The first thing Old Lady Li said was, "Now that it's quiet, let's settle the scores from today! There are some people the Li family doesn't want to take along on this journey!"
Everyone's expression changed upon hearing this, and they held their breath.
Some were surprised, some felt guilty, and some were completely confused.
Someone, a bit slow on the uptake, asked, "What's wrong, Aunt Li? Didn't we agree to travel together? We've only been out for two days, why are we breaking up already?"
The others nodded, clearly not understanding what was going on.
Grandma Li waved her hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then spoke.
"When we received the news earlier, we told everyone. We didn't say we wanted to take back the grain we lent you. We just thought that since we've known each other for so long, we wanted to help you out as much as we could, right?"
Then, we could have left immediately from home, but because everyone pleaded, we waited another half day and set off with everyone. The second brother and his brothers were busy running around, never refusing to help whenever needed.
At this point, she took a deep breath, clearly very angry.
"We ask ourselves, and we've done nothing to wrong anyone. We've always hoped we could help each other out. But why is it that when we've taken care of everyone, and it's our turn to help us, we feel so disheartened?"
During the day, the fourth brother stood at the back of the group, urging everyone to stay together to prevent them from getting separated. Then, those two beasts from the Liu family came with men to steal our grain. They had knives and even tried to kill us, the old and the young, who were sitting on the mule cart.
As a result, the families who had been walking alongside the mule cart turned around and ran away, refusing to help at all!
She pointed to some people who were looking guilty and bowing their heads, naming them directly.
“Hu Laosan, Hu Laosi, and Zhang Shitou, what were you thinking? You all had sickles and machetes back then. If you had just lent a hand, you could have given us a chance to dodge. Why did you just stand by and watch us get stabbed? Do you have any conscience? You eat the grain we grow and travel with us, but when we need help, you hide. Don’t you have any shame?”
The three men who were named wished they could disappear into a crack in the ground.
They knew in their hearts that something was wrong, but in their fear at the time, they didn't think much about it.
The rest of the villagers finally understood what was going on, and some of them shouted angrily.
"Is what Aunt Li said true? Hu Laosan, Hu Laosi, you two are usually so tough in the village, why are you chickening out now?"
"Exactly, they're ungrateful! We're all from the same village, we should lend a hand when something happens, especially Aunt Li's family!"
The crowd erupted in shouts and curses, their eyes filled with disdain and contempt.
Old Hu, perhaps angered by the scolding, offered a defense.
"We didn't do it on purpose. Those people rushed at us with knives, who wouldn't be scared? Nobody's head is made of stone!"
Zhang Shitou thought for a moment and then quietly chimed in, "It's not that I don't want to help, it's just that I'm really scared. Besides, Liu Tiezhu is determined to get to Li's mule cart, and we can't stop him!"
The crowd was so angry they wanted to grind their teeth, and the village chief even brandished his pipe, ready to go up and beat someone.
Li Lao Er quickly stopped him and then said.
“It’s human nature to be afraid of death, but when everyone is fighting for their lives, people like you can’t be trusted. Even if we protect you behind us, you might expose our backs to the enemy out of fear.”
Li Laosi nodded, "We've discussed it at home. You don't need to return the grain you borrowed before, but you absolutely cannot come with us. There are refugees everywhere on the roads, so you won't have trouble finding a place to stay. From now on, we'll go our separate ways. Whether we survive or not depends on luck."
Hu Laosan, Hu Laosi, and Zhang Shitou remained silent.
They didn't want to leave the group; after all, being in the middle meant having someone to guide them and being able to take care of everything.
But the villagers all depended on the Li family, and since they had offended them, they had no choice but to leave.
Grandma Li continued, “Today our group was like a pile of loose sand, easily scattered by the enemy. We can’t continue like this. So, we’ve discussed it with the village chief, and we’ll divide the work and cooperate on the road from now on. Everyone will have a task, and we’ll arrange meals and sleep together. Everyone will be bound together, and no one will be allowed to have any second thoughts.”
Now, everyone thought, if they felt uncomfortable or didn't want to be controlled, they should just go with Hu Laosan and the others; at least they could look out for each other.
Having said that, she stopped caring and led her sons back to their home.
Just now, Li Laosi and Li Laosan pulled up some tarpaulin and built a simple shack under a low tree, with a gauze curtain blocking the entrance.
Jiaxi, Jia'an, Jiayin, and Doctor Zhang were all resting inside.
Jiayin had been bitten on the forehead by a mosquito at some point, and Doctor Zhang was holding her while applying ointment.
Jiayin was worried about how many people were left in the village, and reached out to her grandmother for a hug.
Grandma Li quickly hugged her and coaxed Jiayin to call her Grandma, afraid that her granddaughter would be frightened by what happened during the day.
She also called out to Li Laosi, "Fetch water and wash her properly. Don't get too close to Fu Niu. The child has a sensitive nose; be careful she doesn't smell the blood and get scared."
Li Laosi agreed and went to find a place to take a bath.
By the time he returned, the villagers had already made a decision.
Besides those three families, only Zhang Shitou's sister's family also went out.
They were a bit temperamental, so without anyone chasing them away, they simply carried their loads and bundles, lit a campfire some distance away, and camped elsewhere.
Seeing this, Li Lao Er called Li Lao Si, and together with the village chief, they began to count the number of people, young and old, in the village.
In the end, the entire village, including the Li family and Doctor Zhang, had a total of ninety-seven people.
There are twelve able-bodied young men, eight children who need care and supervision, and twenty-two elderly people, including Uncle Zhao.
The remaining women numbered twenty, and the young men numbered thirty-four.
In other words, the refugee groups from Qingshui Village had the most elderly people and children who needed food and care, as well as able-bodied young men and women who could work and wield knives.
This situation is truly disheartening.
After discussing for a full hour, Li Lao Er finally announced the division of labor among everyone.
The twelve children, who were about half a year old, were cared for by three elderly people with arm disabilities. They were responsible for gathering firewood and fetching water each time they camped out.
The eight children were usually placed on a mule cart and a donkey cart, and were looked after by three lame old men, including Uncle Zhao. Even when they were camping, they had to keep an eye on them.
In this way, the women don't have to worry about anything else; they are responsible for everyone's breakfast and dinner, and when they have the chance, they also have to dig for wild vegetables to supplement their food supply.
The other elderly men and women were responsible for looking after things, such as baskets and packages, feeding the mules and donkeys, and taking turns to stand guard at night.
Of course, they were only supporting actors; the main force was the young and strong men.
During the day, they were to stand guard on the outer edge of the ranks, protecting the elderly, women, and children, and at night they would take turns on guard duty.
As for food, each family paid grain to the communal kitchen every day according to the number of people in their household.
We'll discuss what to do after we've run out of food.
With this arrangement, everyone has something to do, no one can slack off, and the Li family won't be overworked.
The villagers asked questions all at once, and after confirming their assignments, they not only didn't find it troublesome, but also felt very secure.
Having something to do proves you're useful, and only useful people can live.
This is a truth that will never change, no matter what.
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