Xia Xuejiao, like Xia Yujiao, took after Zhou Shi in appearance, but her temperament was different from Xia Yujiao's.
She slowly recounted her experiences and what she had seen and heard. Her voice was neither hurried nor slow, neither high nor low. Although she had just experienced such a big change, she did not seem panicked at all. Only a sense of sadness and melancholy lingered around her.
The Xia family members couldn't help but come over to listen.
Xia Xuejiao said slowly:
"Perhaps it's because the owner of the carriage and horse business saw the opportunity early.
As soon as he realized something was wrong, he quickly took down the door and posted a notice outside saying that the owner had to go out for something and was closing the business.
After finishing this, he took everyone in the carriage and horse business, including his own people and customers who came to rent, buy, and return cars, and hid in the cellar.
“Although the cellar is not a secret room, it can still be considered a good hiding place.
The most important thing is that the owner of the carriage and horse business had a lot of valuables on display. When the enemy broke in, they rushed for the gold, silver, jewelry, silk and satin, and didn't bother to carefully search the house to see if anyone was there.
Shi Lang was quick-witted. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Many houses in the village were demolished, especially the old mud houses. Didn't the carts of the horse-drawn carriage be smashed, the horses killed, and the houses burned down?"
Xia Xuejiao nodded:
"The carriages and horses that the owner of the carriage and horse business was most worried about were not damaged.
The main problem is that the horses used to pull the carts are all inferior horses bought at low prices, which cannot be compared with those majestic war horses.
Those barbarians have been accustomed to fine horses since childhood and didn't take these inferior horses seriously at all. They were also busy fighting over property and probably didn't care about causing damage."
"The carriage and horse shop is in the best condition. The county government office caught fire a few days ago, and most of the street around it was burned down.
Currently, there are piles of heads chopped off by the barbarians, piled high up, taller than the tallest Panyun Tower in the town, and the bloody stench can be smelled from a long distance away..."
Xia Xuejiao's narration sounds plain and simple, but every word is thrilling.
Zhou was deeply shocked after hearing these words.
Xia Xuejiao's in-laws were well-off, with quite a few people. Although they were just commoners without official positions, they were wealthy and had several servants.
But in just a short moment, a good family was shattered and the family was destroyed.
Xia Xuejiao went from being the envied mistress of the house to a widow, a figure everyone shunned. Her husband's family had all perished, but she didn't know if her uncles and cousins had survived.
Maybe there are still people from Xia Xuejiao's husband's clan.
But Xia Xuejiao's husband and children were all dead, leaving only a daughter.
Whatever wealth her husband's family left her, it would likely be taken away by his clan. She might not even be able to get her own dowry back.
However, they survived the war, and this alone is better than anything else.
Zhou was filled with grief, yet also felt a bit lucky. She felt that she should go to the Sophora japonica Temple to burn incense and thank the gods for their protection.
However, the war had not yet completely subsided, and every now and then, a few families would come to the village to seek refuge with relatives and friends, so it was unclear what the situation was like outside.
No matter how tough Zhou was, she wouldn't dare to go out like that.
After hearing what happened to Xia Xuejiao, Xia Youtian and Jiang couldn't help but think of the proposal Xia Daohua had just made, and their scalps tingled again.
Just as her daughter said that one should not stay in this war-torn place for long, the eldest sister brought a living example to her.
Before, the incident with the eldest wife of the Xia family had already caused them great shock.
But Xia Dalang was a man of strong character. Although he was shocked by this incident and became extremely silent, he simply said that Xia Youcai was killed and his two sisters and wife were missing, without mentioning much else he had seen or heard.
Although the tragic situation in the town was also mentioned, it was not as detailed and horrifying as what Xia Xuejiao described.
Both the couple felt that it was urgent to move the family.
Lihua's original knot in her heart caused by the death of her eldest wife was miraculously alleviated a lot because of the experience of her eldest aunt Xia Xuejiao's in-laws.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never had a conflict with her aunt, nor had she ever spoken ill of her uncle or any of his family. They had also suffered the same misfortune...
Clearly, this incident was the fate of all living things, not my own fault. And what happened to my great uncle's family was simply because they happened to live in town, not because of my careless words.
After feeling slightly relieved, Lihua couldn't help but blame herself a little - such a tragedy happened in the town, and she actually felt a sense of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted... Was she too bad?
The topic Xia Xuejiao talked about was heavy, and everyone had their own thoughts, so they all fell silent, and the whole atmosphere seemed a little dull.
Xia Xuejiao wiped away the tears that had flowed down again, forced a smile, and said to Zhou and the Xia family:
"Look at me, once I start talking, I can't stop. It's also a blessing that this is my mother's family. Everyone here is my closest relatives and they don't mind my long-winded talk."
Zhou's eyebrows raised, her eyes narrowed, and she grasped Xia Xuejiao's cold hand:
"Whoever dares to look down on you, I will beat him to death!
Your parents’ home will always be your home.
"You can rest assured and live here. Even though there are several people coming to our house, there is enough room. Even if there is not enough, you can come and squeeze in with me and your father, two old bones. It won't be unfair to you!"
Xia Xuejiao nodded: "I know my mother loves me. My brothers and sisters are all of one mind. There is no such nonsense or scheming against each other."
Zhou's expression shifted for a moment after hearing this. Everyone in the Xia family also looked a little embarrassed. However, Xia Xuejiao acted as if she hadn't noticed at all and continued to speak to herself:
“However, brothers should still settle accounts clearly so that their relationship can last.
Living at home has already caused a lot of trouble to my younger siblings, and I can't ask them to pay for me.
My two children and I are staying at my mother's house, and I will pay for all the expenses myself."
As Xia Xuejiao spoke, she took out a small bundle and opened it to show Zhou:
"I'll put this thirty taels of silver in your hands first. When you need to spend money, you can take it out of here. What do you think of this?"
Zhou's tears welled up in her eyes:
"Why are you so calculating, kid?
You just encountered such a great disaster, and you ran away in a hurry. I'm afraid you don't have much money with you. If you give it all to me, won't you be left with nothing?"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
I failed to adjust my work and rest schedule and couldn’t sleep last night…
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