Song Ning thought about it and realized that it was because she had been too good-tempered in the past that these people took advantage of her.

When dealing with people like that, it's better to take action than to talk.

"If you say one more word, next time this knife won't just be stuck in the table..."

Instead, it's stuck in your hair.

Old Man Liu jumped up and down in anger: "They've gone too far! They've all gone too far! Now even a good-for-nothing like me dares to talk to me like that, what kind of parents did you raise him?"

"You don't need to worry about how I taught you. Are you going to leave on your own, or do you want me to send you off with this knife?" Song Ning looked at him coldly, without the slightest fear.

With the gleaming white knife held in front of him, Old Man Liu chickened out like a coward.

Slowly making his way to the door, Song Ning said, "Dad, Uncle, Grandpa seems to have difficulty walking. Let's ask him to leave."

The two men carried Old Man Liu and threw him outside.

Outside the door, Old Man Liu cursed and swore: "How could I have given birth to such a heartless, money-losing brat like you? And this slut gave birth to a little slut who dares to throw her own father out here. She deserves to be struck by lightning!"

Song Ning picked up a stone from the ground, went out of the courtyard, and threw it at Old Man Liu. Then a scream was heard.

This time, there was no sound at all.

Song Xiu'e asked worriedly, "No, could it have been smashed?"

"It's alright, I didn't hit it on my head," Song Ning said calmly.

What she's thinking about now is, how did the Liu family find out they lived here?

The events of the past few days have alarmed everyone in the family; Er Ya seems to have suddenly become a different person.

Now, he can pick up a knife without batting an eye, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

This family can't function without Er Ya.

After everyone left, Song Dahai brought the mule cart back. The family dispelled their gloom and gathered around the cart to examine it closely.

None of the mule carts in the county town have roofs, so Song Ning plans to have Song Dahai research how to make one so that it can be shaded from the sun when delivering goods.

The goods continued to be delivered to the county town for another ten days or so. On this day, the shopkeeper kept her behind for a talk.

Once the deliveries are finished tomorrow, there's no need to deliver the remaining cold noodles for the next few days.

"Why?" Song Ning asked.

The shopkeeper stammered, but finally told the truth: "To tell you the truth, this is our boss's idea. I heard... things are about to get turbulent."

Song Ning's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm telling you this in secret. The county magistrate hasn't released any information, and we don't dare to make a fuss either. There's been a war in the north, and I heard they're heading south. They're even conscripting soldiers along the way. It's really bad. It's best to leave as soon as possible."

Song Ning thought the locust plague would come first, but unexpectedly, war came first.

"Shopkeeper, how do you know these things? Are you sure?"

“Our boss has connections in the capital. The news just came from yesterday, along with some news from the north, so it should be true,” the shopkeeper said seriously.

Song Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Thank you for telling me this, shopkeeper. I understand."

As they left the restaurant, Song Dahai sensed something was wrong and asked what had happened. Song Ning didn't say anything, only that she should go home first.

Song Ning didn't say it explicitly, only that the world was not peaceful and that they should prepare more dry food in the next few days in case of emergency.

Song Dahai and Zhu Shun were building a car roof in the yard, while Liu Yuelan and Song Xiue were making pancakes and steaming buns in the kitchen.

It's inconvenient to be on the road, but she can store a lot in her space, so she'll do as much as she can in the remaining days.

After delivering the last day's goods, they didn't have to do anything else but focus on making dry rations. While they were still warm, Song Ning secretly put them into his spatial storage. When Liu Yuelan asked, he only said that he had hidden them.

Two days later, Li Daniu came to town with news that Nanshan Village had indeed been robbed.

Because of Song Ning's reminder, the village chief found many strong young men in the village to take turns keeping watch at night.

But the men in the village were no match for those mountain bandits. Before they could even shout, they were taken down.

Perhaps they had scouted the area beforehand, because when the group of thieves arrived, they didn't linger at the west end of the village for long before rushing straight in.

By the time people noticed, they had already reached the village chief's doorstep.

Fortunately, they only looted the food. Although some people were injured, none of them were seriously injured. However, they also took away many women.

Song Ning frowned: "Didn't the village chief tell everyone to leave as soon as possible?"

Li Daniu sighed: "Alas, everyone has lived in the village their whole lives, how could they bear to leave? So they just kept dragging it on... Only a few families left, and the rest had everything looted."

If I had left earlier, I could have saved some of the things in the house. Now, I have nothing left.

Because Li Daniu's house was located on higher ground, the thieves couldn't reach it and he escaped unharmed.

Song Ning had originally planned to go back to the village. The bandits only stole grain; if they conscripted soldiers, it would be a one-way trip.

After Li Daniu left, the Song family worried: "Er Ya, should we go back to the village to check on things?"

Song Ning shook her head: "We do need to go back. My father and I will go back, and we'll leave in a few days."

Upon hearing this, no one was surprised; instead, they fell silent.

Song Ning had been making them prepare for the past two days, and they had gotten a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"Is it... absolutely necessary to leave?" Liu Yuelan asked.

"We have no choice but to leave."

They had to leave quickly before war broke out, or it would be too late.

Before Song Ning could return to the village to report the news, Li Guixiang and Chen Shi arrived first.

The village suffered a disaster, and the Song family's old house was also looted. Chen was initially proud, but now that she has nothing left, she has joined forces with Li Guixiang again.

As soon as the two entered, they saw the neatly tidied courtyard and immediately felt envious.

I wish they had a courtyard like that...

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!