Starting from 40, holding the Star Mall to lead the motherland

Chapter 8 Persuading Huang Shufen

The mountains were looming, lush and green, a scene not found anywhere else in the universe. She was fascinated by it when she first arrived, but after seeing it so many times, she lost interest.

Han Hui saw Xiaocao halfway and was shocked to see her eyes were red: "What happened to my mother?"

Xiaocao took over Han Hui's burden and said in a hoarse voice, "My wife heard that you sprained your ankle and was so worried that she didn't sleep well."

This was within Han Hui's expectations. Seeing her eyes were as red as a rabbit's, she asked, "So what are you doing?"

Xiaocao burst into tears: "My grandma couldn't escape into the mountains yesterday. She was killed by the Japanese devils."

Eight years ago, Xiaocao's mother passed away and she had to make a living under her stepmother. Thanks to her grandmother's protection, she grew up with little bumps and bumps. Earlier this year, her stepmother wanted to sell her to an old man who loved to beat his wife, and Han Hui happened to see her.

Seeing her pity, Han Hui paid for her and even signed a contract to sell her. There was no other way, this was the only way to deal with the vampire parents and prevent future troubles.

The girl was strong and hardworking. She took care of all the housework except sewing and cooking. She was also filial and spent all her wages on the old lady.

Han Hui's mood suddenly soured. She said, "More than 20 people from the village didn't make it out yesterday, most of them were elderly and children. When you see the village chief later, ask where your grandmother is buried and burn some paper money for her."

Xiao Cao wiped her tears and said, "Thank you, young lady."

Huang Shufen wanted to look at Han Hui's feet when she saw her, but she dodged her gaze and said, "I've applied the medicinal wine and it's fine now."

"Don't be so stubborn next time. In a situation like that, we have to protect ourselves first. If we lose our things, we'll find a way. If that doesn't work, we'll ask your second uncle for help."

Han Hui would never ask for help from a traitor.

After breakfast, Han Hui and Huang Shufen said, "Mom, our house burned down."

"what?"

Han Hui took the opportunity to say, "That woman said my brother is gone, but I don't believe it. Now that the house is on fire, Mom, we can go to Shanghai to find my brother."

Huang Shufen was brainwashed from a young age by the feudal education of obeying her father at home, her husband after marriage, and her sons after her husband's death. Consequently, she has remained in her hometown for over twenty years. She wouldn't agree to go to Shanghai to find Han Yongjing, but Han Mengyang is a source of worry for her.

Xiaocao's face turned pale. "Miss, are you and your wife going to Shanghai?"

Han Hui knew what she was afraid of: "If you want, you can go with us."

If she didn't want to leave her hometown, she would send Xiaocao to Nanwan, and then leave her some money and enough food for a year, and ask the village chief and old man Wang to take care of her.

"I do, I do," Xiaocao replied impatiently. If the girl hadn't bought her, she would have been beaten to death by the old man. Furthermore, before coming to the Han family, she had never had enough to eat. After entering the Han family, not only could she eat her fill, but she could also eat meat every now and then.

Although Huang Shufen rarely went out, she knew that the outside world was in chaos and very dangerous: "Xiaoman, your elder brother must have been tripped up by something. He will be back after he has dealt with it."

She dreamed of finding her son. She wanted to see him alive or dead. If he was truly gone, she wanted to bring his remains back and bury him in the ancestral tomb, so he wouldn't become a wandering ghost. But now, with all the chaos and war outside, even at home she felt unsafe, and going out was even more dangerous.

"Mom, we can't just sit here and wait!"

Huang Shufen made an excuse: "Xiaoman, how can we go without enough money?" Han Hui sent Xiaocao out, then took out the jewelry and money box from the backpack, and took out twenty small yellow croakers: "This money is enough for us to spend in Shanghai for a while. Mother, who knows, my brother might be suffering somewhere right now. If we don't go find him, we may never see him again in this life."

Huang Shufen stared at the small yellow croaker: "Where did it come from?"

Han Hui lowered her voice and said, "We found it in the study. Grandpa must have hidden it."

Her original body was literate, and she practiced calligraphy every day to familiarize herself with the characters. Old Man Han died of alcoholism, leaving many things unexplained. Tired of practicing calligraphy, she went treasure hunting in the house, starting with the study. To her surprise, she stumbled upon a secret compartment in the study, containing twenty small yellow croakers.

Huang Shufen saw these things and said with tears in her eyes, "Xiao Man, going to Shanghai is not that easy. There will be Japanese invaders, bandits, robbers, and kidnappers on the road. Even if we are lucky enough to get to Shanghai, drinking water there costs money and things are very expensive. Our money won't last long. How will we live then?"

Han Hui said, "Mom, let's go to Shanghai and find Han Yongjing first. Let him arrange accommodation for us. After we settle down, we can set up a stall to sell braised dishes. You've eaten my braised meat before, so we won't have to worry about lack of business."

Seeing Huang Shufen wanted to say more, she shook her head and said, "Mom, all the Japanese who came to the village yesterday to raid were killed by the guerrillas. The Japanese will definitely hold everyone in Zhangshu Village responsible for this. If they catch you, they will probably disembowel you."

"What did you say, all dead?"

Han Hui nodded.

Huang Shufen said with a look of satisfaction, "It's better to die, it's better to die. These beasts deserve to be chopped into pieces." "Xiao Cao, Xiao Cao, let's pack up and go."

Well, this reaction was beyond her expectations, but it was a good thing. No need to waste words trying to persuade him. If she had known this would happen, she would have said at the beginning that all the Japanese invaders who entered the village had been killed.

Han Hui yawned. "Mom, you and Xiaocao pack up, I'll take a nap. There were too many people in the cave last night, and I didn't sleep well."

Even if the Japanese got the news this morning, it would take five or six hours from the time they assembled their troops to reach Zhangshu Village, and searching the mountain would take several more hours. The Japanese would undoubtedly discover the warehouse had been emptied this morning and would undoubtedly send someone to investigate. Therefore, they couldn't search their place today.

When Han Hui woke up, she looked at the clock and found it was already past eleven: "Mom, why didn't you wake me up?"

Huang Shufen took a comb and combed her hair while saying, "I called you, but you slept too deeply, so I wanted you to sleep a little longer."

After a good nap, Han Hui felt more energetic. She said, "Are you all packed? Once you've packed, we'll go."

Huang Shufen said, "There's no need to rush. Let's eat first and then leave."

The staple food included a pot of rice, more than ten sweet potatoes and a bowl of porridge. The dishes included a plate of bacon and a plate of amaranth. She and Xiaocao made these foods before dawn.

After dinner, they set off. Xiaocao carried Huang Shufen on her back, while Han Hui shouldered the load, which contained food, pots and pans, rations, and bedding. They would swap places after a while. Alas, I don't understand why women bind their feet; they can't even walk steadily.

Before dark, Han Hui took Huang Shufen and Xiaocao to a wooden house. This wooden house was built by hunters, who would stay overnight while hunting and rest in the wooden house at night.

Han Hui saw Xiaocao's legs were shaking and she was about to go out to fetch water, so she stopped her and said, "Sister Xiaocao, take a rest. I'll go get some water."

She had been doing weight training for the past few months and often went hunting in the mountains, so she was tired but still managed. Xiaocao was strong, but carrying dozens of pounds of weight for more than six hours was difficult for her.

Unable to persuade her, Xiaocao could only sit down and rest.

(End of this chapter)