Transmigrated into a farmer's lucky charm, all the villains in the family panicked.

The village chief thought so too.

But he clearly distinguished between bestowing favors and taking precautions.

After the communal meal was finished, he personally led the villagers, pleading and persuading them with a smile, to escort all the refugees out, leaving none behind. The boundary of Ganjiacun Village was that dried-up irrigation ditch; no one was allowed to stay overnight within the ditch.

The weather in early autumn is neither too hot nor too cold.

At night, the wind blows in from the mountain valley, and it feels quite comfortable on your body.

But no one felt comfortable. Everyone was sweating, their palms were wet, their backs were wet, and the sweat dripped down their spines, only to be chilled by the night breeze and stick to their skin.

The blood-red sunset sank inch by inch into the western mountains.

In the village, torches were lit, casting flickering light on everyone's faces.

The young men, armed with their weapons, stood at their respective posts, their eyes fixed on the grove of trees outside the village.

The woods were filled with a dense mass of people.

At first, they were just blurry shadows, but as darkness fell, they grew denser and more numerous, silently spreading like a tide. Pairs of eyes gleamed eerily in the night, like the eyes of wolves.

Deep in the woods, Lu Xiaomeng saw his father and several uncles emerge from the other side of the woods in an oxcart.

The car was piled high with bags and packages. His eyes lit up, and he ran over as fast as he could.

"Dad! Where did you get all this stuff? There's so much!"

His father, Lu Yi, was the man with a full beard, who pursed his lips and remained silent.

He simply reached out and patted Lu Xiaomeng's head, his rough palm resembling old tree bark, before turning around and joining Er Ma and Feng Gun to pack up the things in the car.

The bundle was opened, revealing grain, cured meat, several sets of clothes, and even a box of pastries wrapped in red silk. Upon opening it, one found several broken wedding cakes inside.

Lu Xiaomeng glanced at his father and saw that there was no sign of happiness on his father's face, which deepened his doubts.

He quietly walked up to another uncle and tugged at his sleeve: "Uncle Er Ma, what did you do during the day?"

Uncle Er Ma was dark-skinned and thin, much taller than the others. He glanced down at him, opened his mouth, and finally just sighed.

He folded the old blanket he had taken from the car and put it aside, then turned back to his work without saying a word.

Lu Xiaomeng suddenly understood.

He stood there stunned for a moment, then didn't ask any more questions.

His father, Lu Yi, had his back to him, his shoulders as stiff as a rock, but his hands were trembling slightly.

He was originally just a farmer. Er Ma, Feng Gun, and the other men in their village were all honest farmers before they fled the famine, planting rice in the spring and harvesting grain in the autumn.

But now... we can't survive without fighting for survival.

The child in the family was so hungry that he was skin and bones, the elderly were so hungry that they could barely stand, the daughter-in-law's milk had dried up, and the baby in her arms cried weakly.

To survive, you have to do anything and throw away all your dignity.

A thin man emerged from the other end of the woods, approached Lu Yi, and whispered, "Brother Lu, you're finally back. Wu Daniu's gang has incited quite a few people and plans to attack this village tonight."

Lu Yi's hand paused on the cart shaft, his brows furrowing sharply: "Why?"

"Wu Daniu has already inquired," the thin man leaned closer. "This village is having a temple fair tomorrow. Quite a few out-of-towners have already checked in tonight—there are vendors setting up stalls, peddlers bringing goods to sell, and some wealthy people who have come from afar. Wu Daniu said these people not only have money, but they also have goods. He also said that the surrounding villages are also full of wealthy people; if they pull off this heist, they'll be able to eat until next spring."

Lu Xiaomeng, who was listening intently from the side, jumped over and shook his head vigorously, shouting, "Dad! Let's not do it! Please don't do it!"

He tugged at his father's sleeve, his voice trembling with anxiety.

"We were starving today, so we tried to take some steamed buns from the village kids, and then all the adults showed up! Dozens of them, all young and strong, carrying weapons—carrying poles, hoes, some even machetes. They looked really tough, not to be trifled with!"

Lu Yi was startled and quickly patted him from head to toe, then opened his clothes to check for injuries.

Lu Xiaomeng shook his head and pushed his father's hand away: "Dad, don't worry, they didn't hit us because we're just kids. The village chief here is a really good person. Not only did he not hit us, but he also led the whole village to cook five big pots of porridge for us! Five big pots! Thick, multigrain porridge with dried vegetables and radishes in it. We ate our fill. Dad, look at my belly, it's still bulging!"

He patted his round belly and looked up at his father.

Lu Yi was stunned. He turned to look at the thin man who had brought the news, seeking confirmation with his eyes.

The thin man nodded, then shrugged with a wry smile.

"It's true. It happened this afternoon. The village chief made each family contribute half a jin of grain, which made up five large pots. I also drank two bowls."

"Brother Lu, to be honest, I originally planned to work with Wu Daniu and the others, but they gave us food and didn't beat our children, how could I bring myself to do it?"

Lu Yi stood there, silent.

He turned his gaze to Ganjiacun Village beyond the woods. In the distance, he could see flickering firelight, people on guard duty, children crying, and dogs barking. It was just an ordinary village, nothing special.

He thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Call everyone in our village and retreat. Get back ten miles. We won't camp here tonight; we'll find another place to spend the night."

Neither Er Ma nor Feng Gun asked any further questions after hearing this.

They were originally under Lu Yi's control.

Since their village chief died on the way to escape famine, Lu Yi, the old village chief's son, became their acting village chief. Everyone in the village, young and old, listened to him. Wherever he pointed, they went.

The order was given, and the villagers began packing their belongings without a word.

This commotion naturally did not escape the notice of Wu Daniu, who was not far away.

Wu Daniu, the leader of another village, rushed over in a panic: "Brother Lu! What happened? Why are you leaving all of a sudden?"

Lu Yi said calmly, "It's nothing serious. We just found a few snakes in the woods. They looked fierce and didn't seem like harmless creatures. Everything else is fine, but my children are too young, and I'm worried about them getting bitten by snakes."

He paused, then added naturally, "Brother Wu, why don't you come with us? The woods here are too dense; it's really not a good place to stay."

Wu Daniu's eyes flickered, then he waved his hand and smiled憨厚ly, "No, no, Brother Lu, you guys go ahead. There are a lot of people here, and our things are scattered all over the place. It's too much trouble to move them all at once. Let's just leave them here."

He spoke politely, but in his heart he was thinking that it was a good thing to have one less group of people and one less group to divide the spoils.

The two groups stood a few steps apart in the woods, silently wishing each other "take care"...