The old man waved his hand and helped the villagers out. "It can't be helped. Our villages are close to each other. We usually marry each other and help each other when there is something wrong. In fact, we are one. As long as Zhangjia Village and Liujia Village have no ulterior motives and don't plot against us, I don't mind giving them a hand."
After that, he instructed the veteran, "Go find the people from Zhangjia Village and bring them here. When you run into the Liu family again, ask them carefully. If they can find a place, that's great. If not, bring them here anyway."
"Yes, uncle." The two old soldiers immediately left together to look for Zhang's family.
Zhuzhu was full and yawning, so the old man quickly moved the campfire away, spread hay and a leather mattress in the warm place, put Zhuzhu on it, and covered her with a fur coat.
Zhimaqiu took the initiative to lie on Zhuzhu's head, and his long fur blocked her from the cold wind that was approaching stealthily...
Village chief Zhang and several villagers have been in the mountains for two days, but they have been wandering around and haven't found a suitable place. They are really about to give up.
Village Chief Zhang is old and has difficulty breathing while sitting on a tree stump.
His son Tie Niu felt sorry for his father and couldn't help but advise him, "Dad, don't worry. The border may be dangerous, but they don't intend to attack us yet. Besides, there are so many people in the North and South Villages, so it's not like our village is left without a place to stay."
The rest of the villagers also responded.
"Yes, Village Chief, this matter has not yet been decided. There is no point in getting anxious."
"Logically speaking, the border wall is so high and the border troops are numerous, so it shouldn't be possible for the Luosha devils to break through."
"Did we scare ourselves? Maybe nothing will happen!"
Village Chief Zhang frowned and replied, "What do you know? Who wants to go into the mountains and suffer when they can live a good life? But for the sake of survival, no matter how much trouble there is, it's not enough. When the time comes to escape, we'll be caught off guard. You young and strong won't be afraid, but the elderly and children at home will be the ones to be slaughtered! If you're not afraid of your parents and children being hacked to death, then hurry back!"
Everyone was too afraid to speak. They were just complaining about their hardship and fatigue. Their protectiveness towards their family members was indeed quite good. After all, they were blood relatives!
Seeing this, Village Chief Zhang lowered his voice and said, "I've lived for most of my life, and I don't know anything else, but I know one thing. It doesn't matter if I'm a little stupid, but I must remember to listen to the advice of smart people.
"Over the past year, we have followed the Tai family's footsteps and have gained a lot of benefits. Look at the hundreds of people in the Tai family, they are living a prosperous life!
"The border looks fine now, as if nothing is happening, but the wealthy families in the city have already started fleeing south, and the Tai family has also started to seek shelter in the mountains. There must be some news that we don't know about.
"It's already like this, why don't we hurry up and make arrangements? Are we just waiting for bad luck? We Zhang family members don't have one more brain than others!"
Everyone suddenly realized and felt a little guilty. They were indeed short-sighted and did not consider things as thoroughly as the old village chief.
"The village chief is right. We have to work hard and find a good place."
"Yes, I went into the city a few days ago and did see quite a few carriages from wealthy families leaving."
"This world is really... There's no work in winter anyway. Even if I go to the mountains and live there for a few months, it won't hurt anything."
Village Chief Zhang was finally satisfied. "Then take a good rest and try again tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I'll go back and ask Master Tai Liu to see if they've found a good place. We can take advantage of that."
He paused, then added, "But let me be frank. The Tai family has treated us well. If we ever have to get together to survive, you must put away your pettiness. If you dare to anger the Tai family and ruin the relationship between our two villages, don't blame me for turning against you!"
The villagers quickly patted their chests and made promises.
"No, no, don't worry, Village Chief, we are not ungrateful people!"
"It's good enough to survive these days. Who has the time to do anything tricky?"
At this time, the veteran who came to look for them had been listening for a while. The two looked at each other and slowly walked out.
Village chief Zhang and others didn't expect that there were other people in such a deep mountain. They were really shocked. When they recognized the two old soldiers, they were surprised and delighted.
"Hey, little brother, why are you here? Did you go into the mountains with Brother Tai?"
Village chief Zhang stood up and asked a series of questions, which made the two old soldiers laugh.
One of them, with his quick tongue, replied, "Uncle Zhang, we went into the mountains with Uncle Tai, seven or eight of us in total. We found a good secluded spot in the afternoon, and unexpectedly, while patrolling nearby, we saw a fire and reported it to Uncle Tai. Uncle Tai was very happy and asked us to come over and take a look."
"Really?" Village Chief Zhang quickly told everyone to pack up. "That's great! We've been walking for two days and were just worried."
After a while, everyone had tidied up, put out the bonfire, and followed the veteran with only torches.
They passed through mountains and forests, and went through mountain crevices. When they entered the valley, everyone in Zhangjia Village couldn't help but cheer.
"Oh my, there is such a great place!"
"We're saved, we're saved! It's so safe here!"
Old Master Tai was afraid that they would wake up his fat granddaughter, so he stood at the entrance of the cave and called out in a low voice, "Keep your voice down and come in to talk."
Everyone immediately shut up and followed him into the cave.
Village chief Zhang saw the fat girl sleeping at a glance, and there was a strange look on his face.
Speaking of this elder brother of the Tai family, he was always outstanding in everything, and everyone who mentioned him would give him a thumbs up. But this elder brother had one flaw: he spoiled his little granddaughter too much.
Going into the mountains to find shelter, he couldn't bear to leave his little granddaughter behind for such a big event, and he wanted to bring her with him...
Grandpa Tai ignored them, casually tucked the corner of his granddaughter's quilt, and whispered, "How many days have you been in the mountains? It's such a coincidence that we meet here."
Village Chief Zhang was even more surprised than he was. He quickly recounted their two days of hard work and finally sighed, "I thought I'd found a good place and let you know. I never thought... this time... I'd probably have to rely on you again."
The old man waved his hand and replied, "We all live in the North and South Villages. It's only natural for us to help each other out when something happens. Besides, there's a lot of space here, so everyone can live comfortably."
Village chief Zhang couldn't help it, so he stood up and walked around in the big cave for a long time, then went to look at several small caves outside, and finally had a general idea of the situation.
After returning, the Tai family cooked another pot of porridge. He ate a bowl without hesitation and then suggested, "Brother Tai, this cave is spacious and can accommodate 300 people. But with so many people, quarrels and fights are inevitable. It's better to separate them as much as possible. If there is enough time, do you think we should send someone to clean up in advance?"
"There are a lot of stones here, so we can mix some mud and water to build some large partitions to temporarily separate the area. If there are many elderly people and children at home, it would be best to build some kangs.
"Yes, yes, there's also a clay stove, and we need to chop a lot of firewood..."
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