The group of people all paused in their steps.
Jiang Yimian instantly reached for the curved dagger in her sleeve.
Zhao Dashu smiled, but inwardly he became wary. "Brother Zhu, our whole family is waiting for us to dig up tree roots and take them back to eat!"
Wang Zhuzi merely glanced curiously at Jiang Yimian and Gou Sheng, "Who are these two? Where have you and your other two brothers been lately? Aren't you with us anymore?"
He liked the three brothers quite a bit from the beginning; they were intelligent, not entirely bad people, and could help him manage the people on the mountain.
With more and more refugees now, it's relatively safe with him keeping them in check. They won't be thinking about other people's heads like they were a few days ago, trying to get into the mountain stronghold.
Furthermore, with the deaths of those people in Xinghua Village, those who wanted to go to the mountain stronghold gave up their plans and instead hid in the mountains with their families, digging up tree roots to eat.
They were all peasants; even if they wanted to eat their fill, they wouldn't do something as mundane as killing people.
Moreover, those bandits can turn on you in an instant, so the news might just be something that's been spread randomly and shouldn't be taken seriously.
Zhao Dashu just smiled and said, "They are also refugees who were driven back. I met them a few days ago. They have been living with my brothers recently. They are in a terrible state. They dig up tree roots to eat every day. Unlike you, Brother Wang, you seem to be eating quite well lately!"
When he first came up the mountain, everyone looked pale and thin, but this person looks much better now.
Hearing this, Wang Zhuzi casually replied, "It's not that bad, we can just dig up some tree roots to eat."
These days, many refugees have come up the mountain, and he managed to get some food from them. Although it was all dry food, it was better than tree roots, which made him look a little better.
However, in terms of complexion, he felt that the three people in front of him were the ones who were truly in good health, especially the two children, whose faces were fair and their cheeks were still a little chubby, showing no signs of having fled famine for months.
Zhao Dashu stood in front of the two men, and said with a wry smile, "It's just us ordinary people who suffer in this world. We have to go dig up some tree roots, so we'll be going now, Brother Wang."
After saying that, he quickly led Gou Sheng and Jiang Yimian back into the woods.
Wang Zhuzi gave a wink to the person next to him, who immediately understood and carefully followed.
Seeing that the group had disappeared into the woods, one of the short men said strangely, "These Zhao Dashu and his group are really strange. They said they were going into the deep mountains to find something to eat, but they haven't come back for so long. Not only that, they also ran into other people, including two children. I saw that the children were eating quite well!"
Zhao Dashu and his two companions were no fools; they knew there was something to gain from following those two children.
Wang Zhuzi didn't speak, but he became suspicious of Jiang Yimian and the other person's identities. He casually said, "Who cares what they want to do? If they find that the two children have extra food, just take it."
In this day and age, the refugees fleeing famine are all emaciated and look as if they could be blown away by the wind, unlike those two children who are fair and clean.
The short man nodded, then glanced at the mangled body on the ground before asking, "Brother, what should we do with this person? Should we bury him?"
What a huge hole to dig! I've finally managed to eat a few extra bites of food these days, and digging a hole has completely drained my energy.
Wang Zhuzi glanced at it and said casually, "Just find a forest and dump it. They're all dead, why bother burying them?"
Does he have nowhere to use his energy?
The short man then responded and, together with another person, carried the body away.
*
Not long after Jiang Yimian and her companions left, they sensed someone following them. So, they didn't rush back and instead wandered around the woods, digging for wild vegetables while keeping an eye on the person who was following them.
The path in the woods was winding and confusing, eventually making the people behind them dizzy, so they quickened their pace and left.
Back in the small depression, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Gou Sheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked nervously, "Who is that Brother Zhu? From what he said, he seems to be the leader of that group of refugees?"
Zhao Dashu took a sip of water before saying, "That guy's name is Wang Zhuzi. He also fled from Yuejiang Prefecture. There are many people in his village, and they gathered together along the way. Apart from a few old people who died on the road, they suffered almost no losses."
Their village had mostly young and middle-aged men, with few women and children. They walked very safely along the way; we were going up the mountain together.
At that time, the most people who had designs on the three brothers were from their village.
He looks kind, but he's actually quite difficult to deal with. However, he's not exactly a villain.
Even the most virtuous people would become abnormal on the road of fleeing famine, let alone ordinary people like them.
Gou Sheng nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Should we tell the others about what happened today?"
According to that person, about twenty people from Xinghua Village should have returned, but unfortunately most of them are now dead, and it is unknown who survived.
Jiang Yimian shook her head. "There's nothing to say. Just tell everyone to stay away from the outskirts of the mountains recently, and to be careful if you do go out. We've been targeted by refugees."
Those people from Xinghua Village are no longer relevant to them; what's worth noting is Wang Zhuzi, whom they met today.
This person was clearly targeting them; they even sent people to follow them.
Zhao Dashu nodded repeatedly, "I'll go tell the others in a bit. Be careful lately, and make sure the route to the small depression isn't exposed."
With that, he hurried off to the Liu family's house.
Gou Sheng and Jiang Yimian also went home.
As soon as they got home, Jiang Yimian took Mimi out of the basket.
The little guy stared at her pitifully, his head still covered in amaranth leaves, looking rather endearing.
Jiang Yimian vigorously rubbed Mimi's face before saying, "You can't run around like that next time, okay?"
Although she knew that Mimi was running around today because of the strong smell of blood, she still had to give her some instructions.
At least until Mimi grows up, she can't run around on the mountain.
The little guy looks intimidating, but if he hadn't run into those three cowards like Zhao Dashu, he would have been eaten.
Mimi let out a pitiful whimper, which could be considered a nod of agreement.
Jiang Yimian then released the other party.
As soon as she was free, Mimi became happy and ran around the yard. When she saw a few children, she would run happily over to them.
Jiang Yimian shook her head helplessly and got up to check on the hemp drying in the yard.
After the hemp was peeled and soaked overnight, Zhao Xing'er took it out, cut it into thin strips, and then let it dry in the sun and dew for several days.
It looks like dried grass, and has nothing to do with fabric for making clothes.
Jiang Yimian could only marvel at the wisdom of the ancients.
I am extremely curious about how the first person to weave cloth discovered that this thing could be used to weave cloth.
Just then, the three old men, including Liu, returned from the lotus pond. Their faces looked rather grim.
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