After saying that, he pulled up a person whose clothes were torn in patches and whose hair was disheveled. If someone hadn't spoken up earlier, Song Ning wouldn't have recognized him.
People ran out; the men were busy rescuing people on one side, while the women were on the other side providing support.
The place where the village chief came up was a slope, and it was hard to climb up, especially since it was dark and he couldn't see the road clearly.
As soon as she was pulled up, she hugged Song Dahai and started crying.
"Brother Dahai...we've finally found you..."
Song Ning: Village chief... mind your image, hey!
They pulled them up one by one; the village chief's family of five was all there, neatly arranged.
The village chief was in relatively good condition; his eldest son's legs were so weak he could barely stand, his clothes were torn to shreds, and he was also injured.
Yu was also helped up, but as soon as she got up, her head tilted to the side and she fainted.
His eldest daughter-in-law is young and still able to stand firm, but she's not much better off.
The worst off was Zhou Ling'an.
Zhou Ling'an had been studying since he was a child and had basically never done farm work. His thin arms and legs were not as strong as his sister-in-law's.
He was covered in dirt and grime, with scratches on his face. It was unclear what he had done, but he was covered in mud and smelled terrible.
Liu Yuelan brought them some food, and apart from Yu Shi who had fainted, everyone else ate like hungry wolves. Zhou Ling'an no longer cared about the dignity of a scholar.
After resting for a while and catching their breath, the village chief began to recount their ordeal.
The villagers had originally agreed to leave together, and some even left earlier than Song Ning and the others. However, when they got closer, they couldn't bear to part with this or that, and they dawdled, which delayed them for a while.
"We were originally going to head east, but the villagers disagreed, saying there were bandits and wolves in the mountains to the east, so we headed west instead. Who knew we were too late?"
After walking westward for a short while, Zhou Cheng noticed that there were fewer people from several houses along their route.
Everyone came from Nanshan Village. If they get separated on the way, how can he, as the village chief, explain it?
There was no other way but to go back and look for them. Who would have thought that those who hadn't followed were squatting by the roadside digging for wild vegetables.
Zhou Cheng was furious. Despite his best efforts, he was still overtaken by the rebels.
They started conscripting men right away, taking everything except children. At this point, even if women didn't stay in the army, they would eventually be sold off.
The scene was chaotic, with villagers fleeing in all directions. Some were stabbed to death on the spot, and the oxcart was also stolen by the soldiers.
In situations like this, no one cares about anything else; those who can run away all flee for their lives.
The village chief's cracked lips trembled: "Sigh, I wonder how the others are doing? We only escaped by playing dead." After saying that, he wiped away his tears.
After escaping from that side, they knew they couldn't go any further west. Fortunately, they hadn't gone too far, and fearing they might encounter bandits again along the way, they went up the mountain and headed east.
For the past two days and one night, they haven't dared to rest for a moment. Although they lost everything, at least they survived.
When I got to the bottom of the mountain, I was worried about the safety of the area below, so I thought I would walk up the mountain. But I took the wrong path. There was a slope at the top. I wanted to go around, but the surrounding area was full of woods and bushes. It was dark and I couldn't see anything, so I could only try to climb up.
After he finished speaking, the whole family fell silent and didn't say anything for a long time.
Those around him could only offer a few words of comfort, but thankfully he was alright, so there was still hope.
Zhou Ling'an sat silently to the side. He was usually very clean, but even though he was covered in dirt today, he didn't utter a sound.
He's probably still mentally preparing himself.
The tent that Song Ning and the others set up during the day was just enough for them to sleep in, but now that five people have suddenly arrived, sleeping tonight will be a problem.
People lined up the unloaded trucks side by side, and two or three people could squeeze into each truck to sleep, which was better than sleeping on the ground.
Song Ning left the mule cart to Song Dahai and Liu Yuelan. Song Ning put some of the things from the cart into her personal space and moved some more out. There was enough space for two people to sleep.
It was getting late, and Song Ning was extremely sleepy. Even if the sky were to fall, she would deal with it tomorrow.
Liu Yuelan was still in the car that night. Song Ning couldn't go into her spatial dimension, and she was really sleepy, so she climbed into the car and fell asleep quickly.
Song Dahai and the others sat around the fire with the village chief, and when they got sleepy, they would lean against the trees and take a nap.
Two days ago they still had a home to return to, but now they are sitting in this desolate wilderness, with the sky as their blanket and the ground as their bed. It's a miracle they've survived.
"Oh, Dahai, what are you planning to do next?" the village chief asked in a low voice.
“I’ll do whatever Er Ya says.” Song Dahai didn’t hesitate for a second.
“We’ll go with Er Ya too,” Li Daniu also stated.
The remaining old man, Jiang, slowly said, "Me too."
This result was also within the village chief's expectations.
Apart from Li Daniu and the Jiang family, everyone else in the village followed him, but now not only have they not left, they will have to rely on Song Ning in the future.
The next day at daybreak, Liu Yuelan got out of the car, and the sound of cooking outside woke Song Ning up.
As soon as she jumped out of the car, she saw the village chief walking towards her.
The village chief was still wearing those tattered clothes, with messy hair, and his face was so dirty that you couldn't see any trace of his former self.
As soon as the village chief came over, he reached out and handed her something.
"I know this stuff isn't very useful right now, but it's still silver. Do you think we could exchange it for some food?"
Song Ning was taken aback. He took the money from the village chief and saw that it was quite a lot, at least five taels of silver.
She didn't refuse. Her food wasn't given away for free; she either had to exchange it for something or work for her in the future.
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