Chapter 110: One Night Escape
Xu Degui hurriedly shouted: "Then quickly support mother——"
Xu Huiming said, "Don't worry, Dad. I'll carry Grandma on my back!"
Xu Huijia rushed over, glanced at Xu Huiming's frail frame with disdain, and snorted coldly, "You think you can carry Grandmother? Move aside, I'll do it."
Xu Huijia turned to Huang Cui'e and said, "Mom, don't pack up anymore. Hurry up. It's more important to escape—"
Huang Cui'e was very unhappy, "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up..."
Having said that, she didn't continue to pull up the weeds in the other person's yard. Huang Cui'e, holding the two large cabbages in her hands, an iron pot in her arms, and a tattered umbrella hanging on her head, trotted after them.
She ran while shouting: "Oh, what bad luck! This exile is almost like fleeing -"
In front, Zhao Bantou and Ming Xiaoshuang were already leading their men forward. The team was sparse at the beginning, with some complaining about their miserable fate, some relying on luck, and some showing disdain. But as Xu Qingying led the three families to escape desperately, everyone began to panic and unconsciously sped up.
"Oh, Miss Xu has already run away, let's not dawdle any longer, let's go quickly——"
"Oh my God, it would be better to kill us with a knife. All the food has been stolen, what will we eat on the road——"
"Stop howling. At least you're alive."
"What's the difference between us fleeing and those refugees from Jinzhou..."
"Hurry up, hurry up! Miss Xu said she won't wait for us. Anyone who can't catch up with the main force will be considered dead. Hurry up! Otherwise, we really won't be able to catch up!"
With someone leading the team, the speed of the entire team finally increased.
Everyone supported each other and we stumbled into the mountains.
The young carried the old on their backs, the women carried their children on their backs, and the people walking in front didn't care whether the people behind could keep up or not, they just kept walking forward.
The people behind dare not be lazy. No matter how tired they are, they can only grit their teeth and keep up.
There is no village or shop in this deep forest. If you are left alone, you will die!
Xu Huijia was tall and strong, and she ran very fast with Huang on her back, soon leaving everyone behind.
Xu Qingying saw that they had probably run for several kilometers, and since it was night, she thought they would not be able to catch up, so she suggested that everyone rest for an incense stick of time to catch their breath before continuing.
Everyone was extremely tired and had no water, so they could only watch in despair.
Many people no longer cared about their image and just sat down on the ground, gasping for breath.
Xu Qingying was almost exhausted.
She was extremely nervous and remained on guard along the way, listening carefully for the sound of horse hooves nearby. Fortunately, the group of people did not seem to be chasing them, but that did not mean they were safe now.
When people are highly nervous, their adrenaline will surge, and once they relax they will only feel more tired.
Xu Qingying didn't care anymore and followed everyone else's example, sitting down on the ground.
Ming Xiaoshuang attentively handed over the kettle, and Xu Qingying could only resist drinking it. "Be frugal. We don't know when we'll have food again."
Zhao Bantou looked at the mount under him with longing. Although he couldn't bear it, he had no other choice. "Sister, if we really have no food, let's kill the horse."
Xu Qingying waved her hand. "It hasn't come to that yet. How far are we from the nearest county town?"
"It's pitch black, and I can't tell the direction. I just remember there's an Anping County nearby, about a hundred miles from the village we were in."
A hundred miles, at their walking speed, would take at least four or five days.
Xu Qingying couldn't help but despair.
"You damned girl, isn't Yinzhang a piece of flesh and blood that fell from my body? Wouldn't I be sad that she's gone? You heartless person, why didn't you bring Yinzhang back? She was still so young... My Yinzhang, why do you have such a miserable life..."
They had just fled in a panic, and perhaps it was only then that they realized that the children who had been captured had been beheaded.
Over there, women and children were crying, and the place was in chaos.
Especially those who lost their children, they cried breathlessly.
"My little dog...I'm sorry for you...I hope you'll be born into a good family in your next life and don't blame me..."
"These damn bandits! Why are we so miserable..."
"This is all fate..."
"Didn't Miss Xu and the others go to rescue her? Why didn't they bring my baby back?"
Li Zhaodi was surrounded in the middle, her face looked tough, but she kept wiping away her tears.
Everyone listened to this, their hearts pounding and their feet pounding, their hearts etched in empathy. All were silent. Those with children hugged their own babies, weeping silently for the tragic fate of their fellow travelers and the bleak future they faced.
At this time, the old lady from the pianfang sect stood up and looked at Cao Qin'er's tearful face with anger: "Cao Qin'er, how dare you cry here? Didn't you kill your Yinzhang?!"
When everyone heard this, they all looked over.
Even Xu Qingying raised her eyebrows slightly.
Cao Qin'er looked guilty and raised her voice, "Mrs. Fang, I know you don't like me, but you can't just throw dirty water on me without any reason! Yin Zhang is a piece of my flesh and blood. What mother wouldn't love her child? You're really heartless to say that!"
Old Madam Fang snorted coldly, and then she thought of Yinzhang's well-behaved and sensible appearance in the past. She was already furious. She completely ignored Cao Qin'er's pale face and shouted, "Stop pretending to be sympathetic here. Others don't know what kind of scumbag you are, Cao Qin'er, but I can see it clearly! When the bandits came, you hugged your son and hid in the house. Yinzhang wanted to go with you, but not only did you not allow it, you pushed her away, saying that there was no room for two people in the closet and told her to find a place to hide on her own. Is what I said right?!"
Cao Qiner's face turned pale as paper in an instant, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down!
She shrieked and lunged at me, "You old bastard, what nonsense are you talking about? I'll tear your mouth apart! It's Yin Zhang! She's grown up, but she still insists on following her brother. What can I do? The closet is so small, if I hide her, I can't hide Dalang and me. Do you think I wouldn't be heartbroken?! I originally wanted to hide Dalang before going to find her, but who knew... who knew..."
Cao Qin'er was hoarse as she spoke, her face distorted, like a mad woman.
Several women nearby immediately grabbed her, and one of them spat in her face. "You vicious woman! You actually pushed your own daughter away! Even a beast can be someone's mother these days! You killed your own daughter, and how dare you cry?! The one who should be crying is Xiao Yinzhang!"
"Yes, little Yinzhang is so cute! Such a little girl, but she knows how to take care of her brother. If you think she's a burden, give her to me!"
"I didn't!" Cao Qin'er shook her head, her face flushed red, her eyes wide open, refusing to admit it, tears welling up in her eyes. "She's already that old, why does she have to fight with her brother for everything? Doesn't she know how to hide? It's her own bad luck that she ended up like this today, it's not my fault!"
Old Madam Fang was so angry that she beat her chest. "Foolish woman, what a fool! It's a pity that such a good girl like Yinzhang had to have such unscrupulous parents like you!"
At this point, Li Xiucai's face turned unhappy. Even if Cao Qin'er did something wrong, as the saying goes, one should look at the owner before beating the dog. These people insulted Cao Qin'er like this, which was equivalent to slapping him, Li Xiucai, in the face.
Besides, he didn't think Cao Qin'er did anything wrong.
Although Yinzhang was his daughter, there was not enough food during the exile, and he did not want to carry so many burdens with him.
Somehow, Li Xiucai felt a little reluctant about Yin Zhang's death, but more of it was a sense of relief.
Girls in the Zhou Dynasty usually got married at the age of seventeen or eighteen, which means that he would have to support Li Yinzhang for at least five years.
How could there be so much food at home in five years?
Besides, the exile was so hard, and Li Yinzhang's death was a relief.
"Mrs. Fang, you need evidence for what you say. During that chaotic time, what was wrong with my wife saving our only son first? Yin Zhang's death was something no one wanted to see. Furthermore, we are her parents. We gave birth to her and raised her. Something like this must have pained us the most. Besides, this is our Li family's business. I don't think it's your place as an outsider to interfere!"
"That's right, you old hag, you're so obsessed with your status as an official's wife that you can point fingers. What business do our Li family has?!" Cao Qin'er seemed to have lost her mind, and she angrily scolded Old Madam Fang. "How have I ever done anything wrong to Li Yinzhang? I raised her until she was twelve years old. I'm so much better off than those families who drown their daughters after giving birth! I, Cao Qin'er, have done her justice! I have done her justice!"
Old Madam Fang sneered and cried, "Cao Qin'er, think clearly, your precious son is not your biological son! You are abandoning your own daughter for the child of an outsider, how foolish!"
Cao Qin'er hugged Li Dalang tightly, her expression somewhat crazy. "Old hag, you just envy me for having a son. Let me tell you, I'm so good to my son. When he becomes a high-ranking official in the future, he will definitely be filial to me, his legal mother! What's the use of having a good daughter? It doesn't matter if she's my biological daughter. She will still be someone else's in the future! Why should I be nice to them?!"
Li Zhaodi was already crying her eyes out. She fell to the ground and pounded her chest fiercely. "Yin Zhang, it's all my fault. I blame myself for not protecting you well. If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed by your side all the time... maybe this wouldn't have happened..."
Xu Qingying saw Li Zhaodi's face slowly turning blue and her pupils dilated. She said anxiously, "Oh no! She can't breathe!"
"Zhao Di!"
Li Zhaodi felt her head buzzing and she seemed to be having trouble breathing. The next second, her vision went dark and she fell over.
Everyone hurriedly lifted her up. Old Madam Fang said hurriedly, "This child is so heartbroken that she's almost fainted. Quick, pinch her Ren Zhong!"
Huang also asked anxiously: "Do you have a needle? Puncture the acupuncture point on her tiger's mouth!"
"Zhao Di!" Cao Qin'er was also terrified. She almost rolled and crawled over and hugged Zhao Di tightly, refusing to let go. "Son, please don't scare me! Wake up!"
"Fake feelings!"
"Zhao Di is very strong. If she dies, there will be no one left to work in the Li family. I will definitely shed a few tears."
Cao Qin'er ignored the sarcasm of the crowd and just sat on the ground, hugging Li Zhaodi.
Everyone was busy pinching her Ren Zhong, pricking her Da Xue, and slapping her face. Li Zhaodi finally breathed a sigh of relief and woke up.
When she saw that the person holding her was Cao Qin'er, Li Zhaodi smiled sadly and asked quietly, "Mother, Yinzhang is my biological sister, how could you be so cruel?"
"Okay, okay." Cao Qin'er pushed Li Zhaodi away. "Everyone is blaming me. Why don't you just beat me up? Or I'll pay for her life, okay?!"
Cao Qin'er pulled Li Zhaodi's hand and slapped her face with it, hitting her hard and fiercely with a crisp sound and without mercy.
Looking at Cao Qiner's crazy look, everyone who had been sarcastic before finally felt a little bit reluctant in their hearts.
Yes, children are the flesh and blood of our bodies, so how could we not feel sorry for them?
"Is this enough? Is this enough? Do you want me to pay her with my life?!" Cao Qin'er was completely crazy. She fell to the ground and cried, beating her chest and stamping her feet. Li Zhaodi felt like her heart was being cut by a knife when she saw Cao Qin'er like this.
She couldn't forgive Cao Qiner.
But she couldn't find the words to blame.
She seemed to be full of anger, but she didn't know who to vent her anger on.
"Stop arguing!" Zhao Bantou came over with a sword in hand, his fierce eyes gazing around. "You're crying so loudly, are you afraid the bandits won't know where we are? Have you all forgotten that we're running for our lives?"
Thinking that there might be bandits chasing them, everyone was frightened and held their breath.
"Rest enough! Stand up and keep walking! I still say the same thing, we are running for our lives, so if you don't want to die, follow closely! Those who run slowly and can't keep up, just wish you luck! People will die on the road to exile anyway, so if you don't want to live, don't drag others down!"
At Zhao Bantou's command, everyone had to set off immediately.
It was a dark and windy night, but the group continued to move forward in the darkness.
I don’t know if they were lucky or because it was particularly cold in the Zhou Dynasty this year, but they didn’t encounter any large animals while crossing mountains and hills.
For example, if they happen to encounter a lion or tiger, at least half of the group will be killed.
In this battle with the refugees, children and young adults died, about ten people in total.
The entire team was immersed in the atmosphere of losing loved ones and escaping for their lives. Everyone was silent and kept their heads down as they hurried on.
What’s more, there is an unknown tomorrow.
Almost all of their valuables were robbed, including dry food, clothes, straw raincoats, and medicines. The refugees took away everything they could.
All they have now is the little rations left by the old people in the village, which is not much and can only last for one or two days at most. Then they will face extreme situations such as getting lost in the mountains, running out of ammunition and food, and extremely cold weather.
Only then will the real test come.
After a night of stopping and starting, they finally arrived at daybreak. The sound of gurgling water was heard, and someone in the team called out, "Team leader, there's water!"
Everyone gathered their strength, carried the old and the young, and walked for about a mile before finally seeing a small ditch.
Finally there is water.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
