Zhang looked down at Yun Yiyi. Yun Yiyi's face turned red with anger, and her eyes were also red. Zhang was really afraid that Yun Yiyi would cry the next second.
Yun Yiyi was a carefree, unrefined child. When she was little, she'd fight with other kids and lose, but she never cried. At most, she'd bring her three older brothers to help her get back at them. Later, as she got older, she took up fighting on her own, practically becoming a prodigy.
Zhang's heart ached. Yiyi was such a sensible child, yet the third brother was almost in tears. Zhang immediately turned her attention to Third Brother Yun.
"Third brother, you are the older brother. As a younger sister, she is wrong to criticize you. You can tell your parents and they will teach her a lesson."
"But look at what you have done. You actually made fun of your own sister. And you even hit her. Is this what your parents taught you when you were little?" Zhang said angrily.
"Mom, it was my sister who spoke about me first." The voice of Yun San Ge became smaller and smaller under the stern gaze of Yun the Butcher.
"Third brother, think about it carefully. When you were little and you quarreled with your eldest brother, did your eldest brother ever hit you?"
"You are several years older than Yiyi. Don't you know what's going on?" Yun the butcher said sternly.
"Dad, Mom, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that about my sister." Brother Yun San said in a low voice.
"Your eldest brother has been so good to you guys since you were young, and he acts like a big brother. Can't you learn from your eldest brother?" Yun the butcher said with a look of disappointment.
"Third brother, do you know you are wrong? Since you know you are wrong, I will punish you by making you wash the dishes. You can go to bed after you finish washing them." Zhang said.
"Okay, Mom." Brother Yun San replied with his head down.
"Yiyi, do you think you did something wrong today?" Zhang turned and looked at Yiyi.
"Mom, what I did was wrong too. I apologize to my third brother." Yun Yiyi calmed down and said embarrassedly.
"Third brother, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed at you today. I'll wash the dishes with you later." Yun Yiyi said to Third Brother Yun.
"Okay, I forgive you. Let's go wash the dishes." After saying this, Brother Yun San pulled Yun Yiyi to clean up the dishes and wash them.
Zhang and Yun the Butcher told the eldest and second brothers to go to bed. Yun the Butcher went to feed the donkey. Zhang then filled two jars of boiled water from the pot, enough for the day. Then she placed the jars on the donkey cart.
After Yun the butcher had finished feeding the donkey, he and Zhang put away the large iron pot, bowls, chopsticks, clay pots, table, and other items used for cooking and placed them on the cart. This would save them trouble when they woke up.
By the time Zhang and Yun the butcher lay down on the mat to rest, the children were all fast asleep. The two of them also quickly closed their eyes and went to sleep.
The woods were cool despite the lack of sunlight. After a while, there was no more talking in the woods. Aside from the two people on duty, who were still pacing back and forth in the woods, everyone else was asleep.
The lunch break was long today, so when Zhang woke Yun Yiyi up, she was stunned for a moment before coming to her senses. She stood up and jumped a few times. Good, she was back to full health. So Zhang took Yun Yiyi to the bathroom behind the woods.
After Zhang and Yun Yiyi returned, everyone sat on mats, drank water, and rested for over ten minutes before the village chief called for everyone to continue. Yun the Butcher rolled up the mats and placed them on the donkey cart. Second and Third Brother Yun drove the donkey cart, while Big Brother Yun and Yun the Butcher pushed the handcart. Everyone followed the group and continued on their way.
Yun Yiyi, wearing a small straw hat and holding a stick, followed Zhang. Suddenly, Yun Yiyi looked back at the mountain road and saw a group of refugees coming down the mountain. It was too far away for Yun Yiyi to see how many refugees there were. However, the refugees had just started to go down the mountain, and it would probably be dark by the time they got down.
"Mom, look at the mountain road behind us. A group of refugees are starting to come down the mountain." Yun Yiyi pulled Zhang's hand and pointed behind her.
Zhang also looked back and saw that there were indeed refugees coming down the mountain.
"I saw it, Yiyi. Let's go quickly, otherwise we will fall behind." Zhang took Yun Yiyi's hand and walked quickly forward.
Yun Yiyi looked ahead as she walked. There were mountain roads all the way ahead, and she didn't know when she would be able to get out of the mountains.
The village chief was always walking very fast, and everyone tried their best to keep up with the team. Before they knew it, the team had walked more than ten miles.
It was a hot day, with no wind. After walking for a while, everyone was panting. Some of the children in the group were tired and were either put on carts and pushed or carried on their backs.
Yun Yiyi had been walking for so long and was tired. Most importantly, she was thirsty. She'd been sweating profusely and needed to hydrate. So, Yun Yiyi jumped onto the donkey cart and poured water for everyone. After everyone had a drink, Yun Yiyi hopped off and continued on their way.
The team slowed down, giving everyone time to drink water. Yun Yiyi stepped out of the group and looked ahead. She saw no houses or villages. She figured they'd have to camp outdoors again tonight.
The people of Yunjia Village always walked at the foot of the mountain, on flat roads with no uphill climbs. This made walking faster and less strenuous.
"Everyone, please speed up and walk another seven miles, then find a place to rest," the village chief shouted after beating the gong.
"Okay, village chief." Someone responded loudly.
The other Yunjia Village residents remained silent, their heads lowered as they hurried on. Yun Yiyi followed behind, her head bowed in thought. Since turning onto this official road, they hadn't seen any refugees along it. Could it be that the refugees hadn't fled this way? That's impossible; the drought has lasted this long. Yun Yiyi wondered, puzzled.
Of course, it's also possible that Yun Yiyi and the others had been on this official road for too short a time, and were too far away from the refugees ahead, so they didn't see them. Oh, if there were too many refugees on the official road, she'd be worried. If there weren't any refugees on the official road, she'd be worried, too. Yun Yiyi thought with a headache.
"Dad, if we still have to sleep in the wild tonight, please build a simple shed. When we set off again, we can dismantle the shed and use it as firewood." Yun Yiyi walked to Yun the butcher and said.
"Okay, at our current speed, we will be able to stop and rest soon. Then, I will take your brother to collect firewood." said Yun the Butcher.
"I want to go with you, Dad. Although I can't help carry the firewood, I can help find it." Yun Yiyi said hurriedly.
"Okay, then I'll take you there. Let your third brother help your mother cook at home." Yun the butcher, who was a daughter slave, responded immediately.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
