At this time, a donkey cart came rumbling over from a distance. The villagers looked over and began to greet it.
"Uncle Liu is back!"
"Uncle San, is there anything new in the city?"
"Have you heard that the Russian devils are coming?"
Uncle Liu, the donkey cart driver, was a hardworking and quick-witted man. His family owned a donkey cart, and he would go to the city every other day, picking up villagers from three or four villages along the way. For just a penny, he could get a ride into the city, saving him half an hour's walk.
This job may not look very promising, but if you run back and forth all day, you can earn twenty or thirty cents.
Of course, if the villagers want to buy some groceries or send a message, they are willing to ask him for help. He is considered a famous person in the village.
At this moment, he pulled the reins to stop the ox cart, took out his pipe and stuffed it with tobacco, and was willing to chat a few more words, just to take a break.
"The city is still the same. Almost all the wealthy families have left. There's no big movement at the border either. I guess the Russian devils haven't dared to go there to cause trouble. They're just wandering around in the woods outside."
Everyone listened attentively, because the last sentence brought up the previous topic.
"Look, look, I told you what I said just now. The Russian devils can't defeat us. The border troops are powerful, and the border walls are thick!"
"That's right, that's right, those who ran away are such cowards, nothing happened, they just scared themselves to death first!"
"Haha, our village chief is just like that. He usually shows off like he's the most powerful person in the world, but in the end, he's really not ashamed enough!"
The person who spoke shook his head and curled his lips in disdain.
Some people still had a little bit of conscience and couldn't help but say, "The village chief is not bad, but... he is just instigated by the Tai family and has no choice."
"Oh, speaking of the Tai family, there is indeed a new thing!" Old man Liu, the coachman, was reminded, tapped his pipe twice, and quickly responded.
"There are a few ruffians in the city who are always stealing. Maybe they heard that Taijia Village was vacant, so they had a bad idea and sneaked there in the middle of the night. But Brother Tai is a powerful man, so how could he not leave people to guard the village?"
Having said this, he deliberately kept his mouth shut. As expected, everyone became anxious and urged him on.
"Uncle San, tell me, what next?"
"That's right, has the thief been caught?"
Uncle Liu was satisfied and continued with a smile, "Being caught is not so bad, at least they won't suffer, but they don't have that blessing!
"You all know that the Tai family's village guards are veterans, and their methods are very powerful. After these thieves were caught, they were tied to the backs of horses and dragged directly to the city gate.
Fortunately, it was winter and the road was covered with snow, otherwise I would have been dragged to death!
"That wasn't the end of it. Several thieves were dragged to the city gate, had their legs broken, and were frozen for half the night. When the gatekeepers went to check on them in the morning, they were barely alive. They were taken to the infirmary, and after spending half the morning tossing and turning, they were finally saved."
Dragging in the snow? Breaking a leg? Freezing for half the night?
Everyone looked at each other, all of them trembling with fear.
If you have any one of these three things, it will be bad enough, let alone all of them.
Especially those who were tempted to go to Taijia Village to take advantage, they directly extinguished the little flames of greed in their hearts.
Gold, silver and treasures are sweet, but life is more important!
Uncle Liu was still excited and continued to talk with saliva flying.
"If you ask me, these thieves are blind! They don't even think about who Brother Tai is. In our North and South Villages, within a radius of a hundred miles, who doesn't admire him? They actually dared to come and plot against us. Humph, it's good enough that we can spare their lives!"
When the villagers heard this, they felt as if they were being talked about, so they just laughed dryly and responded twice, then quickly left, making the excuse that they had work to do at home.
Uncle Liu hadn't finished talking yet, and asked curiously, "What's wrong with these people? Normally, they're eager to get to the bottom of this matter, but why aren't they willing to listen today?"
His youngest son happened to be there, and he jumped onto the shaft of the cart to help his father solve his problem.
"Dad, you don't know, just now these people were still cursing the village chief, and they were also thinking about whether the Tai family had left behind a lot of good things. How could they not be afraid after you said that!"
Uncle Liu finally understood the reason. He pondered for a moment and whispered, "Let's go home and discuss it with your mother. We didn't want to go through the hassle of moving before, but now it seems that the situation outside is really not good, and the people in this village are unreliable. Let's find a way to avoid it."
As a son, you must listen to your father!
The father and son returned home and discussed the matter with the old lady that night. They left with their valuables and children at dawn the next morning.
When they met villagers on the way and asked about it, they said that the old lady's brother from her mother's side had an accident and they were rushing to visit him.
The old lady’s parents’ home is not nearby. It is almost a hundred miles to the southwest and is also at the foot of the mountains.
If things get out of hand, it’s convenient to go into the mountains at any time…
Village chief Dong didn't know so many things had happened in the village. After a day and night of trekking, everyone finally reached the valley.
Before he even walked in, Village Chief Dong burst into laughter just by looking at the one-person-wide crevice outside.
This is a natural barrier. If it's a struggle for everyone to get in, it's even harder for the bad guys. It can be said that as long as you can endure the loneliness and hide inside, you will definitely be safe.
After passing through the mountain crevice and seeing the natural caves of various sizes, the springs and pools that kept bubbling up, and the flat valley, he wanted to kneel down and kowtow to thank God for giving him such a precious land!
Tai Jizong and his men have been busy here for a long time. They have built two kangs and two earthen stoves in the small cave where they live. Men and women will sleep separately from now on. If they come back with a pheasant or rabbit, they can secretly have a snack on the stove.
Yang Lihua and Liu Dongniang took Chunhong and Erya with them and refused to rest at all. They wrapped headscarves on their heads and started to work inside and outside.
The broken stones and dirt should be picked up, the dust should be wiped off, and a straw mat should be laid on the kang. Even the mountain wall under your feet should be nailed with a straw mat to prevent dirt from falling.
Food should be properly placed to prevent moisture and insects, jars of oil, salt, sauce and vinegar should be arranged, and clothing boxes and packages should also be organized.
The cabbage and radishes brought from home must be neatly arranged and not be too hot or too cold...
The other families living in the large cave were even busier. Although the cave had been divided into small compartments by simple stone walls, they still had to share a single room, which inevitably led to bumps and bruises.
Fortunately, everyone knows that this is an extraordinary period. In order to survive together, we must understand and tolerate each other!
Only by discussing and negotiating everything and maintaining harmony can things last long.
Because Dongjia Village has fewer people, they were given a small cave, which made it easier to clean up.
Village Chief Dong walked around in the valley and when he saw Grandpa Tai, Village Chief Liu and Village Chief Zhang, he praised them to the skies!
Zhuzhu rode on the sesame ball, followed with her head held high, and pride was almost written on her face.
Grandpa Tai did not disappoint his granddaughter and briefly explained how Zhuzhu discovered this place while chasing rabbits.
So, all the free praise from Village Chief Dong and others was poured on the fat girl!
At this, the fat girl became shy and ran back to find her mother, which made the old men laugh...
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