Village head Chen Sheng squatted on the ground, his half-white hair standing on end in the wind, his unshaven face filled with melancholy. Why couldn't he understand why living was so difficult? Since inheriting his father's mantle and becoming the village head of Shiligou, he had always been conscientious and never done anything out of line. Why was he now struggling to move forward?
That's it! It's all because of this wretched world!
His second son, Jinwen, was a student who could be exempted from military service. However, each family had to send one person, meaning Jincai had to go. Jincai was now the main breadwinner of the family, and he couldn't and dared not imagine what would happen if his eldest son were gone—would their family fall apart? Even if they could scrape together thirty taels of silver, what would happen after that? Unlike the villagers, he thought further ahead. This conscription was just the beginning, or at least it sounded good. But when the enemy was at the city gates, it wouldn't just be those over fifteen; even eight- or nine-year-old children would be dragged out to be human shields!
He took a deep drag on the hemp stalk, then forcefully ground the embers to the ground. Chen Shengfu jumped back onto the rock. "Listen up, everyone! Conscription is just the beginning. There will be a second, a third, and a fourth batch. Right now, the children are fifteen; later, they might be ten, nine, or even eight! Our kids will all be drafted! The world is about to descend into chaos! In times of chaos, people are worse off than dogs in times of peace! We men were born at the wrong time!"
Everyone looked up at him in confusion, unable to refute him. Although they didn't want to think the worst, they all knew in their hearts that what the village head said was true.
“Uncle Village Head, what do you say we should do? We’ll listen to you! I don’t want my son Bajin to go to the army! He’s only ten years old!” a man’s loud voice rang out.
"Yes, Uncle, what do you think we should do?"
"Listen to your uncle, he's very knowledgeable!"
"Yes, isn't that just going to your death?!"
The young men began to chime in. They had all fought bandits before, and their courage had grown considerably. Nothing could stop their determination to protect their families.
“Dasheng is probably going to be in chaos, and our Shiligou won’t be spared either. Even if we manage to avoid conscription, can we avoid bandits and famine? Fortunately, we’re not in the heart of the Central Plains. These deep mountains behind us are our last resort. I’m thinking, if that day really comes, we’ll hide in the old forest! No matter how chaotic things are outside, at least we’ll have a glimmer of hope.”
Following his hand, everyone looked towards the dark, rugged old forest behind them. They were deeply shocked!
The old forest is a forbidden area passed down through generations. It is said to be home to countless ferocious beasts and monsters, as well as poisonous trees and man-eating flowers!
But the village head is right. Going outside is a dead end, while going inside might offer a glimmer of hope. After all, that's just what our ancestors said. Who knows what really happened?
Cheng Shi and the others looked at Qin San Niang and saw that she was calm and collected, so they knew that this matter was probably Da Wa Niang's idea.
So, steeling himself, he echoed, "Uncle Village Head is right. What's in those mountains? At most, wild animals. We villagers can fight them off, but we can't escape these natural and man-made disasters outside."
The others also lowered their heads in thought, and many had already wavered, mainly the members of the patrol team.
Now that He Xiucai is gone, Qin Sanniang has become their pillar of support. Everyone knows she is capable, and all the past experiences have shown that following Da Wa's mother is never a bad idea.
Qin San Niang wasn't in a hurry. Regardless of whether the villagers agreed or not, her family still needed to go into hiding. Others might not know, but she did—things were about to change drastically. And who would prevail was still unclear. Although she trusted He Yingyuan, it didn't mean she had to risk her family's lives. She had her own spatial ability; they wouldn't starve. Why risk it all?
"Don't worry, everyone. Going into the mountains is just an option, and we won't do it unless absolutely necessary. But things can change, so if it really comes to that, it's good that you're all mentally prepared. If you have relatives in the city, you can consider going there for help, since He County isn't so easy to conquer."
Qi Zhubu and his ilk were not pushovers, and Qin Sanniang felt they certainly wouldn't sit idly by. However, she wouldn't go to the county town. Although their relationship was currently good, who knew which side they would be on? What if they happened to be on the enemy side? With her family in the county town, wouldn't she be doomed?
“Alright, just like what Da Wa’s mother said, this is only one path. If we really reach a dead end, we will either flee the famine or hide in the deep mountains.”
The crowd nodded in agreement. Fleeing the famine was out of the question. Where else could they flee to? If the world descended into chaos, where would they find a safe haven? It seemed that only this unknown mountain range behind them could protect them for the time being! Besides, wasn't there Da Wa's family? They were no pushovers; having fled from such a distant place in the north, they must have experience dealing with the deep forest.
Many quick-witted and shrewd individuals immediately came up with an idea. They turned around and went home to pack their things.
Even a broken home is worth a fortune! All those odds and ends you can't bear to throw away should be packed up in advance…
Lu's third daughter-in-law, Mo, asked hesitantly, "Mother, Father, is Da Wa's mother serious? Are we really going to the mountains with them? It's not as serious as Da Wa's mother said. Everything is quite peaceful here!"
She wanted to say that Qin San Niang liked to exaggerate to show how powerful she was. Thinking of their miserable journey, Mo Shi couldn't help but shudder. She had finally settled down and didn't want to go through that kind of life again.
The second son's wife also sighed, clearly she was also somewhat incredulous.
Old Mrs. Chen glanced at her two daughters-in-law, her disdain overflowing. "You two shouldn't worry about this. Just sort and organize things to save yourself the trouble later. Da Wa's mother is knowledgeable; you two are far beyond her capabilities."
Zhang had gone to work, but she already knew about this matter and had also mentioned it to her parents-in-law, so the Lu family elders were not very surprised by the matter of hiding in the mountains today.
Madam Mo pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "Let's go then, it's better than spending an extra thirty taels of silver! There are plenty of men in our family, and we even fought off wolves when we fled through the deep mountains. What are we afraid of? When things stabilize, wouldn't it be better to bring the silver down the mountain?"
Having figured this out, Madam Mo was no longer in a hurry. She replied to her mother-in-law and then went back to her own room.
After her two daughters-in-law left, Old Mrs. Chen finally turned to Old Man Lu, who had remained silent the whole time. The question in her eyes was clear. They were old; the past year of fleeing had taken a toll on their bodies, and they couldn't withstand any more hardship!
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