lin Xuan took his son and took Lin Le out to play. Li Cuiyun and Lin Ya went into the kitchen. They had to go to bed early tonight as they had to get up early tomorrow.
Zhao Kangping was sitting in the yard chopping firewood. These were for use on the road, so he had to trim them neatly and tie them up.
Liu Wan'er was busy in the kitchen, turning the food at home into dry food for easy carrying.
Zhao Shitou ran home and said something to Zhao Kangping, then ran to the kitchen to help light the fire.
Both families are making final preparations for departure tomorrow.
The east was not yet bright, and the night was still dark. The outline of Shanghe Village looked peaceful and tranquil under the starlight.
In the Lin family's yard, the family was busy and orderly. Lin Xuan drove the ox cart on the road. When passing the Zhao family, there was an ox cart behind him.
Two ox carts moved forward slowly and silently, their wheels gently rolling over the village road, heading towards the distant Sanzhi County.
They did not alarm anyone and left Shanghe Village quietly like ghosts in the night.
Sanzhi County is not far away, only 500 miles away. If you walk fast, you can get there in 10 days.
But the world outside is in chaos now, with many rebel soldiers and bandits, and these are the things we need to be on guard against.
"Everyone stay vigilant and don't take it lightly." Nan Xi reminded everyone that they must always be vigilant to deal with possible dangers.
"Okay, mother."
Lin Xuan sat in front of the ox cart, holding the whip tightly in his hand. His eyes were sharp and he was always scanning the surroundings.
There were many people fleeing along the way, all of them carrying their families, their faces filled with fatigue and despair.
Their eyes stayed on the Lin family's ox cart for a moment, but soon continued to move forward, and no one dared to approach.
Lin Xuan's whip drew arcs in the air, making crisp sounds. His skilled movements and vigilant eyes deterred other refugees from having any improper thoughts.
No one dared to attack the Lin and Zhao families, which saved a lot of trouble.
After traveling for a whole day, they did not encounter any rebel soldiers, but did encounter a few bandits. However, Li Cuiyun and Lin Ya threw a few stones at them with slingshots, and the bandits retreated.
They had a safe journey and finally, at nightfall, the two families set up camp in a remote valley.
The bonfire swayed in the night breeze, making crackling sounds, adding a touch of warmth to the quiet night.
Lin Xuan and Zhao Kangping were used to hunting, so when they saw signs of animal activity nearby, they prepared to hunt something live for dinner.
Li Cuiyun, Lin Ya and Liu Wan'er prepared the tent for sleeping at night, while Nan Xi took the three children to pick wild vegetables.
After a while, Lin Xuan and his companion caught two fat fish and three chubby rabbits.
They killed the prey in the stream and brought it back only after cleaning it.
“This fish is so fat!”
Li Cuiyun was a little surprised. She didn't expect that the stream was not deep and the fish were quite big.
Nan Xi wanted to drink fish soup. "Let's make some soup. Drink something hot."
Li Cuiyun agreed and got busy.
She skillfully built a simple stove on the open space around her, and then took out the heavy black iron pot and placed it on the stove.
Then, she put the fish prepared by Lin Xuan into the pot. The flames jumped at the bottom of the pot, and the fish soup gradually gave off an enticing aroma.
At the same time, the barbecue rack was also skillfully assembled by Li Cuiyun. She skillfully put the rabbit prepared by Zhao Kangping on the grill and sprinkled it with special seasoning.
As the rabbit is roasted over the flame, fat drips from it, making a sizzling sound and emitting a mouth-watering aroma.
Liu Wan'er was not idle either. She cleaned the wild vegetables, made a cold dish, and ate the dish after grilling it. It was refreshing and tasty.
After finishing all this, Liu Wan'er was busy preparing the staple food.
She took out the pancakes that she had just baked this morning and heated them slightly. The pancakes immediately became fragrant, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
After a busy time, the sumptuous dinner was finally ready. Everyone sat around the fire and enjoyed the delicious dinner.
The fish soup was delicious, the rabbit was roasted to perfection, the wild vegetables were crisp and refreshing, and the pancakes were crispy and chewy. Everyone ate with gusto, and it didn't seem like they were taking refuge.
After dinner, two people were left to take turns keeping watch, while the rest went to rest.
The night was quiet and peaceful, with only the occasional chirping of insects.
?
As the sun rises, a new day begins.
When passing a rocky mountain, dozens of ragged people suddenly appeared from all directions. They were thin, haggard, and their eyes were full of greed.
These people were obviously refugees struggling to survive in troubled times. As soon as they appeared, they quickly surrounded the two ox carts and formed a siege.
Seeing this, Lin Xuan immediately became nervous. He waved the whip in his hand, trying to drive away these uninvited guests.
"Get out of the way! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude."
The refugees seemed to have been prepared for this. They took out the crude weapons hidden in their clothes, including sticks, worn swords, and some even picked up stones.
Liu Wan'er turned pale with shock. She hugged Zhao Shitou and clung to Zhao Kangping, trying to stay calm, but she was extremely panicked.
A refugee who seemed to be the leader came forward. Although his voice was hoarse, it revealed an unquestionable majesty. "We just want to ask for some food. We won't hurt you."
These refugees have reached the end of their rope. If they are not given some food, they are likely to do something even crazier.
Nan Xi decided to share some of the food with these refugees.
The reason she worked so hard to stock up was also to help the disaster victims.
Half of the food on the oxcart was distributed.
After receiving the food, the refugees showed grateful smiles on their faces.
They retreated one after another and made way. Seeing this, Lin Xuan immediately urged the ox cart to move forward.
A burst of hurried horse hoof sounds was heard, and everyone looked back, only to see a dozen robbers on horseback galloping towards them.
They held sharp swords in their hands and had cruel smiles on their faces, obviously harboring ill intentions.
The sound of horse hooves grew louder and louder, shaking the air around them, as exciting as war drums.
The refugees looked terrified and retreated, trying to avoid this sudden threat.
Some people looked for a place to hide, but on this barren rocky mountain, there was almost nowhere to hide except hard rocks and sparse grass and trees.
The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, and in a blink of an eye, a group of robbers on horseback had rushed in front of the crowd.
They were dressed in black armor, wore ferocious masks on their faces, and wielded sharp swords in their hands.
"Hand over the food!" the robbers shouted loudly, staring at everyone fiercely.