"Cough, cough, cough." Guo Hongzhe caught a cold recently and had a slight fever. He was bedridden and was reviewing the manuscript seriously, pondering over it word by word with great concentration.
"Sir, this is terrible!"
The door creaked open, and Hu Gang, the trusted servant, was anxious and quickly took out the bundle he had packed long ago. He said in fear: "I heard that a group of enemy soldiers escaped into the village. The young lady ordered us to hide in the back mountain immediately. Let's go quickly." @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Guo Hongzhe was shocked. He hurriedly threw off his warm quilt and got off the kang. His clothes were thin and he asked anxiously, "What? Are they really enemy soldiers?"
Jiang Yushu arrived by chance. She didn't bother to avoid suspicion. She stepped through the threshold, her anxiety suppressed. She calmly replied, "It's true, but there's no need to panic. We'll just follow the plan. Third brother, put down the manuscript, get dressed quickly, and let's all head up the mountain together."
"Oh, okay, I get it!" Guo Hongzhe was so frightened that his heart was beating fast and he was nervous and at a loss. He turned around in a circle before he came to his senses. He hid the manuscript and put on his cotton robe. His fingertips were trembling. He walked slower and slower as he became more anxious and couldn't stop coughing.
Fortunately, Zhou Yan, Fang Sheng and others came with their luggage and quickly helped the patient dress.
With several "clicks", the doors were locked one by one.
In a short while, the Guo family, who had been prepared, packed up and hurriedly left the yard.
Jiang Yushu looked around and found that neighbors from near and far were running into the mountains. She sighed inwardly and said loudly, "Let's go! Follow closely and look after each other." She did not dare to be careless and led the crowd to quickly bypass the wall and rush to the familiar back mountain.
The snow was too deep and the mountain road was winding, making it very difficult to walk. The group staggered here and there, supporting each other, and no one dared to stop.
"Cough, cough, cough." Climbing the mountain in the snow and wind, Guo Hongzhe couldn't hold on any longer. He coughed intermittently, his face pale and lips blue. He lay on the back of a man, supported by others on both sides, his coughs muffled by the strong wind and heavy snow.
"Woof?"
"Woof woof woof!" The crowd was worried, but the two dogs were carefree. They were happy, barking happily, chasing and playing.
When they were halfway up the slope, Jiang Yushu was out of breath and suddenly heard someone exclaim:
"Look! Enemy soldiers!"
Standing on the hillside, looking down, you can vaguely see a team of Northern Qi cavalry, about a hundred people, riding their horses recklessly and shouting in Qi language.
"Pah!" The young servants were full of energy. Zou Gui led the way, jumped onto a rock, looked down from afar, and said disdainfully: "That little thief Beijiao must have been defeated and fled into the village. He is a rat who only preys on innocent people. After death, he will go to the eighteen levels of hell and never be reborn!"
Cuimei stood on tiptoe and craned her neck, echoing with disgust: "Look at how arrogant and presumptuous they are! They will all die miserably!"
"Yes, he will die miserably!"
"Look, they're shooting arrows. What are they shooting at?"
…
They shared a common hatred for the enemy, were filled with fear and anger, and discussed things in panic.
Jiang Yushu looked down for a while, sighed, and urged: "Forget it, stop looking, hurry up, and be careful not to be spotted by the enemy."
"Alas." Everyone was filled with anger, but they could do nothing about the enemy and continued on their journey in frustration.
Unexpectedly, just after walking for a while, there was a loud roar from the bottom of the slope. Amid the neighing of war horses, one could faintly hear words like "Gee", "Cowardly bandits, don't even think about escaping, chase them!", "Hurry!" and so on.
Cuimei's eyes lit up and she shouted excitedly, "Haha, they're the soldiers of Heqinwei, they're our people!"
Jiang Yushu quickly turned around, carefully identifying the armor, and instantly smiled. "Great! With the border troops tracking and eliminating them, the villages along the way won't be burned, killed, and looted by the Beiqi people."
"Then, shall we continue walking into the mountains?" Nanny Pan was old and exhausted.
Jiang Yushu thought for a moment and said cautiously, "To prevent any accidents, it's best to go into the mountains and take shelter until the wind and waves calm down before returning home."
"Where are the sheep?" Xiao Tao worriedly reminded, "What about the sheep? They'll starve without anyone to feed them."
Jiang Yushu said helplessly, "The fodder in the pen is enough for them to survive for three or four days. The village is in danger right now, so we can only take it one step at a time."
So the Guo family continued to move forward, and it was not until noon that they arrived at the cave that had been arranged in advance.
This cave is long and narrow, gourd-shaped, and has rugged rocks. Although it is not spacious, it is large enough to accommodate more than ten people for shelter and protect them from wind and snow.
"Oh, I'm so tired!" Cuimei sat down on the haystack, her cheeks red from the cold.
Jiang Yushu put down her bag, rubbed her sore arms and legs, and said, "Come, Third Brother, rest here."
Several men took turns carrying the patient, panting heavily, and placed Guo Hongzhe on a stone slab covered with thick hay.
"Cough cough, cough cough, I'm sorry to bother you all again, I, I cough cough--" Guo Hongzhe's face turned blue. He was wrapped in a cloak made of hare and roe deer fur, curled up, his teeth chattering.
Jiang Yushu said hurriedly, "We're both farming in Heqin, so it's only natural that we look out for each other! This place is extremely remote, and the Beiqi people will definitely not find us. You can rest assured."
"I always drag you down, and I feel really sorry." Guo Hongzhe smiled bitterly, hating himself for the umpteenth time for being born with a disease and being weak and incompetent.
Jiang Yushu had heard this so often that she was used to it. She said gently, "What do you mean by 'you, we'? We're family, why be so polite? You're being so formal again." She consoled him, rubbed her red and swollen palms, and asked, "It's so cold. Let's start a fire. Where's the pot? I heard we used it last time we went hunting. Where's it?"
"Here!" Cuimei picked up a small iron pot in her right hand and a shovel in her left, knocking on it with a crisp "clang" sound. She said thankfully, "Thank goodness, Master was thoughtful. He was worried that we would starve and freeze while taking refuge, so he specifically asked Brother Rong and the others to prepare pots, food, and dry firewood."
Jiang Yushu shivered as she busily built a pile of firewood. "I'll light the fire. Who'll get some clean snow? Let's make some porridge and have something hot to eat and drink to keep warm."
"I'll go get some snow." Zhou Yan's wife waved her hand and walked out of the cave with Cuimei.
At the cave entrance, the steward Zhou Yan called all the men together and instructed them, "Follow the pre-arranged arrangements. Teams of two will rotate every hour and a half. Bring your axes and keep a close eye on your surroundings. If you see anything amiss, report it immediately! You must be extremely vigilant and not be careless."
"Don't worry, we know how powerful it is."
"This is a matter of life and death, so I dare not be careless."
On the eve of the Little New Year, the Guo family was forced to stay in the cave, huddled around a campfire for warmth, and subsisted on steamed buns made of whole grains and porridge. Fortunately, they had already been accustomed to hardship during their exile, and no one complained about the food except for cursing the Northern Ape.
Two days later, Jiang Yushu sent someone to secretly inquire about the news and confirmed that the group of fleeing enemies had been wiped out by the border troops. Only then did she feel at ease to lead her family down the mountain.
When they got home, the doors and windows were still closed, and everything in the house was normal, with no enemy soldiers ransacking or looting.
Jiang Yushu breathed a sigh of relief and said with a cheerful smile, "Ah, it seems that being remote has its advantages! When the village head originally arranged this courtyard, I thought it was too secluded because it was close to the mountain. Now I understand its benefits."
"That's right." Zhou Yan's wife took out her key and opened the kitchen door, saying sympathetically, "Thankfully, our house is far from the main road. Unlike those families at the entrance of the village, they were easily harmed by the passing northern thieves! Alas, how pitiful."
The next moment, Zou Gui and his men rushed over and reported angrily, "Young Madam, this is terrible! Two of our sheep have been stolen!"
"Ah?" Jiang Yushu was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously said, "I guess it was stolen by the Beiqi people. What about the rest?"
Xiao Tao feeds the sheep every day, eagerly anticipating the lambs' birth. Suddenly, two of them are stolen. Heartbroken, she shakes her head repeatedly and eagerly replies, "It couldn't have been the Beiqi people! We suspect it was most likely stolen by villagers. You'll know for sure if you go and take a look."
"...Who would be so bold? The sheep belong to the government, not the Guo family." Jiang Yushu was puzzled and hurried to the sheepfold to investigate. After a careful inspection, she laughed in anger and gritted her teeth and said:
"How can this be possible!"
"Judging from the traces, it's definitely not the Beiqi people who did it. Those two sheep were most likely stolen during the chaos."
She thought for a moment and decisively instructed, "Zhou Yan, take Zou Gui with you and immediately go find the village head and tell him everything! If the stolen sheep are still alive and returned in full, we will not pursue the matter. If they have already been slaughtered, then I will report the matter to the authorities."
"After two days, the mutton might have all been eaten by the thieves. Who did it? They must have been so greedy that they dared to steal the sheep from the government." Zhou Yan put on his snow hat and turned around and shouted, "Xiao Zou, come with me to the village headman's house."
"Oh, here he comes!" Zou Gui poured the hay into the trough, clapped his hands, and trotted after Zhou Yan.
At the same time, Liu Laozhu's family
The sheep bleated and struggled constantly. Liu Dong held it and tried to walk out angrily.
"Dongzi, stop!" Lao Zhu's wife was panicked, opened her arms to block the way, and begged with a sad face: "What do you mean by this? What do you want to do?" @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Liu Dong's face darkened, and he was utterly disappointed with his parents. He asked bitterly, "Why? Of course I'm returning the sheep to its original owner! Dad, Mom, you're so stupid! How could you steal someone else's sheep?"
"Who stole it? Ah? Who stole it? I didn't steal it. The sheep broke free from the rope and ran into our house by itself." Liu Laozhu snatched the sheep, pushed it into the chicken coop and locked it up, jumping up and down and scolding: "You bastard, who are you talking to with your neck stuck out? You are so rebellious, so rebellious, you dare to blame me. Old woman, get out of the way, I will beat this little beast to death!" As he spoke, he picked up a broom and scolded his son.
"Dad, I beg you, please return the sheep to the Guo family immediately." Liu Dong hid with his head in his hands, and said in a trembling voice, "Everyone in the village knows that those sheep actually belong to the government. The government ordered the exiles to herd them—"
"Nonsense!" Liu Laozhu spitted, disagreeing. He said firmly, "In my opinion, the sheep clearly belong to the Guo family. They are rich, but extremely stingy. They are afraid that the villagers will ask for money, so they pretend that they are from the government."
@Unlimited good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Liu Dong tried to persuade him but to no avail. After dodging for a while, he could no longer endure it. He stood up in frustration, pushed his father away, and yelled with red eyes:
"Dad, Mom, you are always so shameless that I can't even hold my head up in front of her!"
"No matter what, I must return the sheep today." After saying this, he kicked open the chicken coop, picked up the sheep again, ignored his parents' scolding and beatings, and walked towards the Guo family.
Liu Laozhu's family of three quarreled endlessly, causing the neighbors to talk about it, make faces, and follow them to join in the fun.
The author has something to say:
Tear it up, tear it up quickly! [Excited faces of villagers eating melons]
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