The people in the courtyard were startled. Could it be that the refugees were coming so soon?
Fortunately, someone soon called out, "Is Errui still home?"
They are villagers.
Xu Errui opened the door, and Jiang Zhi saw a boy wrapped in burlap sack peeking inside.
She had the original owner's memories and recognized the person in front of her. She asked in surprise, "Xiaoman, the village chief and the others have already left. Why didn't your family leave?"
It must be said that even a wrecked ship has three thousand nails, let alone a male protagonist protected by divine fortune.
Nie Fantian is cunning and scheming. Despite suffering in the Xu family, he still has a few friends. The book also mentions that he took some people to the military camp.
Xu Xiaoman was one of them, and in the end, she lost her life for Nie Fantian.
Now that Nie Fantian has left, he has stayed, and so has he.
Xu Xiaoman asked, her face pale, "Aunt Jiang, are you coming to your house or not?"
Jiang Zhi asked, "Xiaoman, where's your home? Are you coming or not?"
Xiaoman is also fifteen years old this year, and he comes from a poor family.
His family was originally quite well-off. Although his parents passed away early, the two brothers were raised by their grandparents.
The eldest sister-in-law gave birth to her niece the year after she married into the family, and the family's situation improved. Unfortunately, the eldest brother fell off a cliff while burning charcoal because he was too tired and became paralyzed.
The elder brother didn't want to burden his sister-in-law with a life of widowhood, so he sent her back to her parents' home to remarry, but left the child behind, who was already three years old.
Now that his family is all alive and well, including the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled, it won't be so easy for him to leave.
Xu Xiaoman shook her head: "Grandpa and Grandma told me to leave!"
My grandparents said they were great-grandparents and in poor health. They said they had lived long enough to be sixty and would rather die at home than leave this world.
My grandparents won't leave, and my brother is disabled and can't walk. I'm the only one in the family who can run and jump, so I definitely can't abandon my family and run for my life.
Grandpa won't listen to any advice now. He heard that Xiaotian left, but Aunt Jiang and Errui stayed, so he came over to ask how things were arranged.
After figuring out Xiaoman's purpose, Jiangzhi told her that she needed to go up the mountain to hide in the charcoal shed.
Xiaoman perked up immediately upon hearing about going up the mountain: "Aunt Jiang, when are you leaving? I want to go up the mountain too, but my grandparents aren't leaving."
"Why don't they leave?" Jiang Zhi asked in surprise.
It's understandable that they don't flee the famine, but what's the point of not even going up the mountain? Are they really going to wait here to die?
You need to ask yourself to find out.
In these chaotic times, what we need most is to find people we know well and stick together for mutual support.
Xiaoman was somewhat surprised to see Aunt Jiang going to her house.
This auntie has a bad temper, often beats Xiaotian, and doesn't get along well with the neighbors. Generally speaking, she's not easy to get along with, but today she actually took the initiative to show concern for my family.
But now he has no opinion of his own, and he is still leading the way.
In just one day, the once bustling village became quiet and deserted, with most families having left.
Several chickens that had escaped their owner's capture stood on the roof, squawking in terror.
When Jiang Zhi arrived at Xiao Man's house, the scene she saw was the same as when she had just transmigrated.
The yard was cluttered with things, and the children and the elderly were crying.
Xiaoman's grandfather sat blankly on a wooden bench in the yard, his face full of wrinkles, his suffering keeping him silent.
He heard from the village that the refugees were really going to kill people, and the mutinous soldiers were really going to massacre the village.
But where can my family go?
My wife and I are getting old, and we can't walk for a day without feeling exhausted. We also have our eldest grandson who is bedridden and unable to move.
Moreover, he had experienced war.
Running around recklessly can also lead to death.
Everyone was completely in the dark. The refugees were like headless flies. It wasn't safe for them to run into the city; they might just stumble into the battlefield and become unjustly killed.
Beside her, Grandma Xiaoman was holding a three-year-old girl and crying: "Old man, it doesn't matter if we die, just let the children go out and find a way to make a living, let Xiaoman take Nizi with her!"
Her voice was hoarse from crying, and her gray hair slipped out from under her headscarf, mingling with her tears and covering her face.
Grandpa Xiaoman shook his head blankly: "It's no use letting him go. If Heaven wants to take someone away, no one can escape!"
As soon as Xiaoman entered the courtyard, she said, "Grandpa, Grandma! Aunt Jiang's house is still standing!"
Jiang Zhi also called out, "Lord Chang Geng!"
When Xiaoman looked up and saw her, his blank face regained its expression. He disliked this shrew who loved to make trouble and abuse children.
But in the face of life and death, all tempers vanished. When the other person called him so kindly, Xiaoman nodded reluctantly: "Errui's mother, you're not planning to leave either?"
Jiang Zhi said, "My family isn't leaving. We're just wondering how many people are left in the village, and what the arrangements are for those who aren't leaving."
Xiao Man said with a stern face, "There are no plans. If you're going to die, then die."
Jiang Zhi continued, "Uncle Chang Geng, we can go up the mountain to hide. Although it will be tough, it's better than waiting to die at home."
Unexpectedly, Xiaoman shook his head without even thinking: "There's no place to grow crops on the mountain, and we won't be able to stay there for long."
If this war drags on for three to five years, everyone will die sooner or later. So be it, they should have died long ago.
He had considered going up the mountain to hide, but apart from inedible charcoal, there was nothing else on the mountain. There was no land to grow food, and once the food stored at home was used up, he would eventually starve to death. If he went down the mountain, he would be killed by the marauding soldiers.
Since death is inevitable, it's better to die sooner rather than later, so the family can die together.
Jiang Zhi remained silent.
As people get older, they should be able to see things in a more open-minded way. But they have suffered too much, and once their mentality collapses, even things that could have been salvaged can become the last straw that breaks the camel's back, and all their thoughts will go down a dead end.
He won't leave, so Xiaoman can't leave either; she thinks the whole family can just wait to die like this.
Thinking of Xiaoman and Nini being held by Xiaoman's grandmother, Jiang Zhi patiently said, "Lord Changgeng, you must understand that no one who rules the country should kill all the common people and become a lone emperor. Right now, we are just avoiding the initial refugees and rebel soldiers. Once the war stabilizes, someone will naturally come to take care of things."
Grandma Xiaoman also said, "Yes, old man, maybe the government will win soon and capture the rebels, then we can go home and farm."
Now I can go up the mountain to hide for a while, and when I have some free time I can come down and check on the fields and houses.
Xiaoman remained silent.
The matter is now settled; whether or not others can take it to heart is their business.
Jiang Zhi didn't linger. She simply searched the entire village to see how many families were reluctant to abandon their homes and livelihoods.
Sure enough, they found a few more households.
However, before Jiang Zhi could finish speaking, the two households started hurling insults at her, accusing her of trying to steal things by knocking on doors in the chaos.
Jiang Zhi snorted coldly, turned around and left, pretending not to see the wardrobes and furniture that had just been moved from someone else's house to their yard.
This is like taking advantage of the chaos to rob someone, and then turning around and accusing them.
She didn't go to see any other places.
A closed door doesn't necessarily mean there's no one behind it; the person might be hiding in the cellar and not wanting to talk to you.
Since they don't want to go with the village chief, they must have their own plans.
Upon seeing her return, Xu Errui quickly came over: "Mother, are we waiting for Xiaoman and the others to leave together?"
Even during the short time Jiang Zhi was away, Xu Errui and his daughter-in-law Zhou Qiaoyun did not slack off or try to shirk their responsibilities.
They put the old clay pots and jars that were originally going to be thrown away in the kitchen back into baskets.
A half-empty jar of pickled vegetables in the corner, dried green beans and shredded radishes drying under the eaves, worn-out cloth shoes and a broken broom—these are all usable items. Gathering them up, the basket is full.
Taking advantage of the fact that the rebel soldiers had not yet arrived and that there were still other villagers in the village, Jiang Zhi considered for a moment and said, "Let's go up the mountain now, without waiting."
Qiaoyun stayed home and locked the door. "Let's go check out the situation up the mountain first, see if it's habitable."
Although the village is at the foot of the mountain, the mountain road is difficult to walk. It takes at least an hour to get from Xujia Village to the charcoal-making place empty-handed, and you also need to cross a mountain in between.
It was still early, so we needed to go there and check the situation first.
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