After the rain, the sky cleared up. With the recovery of Xiao Hechuan, the heavy rain that had lasted for two whole days finally stopped. The river gradually recovered and the water level returned to normal.
However, the once quiet and peaceful village is now in ruins.
The Xiao family decided to rest where they were for two days and then set off for Jeju Prefecture. They didn't know what they would encounter along the way, but every difficulty would be overcome and there were always more solutions than problems.
Xiao Hechuan looked at his energetic relatives. He had recalled the smiles on their faces countless times in his mind in his previous life. Every time he thought of it, he felt heartbroken.
So now that he has a second chance to live, he must do his best to protect them.
The rich aroma of chicken soup wafted from the Xiao shed. After eating and drinking their fill, Xiao's father and mother took two chickens to visit the village chief's family. The chickens were only four months old and certainly didn't taste as good as old hens, but it was a thoughtful gesture after all.
Both the old village chief and the current village chief fell ill, so the task of leading the villagers to unite fell on the eldest son. Because of the earthquake, many poultry in the village were buried under the rubble, and some were scared and fled away, and no one knew where to hide. So he took a few young men with less injuries to look for them, and gathered as much food as they could. Then they dug in the ruins and found a lot of food.
But unfortunately, a lot of it was damaged due to heavy rain.
The rocky mountain behind the Xiao family collapsed because there was not enough mud and sand in the mountain, so the earthquake caused the rocks to collapse. However, the other mountains have rich and lush vegetation and the mud and sand are sticky enough, so there are no other risks except for some cracks.
There are several caves on the mountain that can be used as shelter for the surviving villagers. Now some survivors of Xianhe Village are hiding in these caves, except for the Xiao family who continue to stay at the land temple.
Except for Xiao Hechuan who had not yet recovered from his injury, all the men of the Xiao family followed the eldest son of the village chief to look for poultry. So Xiao's father and mother went to find the old village chief to deliver chickens, and by the way, they said hello to him and said that their family was preparing to flee to Jeju.
The old village chief had sprained his waist and looked very weak. The village chief was lying there unable to move.
When Father Xiao came over, he was holding two chickens in his hands. Several families who lived in the same cave with the old village chief's family were drooling at the sight of the live chickens. They hadn't eaten properly for several days.
"Come if you want, why do you need two chickens? You have a big family, so just keep them for yourselves!" The old village chief was still thinking about them, but his voice was weak.
"Old village chief, if you hadn't asked us to move out in advance, our family might have been buried under the rock mountain and would not be here today. In fact, our losses were the least. On weekdays in the village, it is all thanks to your care that we are able to get by smoothly. This is what we should do." Father Xiao explained.
The old village chief's daughter-in-law looked at the chicken, then looked at her husband. She needed the chicken to replenish her body the most, so she took the initiative to persuade him:
"Dad, it's already this late and you're still being polite. Our family is in need of some extra money. Look at how bad your son is. Just accept it!"
"Sister-in-law is right, old village chief, please accept it!" Xiao's father quickly agreed.
After some hesitation, the old village chief finally nodded and agreed.
"Okay then, thank you both."
Seeing him nod and accept it, Xiao's father and mother started laughing again.
Afterwards, they informed the old village chief about their upcoming trip to Jeju. After listening to them, the old village chief was silent for a while and said:
"You have your own considerations, and this is your good fortune. Now your family is the only one in the village that is still intact. With such a large family, you really need to make long-term plans. But I am old and have spent my whole life in this Xianhe Village. I couldn't leave when I was young, and now I don't want to leave. Let's just take it one step at a time."
The old village chief knew that he was a burden to his family.
He looked extremely lonely. In fact, he was the one who felt the most miserable as the place he had seen for his entire life had now become like this.
After chatting about some random things, Xiao's father and mother stopped disturbing the old village chief's rest.
Not long after they left the cave, they heard someone calling out to them from behind:
"Uncle Xiao, Aunt Xiao, wait!"
When they looked back, they saw Ermazi leading his cow down the hillside. The couple didn't understand what he was going to do.
"Ermazi, what are you doing?" asked Xiao's father.
Er Mazi walked up to him, holding the cow's rope in his hand, and caressed its neck lovingly, his eyes full of reluctance:
"Uncle Xiao, I have an unwelcome request."
The couple looked at each other and realized at the same time that Ermazi was looking for them probably because of the cow. This cow was the capital that had supported Ermazi's livelihood in the past two years, and he valued it the most.
"Go ahead and tell me, Er Mazi!"
"Uncle Xiao, this is what I want to do. I want to trade my cow for some food and a few chickens. Is that okay? After the earthquake, my mother is gone. I am left with my wife and my four-year-old son. We didn't have much land to begin with, and this year we didn't get any crops. Besides, such a big disaster happened and we lost our home. The food we found is not enough to fill our stomachs.
You said that as a grown man, I can't let my wife and children starve no matter how difficult it is, right? My wife asked me to slaughter the cow, but the cow has been with me for several years. To be honest, I have earned some money with it. But now, even if I have money, I can't buy food. I can't bear to kill it for meat because I am afraid of having a guilty conscience.
I know your family didn't suffer much loss, and you must still have some food and other things. Anyway, you can exchange whatever you have with me, so that our family of three can get through these few months. What do you think?"
Ermazi had a mother, who did not escape the earthquake. Fortunately, he and his wife and children all escaped, and the cow was also fine. He really couldn't bear to kill the cow. Today, when he saw Xiao's father carrying a chicken up the mountain, he came up with this idea.
He knew that the Xiao family also had cattle and food, and lived a better life than them, so he had no choice but to resort to this last resort.
Father Xiao looked at the cow, which was only a few years old, still in its prime and with plenty of strength, so it would definitely be a good deal if they exchanged it for food.
But there is still a long way to go to Jeju, and food is a necessity to feed the whole family. He didn't dare to make a decision, so he looked at his wife.
Xiao's mother thought about it and was very excited, because if there was one more cow, it would be easier to drive the goods. With one more cow pulling the goods, her sons would have an easier time. Two cows could share the burden, which would also be better for the cows.
To be honest, their family has no shortage of food. As long as they can get to Jeju safely, they will have a job. It's not a problem to share some of the food. In their family of three, the two adults eat a lot, but the child can't eat much.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
