Chapter 207: The Third Summer
They fled to the mountains to avoid disaster, and the wedding was extremely simple. There was no wedding room, no wedding dresses, and even no incense or candles. However, the blessings received were the most sincere.
Since the two of them had no parents or elders left, everyone from outside the village came to bear witness. A group of young boys called their master and mistress, and all the words of blessing were the same. I think they had learned it from Wei Qinghe, Wang Yunzheng, and Xu Wenqing.
Of course, the most important thing is that the person around her is the one she really wants to marry.
Chen Lie asked Gan and Zhou Ge to help Chen Ning stew the venison that Chen Dashan and Xu Wenqing had hunted. Chen Lie also brought out a few rabbits and pheasants from his home, and prepared the vegetables grown in the mountains. He steamed two pots of bean rice, and at dusk he asked everyone to bring their own bowls and chopsticks, as if it was a buffet to add to the festive atmosphere.
After Chen An, Chen Ning and the others had also expressed their congratulations, it got dark and they all crowded back into the cabin. Chen Lie closed the cave door, and now the couple were the only ones left.
Finally, it was reported to heaven and earth, it was legitimate, they got married, and their love was beyond words.
The drunkenness and the sweetness of love intertwined, and Chen Lie swept all the red dates scattered on the bed to the innermost corner and piled them up. It was just like the previous nights, just pleasing her, but when he was really moved, Sang Luo pulled him down and whispered in his ear.
Chen Lie's breathing became heavier, his throat moving up and down very quickly, and he looked at her very closely with burning eyes: "Really?"
Sang Luo opened her mouth, but the last words she said were swallowed by him. She didn't know how her voice changed from sobbing to breaking, then struggling, then sinking and floating, and finally losing control. She didn't know that sex between men and women was like this. Except for the difficulties at the beginning and the embarrassment of almost losing control, Shen Lie actually controlled the whole situation afterwards.
The boy who had been suppressed for a long time was really cruel. His size and endless strength were fatal, but he was good at learning and used them in this regard. His eyes were obviously red with anger, but he could still observe her every reaction. Sang Luo was just a person with empty theories, how could she withstand this? Her soul was being carried up and down, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
Normally, how could Chen Lie bear to see Sang Luo crying? The watery look in her eyes would have made him panic, but it was different at this time. The candlelight allowed him to see her expression clearly, especially when she sobbed and called his name again and again, which made it particularly difficult for him to control himself. The candlelight was dimmed in the middle of the night, and the pile of red dates on the side of the bed had long since scattered into a piece. This time, he was really satisfied from body to mind, and had a good night's sleep.
…
The two consecutive happy events brought some light to the hearts of the people from the two villages who had taken refuge in the mountains, and also dispelled some of the haze that weighed on their hearts and no one knew when it would dissipate. In these mountains, they could work together and live a good and normal life.
By New Year's Eve, preparations had been made several days in advance outside the valley. On the night of New Year's Eve, Chen Lie and Chen Dashan quietly brought out all the old and young people who were left behind in the valley. Dozens of people sat or stood in a thatched shed with more than ten tables of different sizes, and spent a happy and reunion year.
When Sang Luo saw Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu again, they both looked much better and had regained some of the cheerfulness they had when they first met in Shili Village.
It turned out that since Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang came back, they knew that they had found a relatively safe place for the children to settle down, and they also helped with the protection. They kept the meat of two wolves and two bears, and gave the skins to several people who were tied up in the pillars. Their residence was similar to Zhou Laizi's home, so they could also farm.
Wang Chunniang is gone, Lu Dalang is mute, and most importantly, because the children have seen what happened to their parents one after another, no one is confused anymore. Lu Dalang was still restless before leaving, and it was Shuanzhu who insisted on leaving. After entering the mountains, the brothers and sisters kowtowed to Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang, and said that if peace was allowed outside, they would ask their second and third uncles to go and take them out, and if it was not allowed outside, they would not go out.
With Shuanzhu becoming the head of the eldest branch, the biggest hidden danger of the Lu family's eldest branch was eliminated. In fact, because it was close enough to the interior, there was no need to protect against people, only wild beasts. As long as they lived in peace, even if it was just farming and raising chickens, how could they not survive?
Once their worries were gone, the two old men gradually regained their energy and spirit.
…
The grass is growing and the warblers are flying. In the blink of an eye, another spring has come. It is the third year since Sang Luo traveled through time. In addition to the Yun Valley hidden in the mountains, the people in the mountains outside the valley also have a sense of settling down.
Starting from the village outside the village to the area where Chen Lie and his friends had explored for hunting, there are six or seven small villages. The nearby village outside the village, the small village of Zhoujia and the three villages between the two villages have added more than a dozen thatched cottages and wooden houses. They grow crops and vegetables, raise rabbits and chickens, and the people who moved into this mountain last year have started to manage their lives.
The sheep that Sang Luo and the Chen family raised together in the valley had lambs again. The pair of sheep that were given to Chen Dashan as a gift were also pregnant.
The pregnant ewe that Chen Lie left at home to raise in a village outside the village gave birth to three lambs at the end of February. When the lambs were two months old, the Zhou and Xu families each took one away to raise with food or meat, and Sang Luo only kept one for herself.
Sang Luo didn't care that Chen Lie was able to catch a live sheep. She was more happy that she could drink some goat's milk every day. She picked some spring tea on Qingming Festival and fried it herself. The fishy smell of goat's milk was gone and it was very nourishing.
During this period, more than a dozen groups of people entered the inner circle one after another. The restless ones only saw that the people of these villages, big and small, were all martial artists and everyone was equipped with a knife, so they quickly changed direction and went far away. The obedient and alone seemed to have seen a savior, and the three nearby villages could not get close. This is how the villages in the distance developed.
As more and more people from the outer areas took refuge in the mountains, they naturally brought some news from the outside into the inner areas.
The Dagan Dynasty is gone, and I heard that a new country has been established in their area. No one knows how big the territory is or who the emperor is, but they have been trying to get the people to return and settle down and farm.
Living in peace and farming sounds great, and everyone wants to live in peace, but everyone is scared by the world. They are afraid that what they grow will become military rations, and they will be caught and forced to serve in the army.
Some people fought for their careers in the turbulent times, but most people just wanted to live in a corner and protect their lives and families. Those who had originally hid in the outer mountains were afraid of being caught by the court, so those who were a little brave moved inward to hide deeper.
In early May, Shopkeeper Xu found Chen Lie and said he wanted to go out of the mountains.
Chen Lie and Chen Dashan have been training together for more than half a year, and the Xu father and son are no longer powerless. Not to mention other people, Xu Wenqing can protect himself when going in and out of the mountains. Even the weak scholar Wei Qinghe has been trained to have some strength and is a good help.
Shopkeeper Xu planned to take Xu Wenqing and Wei Qinghe with him on this trip. On the one hand, he wanted to find out what the situation was like outside, as Wei Lingzhen and Wei Qinghe's parents were still in Shezhou; on the other hand, he wanted to see if there was a chance to check whether the food in the cave was still there.
He was very clear about the foundation of the disciple he had personally taught. As long as he didn't run into a group of dozens of people, he could avoid such small groups and there would be no worries when going in and out. How to avoid wild animals and people in the mountains was also something he and Chen Dashan emphasized in teaching.
Chen Lie and Chen Dashan also needed to know the situation outside, but with so many people outside the village and in the valley, it was not convenient for him and Chen Dashan to travel far.
Shen Lie thought about it for a moment and did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked Manager Xu to wait for two more days. He asked Xu Wenqing to ask the Feng family if they were interested in going outside to take a look.
In terms of the largest number of young and strong people, the Feng family belongs to it.
The Feng family naturally agreed. As all their clansmen were living in the mountains, it was impossible for them to not check out the situation outside the mountains for a year or two. So Feng Dalang and one of his cousins went together with the Xu family to explore the outside of the mountains.
Shopkeeper Xu and his group left the village in early May and did not return until one night in late May. Recently, there have been people waiting outside the village every day. After nightfall, most of the people waiting outside are Xu Wenhong and his siblings.
Their father, brother and uncle had been away for more than twenty days and had not returned. Xu Wenhong and his siblings had become increasingly anxious as they waited. Only when they saw that their father, brother and uncle had returned safely did they heave a sigh of relief. When they saw that they had brought back food, there was some joy in their eyes.
Although it was dark, the families were still awake. People from the outside village heard the noise and came out to greet them. The Feng brothers were in a hurry to return to the village. After meeting Chen Lie and the others, they said goodbye and only allowed the shopkeeper to talk to the families who gathered around waiting for news about the situation outside the mountain.
After traveling for more than twenty days, they didn't mind a little while longer. Chen Youtian and the others helped carry the food in, and everyone sat down in the straw shed. Sang Luo poured them a few cups of tea so that the three people, whose voices were a little hoarse, could drink some water to moisten their throats. Then Shopkeeper Xu talked about what he had discovered during this trip.
“Qiyang County is gone.”
As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned.
Chen Lie reacted in a flash: "No one repaired the fire last year, right?"
It is better to capture a city than to repair a burned-out empty city.
Shopkeeper Xu nodded, "Yes, that's why it took us so long to return. Qiyang County is now a ruin. From time to time, there are clerks beating gongs to recruit mountain people on the roadside outside the mountain. They are either from nearby counties or Shezhou. My route is either Qiyang County or Shezhou, so I took everyone along the mountain road to Shezhou, which is why we were delayed for so long."
Chen Youtian asked the question that everyone was most concerned about: "What's going on outside now? Is there still a war?"
Shopkeeper Xu sighed, "Of course we won't fight. But it's different from the beginning when we fought everywhere. It's been nearly three years since the first group in the north took up arms. We have seen some progress. A bunch of kings have either been incorporated and surrendered by larger forces or destroyed. Now there are only six left. The conquered territories are guarded by people, and some order has been restored, at least in the counties with garrisons."
Everyone looked at each other, and Chen Lie asked, "Which six are they?"
Shopkeeper Xu said, "Shezhou is guarded now. I was afraid that it would be easy to get in but difficult to get out, so I didn't dare to go in. I spent some gold and silver to ask someone to help me find an old acquaintance of the Wang family. I found out the news when I met him outside the city. Last year, when the Emperor of Dagan died, two Dukes of Dagan who had a large army under their command, one proclaimed himself king in the capital, and the other supported a son of the royal family as king in the north. Of course, the little emperor has also abdicated and I heard that he has died of illness."
No one here cares whether he gave up his throne or not, or whether he really died of illness or just pretended to die.
Shopkeeper Xu continued, "The capital has formed its own country, called Chen, the one in the north is called Qi, and the other four are rebel kings who have risen up from the bottom. One is called the King of Qin, one is called the King of Wu, and one is called the King of Yan. Our Huainan Road is now ruled by a rebel king named Li, and his country is called Chu."
When Lu Erlang heard that there were already six countries, he frowned and said, "Is there still room for war?"
Shopkeeper Xu shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. I heard that the King of Qi is young and brave. He has never been defeated since he proclaimed himself king. He is quite powerful. Now that he has his troops approaching Qin, it seems that the King of Qin is about to surrender."
As soon as he finished speaking, those who had been to the battlefield, such as Chen Lie, Chen Dashan, Shi Dalang and Lu Erlang, understood what he meant. Those who were well-read, such as Wang Yunzheng and Sang Luo, also quickly grasped it and smiled.
In the fight for the world, the most feared thing is a stalemate among the various forces. If one side is particularly strong, the speed of pacifying the chaos will be correspondingly faster.
Chen Dashan laughed: "This is good news."
Although it is possible to make a living in the mountains, who doesn’t hope for a peaceful and prosperous era?
Sang Luo asked Shopkeeper Xu, "What's it like in the outer mountains?"
Shopkeeper Xu said, "There are people, but not many. It may be that we just didn't meet them."
Chen Lie said, "Those who could hide should have hidden here. The only area we know of that has seven settlements is the inner area. There must be more in the farther areas. I'm afraid there are no more. After all, those who didn't enter the mountains in advance were basically driven into the county, killed or captured. How many people were lucky enough to escape like Zheng the butcher and Dong Ge'er's family? If the captured people are lucky enough to be alive, they should have been stranded in other cities and towns with the rebels."
He looked at everyone and said, "I think the situation outside is relatively stable. It shouldn't be as chaotic as last year. The mountain is also relatively peaceful. I think even if we don't know when the overall situation will be completely stabilized, we can still live a peaceful life in the mountain. There are no ferocious beasts nearby, and we have enough force to protect ourselves. Otherwise, while Manager Xu and his men are out, there is a good excuse. Can the old and weak in the valley who want to live outside come out? If they really can't deal with it in the future, they can hide in there."
Although the valley is nice, it is too small and the time to see the sun is short. Living there for a long time is not good for your health. If you want to farm, you can go in at night and stay there for a while during the busy farming season.
When these words were spoken, everyone was a little moved.
Lu Erlang smiled first: "That's good. Every time I go back, my son Xu always misses studying with Shen An and the others."
Shi Erlang also laughed, "My daughter Qiao'er is the same. Let's bring her out tonight and squeeze in first. Then we can build a few more wooden houses and she will be big enough to live in. Even if people nearby notice that there are more of us, they will just think that we followed Manager Xu and his men in and won't think too much about it. If there are things you need, you can slowly take them out after we build a few more wooden houses."
After discussing the matter to this point, Xu Wenyin, who had been waiting, finally got the chance to ask, "Dad, are you looking for the manager of the Wang family? The Wang family is fine, so have you asked my grandfather and grandmother?"
Her eyes were full of expectation, but Shopkeeper Xu lowered his eyes.
Wang Yunzheng, who had not asked about the Wang family's situation, frowned, feeling a little uneasy: "Uncle?"
Only then did Sang Luo notice that Shopkeeper Xu and his son and Wei Qinghe looked unhappy since they returned. She originally thought that it was due to being tired from running around outside, but now seeing that Xu and his son and Wei Qinghe all looked strange, she realized something.
The others obviously sensed something was wrong, and their happy expressions disappeared. Xu Wenyin was already anxious: "Dad, say something."
Shopkeeper Xu's eyes were slightly red, and his voice was a little hoarse: "Your grandparents died when the Wang family just started to fall into chaos."
Xu Wenyin's tears rolled down, Xu Wenhong and Xu Wenbo's eyes also turned red. Wang Yunzheng clenched his fists. The boy, who used to be taciturn but has become more cheerful over the past year, trembled slightly. He stared at Shopkeeper Xu and asked, "Did Uncle ask if my grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters are safe?"
He was asking about safety, but his expression was sharp and defensive like a wounded lone wolf, waiting for the sword hanging in front of him to chop him down.
Shopkeeper Xu remained silent.
Wang Yunzheng looked at his uncle again and saw that Wei Qinghe also lowered his eyes. The young man suddenly laughed, and his eyes turned red as he laughed.
They were all alive, and it happened that his stepmother was in charge of the inner house, and his grandparents had died in the chaos. He smiled and raised his head slightly, but even with his head raised he could not stop crying.
The man who grew up with his mother protected him with all his might in that cold backyard, the man who served the old man and the old lady all his life, lost his life in that cold mansion just because of his mother and him, who were an eyesore to others.
He was an eyesore, but did his mother have a choice? Did he have a chance to choose?
No one gave them the right to choose.
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