In times of turmoil, men risk their lives, and women, lacking power, far from have an easy time.

Jiang Zhi sighed, "It's dangerous for this woman to live in the village. There are soldiers around, and things may seem alright on the surface, but there's no guarantee that there won't be some beasts among the refugees."

There were two boys beside her, so there were some things she couldn't say too clearly.

Xu Errui, being a married man, naturally knew what was going to happen. His face darkened: "Doesn't he have a wife and mother at home? They're all refugees fleeing famine. How could he do such a thing?"

Jiang Zhi gave a bitter smile: "That's how people are. They always show a good side to others, but who knows whether they're a good person or a bad one behind the scenes."

Unbeknownst to the mother and son, Xiaoman was staring intently at those figures with a serious expression on her face!

The three of them didn't stay on the cliff for long before leaving. The mountain mosquitoes were biting, and they didn't dare leave their homes for too long.

It was already past midnight when Xu Errui got home. He seemed to have something on his mind. After washing up and getting ready for bed, he finally couldn't help but whisper to Jiang Zhi, "Mother, will Xiaotian and the others be back soon?"

So much time has passed, and he had mentioned Xiaotian a few times before. Although his mother didn't show any concern, she didn't get angry either.

Upon seeing that there were refugees in the village, Xu Errui couldn't help but spread the word again.

Jiang Zhi paused in wiping her face and said calmly, "The village chief and the others have probably entered Yuzhou Prefecture and won't be coming back."

She really thought about it. Although everyone says it's hard to leave one's homeland, it depends on the situation. Xujia Village is close to the mountains, and the village is small with little land.

In a year with favorable weather and abundant harvests, there is still some grain left over after paying taxes. But in a cold winter like last year with heavy snow, there is a shortage of grain and hunger.

The situation in Yuzhou Prefecture is different. It not only has a prefectural city, but also several busy waterways and a thriving commerce. As long as you are willing to work hard, it is easy to gain a foothold there.

Moreover, the male protagonist is also involved, and in the original story, he will lead them to join the rebel army.

They couldn't enter the city from outside Yuzhou Prefecture, and life outside the city was tough, especially with the summer thunderstorms, which could really drench people. It was just a matter of how many of them could survive.

Jiang Zhi is still thinking about those greenhouses in the village.

It wasn't like the military camp I had imagined, and there weren't as many soldiers around as I had expected. There were also some refugees nearby, which made it seem rather incongruous.

There will be far more people than expected.

What is it used for?

Jiang Zhi went to sleep that night with questions in her mind.

The next morning, Xiaoman came to call Xu Errui to go out: "Brother Errui, let's go catch snails and crabs today!"

Xu Errui, biting into a pancake and drinking vegetable porridge, mumbled, "Okay, wait a minute, I'll finish in two more bites!"

Xiaoman requires crabs to be used in medicine, and I'm also thinking about eating snails again.

Jiang Zhi wrapped a stack of vegetable pancakes in leaves: "This is your lunch for the two of you, don't forget to bring it!"

Now that there are vegetables and starch, but a lack of oil and meat, Jiang Zhi doesn't care about the habit of eating two meals a day, so she makes more vegetable pancakes so that the children can have a snack at any time.

Xiaoman smiled and took the cake, then put a bamboo tube of water in her basket and said, "Thank you, Auntie. Now I'm full every day. Look! I've even gained weight on my arms."

Aside from the fear of refugees and bandits, life wasn't too hard after coming up the mountain. At least we could eat as much as we wanted, including oak powder and kudzu root powder, and the two boys actually became stronger.

After the two children finished eating and left, Jiang Zhi hurried to the edge of the terraced fields to chase away the sparrows.

Now, as soon as it gets light, sparrows flock together to peck at the grain, completely dependent on people.

Furthermore, just after descending the cliff and leaving the mountaintop, Xiaoman suddenly changed direction.

Xu Errui shouted, "Xiaoman, you're going the wrong way. You don't go that way to catch snails."

Xiaoman looked back and saw that the two had already descended the mountain before lowering her voice and saying, "Brother Errui, I want to see that woman from yesterday again! I feel like I've seen her somewhere before!"

"What do you mean? You're saying that Xiaotian and the village chief are back, that they're from the village?" Xu Errui exclaimed excitedly.

Xiaoman shook her head: "No, it just feels a little familiar, and I want to see it more clearly!"

Last night, he didn't really care about these refugees, thinking that the fighting and commotion were all among their own people.

It was only after Aunt Jiang told him that this woman was dangerous that he took a few more glances at her.

This one glance was quite something; the more I looked, the more familiar it seemed, yet I couldn't quite place who it was.

He assumed it was someone from his own village returning home and being bullied by outsiders.

In the prime of their youth, full of youthful passion, they couldn't bear to see the villagers being bullied and did nothing, so they came without telling their families.

Xu Errui also missed Xiaotian, and although his mother said he would definitely not come back, he had given up hope.

Xiaoman said it felt familiar, so maybe it really was someone from the village who had returned. I can use this opportunity to find out where Xiaotian is.

Xiaoman shook her head: "I didn't cut it seriously, so I thought I'd go and keep watch for another day during the day."

Stay for one day?

There are so many things to do at home, and we still haven't caught the snails and crabs...

However, Xu Errui still preferred to find Xiao Tian.

If it really is them coming back, I'll secretly take Xiaotian up the mountain and tell him that his mother doesn't scold people anymore.

The two returned to the cliff overlooking the village and found a secluded spot to peer inside.

The sun had already risen, and the view was wide open. The fire had destroyed the bamboo groves and trees in the village, and there was nothing to block the view between the houses, so every move of the people inside could be seen clearly.

A dozen or so refugees were setting up a large shed, while soldiers with knives walked around the village, occasionally glancing warily at the surrounding hillsides.

Despite the distance, Xiaoman and Xu Errui, the two village children, were so frightened that they dared not look up.

"Xiaoman, did you see it clearly?" Xu Errui whispered.

Xiaoman frowned deeply: "I didn't see it, let's wait a little longer."

I only caught a quick glance just now and didn't see the woman living in her shack.

But there's no rush during Xiaoman. There's still plenty of time today, we'll see it eventually.

They couldn't just sit idly after coming out, so the two dug up white grass and collected medicinal herbs while keeping an eye on what was happening below.

As time passed and the sun rose high overhead, no one entered or left the shack, and Xiaoman began to feel discouraged.

Suddenly, Xu Errui, who had run off to another spot to dig for medicinal herbs, came running over in a flustered manner. "Xiaoman, quick, look what's going on in the ditch at the foot of the mountain over there? That woman from yesterday is there!"

Xiaoman picked up the wooden stick and ran over there.

Right outside the village, in the ditch, two people were rolling around in the grass, embracing each other.

At first glance, you might mistake them for a pair of lovers, but upon closer inspection, you can see that it's the woman you saw last night fighting with someone.

She didn't make a sound, but scratched with her nails, bit with her teeth, and kicked with her feet, resisting with all her might.

But her resistance aroused the man's interest. Like a cat playing with a mouse, he held down the woman's legs while tearing at her tattered clothes, cursing, "You slut, I gave you face last night, and you still dare to burn me."

"It's your good fortune that I've taken a liking to you. If it weren't for Zhang Jun and his gang, I would have had you gang-raped yesterday."

The man cursed and pulled at her clothes, but in the middle of summer, the woman was wearing three layers of clothing, which were not only thick but also tightly sewn together with needle and thread.

The belt was tied in a tight knot, and no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't come loose, which made the man increasingly anxious.

The woman's voice was hoarse and she was panting: "Even if you strangle me... you can't touch me!"

"I've never died before!" The man was furious; he refused to believe he couldn't even control a woman.

A wicked thought arose in his mind, and his face instantly turned ferocious. He straddled the woman and reached out to grab her slender neck...