After another day of travel, they encountered other refugees along the way, but none of them knew each other. Moreover, their family had many children, and they were worried about being targeted by malicious people, so the family just kept their heads down and tried to keep their distance from them.
No matter which way they went, they couldn't find any trace of the Lu family clan.
"Father, could it be that we've taken the wrong road?"
Thinking they had shaken off those people quite far, the family finally sat down to rest for a while and started talking about finding their clansmen in the village.
"No, the village chief said before that we should keep heading northeast. If we keep heading northeast from here, we'll reach Anzhou. If I remember correctly, Liujia Town is not far ahead. Maybe the village chief and the others are going there to rest. If we hurry, we might be able to catch up tonight."
The route for fleeing the famine was decided by the village chief, so Old Man Lu still had a good chance of success.
Upon hearing this, the group didn't say anything more. They took out the rice balls that Madam Yu and Madam Qin had prepared that morning, ate them, drank some water, and prepared to continue their journey.
Speaking of which, the eldest brother carried the rice on his back. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he found that after making rice balls in the morning, the rice on his back did not become lighter, but rather heavier.
The water in the bamboo tubes was divided among the second son to carry. He also had the same illusion that although there were only a few bamboo tubes of water, they were very durable. They had been using them since last night, and he could still hear the sound of water sloshing inside the bamboo tubes.
They thought to themselves that the women in their families must be too frugal, never using too much water when cooking or drinking, saving it for them.
Thinking about it this way, I felt both touched and bittersweet.
If He Jiuniang knew what they were thinking, she would probably roll her eyes. There were more than a dozen people in the family, and they needed to drink water every hour they walked. Even though each person only drank a sip, it still added up to quite a lot. If she hadn't secretly filled the bamboo tube with water, it would have been empty long ago.
Not to mention rice, she didn't dare to add too much. Each time, Yu would scoop out most of the bowl, and she would add a small bowl, for fear of arousing suspicion by adding too much.
Despite everyone's efforts to keep moving forward, they still hadn't reached Liujia Town by nightfall, because they encountered several members of the Lujia Village clan on the way—or rather, the corpses of their clan members.
The eldest and second eldest brothers went forward to check and found that several of them were uncles and relatives from the same clan, as well as other strangers.
The bodies were piled up like a small mountain; they had been maliciously murdered.
The old man and his wife were so shocked by the scene that they almost lost their footing. These were, after all, relatives; just a few days ago they were alive and well, and now…
"They've probably run into bandits. Those damned thieves!"
The eldest brother gritted his teeth, tears welling in his eyes. The world was already difficult enough, but encountering bandits was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.
In the past, the Lu family would definitely have helped these relatives with their funeral arrangements, at least to give them a proper burial. But now everyone is struggling to survive, so although the Lu family is heartbroken, they still have the heart to leave.
Mainly, He Jiuniang was afraid they would meddle in her affairs, so she threatened them: "Judging from the looks of it, the incident just happened not long ago. I'm afraid those people haven't gone far. If they come at us, I... I don't even want to think about it..."
She deliberately acted very scared, and Old Man Lu and his two sons immediately lost their intention to bury the person. Looking at their group of women and children, they said cruelly, "Third daughter-in-law is right, we...we should leave quickly!"
Old Lu still wanted to go to Liujia Town. Although he didn't know what the situation was like there, it was still a small town. Now that he had some money, he wanted to buy some rice and flour to keep him safe.
No one else had any objections, but He Jiuniang said again, "Father, we're not far from Liujia Town. Those thugs will definitely go there after they commit the crime. It might be even more chaotic there. We still have some food, so let's take a detour."
He Jiuniang did not approve of going to such a small town with no security. There were only two strong men in the family. If something happened, she would definitely have to go. If she was exposed, she would have no way to explain herself.
Everyone looked at He Jiuniang without prior arrangement, feeling that she seemed much stronger after dying once, and they all genuinely agreed that what she said made sense.
Although they didn't know why, it was always for the good of the family. Old Man Lu and Mrs. Sun weren't the stubborn old folks who wouldn't listen to advice. After thinking it over carefully, they decided to listen to her.
Lu the eldest said, "Father and Mother, why don't I go there? I can find out what's going on and buy whatever you need."
His parents were getting old, and he was the pillar of the family. Although he was a little panicked, he still wanted to go and see what was going on. It would be better if he could run into a member of the clan, but if he couldn't, it would be easier for him to get away on his own.
"no!"
Before He Jiuniang could speak, Madam Sun refused, saying, "Since you've decided not to go, then nobody should go. In these chaotic times, our family can't afford to be separated again!"
The bloody lesson is right in front of us. That was an entire clan member, and they've been lying here for so long now. How much more so if Boss Lu went there alone?
“Yes, our family can’t be separated again!” Old Lu nodded. “In that case, let’s bypass Liujia Town and go directly to Ganzhou. We’ll make further plans once we get there.”
I had previously arranged to meet my youngest daughter in Ganzhou, and then we would go to Anzhou together.
Lu Guilan, the youngest daughter of the Lu family, married a butcher. The family was relatively well-off, owned a mule cart, and had set off a few days earlier than them. If nothing had gone wrong, they should have arrived in Ganzhou long ago.
He Jiuniang breathed a sigh of relief, and the family took a detour and continued on their way.
It was completely dark. They had found a place to rest last night, but tonight they were still in the middle of nowhere.
"Awoo~"
A wolf howl suddenly came from the distant mountains, causing the adults to pause in surprise, let alone the children.
"mother……"
Gou'er was tied to He Jiu Niang's back with a cloth strip. After traveling all day, even being carried was uncomfortable, let alone Gou'er's poor health.
Having just witnessed those bloody scenes, and now hearing the howls of wolves, the little dog nervously clung tightly to He Jiuniang's neck.
"Don't be afraid," He Jiuniang patted him back, "It's far away from us. Besides, even if it comes, we're not afraid of it. Mother will stew it for you to nourish your body!"
"Mom is amazing!"
The puppy was no longer afraid and immediately started grinning.
The other group stared wide-eyed at He Jiu Niang. When did the third son's wife become so fierce?
However, being targeted by wolves is not a good thing, so it's best to find a place to stay as soon as possible.
A group of people walked forward. There was a fire ahead, a gentle breeze blew, and the aroma of meat wafted through the air. They could also faintly hear people talking.
They were talking incoherently; they weren't locals, and they didn't seem like good people.
He Jiuniang raised her hand to stop everyone from moving forward, and Old Man Lu's expression was not good either: "This sounds like a South Thai accent."
Nantai?
The Lu family looked at Old Man Lu in shock.
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