At the beginning, the whole family fled from famine, and I used a milk bottle as a koi carp

Chapter 5 Escape to the South

The family happily finished dinner and held a family meeting of Lao An's family as usual. When the family, Lao An talked about his visit to the county today, "The price of food has almost doubled, and so has oil and salt. This One wave, I don’t know when it will end?”

After saying that, I wanted to take out the welding smoke out of habit, but when I saw a room full of dolls, I stopped.

Everyone gets upset when mentioning this. When the harvest was good these years, the tax went from thirty to one, twenty to one, and then last year's fifteen tax to one. How could we live in peace these years?

Their village is located in a mountainous area, but when they don't have enough food, they go to the mountains to find supplements so that ordinary people can survive.

Mr. An came back from digging canals. He had been tired for a day, but fortunately he could go home and rest that day. "The river in the village was about to bottom out. It was only knee deep. The village chose a section and started digging deeper. The water seepage was very slow."

If it doesn't rain in this weather, it feels like there will be no water soon. "

Mrs. An looked at her children and grandchildren gathered around her and touched An Ningning's little head happily, "It's okay. Being a family together is better than anything else. Can a living person be suffocated to death by urinating?"

“Old man, take your second son to the clan chief and village chief’s second uncle’s house and ask the county if they have any explanation.

I heard from my daughter-in-law who married in the south that further south, rice is grown in two crops, and there are also a lot of fruits and vegetables.

Our village is already close to the south of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but it is not south enough. If it doesn't work, we will move to the south. Anywhere further north, wars are going on every year, and we don't know when it will end. "

An Ningning and Sanbao each held Old An's arm and comforted her silently.

When going to bed at night, Old Man An quietly discussed with Old Mrs. An, "The village chief said that there is no notice from the county for the time being, and the rice seedlings have withered in many nearby places, and those who have roads in nearby villages have already gone to relatives.

This is the fiefdom of the King of Huainan. There have been wars for years, and the soldiers have been beaten round after round. Last month, another city was lost in the north, and the village chief asked us to be mentally prepared.

The imperial court has always been uneasy, and this is the southernmost fiefdom of King Huainan. Neither side can count on it, and they have been suffering all these years. "

"Oh, God doesn't leave a way for anyone to survive! It's a pity that the little ones in the family are still so young. How can we have a family without one?"

"Last time, the second child was a boy. The family relied on the eldest son, so he stayed at home with money. But they can't let them take away the eldest son. He has four children. If he doesn't support himself, who can?" Old man An suddenly sat up in fright, which made old lady An jump.

After listening to Old Man An's words, Old Mrs. An raised her arm and hit him on the back, "You damn old man, how long have you been here? All you think about is that these are my grandchildren and we can't support them?"

Old man An took his second son and four grandchildren to the mountains. Old lady An and Mrs. Zhang took out all the dry food at home and sorted it out. Boss An still goes to dig canals. If he can really survive, he still has to stay in the village. People are humble when they leave their hometown. No farmer is willing to leave home until the last moment.

Under the bright white moonlight, like a long dragon hovering on the path around the mountain, the people of Xiushan Village embarked on the road to the future.

After walking for most of the night and leaving the confines of Xiushan Village, the village chief asked everyone to stop and rest. Regardless of hunger, he spread mats and mattresses on the ground and slept like this all night.

An Ningning didn't sleep well that night. The night in the mountains was very strange. There were always inexplicable roars of animals. She was alert all night, worried that a wild beast would jump out.

Early in the morning, all the women in the village got up, lit a fire, and ate from the food they brought with them. It was hot and it was not easy to cook too much. Mrs. Zhang set up a pot on the fire and cooked some porridge. There were many children in the house, and there were two younger ones who needed some hot water. Sanbao squatted beside the fire in a daze, while Dabao and Erbao followed their uncle An and Laoer to collect firewood. An Ningning ran to the front and saw a burst of thick smoke billowing from the pipe in the distance.

Several clan elders and the village chief were also watching. The village chief An Jianlin said happily: "That one is riding a horse! Maybe he is the one who came to recruit soldiers.

I heard from the county that the conscription was very strict this time and the age limit was relaxed by five years. "

Liu Laosan, an elder of the Liu family, said, "When will this end? Why is it so difficult to live?"

Old man Zhai, the only foreigner in the village, smoked a dry cigarette and said slowly: "Brother, where can't we live? When the car comes, how can we not live around the baby?"

Liu Laosan looked at the lonely old man Zhai, not to mention his children, not even his disciples, and moved aside in disgust.

There's no point in them just hanging around with their families!

The miserable expressions on everyone's faces seemed to relax.

Yes, you can’t live there! A living person can suffocate to death!
  The weather was getting hotter and hotter during the day, so the village chief had to adjust his rest time. He tried to walk as long as possible in the morning and evening, and rested as much as possible when the weather was hot at noon to maintain physical strength and save water.

Some of the young and middle-aged people in the village were leading the way, and some were holding the line at the back. The elderly and children were all in the middle. The procession is organized as a family unit, and it drags on for a long time. Someone can only run back and forth to coordinate to prevent everyone from falling behind.

Lao An's family walked at the end. The donkey cart was piled with goods, leaving only room for two people. They took turns riding, while the others were walking beside.

An Laoer felt a little confused when he looked at the endless mountains. He had read books and was exposed to more new things when he was in the county.

It is said in the storybooks that in such a mountain, it is normal for there to be bandits and wild beasts.

Their fleeing team had no formal rules and no resistance. Not to mention bandits and wild beasts, even other fleeing teams could rob them.

It’s too unsafe, how can we still reach our destination!
  He walked quickly to the carriage of the village chief's house and said in a low voice, "Second uncle, there are about two hundred of us in this group. We have no means or weapons to defend ourselves. We are barefoot, let alone people, and we encounter wild animals. I can’t even figure it out!

Look at what everyone brings, they are all hoes and machetes. If they come to attack from a distance, how can they do it? It’s not going to be a peaceful journey.”

The body of the village chief driving the mule cart seemed to bend even more, "I will discuss with several clan elders during the break. We can't just come here blindly. To bring everyone out, we must bring everyone safely." Destination. Don't let anything go wrong.

An Laoer, you are a scholar and know a lot. Come and help the people in the village. The future of the village will depend on young people like you. "

"Don't worry! Second uncle, if you need anything, just call us brothers. We are all one family in the clan." After saying this, An Lao Er went back to his home.

All that could be said and should be said was said, and An's family did not have the final say in matters in the village.

(End of this chapter)