Everyone assumed the man was from a nearby village, since people had been coming to watch the spectacle lately.
The village chief quickly called out, "Brother, are you from Big Banyan Tree Village or Little Wang Village? Don't be afraid, our child is a bit naughty, did he scare you?"
But the man kept his head down and refused to speak.
Suddenly, a villager said, "Wait a minute, village chief, why does this person look so familiar?"
The crowd scrutinized the newcomer more closely. He was about the same height as Li Laosi, somewhat thin, his clothes and trousers were filthy, and his hair was matted together, covering his eyes and most of his face.
Could they be refugees who couldn't survive and were attracted by the aroma of food in the camp?
The village chief said, "Give him a bowl of food. They're all suffering people. We should help them out when we see them."
Immediately, a woman went to find an earthenware bowl, filled it with food, and served it to the man, but he refused to accept it.
The woman had no choice but to put it on the ground. "Eat it. We don't have anything good to offer, but a bowl of rice is enough for you."
The man suddenly knelt down with a thud and burst into tears.
"Waaah, village chief, I've finally found you! Waaah, I was wrong, please take me in."
The voice sounded familiar, and everyone instinctively moved closer. The person brushed aside their dirty hair, raised their face, and everyone was shocked.
"Hu...Hu Laosan?"
This person was none other than Hu Laosan, who had been expelled from the group for refusing to help those in distress and for being selfish.
When the villagers plunged into the mountains hundreds of miles away, they still tried to come back, but after being rejected again, they never heard from them again.
Unexpectedly, I've seen him here again.
What kind of karmic entanglement is this, or is it that his ghost is still haunting us?
The village chief frowned deeply. "Tell me, how did you find your way here? Where are the others?"
Hu Laosan cried even more bitterly, “We were blocked at the city gate and couldn’t get through without money. Then people came to arrest laborers. Lao Si and Shi Tou were arrested. The women and children all ran away and can’t be found.”
Perhaps thinking of his wife and son, he almost cried himself to death, his head hitting the stone beneath him with a thud.
"Waaah, my son, my dear son, he just ran away like that. I wonder if he was kidnapped by human traffickers! It's all my fault, I should have taken you with me even if I went out begging for food, how could I have lost you!"
Everyone felt a pang of sorrow upon hearing this. For the imperial court, this southward migration was just a matter of two words, but for the common people, it was a catastrophe, causing countless families to be torn apart.
Some people, feeling compassion, advised, "Don't cry. As long as the person is alive, there will always be a chance to find the child in the future."
"Yes, even if we take a step back, the human traffickers have to keep the child alive to sell him for money. Maybe Da Wa is enjoying a good life in Xindu right now."
Hu Laosan wiped away his tears, his forehead red from kowtowing, and looked pitifully at the village chief and the others.
"Uncle, I know I was wrong. It was all my fault before. Can you let me stay? I'll work hard. Just give me a pancake a day so I won't starve. Just give me a place to stay. Waaah, I'm like a stray dog out there. Anyone can hit me or yell at me. I can't go on living like this!"
The group exchanged glances, their faces turning cold.
Although people who have lived in the same village for many years are close to each other because they see each other all the time, they are still considered to be from the same village.
On the road to escape famine, everyone should have worked together and helped each other to survive. But this family was selfish and self-serving, eating the food that the Li family lent them, yet refusing to help the Li family in their time of need. It was heartbreaking.
Now, more than twenty of them have died, been injured, or been scattered, leaving only this one. It is indeed pitiful, but this is not a reason for everyone to forgive him and accept him back.
The village chief was a man who hated evil and loathed selfish people the most.
On the battlefield, brothers who fight side by side are each other's most trusted support; if anyone has selfish motives, they will often kill everyone.
Therefore, he was unwilling to keep Hu Laosan at all and was thinking about how to ask him to leave.
Li Lao Er had been carefully observing Hu Lao San, and now he spoke first.
“Uncle Village Chief, we agreed that no more people would come to the village, and it wouldn’t be good to break the rules so soon after they were established. How about this, let Brother Hu go back first, and we’ll discuss it.”
The village chief immediately nodded in agreement, "Alright, let's discuss it. Hu Laosan, come back around this time tomorrow."
The villagers were very obedient and dispersed in the blink of an eye to continue eating.
Old Hu was probably not expected this, and he wanted to say something, but no one was willing to listen.
He could only get up and walk away timidly.
Li Lao Er immediately called out to Li Lao Si and Liu Biao Tou, "Hu Lao San is acting strangely. His hair and clothes are dirty, but his wrists and neck are clean. Moreover, if he really is wandering outside, begging for a living, and we give him food, he doesn't rush to eat it. It's obvious that he came here after eating his fill, or he dislikes the food."
The village chief also realized what was happening, "That's right, he just left without even looking at the food. He doesn't look like someone who's been wandering around for days and hasn't had enough to eat!"
Uncle Zhao couldn't help but curse, "Did this kid come back to plot against us? Catch him and I'll break his legs!"
Li Laosi said, "I'll go and see for myself. I need to get to the bottom of this before I say anything."
“Go ahead and see where he’s staying. Is he up to no good? We’ve taken over this precious hot spring, and countless people are envious. Better safe than sorry.” The village chief nodded.
Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), was still worried and stepped forward, saying, "I'll go too, so we can help each other if anything happens."
"Alright, let's go. We'll talk again when we get back."
Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou immediately gave chase and carefully followed Hu Laosan.
The villagers watched from afar, wondering what they were doing. When asked, Li Lao Er said, "We're short on timber, so they're going to see where nearby they can cut down trees to save some money."
The villagers stopped asking questions and went back to their work after lunch.
As a result, it got dark, and Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou still hadn't returned.
Everyone was somewhat concerned, especially Old Mrs. Li, who held her granddaughter and gazed at her for quite a while.
Madam Cui walked over, took Jiayin, and said with a smile, "Auntie, let Fu Niu stay in the carriage with me tonight, I'll cuddle her and sleep with her for one night."
Grandma Li laughed too, "Alright, this girl is so close to you, anyone who didn't know better would think she was your daughter."
Before Madam Cui could speak again, Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou finally returned.
The crowd instinctively gathered around, chattering amongst themselves.
"You're finally back! Which mountain did you go to? We almost went looking for you, afraid you might have run into some tiger or black bear in the mountains."
Li Laosi waved his hand, glanced at Madam Cui who was holding Jiayin, and then said, "Invite the village chief and Uncle Zhao over, we have something to say."
Madam Cui wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Li Laosi's glance was a little strange, which made her heart skip a beat.
Soon, the villagers gathered in the middle of the valley, sat around the campfire, and looked at Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou.
Li Lao Er immediately asked, "Is there something wrong with Hu Lao San?"
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