Yun the Butcher quickly squeezed into the middle of the line and saw three refugees trying to grab a water jar from Grandma Zhang's house. Yun the Butcher rushed forward, grabbed one each, and threw them out. Grandma Zhang's two sons, who were nearby, also grabbed the last refugee trying to grab water. Seeing the shattered jar, Grandma Zhang suddenly sat on the ground, slapping her hands on the ground and howling.
"God damn it, we don't have much water at home," and they are trying to steal our water. How are we, the old and the young, going to survive?" Upon hearing this, the grandson and granddaughter of Grandma Zhang burst into tears.
At this moment, the village chief also squeezed in. One look at the situation and he understood. "Stop yelling, Mrs. Zhang," the village chief shouted. "Village chief, we can't let them off easily. They've spilled all the water in my house. I have no water at home. How can I survive?" Mrs. Zhang stood up and said fiercely. "So, what are you going to do with them?" the village chief asked.
"I, I," Granny Zhang hesitated, unsure what to say. We were all farmers, and hadn't seen much of the world, or the violence. She had no idea what to do at this point.
"Village chief, why don't we break their arms and legs and throw them to the side of the road. We must kill the chicken to scare the monkey at this time." Yun the butcher suggested.
"Everyone, take a look at this solution. Do you accept it?"
"Yes, yes." Everyone agreed.
"Let's do it this way," the village chief said. The three refugees who were trying to grab water cried out loudly upon hearing this. "Please spare us! We were so thirsty that we grabbed it. We won't do this again. Please spare us." "Even if I spare you, can you compensate me for the water?" Granny Zhang shouted angrily.
Six villagers emerged from the group, took the three refugees to the side of the official road, and broke their arms and legs with hoes. Immediately, the refugees whose arms and legs were broken cried out loudly. Seeing the Yunjia Village people deal with the water grabbers so decisively, the surrounding refugees retreated.
In such a situation, it's easy to imagine their fate wouldn't be good. With water and food scarce, no one wanted to bring a burden with them. Many people just glanced at them and continued numbly on their way. In this world, life is tough for anyone.
"Grandma Zhang, pack up and keep going. Hurry up. There are so many people gathering now, it's too unsafe. When we get to our next destination, the village will allocate some water for your family," the village chief whispered to Grandma Zhang.
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang quickly began to pack up. Granny Zhang was a bit of a picky person in the village, nothing serious, just a bit of a nagging mouth, which had often led to fights with the other women. If she had gone to borrow water on her own, she would have gotten it, but she would have certainly endured some humiliation. But now that the village chief had spoken, there was no need to worry about this issue.
On Yun Yiyi's side, everyone was waiting by the car. Suddenly, an old woman came over, holding a thin child. "Kindhearted people, could you give us some water? My family fled the famine, and it's just the two of us left. We really can't live any longer," she said, about to kneel down to Zhang. Just as Zhang was about to help the old woman, Yun Yiyi quickly stepped forward, grabbed the old woman's clothes, and stopped her from kneeling, while mouthing, "Let's wait until the next break."
Then he said loudly, "Old lady, we are out of food now. We only eat grass roots and wild vegetable porridge every day. Please ask others." The old lady was old and might not have seen clearly, so she continued to kneel. The child holding the old lady's clothes pulled her clothes, made her lower her head, and said something. The old lady straightened up and said, "Okay, I'll ask other kind people." Then she took the child and retreated behind Yun Yiyi's family.
Before Zhang could react, the incident was over. Because Yun Yiyi had her back to everyone, no one except the grandparents could see her mouth shape.
"Mom, we're out of food, too. We really can't help them." Second Brother Yun pulled Zhang back. Zhang turned around. "Mom, there are too many people here. We can't show off our wealth," eldest Brother Yun said. "Yes, Mom, there are too many people. There are even people up ahead trying to steal water from the villagers," third Brother Yun whispered. Zhang thought for a moment. Right, this isn't a normal time to be in the village. If you can help, you should. Now is a time to escape famine. You can't be too kind.
"Okay, mom got it. You are more thoughtful than mom thought." The three brothers of the Yun family laughed happily after hearing what Zhang said.
"Mom, even if you give the things to the grandparents, they won't be able to keep them." Yun Yiyi whispered to Zhang. Zhang patted Yun Yiyi's head and said, "Our little Yiyi is really a smart child. She even thought of this."
"That's right, I have always been a smart child." Yun Yiyi said proudly, pinching her waist.
"Yiyi, you are too immodest." Third Brother Yun pointed at Yun Yiyi and laughed at her.
"What are you and your mother talking about?" Butcher Yun came over and asked.
"I'm saying the kids are smart. Is the previous issue resolved? Is no one hurt?"
"It's all resolved. No one was hurt. Three refugees were caught trying to steal water from Grandma Zhang's house, and their arms and legs were broken. However, Grandma Zhang's water pitcher shattered in the scramble. Her family is now out of water. I guess we'll need everyone to share some water with them during the next break. We're all relatives in this village, and we can't just stand by and watch them go without water."
"Okay, we still have a lot of water jugs at home. I'll send some over when the time comes."
As Zhang spoke, she urged everyone to keep moving forward and not to fall behind. If they were left alone, the refugees around them would surely rush over, and that would put everyone in danger.
Yun Yiyi had slept all afternoon, and now, full of energy, she chose not to ride the donkey cart, choosing instead to walk with Zhang. Yun Yiyi looked back and followed the grandparents closely. The old woman and her grandchildren must have been hungry for a long time, and her steps were unsteady, relying entirely on the child beside her to support her.
Yun Yiyi looked at the child. She was tall, with long hair and a sallow face, making it hard to tell what she looked like. Her hands were also dark and thin. However, her eyes were bright and moving, bringing joy to her heart. She walked with her back straight. Even from such a close distance, she could only hear the heavy footsteps of the old woman.
Yun Yiyi deliberately lagged behind her by two steps, and as she passed by her, she quietly put two fist-sized potatoes she had taken out of the space into the child's hands. The child quickly took them and smiled at Yun Yiyi.
Yun Yiyi took a look and quickly walked to the front. This must be a child with a story. He looked about the same age as her. She would help him if she could. In her previous life, Yun Yiyi was an orphan and had suffered a lot, but she also met many people who gave her warmth. However, in this life, she had a family. Even if she wanted to help others, she had to do it within her ability and not bring danger to her family.
The further the team moved forward, the more refugees they found, and there were also groups of refugees resting in the open space beside the official road.
I wonder if I can find water next time I take a break? If I can't find it again, I must find a way to secretly fill the water jar at home, Yun Yiyi thought secretly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
