Li Laosi's eyes were already red as he rushed forward like an arrow!
A few steps away, under a large tree, three belts hung side by side, with three old men hanging from them.
I don't know how they managed to hang themselves up there, or how long they stayed there...
"Waaaaah, help! Help!"
"Dr. Zhang, help me! Waaah, Uncle Zhao!" The two villagers ran away, tumbling and crawling.
Li Laosi quickly picked off three old men, desperately carried two of them, and ran back to the camp.
The villagers also carried an old man, running and crying loudly.
At the camp, everyone had already started eating.
The sudden scream made everyone's expression change.
The village chief threw down his rice bowl and ran out, with everyone following him like madmen.
But before they could rush out of the camp, Li Laosi ran back.
"Dr. Zhang, help! Uncle Zhao and the others... have hanged themselves!" Even a tough guy like Li Laosi didn't sob, but tears were already streaming down his face.
No one knows how terrified and remorseful he felt when he saw the three old men swaying in the autumn wind; he will never forget it in his life!
Doctor Zhang's expression changed, and he ordered everyone to place the three old men side by side.
He quickly took the pulses of Uncle Zhao and the other two, comforting them as he pulled out silver needles and swiftly inserted them.
"Don't be afraid, his chest is still warm, he should be able to be saved. Move aside, let the breeze in! And bring some warm water!"
The crowd scattered, but dared not leave, standing just two steps away, watching Dr. Zhang busy himself, unable to help in any way.
The women didn't even have time to wipe away their tears; they rushed to fetch warm water.
Jiayin leaned on the old lady's shoulder, hugging her neck tightly, her tears soaking the old lady's clothes.
No wonder the old men held her the whole time yesterday, reluctant to put her down, even though the journey was so bumpy. They even carved little trinkets for her.
Thinking about it now, it's likely that the old men had long planned to commit suicide.
After all, their legs are fine for walking slowly on flat ground, but climbing mountains is simply impossible for them.
The two mountains were crossed by Li Laosi and Jiayi, who pulled them across on a sled.
Now they are going to venture into the mountains again; they certainly don't want to be a burden to the Li family.
No one knows what those three old men, determined to die, were thinking in the darkness, or how many tears they shed…
Jiaxi and Jia'an, clutching the large slingshot given to them by the old men, were also crying their eyes out.
"Waaah, Grandma, Grandpa Zhao said he'd teach me how to catch rabbits..."
"Grandma, I promise I'll be good from now on and won't bother Grandpa Zhao and the others anymore. Please bring them back to life, okay?"
Grandma Li held her three children close, her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
Yesterday, when Lao Zhao said he was a good-for-nothing, why didn't she say a few more words of advice?
Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying hugged each other and cried. From the time the old men came to the Li family to eat together, their three meals a day, clothes, shoes and socks, and house cleaning were all taken care of by their sisters-in-law.
Although we are not related by blood, we are already like family!
Li Lao Er and Li Lao San squatted on the ground, their eyes red, filled with a thousand regrets. How could they not have noticed that the old men were thinking the wrong thing!
The village chief was trembling all over, and his wife tried to help him up, but she couldn't manage it.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at his three old brothers, motionless.
The villagers silently wiped away their tears, afraid that making a sound would disturb the rescue.
Dr. Zhang was working up a sweat, but thankfully, his efforts weren't in vain.
Uncle Zhao was the first to react; he suddenly opened his mouth and coughed, then gasped for breath.
Subsequently, the other two old men, Uncle Wei and Uncle Wang, also woke up.
The three opened their eyes and saw everyone. Instead of being happy, they were filled with disappointment and closed their eyes tightly again.
Is this why the crowd resents them for saving their lives?
Before anyone could speak, the village chief scrambled forward on all fours and slapped them hard across the face several times.
"Useless trash! Why are you so desperate? You're not afraid of death, so why are you afraid of going into the forest? We brothers agreed to drink together and live together! Why would you throw away a perfectly good life like this!"
He desperately tried to pull his arms around his three old brothers.
"We barely made it out of the battlefield, and Old Kui said he'd give it his all, but he died in a single day! He wanted to live, but fate wouldn't allow it. And you guys? Cowards, wimps! The Li family treated you like fathers, you're all grown up with children and grandchildren, and you still don't want to live! If Old Kui knew, he'd kill the King of Hell and come back to curse you!"
The other three elderly men, who were also clumsy, crawled forward crying and grabbed onto Lao Zhao's clothes tightly.
“You may not have legs, but we do. We’ll carry you all the way to the Jinsha River on our backs.”
"We're all brothers, if you leave first, how will we live!"
Uncle Zhao and the other two remained silent, but tears streamed down their faces.
The seven old men wept together, having survived the barbarians' swords and spears on the battlefield, and escaped the summons of the King of Hell.
After living a lonely life for over a decade, was it all just to end up hanging himself?
Jiaxi and Jia'an cried as they crawled inside, hugging Uncle Zhao and the others tightly, wailing, "Grandpa Zhao, we'll take care of you in your old age, please don't die!"
The other mischievous boys and girls rushed over and surrounded the old men, some hugging their arms and others their legs.
"Grandpa won't die! Waaah, he won't die!"
Since their parents were busy on weekdays, the old man took care of them and they were very close.
The villagers could no longer hold back and knelt down one after another.
A bachelor shouted, "Uncle Zhao, I have no parents. If you don't mind, I'll be your son from now on. I'll carry you up the mountain, and I'll carry you to the Jinsha River!"
“Me too, I’ll carry them all! There were so many of us when we left, now it’s just us left, we can’t lose any more.” The other men also wiped away their tears and shouted along.
The Li brothers knelt at the front, with the third brother's teeth chattering and his sobs choking him.
“Uncle Zhao, you old folks have treated us like your own sons this past year, teaching us whatever you wanted. We’ve long considered you family. How can a family share the good times and then abandon the elderly when things get tough? That’s no better than being an animal!”
Li Lao Er also tried to persuade him, "Yes, Uncle Zhao, Uncle Wei, Uncle Wang, there are countless dangers in the mountains and forests. We have no experience and need your guidance and protection. If you are gone, we won't be able to get out of these hundreds of miles of mountains. In the whole village, only Lao Si knows how to hunt. The rest of us can't even tell the difference between wolf droppings and pig droppings. Can you really trust us, Uncle?"
The villagers were heartbroken to hear this, and their initial reluctance to part with the old men was replaced by a growing dependence on them.
"Uncle Zhao, you can't die! We're scared!"
Sure enough, Uncle Zhao and the others opened their eyes after hearing this.
They didn't want to be useless and a burden to everyone, so they took the step of hanging themselves.
But when he suddenly realized that they were still useful and needed to protect the villagers as they left the mountains, his heart pounded a little harder.
They were scouts in the army back then, and although they've lost their feet and legs, they haven't forgotten their ability to navigate the mountains and forests and avoid wild beasts...
The three exchanged a glance, and a glimmer of hope ignited within them.
If you're going to die, wait until the villagers leave the mountains before you die.
Everyone who saw their expressions was delighted.
As a result, everyone started talking more and more.
"I'm afraid of snakes. Are there snakes everywhere in the forest?"
"There might be a pack of wolves in these mountains."
"Are there still tigers?"
Uncle Zhao and the other two had struggled to sit up, trying to speak, but their vocal cords were injured, and they could only make a few hissing sounds.
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