Chapter 297: Mrs. Wan's Advice
Old Mrs. Wan was also happy to hear this. She finally had her own people in the yamen. This was something she had never dared to think about before. As long as she didn't go hungry, it was enough.
"Mom, there is one more thing I want to tell you."
Wan Laoer took off his shoes and got on the kang, which was still warm.
Old Lady Wan continued working and asked casually, "What's the matter?"
"My eldest brother said that there is a war in the north. When I came back today, I saw many refugees who had fled from the north. They probably wanted to go inside the pass, but the county guards wouldn't even let them in. I guess they can't get in."
"What? We're at war here too? Didn't they say there was a war going on in the Northeast? Why did it start here too?"
Old Mrs. Wan, Second Sister-in-law Wan, and Mrs. Liu were all shocked. Their good days were only a few days long, and they didn't want to go to war now.
"I'm not too sure about this. Big brother said that two cities were lost in the north, but later a cavalry appeared and unexpectedly, bravely and skillfully fought, and took back the two lost cities. But I don't know what the situation is now. Big brother, please don't talk nonsense. Our family members should know about this matter. Big brother has already prepared travel permits for our family members. If something really happens, we can go to the interior at any time."
Old Lady Wan's heart was pounding when she heard this. It hadn't even been a year of peace, and now there was another war? Alas! When would this chaotic world end?
"With this war, the price of food will definitely go up. We have to hide our food well. And the refugees you just mentioned can't enter the county town or go to the interior of the country. They might just run to the village. Our family is too famous in this area, and you are the only man in the family now. You have to find helpers in advance, or spend some money to hire someone. We have to keep our food safe."
After all, Old Mrs. Wan had experienced a lot, so as soon as Old Man Wan started talking, she had already thought about the future.
Don't be afraid of ten thousand things, just be prepared for the worst.
"Mom, don't worry, I'll find a way. It seems that we have to postpone digging the well until this winter is over. If the war settles down, we will continue digging the well. If the war really breaks out again and the number of refugees increases, we should escape quickly."
Old Mrs. Wan nodded. Although it was not easy to support the family, it was not as important as human life. Someone could earn it back, but if one lost one's life, everything would be gone.
"Let's not talk about digging the well for now. For now, you have to take care of your family's safety. I'll give you the money right away. But for the safety of the whole village, I think we should discuss this with the village chief. We can form a self-defense team. Since everyone is unemployed, we can give each member of the self-defense team half a pound of food per day as wages and daily training. It would be great if there were people who know kung fu to take with us to practice. It's a pity that Mo'er is gone."
Old Mrs. Wan sighed as she spoke. Wan Xingmo had been gone for several months, and she was still thinking about him all the time. She didn't know how the child was doing now.
Wan Laoer was full of admiration for his mother, and this method was certainly a good one.
In fact, this idea was not thought up by Old Lady Wan herself. She saw other villages doing the same thing when she was fleeing famine. She gathered the young and strong people in the village to defend their village from being harassed by other disaster victims. In the end, only that village did not suffer many casualties.
"Mom, Mo'er is a man who can do great things. How can he stay with us here and starve? Don't think too much. I'll go talk to the village chief now."
Wan Laoer said this and rushed to the village chief's house in a hurry.
"Wait, what's the hurry? If you go find the village chief now and he asks you how you knew there was a war in the north, what would you say?"
Wan Lao Er smiled and said, "Mom, I'm not stupid. I won't say it was my eldest brother who told me. I will just say that I saw the refugees and asked them myself."
"Then don't go today, go tomorrow. It's time for dinner now. If you go to someone's house, will they invite you to dinner or not?"
Wan Laoer rubbed his hands awkwardly and sat back down.
Before Old Lady Wan said this, he didn't feel hungry. After she said this, even though he hadn't eaten lunch, his stomach started growling.
After hearing this, Wan Ersao lowered her head and laughed.
"Mom, I'm going to cook. You can prepare the rest tomorrow. It's getting late now. You should keep your eyes awake."
"Okay, I'll clean up and you go cook."
Wan Laoer quickly followed his wife out.
"Wife, I'll help you light the fire."
"Brother, let me help my sister-in-law light the fire. Go and see what the powder has become. I can't tell. Should it be ready to be collected?"
Liu put the child on the kang to play by herself and ran out.
Wan Laoer took a look at the potato flour that was drying in the yard by Wan Ersao and her family in the morning, and his attention was immediately diverted.
"Okay, Fourth Sister-in-law, you guys go to the kitchen and get busy. I'll come and see if the noodles are ready."
Wan Laoer strode over, squatted down, grabbed a handful of powder, and with force, the powder formed a ball and then dispersed.
"Not yet. We need to dry it for another day."
But it was getting late, so Wan Laoer quickly took back all the potato flour.
After dinner, the family members went to rest.
Nothing happened that night. Early the next morning, Wan Laoer hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of food and headed towards the village chief's house.
The village chief had no work to do in the winter, so he weaved wicker baskets at home to see if he could sell them for some money during the spring plowing season.
"Village chief, are you at home?"
The door of the village chief's house was wide open. Wan Laoer knocked on the door and walked in.
The village chief put down his work and stood up.
"Jinzhu, have you eaten?"
"I've eaten, village chief. I came to talk to you about something. Please stop busying yourself. I'll just sit here."
The sun is strong today but the wind is light, so the village chief sits under the eaves at the door, basking in the sun while working. It is not as cold as usual.
Wan Laoer quickly moved a stool and sat next to the village chief.
"Jin Zhu, what do you want from me?"
The village chief sat back down, lit a pipe, and took a break.
"Village chief, when I went to the county town yesterday, I saw a lot of refugees. When I left the city this morning, I happened to see refugees coming to the capital. I heard the guards say that there was a war in the north, about 300 miles away from us, and they have lost two cities. But I heard that the war has been temporarily stabilized. However, there seem to be more and more refugees. The guards won't let refugees enter the county town. What do you think we should do if they run into the village?"
Jinniu has stayed at the border longer than Wan Laoer and is more familiar with war than Wan Laoer.
After all, their village had been looted by the enemy countless times, but he had never experienced it, he only heard about it from the old people.
"Really? Are there really refugees coming to our county?"
Jinniu immediately became nervous. Refugees were no small matter. If they were just a small group, they would not be a big deal. But he was afraid that after a while, the number of refugees would increase. Now every household had just finished the autumn harvest and had some food at home. If the refugees really gathered together and formed a big group and sneaked into the village, it would be no joke. They might very likely massacre the village for food!
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