Lin Xue didn't return to the Lin family home until evening, along with Lin Zhongping and the families of her three younger sisters.

After inquiring about the situation from Old Man Lin, we learned that they were leaving Linjia Village the next day and heading south.

Because Lin Zhongyi was one of only two scholars in the village, the village chief and clan chief would call him over to discuss every road selection.

Lin Xue finally met another scholar in the village. He was a tall, thin middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties.

I heard that since he passed the county-level exam, this person has failed to pass the provincial-level exam three times in a row.

When he saw Lin Xue, she greeted him very politely.

Lin Xue herself didn't put on airs. Everyone lived in the same village, and regardless of their character, they had to unite for now.

"Zhong Yi, Qing Liu!"

"There are two paths to choose from: the official road and the mountain road!"

"The official road is wide, but it takes several days to reach the next town."

"The mountain road is relatively narrow, but it can save half the time!"

The old village chief could explain the differences between the official road and the mountain road in detail; this was not the first time they had traveled this road.

Although he was very young at the time, people still frequently travel these two paths today.

“I think there are a lot of oxcarts in our village, so we should take the official road. The road will be easier to travel, and our speed will be increased accordingly.”

"The mountain road passes through forests, where there may be dangerous wild animals. If we encounter them, it will not only fail to increase our speed, but will also put us in danger!"

Lin Qingliu first voiced his opinion, as his family owned an oxcart and naturally did not want to travel along the mountain road.

"I think it's better to take the mountain road, since we don't know when the war might reach our side."

"The foreign tribes attack on horseback, so they certainly won't choose to take the mountain roads. If they really attack, they will only pursue us on the main roads!"

"Another thing is that although many families in the village have oxcarts, there are even more families without them!"

"This mountain path is used by people all year round, so it must be easy for oxcarts and donkey carts to pass through. Taking the mountain path will definitely save half the time!"

Why waste this time on the road when there are so many other things to do?

Lin Qingliu felt rather uncomfortable when he saw that Lin Zhongyi had a different opinion from him.

He used to be the only scholar in the village, and the village chief and clan chief would only talk to him about things.

Now that Lin Zhongyi is involved, I always feel that my authority has been violated.

No matter how uncomfortable Lin Qingliu felt inside, she didn't show it on her face, and just waited for the village chief and clan chief to make a decision.

Finally, after discussing it, the village chief and the elders decided to take the mountain path.

The principle that minority interests must yield to majority interests has been an important basis for decision-making since ancient times.

After returning from the clan chief's place, Lin Xue went back to her family.

"Second brother, what did the clan chief and the others say? Which path should we take?"

The original owner's third sister had a lively personality, but was also very gentle and kind.

Fortunately, her in-laws were gentle and kind. Although her husband was a bit domineering, it was precisely because of this that they were able to support the family.

If the whole family is weak and submissive, aren't they just waiting to be bullied?

"Let's take the mountain path, and your second brother will hunt rabbits for you to eat!"

Lin Xue reached out and touched her third sister's hair. The Lin family, including her three sisters' families, only had two oxcarts and one donkey cart in total.

The second sister's family was in a worse situation; they couldn't afford livestock at all, so they had to carry everything by hand.

The elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Lin, naturally couldn't bear to see their daughter suffer, so they put all the things she was carrying on her back onto the donkey cart.

The other two sisters' families also helped to share some of the burden, which greatly reduced the pressure on the second sister's family.

Only the second sister's husband followed behind the group, pulling a cart.

The oxcarts and donkey carts were all packed with things, so there was no way for people to sit on them.

Aside from the older and younger people taking turns going up to rest, the younger people all had to walk with the group.

"Second brother, I can't bear to see you go on such a dangerous journey!"

"Although my family hasn't eaten meat in a long time, if my second brother has to risk his life to hunt for it, I'd rather eat cornbread!"

Lin Sanmei was the youngest child in the family, so she was more pampered than her two older sisters.

When she went to her husband's house, although he was strong-willed to others, he was exceptionally gentle to her, and her parents-in-law were also mild-mannered.

So even though she's already a mother of two, she still maintains an innocent look.

"Third sister is right, second brother, you mustn't take the risk!"

Seeing her younger sister talking to her second brother, Lin Ermei also came over.

Their family has had a tough time. The father-in-law died of overwork a couple of years ago, leaving only the mother-in-law to live with them.

The family had already split up due to poverty, and since her family was the eldest branch, her mother-in-law had been living with the two of them.

Lin Ermei's family has three children, two sons and a daughter. Although life is a bit hard, it is generally considered happy.

"Second brother, my husband just picked some wild berries for me, would you like to try some?"

Compared to Lin Sanmei's naivety and Lin Ermei's maturity, Lin Damei appears more dignified.

Lin Damei's husband's family is quite well-off; her parents-in-law are still alive, and her brothers haven't separated their households yet.

However, their branch of the family was the most favored by their parents-in-law. Although the eldest sister-in-law of the first branch was a bit more cunning, it didn't cause any major harm.

The third son only knew how to forage for food in the fields and didn't talk much.

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