Chapter 8
It should be said that people who can survive in this era are much more sensitive to crises than those who survive in a peaceful environment, even if they seem stubborn to many people.
During the first winter in the newly occupied city, there were no large armies marching out to sweep the surrounding countryside, but there were more and more bandits and small groups of soldiers disguised as bandits. Some came under the guise of "borrowing food," while others were determined to forcibly seize people as slaves.
Whenever someone came, the village head would always bring laborers to guard the granary, but after several conflicts, the wall was already in danger and was almost looted several times.
Wen Yi and her family's house had been robbed several times, but fortunately most of their belongings were hidden in a hole dug in the corner of the yard, with collapsed walls piled on top of it.
Ah Mu was almost crying when she thought about her destroyed home. Wen Yi put his arm around her shoulders and patted her, and could feel the little girl trembling slightly.
"It's okay, everyone is still here. We can start over again after everything settles down." Wen Yi lowered her voice to comfort him.
Yes, as long as people are here, that’s good.
The three of them were hiding in a small cave at the far end of the yard. It had been covered with hay and contained two wicker baskets filled with food. They didn't dare to light a fire, but they had wrapped themselves in whatever clothes they could wear and camouflaged the entrance with branches and dry grass, so it wasn't too cold.
The sounds of cursing and crying could still be heard faintly, and Wen Yi raised his hands to cover Amu's ears.
If they hadn't lived far away from the main road today, they wouldn't have had the chance to escape to this hastily arranged shelter. In their haste, they accidentally stepped on a pothole and sprained their ankle.
In the cave, they seemed to be able to feel the vibration of the wheels rolling over the ground. Fortunately, no one went to more remote areas, and the noise gradually faded away, and the crying also disappeared.
After an unknown amount of time, the only sounds left in the outside world were the chirping of birds.
Shu originally wanted to go out and take a look by himself, but his ankle, which was originally just sprained, became red and swollen due to the curled up posture, making it difficult for him to walk, so he was stopped by Wen Yi.
"It's okay, I'll go out and take a look."
Wen Yi took off the thick outer layer, put on a thin linen shirt, and changed into shoes. If he encountered danger, he could run faster than wearing straw sandals.
Shu and Amu were both a little worried, but if they went out now, they would only be a drag. Shan Wenyi believed that he could still escape if he encountered any problems alone.
"Run away if you meet someone." Shu warned worriedly.
Wen Yi nodded, carefully leaned out, and then camouflaged the entrance again to prevent it from being discovered by others.
After walking out of the silent woods, he took a look outside. Apart from the smoke rising from different places, there was nothing else unusual, so he quickened his pace and walked towards the yard.
A small part of the stone wall was still standing, but the house that had originally sheltered them from the wind and rain had now been chopped down and collapsed, and the few unimportant wooden boxes left in the house were also destroyed. The food in them disappeared, and the unimportant ones were chopped up and thrown all over the floor.
Wen Yi walked to the corner where the box was buried, and it was not searched by the group of people.
With a sigh, at least most of the things were still there, she took out the shovel hidden in the firewood pile and used it as a weapon for self-defense.
But when Wen Yi walked towards the center of the village, the air was filled with the smell of burning wood and hay, as well as the smell of blood, and he had a bad feeling.
Those who pretended to be bandits before were mostly robbing money, but if there was no forced resistance, they would not be killed.
Wen Yi carefully approached the burning courtyard not far away. Just as she wanted to carefully identify the situation inside, a hand suddenly appeared from the collapsed haystack not far away.
She was startled and subconsciously picked up the shovel to hit the man, but fortunately she controlled herself in the end.
Because the person who stuck his head out was a child who looked somewhat familiar.
Her mouth was tied with a cloth and she was wearing only thin clothes. She was shivering with cold, but her eyes were full of bloodshot and hatred. She suddenly felt aggrieved when she confirmed that the people in front of her were not those thugs, but her familiar sister.
Wen Yi observed the situation around him, took the girl to clear a sheltered place, and then carefully untied the cloth strips.
The cloth was tied for too long, leaving two more marks on the already pale face.
After retrieving some clothes from the rubble, he spotted a dark red stain on the ground not far away. Wen Yi didn't ask the child hiding in the haystack what she had seen, but told her to continue hiding and move on to the next place.
After taking a few steps, he felt a weak force pulling at the shovel he was holding. Wen Yi looked back and saw the girl, who had been curled up, holding onto the end, seemingly unwilling to let go.
Seeing the fear she was hiding, Wen Yi squatted down:
"Let me go check on the others first, and I'll definitely pick you up."
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
When Wen Yi arrived at the former warehouse, he was nearly blinded by the smoke and dust. At the warehouse entrance, he found two figures lying in a pool of blood on a haystack.
One of them was completely dead, while the other's figure was very familiar. Perhaps he was covered by the person on top of him, and his chest was still rising and falling slightly.
Wen Yi stepped forward carefully, moved the lifeless person lying on top, and wiped the blood off the face of the person underneath. It was the village head.
But his current condition is really bad, and he doesn't know whether he has bone injuries or internal injuries. Wen Yi doesn't dare to move him easily.
After confirming that there were no more bandits, Wen Yi returned to his hiding place and together with A Mu, helped Shu out.
It took Wen Yi two days to visit all the remaining houses nearby and find several children who were hiding.
Except for a few who took advantage of the bandits' inattention to run into the woods or hide in inconspicuous grass piles and earth pits, the rest were either beaten to death, or the laborers who were not seriously injured were all taken away as trophies.
The warehouses and grain stores of each household were looted. Fortunately, no one put all their belongings together. The survivors returned to the homes where they had lived for many years, endured the sadness, dug out their belongings, and moved them to where they were temporarily resting.
"There's still enough food. Ayi, go and have a rest first, and we'll take care of the rest." A middle-aged woman with a cloth tied around her arm looked at Wen Yi who was still carrying the urgently needed things one by one, and advised her to rest first.
Wen Yi nodded, took a sip of warm water, and leaned against the straw pile with his tired body.
Amu and the other uninjured children helped care for the injured. Compared to the adults who were injured, the children, smaller and more agile than others, were spared from physical harm. However, the emotional scars of witnessing such atrocities were indelible.
Li woke up the next day, but he looked much older. There were red and swollen scars on his back and head from being hit by a blunt object.
But no one discussed or asked what exactly happened at that time. Everyone was silent, and only the suppressed crying could be heard in the night.
Several adults who were not seriously injured worked together to carry those who could no longer open their eyes to a nearby slope, where many children had already dug holes. Those with family members put their belongings in them, while those without could only find some items in the other family's homes based on their memories, which was a kind of companionship.
The village head also forced himself to come over, leaning on a branch, and silently looked at the familiar faces. Some of them had complained to the village head a few days ago, hoping to reduce their taxes and grain levies next year, but now they were lying on the cold ground.
Wen Yi stood far away, without saying a word.
The scene where the village head had spoken to her seemed so long ago. Everything had changed beyond recognition in just half a month. Their previous efforts and persistence had become ridiculous, and their hopes for the coming year had finally come to nothing.
"Let's go." After everyone had vented their emotions, the village head spoke, his voice becoming a little hoarse, "Let's go back."
This world does not give them time to be sad.
The looted areas would not just suffer once. Everyone knew that there would be some hidden food and supplies, leaving everyone with little time to be safe. There were also some people who, after being tortured, revealed that they still had money, food and other supplies at home. They would become accomplices in the next looting.
Therefore, the shelters prepared in previous years to avoid natural disasters can no longer be visited.
The five surviving adults and three children left the place where they thought they would live for the rest of their lives.
Wen Yi dug out metal nails from the warehouse and used the thin millstones originally used for shelling to make three extremely crooked wheelbarrows out of wood. Since he had decided to hide in an inaccessible place, he had to transport all the things he could use there.
Aside from Wen Yi, Shu and the village head, the two remaining adults were a man who, seeing the opportunity, had taken refuge in an abandoned stove, and a middle-aged woman who happened to be processing her game by the river. After discussing the matter, they decided to seek a way out behind a nearby mountain.
This is exactly what the village head mentioned earlier.
Although there are many trees, the side close to the village and fields is extremely steep and difficult to climb over, so they usually don't go there.
When the village head was young, he accidentally discovered that there was a passage completely covered by trees after going around the side near the water source and crossing a small hill. When he went through the passage, he could see many huge rocks and lush shrubs.
After so many years, his original companions gradually left, and now I remember that perhaps the only person left in that place was the village head.
Wen Yi took the middle-aged woman with the injured arm to act as an explorer, while the rest of the people and children collected all the usable pottery pots and bowls, farm tools, etc., and transported them to the woods near the mountain in wheelbarrows or backpacks.
Although most leaves had fallen in winter, the branches still posed a significant challenge to Wen Yi's progress. She held a copper alloy machete in each hand, which she had found in a corner of the public warehouse. The middle-aged woman also carried one in her uninjured hand. It took some effort to finally find the place the village head had mentioned.
Sure enough, the dense branches and stones obscured the place. If it weren't for their careful observation and the unique, tallest tree outside as a reminder, Wen Yi and the middle-aged woman would probably not have been able to find this place at all.
The two of them worked hard to clear away the branches and dry vines and entered sideways.
The first cave they entered was a rather cold one. Wen Yi peered in and felt the breeze, and the air was fresh. After walking a few steps to the side, they saw the light that had been blocked by the stone pillars. That must be the exit.
After emerging from the cave, Wen Yi and the middle-aged woman spotted a stream flowing nearby, as well as a narrow valley nestled between several mountains. Indeed, large rocks, covered in moss, lined both sides of the stream.
The two discussed it and decided to return together after confirming that there was no danger here.
The original plan was for Wen Yi to stay here temporarily and clear a space, while the middle-aged woman returned to lead the rest of the group, bringing a batch of supplies first, as the weather had been a bit bad the past few days. The cave was a pleasant surprise; even if it snowed, everyone could take shelter in it and store supplies.
The two wheelbarrows were pushed by Wen Yi and the man hiding in the stove respectively, and the remaining wheelbarrow was pushed by Amu and the two little girls around the village, moving any important things to the storage place.
The disabled kept watch and helped put things in order. The remaining children carried backpacks and helped carry some light items and bales of hay.
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