Chapter 57 October: This child is different from us.
They traveled at breakneck speed, resting for only two hours each day. After three days of continuous travel, the original sixty-odd people in Lijia Village were reduced to less than fifty, and even three of their livestock had died.
This includes the five women and five children that we rescued when we encountered the group of refugees led by Dazhuzi.
Whether it was good luck or sheer resilience in the face of natural selection, after all that hard work, five more people in Lijia Village didn't make it through, and two children died, while they survived without losing a single one.
My third great-uncle didn't make it through; he fell into a coma on the second day of his arduous journey and passed away in the middle of the night.
The lamb survived thanks to my aunt's care and is now able to eat on its own.
Even though my uncle-in-law was unwilling on the surface, he carried the lambs on his back the whole way without putting them down.
Li's father gradually recovered. Even though he was still lying on the donkey cart, he was able to get off and walk a few steps when the cart stopped.
The injuries on his face inflicted by Li Wangming have gradually healed over time, leaving only a few bruises.
Li Shiyue and his companions were truly lucky. They were unaware that the day after they left, government troops would pass by the path where the six auxiliary soldiers had been burned.
Li Shiyue and the others also didn't know why no one had caught up with them.
Not only did the unrest caused by refugees outside the prefectural city spread to the county town, but another group of refugees from other places also entered the prefectural city and engaged in arson, murder, and looting.
In order to escape, many people from the prefecture fled north, which caused the existing epidemic to spread even more.
Due to the outbreak of disease, the Shence Army and the rebels were at a standstill.
Therefore, even though they discovered that the auxiliary soldiers had been burned and that there were signs of the Li family village leaving, no one came after them to investigate further.
The day after Li Shiyue obtained the official knife from the auxiliary soldier, she gave it to Shi Tou. In the past, Li Shiyue only let Shi Tou carry a carrying pole for defense, but now she realized that in this chaotic world, a knife was still necessary.
Moreover, Li Shiyue still remembered the original plot. Rather than thinking about whether she could change the plot and her own fate, or thinking about protecting the stone, she might as well let the stone protect itself. A knife is much more convenient for killing than a carrying pole.
Li's mother was still somewhat reluctant to let Shi Tou use a knife, but in the end, it was Zheng Meiniang's words that made Li's mother change her mind.
“He’s all grown up now, he’s a head taller than you. Can you protect him for the rest of your life?”
Or should I protect him for the rest of my life for you in October?
Stone is your child, isn't October a piece of your flesh?
If it were in a village, no matter what, at least there would be someone to eat.
But what about now?
Chunniang, in this world, who can rely on whom?
Stone needs to learn to rely on himself and protect himself. If you continue to show favoritism now, how will you bear it if something goes wrong in the future?
Zheng Meiniang's words reminded Li's mother of Ermozi and Xiaomozi in the village. That night, when the refugees launched a night attack, Ermozi was stabbed in the stomach by a refugee while trying to save Xiaomozi and died.
Because of this, Shi Tou took the official knife. Li Shi Yue didn't teach him anything else, just how to chop and slash. He let Shi Tou rely on his height and strength to chop and slash whenever he encountered someone.
As for teaching other things, let alone the fact that Li Shiyue herself doesn't know how, even if she did, it would probably be difficult for her to teach Shitou.
Therefore, on this trip, Li Shiyue not only brought Li Qiutian and Li Xiatian with her, but also brought Shitou along, so that Shitou and the other children would not just hide with Li's mother.
The story of Li Shiyue beheading people eventually got out, and now whenever they stop to rest, there are always people pointing and gossiping about Li Shiyue from a distance.
If Li Shiyue looked up, they would pretend they weren't looking at her.
At first, Li Shiyue didn't understand why. Later, when they were resting, Zhou Lanhua brought Xiaozhuang a bowl of vegetable soup. Zhou Lanhua told Li's mother about it, and Li Shiyue then understood why the people of Lijia Village were like this.
The reason was that they knew about the night she had beheaded someone.
Li Shiyue understood Zhou Lanhua's intention in coming over to speak.
"Aunt Lan Hua, I know this matter must not have been said by Uncle Wang Shui. He is not the kind of person who likes to gossip."
It was probably one of the three people who came with us who said it, or maybe all three of them told others.
It's alright, I really did chop that person's head off with one stroke, that's true.
Go ahead and say it. It's a good thing that they're all afraid of me.
"I don't know what the future holds. They're afraid of me, and if I'm sometimes too busy to take care of things at home, they won't dare do anything to my mother. That's a good thing."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lanhua turned to Li Wangshui and whispered, "Shiyue is different from ours."
"How is it different?"
"Isn't it just because she took after her uncle? She's naturally strong."
Zhou Lanhua shook her head. "It's not that. I don't know how to explain it, but the way October sees things is different from how we do."
Perhaps she and the scholar were kindred spirits.
Li Wangshui was wondering why Zhou Lanhua said that, but when he looked up, he saw Li Shiyue talking to Li Shiyang face to face.
What are Li Shiyue and Li Shiyang talking about?
"Dongmu Port is about a hundred miles away from Dengzhou Prefecture. At that time, I met Mr. Chen in the prefectural city, who was under the command of the Prince of Zhenbei."
Although the fiefdom of the Prince of Zhenbei is in Andong, the northern part of the Andong Protectorate is located by the sea and has the Sanshan Port. It only takes five to seven days to travel between this place and Dongmou Port, so it is possible to make a round trip every half month.
Therefore, the Prince of Zhenbei sent people to build ships and conduct business in Dongmou, in order to provide the Liaodong region with a channel for communication with the interior.
Mr. Chen gave me this at the time.
Li Shiyang took out a bronze plaque from his pocket, on which was written the character "玄".
"This is the token of the Xuanjia Army under the command of the Prince of Zhenbei. Mr. Chen told me that if chaos comes in the future and I want to achieve something, I should go to Dongmou Port and find a ship merchant named Yan Jun. This man can take me to Andong!"
Li Shiyue took the bronze plaque with the character "Xuan" on it, looked at it twice, and then returned it.
"Brother Shiyang, since you say that Mr. Chen only has faith in you, then if our whole clan follows you now, will he accept it?"
If not, what should we do?
Li Shiyang chuckled, took the bronze plaque and carefully put it away before explaining to Li Shiyue, "Liaodong is bitterly cold. For many years, the Prince of Zhenbei has been receiving displaced people and has set up a resettlement point in Dengzhou."
I've only heard that the place is indeed bitterly cold, unlike the heart of the Central Plains. Apart from the border troops, what ordinary people would even think of going there?
Even among refugees, not many were willing to go.
With my family in tow, as long as we can get on the ship, we'll definitely be able to settle down in Andong!
With Li Shiyang's words as a foundation, Li Shiyue finally felt a little more at ease.
The two exchanged a few more words when someone came over and said that Ma Zi and Mo Zi had returned from scouting.
When they met Ma Zi and Mo Zi, they learned that at the fork in the road ahead, there were soldiers in armor blocking the way. "Judging from their appearance, they weren't there to recruit people into the army, but rather to collect tolls."
Ma Zi described it to Li Shiyang: "There are tripping stakes at the intersection, and soldiers guard both intersections."
If you're going to Dengzhou, you can leave after checking your household registration and paying the toll.
If you want to go to Dongmou, there's a scholar sitting at a table asking questions. Ma Zi and I didn't dare go near him; we didn't know what he was asking. We just saw that after asking the questions, you could leave without paying.
After listening to what Ma Zi said, Li Shiyang had some ideas, but he needed to confirm them.
So, Li Shiyang called on Li Shiyue and Li Wangshui and a few others to pull a donkey cart and head forward.
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