Li Jie also stood up from the ground. He looked to be about 1.8 meters tall, which was not short at all.

Yu Qingqing asked him to help carry the bucket of fish. After the others walked to a farther place in the front, Yu Qingqing quietly put the rest into the space.

Yu Qingqing then looked around a few more times, and after finding no problems, she found a big tree, placed the bucket under it, and covered it with some hay. Then she turned around and started walking back.

Halfway through the journey, they met Yu Qingshu who was looking for Yu Qingqing and others. Yu Qingshu saw that behind his daughter, there was a man dressed like a beggar.

He quickly ran forward and asked with some confusion: "Xiaomei, Qing'er, what's going on? Who is this person?"

Yu Qingshu stared at the man, waiting for his daughter to give him an explanation.

Yu Qingqing was afraid he might misunderstand something, so she immediately replied, "Dad, don't worry. We just met this guy near the pond. He's also a refugee, but he came from the mountains. I don't think he has any bad intentions, so I've already made an agreement with him. He can come and help us open up the wasteland, but he must sign a contract with our family to sell himself. He agreed, so we brought him here."

Yu Qingqing briefly told Yu Qingshu what had just happened in the pond.

As a result, Yu Qingshu was terrified when he heard this. This person actually came from the other side of the mountain. Who knew if there would be others?

This won’t do. I must go and talk to the village chief about this.

It was already getting dark, but Yu Qingshu was still unsure.

After he withdrew his gaze from that person, he tapped Yu Qingqing's forehead with his finger and said helplessly: "You! You! You are really becoming more and more independent. If you encounter such things in the future, come to Dad. Don't bear it alone. Dad and Mom both hope that you will be fine, understand?"

Yu Qingshu tapped Yu Qingqing's forehead, then looked towards Yu Qingmei. Seeing that both daughters were fine, he felt relieved.

Yu Qingqing naturally knew that her father was concerned about her, and she nodded continuously like a chick pecking at rice.

Yu Qingshu took the wooden barrel from her hand and continued walking back.

When they reached the courtyard gate, Yu Qingshu shouted inside, "Xiao Hai, come out for a moment. I need you for something. Hurry up! Help your sister bring the fish back from the pond. We caught a lot this time."

Although Yu Qingshu was calling out to Yu Qinghai, his gaze was fixed on Li Jie. Even though his daughter had agreed to sign the indenture, she was still a stranger after all. If he noticed anything wrong with her, he would be the first to show no mercy to her.

Yu Qinghai in the room had just shaken off the dirt on his body. He casually washed his muddy hands and ran out quickly.

Li Jie was also looking around at this time. He saw that the place where Yu Qingqing and the others lived was a bit shabby. There was no change in expression on his dark face.

When Yu Qinghai arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he noticed that there was an extra person at the gate.

This person is so tattered and has a smell, it's really hard not to be noticed.

Yu Qinghai was also very confused and asked: "Dad, who is this person? Why did he come back with you? What happened?"

Yu Qinghai stepped forward and took the bucket from Yu Qingmei's hand, then carried it inside.

Yu Qingshu briefly explained the situation to him, and then took the man to the village chief.

This person's family cannot keep him here privately; they have to talk to the village chief first.

If the village chief disagrees, they can only drive the person away and they cannot blindly insist.

Along the way, Yu Qingshu kept asking Li Jie questions to make a basic judgment on whether this person was trustworthy.

After questioning, we learned that Li Jie had indeed fled from famine. His family had all gone their separate ways, leaving him alone.

Li Jie just didn't say that his wife ran away with someone else with the child, but he told everything else without hiding anything.

Yu Qingshu felt the same way when he heard this. After all, everyone had fled from famine, and no one was more noble than anyone else.

Li Jie felt very uneasy as he followed Yu Qingshu. He had originally thought that since he had decided to sign the indenture, he could stay and no longer wander around. But what if Yu Qingshu didn't let him stay?

So when they arrived at the village chief's door, Yu Qingshu was about to knock when he found his sleeve being pulled by Li Jie. He said pleadingly:

"Brother, you must believe me. Everything I say is true. Please don't hand me over. I am willing to follow you.

If you tell me to go east, I won't go west. I swear to that. And even though I'm thin, I have calluses on my hands. I'm a farmer and very good at farm work. I'm lucky to have met you this time. I'll keep my word and work diligently and seriously. I won't play any tricks."

Instead of gambling on an uncertain future, it is better to grab this life-saving straw now.

So Li Jie lowered his posture at this moment, hoping to seize this opportunity.

Yu Qingshu also felt sympathy for him in his heart. If it weren't for the natural disaster, why would they flee from famine?

No one would leave their hometown unless they could no longer survive.

However, he didn't know the details of the person in front of him, so he had to ask the village chief before anything else. He also didn't want to put his family at risk.

Yu Qingshu pried open his hand that was holding his clothes and said patiently: "Li Jie, right? I also fled here from famine, just like you. I can't decide whether you stay or go. It all depends on the village chief's opinion.

If he agrees, our family will sign a contract to sell you. If the village chief disagrees, we will hand you over to the government, and they will arrange your whereabouts."

"Knock! Knock! Knock!" The door was knocked and opened quickly.

The person who came to open the door was Village Chief Liu, who happened to be standing in the yard at that time.

The village chief was cooking at home at this time, and layers of black smoke were floating above the house.

Village chief Liu was still very enthusiastic about Qingshu. After all, the Yu family was a rare group of good people in the village.

Yu Qingshu briefly told Village Chief Liu the purpose of his visit, and Village Chief Liu looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

From the outside, it seemed that Li Jie was indeed a refugee. After all, he was wearing the same clothes as Yu Qingshu and his family.

Village chief Liu asked a few simple questions and Li Jie answered them one by one.

After a while, Village Chief Liu asked in surprise, "You said he came from the other side of the mountain. I'm afraid this is not a simple matter."