Time waits for no one. Although there are no bandits around, in such a famine, the officers and soldiers are not necessarily much kinder than the bandits.
The group packed up their things and headed towards the mountain they were going to cross.
Even though they were mentally prepared, the villagers were still frightened by the steep cliff when they reached the foot of the mountain.
If it were a peaceful time, no one would dare to climb such a mountain.
But at this critical juncture of life and death, they had no choice.
Su Man also felt a little dizzy. It was okay for others, but she was worried that Grandma Zhou and Zhou Pingping would not be able to climb up.
As everyone was climbing up the mountain one after another, she took out a few pieces of hemp rope and tied everyone together in pairs.
The rope is very long and is rolled up and tied around the waist, mainly to give you time to react so that you won't be dragged down because you're not prepared.
After they were ready, they caught up with the rest of the group.
It has been raining for the past few days, and the mountain roads are slippery and difficult to walk on.
The first third is okay, a little tiring to walk, but it's still relatively flat.
When we came across a platform, everyone stopped to rest.
Climbing the mountain is more than twice as tiring as walking on flat ground, and the villagers are all exhausted.
Su Man took out the eggs she had baked last night and gave two to each of them. There was still a long way to go, and she would not be able to finish it if she did not have enough energy.
Xiaolan also took out the rice she had fried and shared it with Suman and the others. Everyone leaned carefully against the stone wall, using the food to ease the hardship of climbing the mountain.
Xiaolan was about to put the egg into her mouth when it was suddenly snatched away by someone.
It was Wang Yongchang. He pointed at Xiaolan's nose and cursed, "Whose daughter-in-law are you? Come back with me now."
As he said that, he was about to pull Xiaolan.
This was the idea given to him by Aunt Wang Wu, who said that since Qin Wanru was no longer around, he should get Xiaolan back. Although Xiaolan was somewhat useless because she couldn't give birth to a son, she was a hardworking person who could serve them.
Aunt Wang Wu meant that Wang Yongchang should coax her a few words. Women like to hear nice words. If he admits his mistake to her, she will be willing to come back.
But Wang Yongchang would never coax a woman like Xiaolan. In his opinion, Xiaolan was timid and would go with him as long as he scolded her a few times.
Especially since he was hungry, he became even more angry when he came over and saw Xiaolan eating eggs comfortably.
"Get up now."
Even though Xiaolan has obtained the divorce letter, her fear of obeying Wang Yongchang has accumulated over the years and is ingrained in her bones.
Since she was a child, her gambling uncle has repeatedly instilled in her the idea that men are everything and that if she doesn't obey, she will be thrown out to fend for herself.
So when Wang Yongchang caught her, she was like a mouse meeting a cat, her body stiffened and she didn't even dare to resist.
"open."
Just when Xiaolan was at a loss, Su Man pushed Wang Yongchang away and blocked Xiaolan behind her.
Wang Yongchang had always disliked Su Man, and his attitude towards her was very bad. "Mind your own business! I want to take my wife back home, what's it to you?"
"Your wife?"
Su Man sneered, "Who divorced Xiaolan in front of the whole village? Now Xiaolan is Xiaolan, not your wife."
"I can't tell you that."
Wang Yongchang wanted to use force and reached out to grab her again, "Xiaolan, come back with me quickly, do you hear me?"
"stop!"
Du Yuan pushed Wang Yongchang away and glared at him, "What kind of man is he if he hits a woman?"
Although both are men, Du Yuan and Wang Yongchang are worlds apart. In his view, a man should protect women from the elements, not abuse them at will.
Seeing Wang Yongchang like this, he was very ashamed.
Du Yuan was a tall and strong man, half a head taller than Wang Yongchang. Wang Yongchang almost fell down the mountain after being pushed by him.
"Yongchang!"
Aunt Wang Wu was anxious when she saw it, and she rushed over hurriedly, "Yongchang, are you okay?"
"You are the only pillar of our family left. Please don't let anything happen to you."
Wang Yongchang was also frightened. He didn't dare to confront Du Yuan, so he started scolding Xiaolan.
"It's all because of this bitch. She's hanging out with the Zhou family and she doesn't even want to go home."
Aunt Wang Wu was old-fashioned and seeing Xiaolan being so ungrateful, she also started to criticize her.
"Xiao Lan, you are the daughter-in-law of our Wang family. How can you hang out outside and not come home? A woman who does not observe her husband's chastity will be despised by everyone. Even if you have any grievances, now that Yongchang has come to comfort you personally, you should be satisfied, right?"
Aunt Wang Wu took out the money from her elders. Xiaolan lowered her head even more and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "I've been divorced. I'm not going back."
When Aunt Wang Wu heard this, her face completely drooped. "I thought you were sensible, but I didn't expect you to betray me like this. Ask yourself, have I ever treated you unfairly in my family all these years? Now that our Wang family is down and out, you're running away like a rich kid. Aren't you afraid of being criticized?"
"I didn't. I wasn't."
Xiaolan is not good at speaking, and her face turned red after being accused by Aunt Wang Wu.
Aunt Wang Wu pointed at Da Ya and Er Ya, "What's more, you have these two children with you. They see that you even disowned their father for a bite of food from the Zhou family. They will definitely follow your example in the future!"
Xiaolan shrank back, fear flashing in her eyes.
After calming Xiaolan down, Aunt Wang Wu gave her a slap as a sweet treat and then started to speak kindly, "Okay, I know you were confused for a moment. Don't worry, Yongchang and I won't abandon you because of your selfishness. We will still be a family in the future."
She glanced at Su Man and said, "Those outsiders, being nice to you, all have ulterior motives. Think about it, you're a woman with two children, who would be willing to take you in? Yongchang is your husband and the father of your children. If you don't even trust him, who else can you count on?"
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