The wooden crate was closed, quickly covered with soil, and then re-covered with floor tiles.
If no one had checked carefully, they probably wouldn't have discovered the problem beneath the house and wouldn't have disturbed the Guo family's peace.
After all that busy work, the sky was already showing the first light of dawn, and the morning sun once again enveloped the earth. If it weren't for the bloodstains in the courtyard and house reminding everyone of the danger of the previous night, they would probably have thought it was just a nightmare.
Eager to return home, the group began searching everywhere without needing any further instructions from Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou.
Everything that was usable was carried out to the courtyard by the crowd.
Grain bags, cooking oil, various odds and ends, even pots and pans, teapots and teacups, thick quilts, all sorts of things were gathered together in a large pile.
Everyone was both happy and worried; how were they going to bring all these things back?
In the end, it was Chief Escort Liu who came up with a good idea: "Take down the doors of each room, tie ropes to them, and you'll have sleds. Prioritize loading them with grain, stuff smaller items in, and if there's really no room left, just throw out pots, pans, and other utensils."
Everyone responded and quickly got to work.
Nearly a hundred people, young and old, settled in the mountain stream. They had no shortage of people, but they lacked everything else.
Therefore, although Chief Escort Liu spoke clearly, everyone actually complied while secretly disobeying his orders.
Forget about throwing away pots and pans, even chopsticks were taken along...
After finishing their work, the sun was almost overhead. The group ate a quick bite of dry rations and prepared to head back.
Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard), was worried that someone might follow the trail to the other side of the mountain stream, so he discussed it with Li Laosi.
He planned to stay behind with Jiayi and Liu Yang for two days to make sure the bandits had no helpers or outside support before they rushed back to the mountain stream.
Li Laosi also wanted to stay, saying, "I'll stay with you guys, so I can lend a hand if anything happens."
But Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), refused. "No, you still have to lead the way back. If we encounter a wild animal on the road, the villagers will be in a panic without you leading the way. Besides, I'll take two boys and hide in secret. Even if some bandits come back, we won't show ourselves. Looking at the weather, it's going to snow in the next few days. I'll return before it snows, and then the tracks will be covered by the snow, so we won't have to worry about it."
Li Laosi could only nod and sigh, "This place is too close to the official road, so it's not good to make too much of a commotion. Otherwise, it would be much easier to just burn this courtyard down."
Thus, the group quickly dragged their large piles of spoils into the mountains and forests, heading home excitedly.
On the other side of the mountain stream, everyone waited anxiously. Even the usually mischievous children were much quieter and dared not make a sound.
Inside the small cave, a pot of water was boiling on the stove, just beginning to sizzle.
The stone slab that Jiaren usually used was set up, and he was practicing calligraphy with a pen in his left hand while standing in a horse stance.
Mr. Wen stood to the side, holding a tree branch in his hand, occasionally tapping Jiaren's back and wrist.
"Keep your back straight, use your wrist to generate power, not your arm! Use the strength of your wrist to move the pen tip!"
Jiaren's forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat, clearly showing that he was exhausted to the limit, but he continued to write without saying a word.
Tao Hongying felt sorry for her, but dared not say anything. She mixed some warm water and brought it to the inner room separated by a straw curtain.
Madam Cui was slowly strolling around with Jiayin in her arms when her eyes lit up when she saw the water basin.
She had been sick for a few days and had just been able to get out of bed. She could manage to eat and drink, but the fact that she couldn't take a bath or wash her hair was unbearable.
"Thank you, Hongying. I was just thinking of washing my hair."
Tao Hongying smiled and said, "You were sick a few days ago and couldn't wash your hair, as it was easy to catch a cold again. Today, the cave is warm, so you can wash it."
Madam Cui put down the good news, quickly took off her outer clothes, and let her hair down.
Tao Hongying patted her daughter and scolded her with a laugh, "Lazy girl, don't you know you're fat? You always want to be carried and won't walk an inch more."
Madam Cui is a person who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She is somewhat aloof when interacting with others, but she is not wary of Jiayin, a child. She has felt much more relaxed these past two days.
"It's good for girls to be a little lazy; they're blessed."
Tao Hongying smiled helplessly and said nothing more. From now on, besides her own family, there will probably be another person protecting her daughter.
Jiayin rolled into the bed with a grin and lay there obediently, watching her mother help Madam Cui wash her hair while her mind wandered in the space.
The chickens, ducks, and geese in the courtyard are really reaping the benefits of the grain; they've been laying eggs very frequently lately, and we've accumulated quite a few.
But with her grandmother's warning first, and now living in the small cave, she can't take it out even if she wants to, so she can only continue to save it.
As for the few piglets that had grown to over 100 pounds, they were happily grunting; at least for the next six months, their lives were safe...
Thinking of the half-bowl of sorghum flour and dried vegetable porridge she had drunk that morning, Jiayin felt even more depressed.
With so many delicious things to see but no way to eat them, will she become the first female protagonist to starve to death while guarding her spatial dimension?
No, that won't work. I need to discuss it with Grandma and come up with a better solution...
Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
After Tao Hongying and Madam Cui finished their work, they turned around and saw that Jiayin was already sleeping soundly with drool drool in her mouth. Her soft little belly was rising and falling, making her look exceptionally cute.
Madam Cui quickly pulled the blanket over her, Tao Hongying poured water, and she sat down by the stove to dry her hair.
The cave was slightly dim, which made the light from the stove fire seem especially warm.
Madam Cui combed her long black hair, while Mr. Wen, gentle and refined, stood beside her. Occasionally, the two would exchange glances, as if they had a lot to say to each other but couldn't say it, or perhaps there was no need to say it at all.
This scene piqued Tao Hongying's curiosity, but she wasn't one to meddle and didn't disturb them. She put down the basin and went to the inner room to sleep with her daughter.
Jiayin, half asleep, smelled her mother's scent, snuggled closer to her mother, and slept even more soundly.
Day after day, four days passed in the blink of an eye, and the group had been trapped in the cave for four days.
The mischievous children couldn't resist and lay down at the entrance of the hole, gazing longingly down below, hoping to run around.
Even the adults were a bit anxious; the space was small and crowded, making it feel like they couldn't even breathe properly.
Jiayin was going crazy with worry, missing her father and brother, and looked gloomy all day long.
Madam Cui found it amusing; such a young child always acted like an adult.
She picked up a few pebbles from the corner and taught Jiayin how to play "bangzi," which involves using small pebbles to throw at larger rocks.
If you hit the target, you can take the big rock back. In the end, whoever wins the most wins.
If Jiayin were truly a one-year-old child, she would surely be having a wonderful time. But she isn't; she's like an old cucumber painted green, pretending to be young!
After finally escaping the boredom of being a baby in swaddling clothes, and now that I can walk and talk, it seems I've confined myself to a small space again...
Cui Hongying grabbed a handful of dried vegetables and dried mushrooms, sat at the entrance of the cave, and carefully picked through the tiny bits of grass by the light from outside, just to pass the time.
Occasionally, she would look up and see a black line moving slowly through the distant mountains and forests, which made her so excited that she almost plunged headfirst into the cave.
There are people in the mountains!
She wasn't sure if it was a family member, so she could only call out that.
In an instant, Wen Hai lifted the straw curtain at the door, and Mr. Wen, Jia Ren, and even Mrs. Cui, who was holding Jia Yin, all squeezed in.
Hearing the commotion, the others from the other caves also looked out.
Slowly, the group of dark figures approached, and they became clearer to see.
"They're family! They're back, finally back!"
While the others were fine, in the largest cave, the first one to lower the vine ladder slid down directly. Even twisting her ankle when she landed didn't stop her from running wildly into the woods.
"Gousheng'er, Gousheng'er!"
Everyone jumped down with a thud, but the village chief, being cautious, shouted to each family, "The elderly and children stay in the cave!"
Each family was extremely anxious, but they were still relatively obedient. For a time, only the able-bodied men and women who stayed behind to guard the house rushed into the woods.
Soon, the wind carried the heart-wrenching cries of Aunt Wu, "Gousheng, my dear Gousheng!"
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