Gu Yuli and her two daughters were isolated.
The reason is simple: firstly, after learning the details of Han Mingxiang and the others being captured and abused, they all disliked them, especially Gu Yuli herself.
Secondly, these past few days, Gu Yuli and her sister Gu Yushi have been going up the mountain to find food. Instead of properly picking wild vegetables and storing some for their escape from famine, they've been going to the mountains to find food.
But the two of them ran all over the mountain, either picking wildflowers to put in their hair or chasing butterflies. By the time they got home, the bottom of their baskets full of wild vegetables couldn't be covered.
Then, they started stealing the wild vegetables and fruits from the other children.
The villagers, out of respect for the village chief's family, didn't hold it against them. This emboldened Gu Yuli, and she intensified her efforts to steal wild vegetables.
The crazy behavior only stopped on that day.
The weather was hot that day, but nothing could stop everyone from going up the mountain to find food.
The people who went up the mountain were overjoyed because everyone could catch pheasants and rabbits with their bare hands. Xue Laohu led more than a dozen men up the mountain and not only caught a lot of pheasants and rabbits, but also brought back four wild boars.
The area in front of the cave was bustling with activity as butcher Han Dazhong, along with his son, set up his workbench and resumed his old ways.
"Hahaha, I haven't practiced my skills for over a year. It's great that I can still slaughter pigs on the road of fleeing famine. I hope there will be more days like this, hahaha."
He looked as happy as a child; this day was even more joyful than the Lunar New Year.
The pork stew was laid out on an open space in front of the cave.
Each family brought out some grain, but there wasn't much grain left; it was all tree bark powder and wild vegetables.
Only Li Lanzhen, Xue Laohu, and the village chief brought the potatoes that were allocated to their families.
We were reluctant to eat the sweet potatoes because they were sweet, so we saved them.
The meal, with more meat than vegetables, was a hearty feast for everyone. The children's bellies were round and full, and they carried the food home with their arms full.
The village chief gave the five people who went out hunting one of the largest wild boars, and the other two wild boars were distributed among the villagers, including the Zhang Deshui and Ye families.
Not only did they have a bountiful harvest from hunting in the mountains, but almost every household in Hanjia Village caught pheasants, and they were as happy as if they had found silver.
Li Lanzhen, however, saw something unusual in this matter.
What causes small and large animals in the mountains to escape from the deep mountains?
Observe for a while longer, but you should still alert your family and prepare to escape immediately.
So she called her two in-laws over to discuss it together.
"My dear in-laws, I sensed that both the small and large animals seemed quite uneasy coming down from the mountain today. What are your thoughts on this?"
Xue Laohu nodded, "That's right. I was wondering why so many wild animals would come down the mountain. I carefully observed the surroundings at the time, fearing that they might be bears or wolves."
However, no trace of them was found.
Zhang Deshui nodded in agreement. "I also noticed something was wrong. The water in the stream has risen and the water is murky."
Li Lanzhen suddenly thought of a flash flood. A chill ran down her spine.
“I think we should talk to the village chief so that everyone can be on guard. Our families are doing the same; we’ll keep our valuables close by and tell our children that if the situation gets serious, we’ll throw the things away. As long as people are alive, there’s hope,” Li Lanzhen added.
"Where should we run to?" Xue Bao asked.
"Yes, when a flash flood comes, which way do you run?"
The group fell into deep thought.
Li Lanzhen recalled what she would do if a flash flood came in her future life? There were green military uniforms with red five-pointed stars on their heads. With them there, the people were not afraid.
But this is ancient times, Li Lanzhen said, expressing her opinion.
"When the flash flood comes, run to the top of the mountain. If the flood has already occurred, find some wood to hold onto."
Even if the family gets separated, don't panic. Just run towards the top of the mountain, and those who get there first can wait for the rest of the family.
Xue Laohu nodded and added, "Let's go take another look. If something's not right, we might as well go up to the mountaintop ahead of time!"
Li Lanzhen had the same idea. "Okay, I'll go tell the village chief, and you can take another look."
We will meet here in half an hour.
Zhang Deshui went to the stream to see if the water level had risen again. He squatted down and examined the water. He remembered noticing the sudden increase in water volume that morning and making a mark there. Now the mark was gone, the water level had risen again, and it was even more turbid, with sand, stones, and branches in the water. He was sweating profusely and hurriedly tried to run back to report.
Similarly, Xue Laohu and his group went up the mountain to take a look, but the situation was not optimistic.
Li Lanzhen wanted to bring in some small animals, so she went up the mountain. Indeed, pheasants and rabbits were in a panic and ran away without thinking, making them easy to catch.
Before long, they had harvested dozens of pheasants and rabbits, which they put into their spatial storage.
Undeterred by greed, Li Lanzhen shouldered her basket and headed down the mountain.
She had made up her mind; she would go back, pack her things, and head to the mountaintop immediately.
They arrived at the cave with light steps, and the faces of the in-laws were grave.
Several people said in unison, "Let's leave right away and go to the top of the mountain."
Li Lanzhen went to the village chief again, "Village chief, have you informed everyone? Several of our families are going up to the mountaintop now."
The village chief nodded to indicate that he had notified everyone. As for whether anyone would leave or not, he didn't know how many would actually go, since there were a few who were initially unwilling.
“Uncle Village Chief, a few of us are leaving. If anyone else wants to leave, come with us up the mountain.”
She returned home and told them to pack their bags as quickly as possible so they could go up to the mountaintop.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, everyone had gathered, and Gou Dan brought his grandmother over.
Then Xue Laohu's family and Zhang Deshui's family arrived one after another. After waiting for a while, Han Dazhong's family arrived.
Those who didn't want to leave stood outside, watching the people who wanted to go to the top of the mountain like they were idiots.
"What's wrong with Li Lanzhen? She's living a perfectly good life and she's trying to get us all to go up the mountain."
"That's right, it's great to live here. We can eat our fill, have plenty to drink and eat, and even have meat every now and then."
"I thought she had changed for the better, but tsk tsk, she's even worse than she was in the village."
"Lanzhen, we're here. We'll follow you wherever you go."
It was Ma Dazui who brought his whole family. Liu Ya was dressed neatly, carrying only a small bundle on her back. Her little hand was being held by Ma Dazui. Her older brothers were carrying baskets full of contents, with bundles hanging around their necks.
Following closely behind, Han Dazhong and his family arrived, their donkey also carrying bundles and baskets.
Many families arrived one after another, with children and large and small bags. After leaving Hanjiacun, they had almost run out of food. They dug wild vegetables in the mountains, washed them, and dried them into dried vegetables.
Of the meat we were given, we ate half and made the other half into jerky to give us extra strength for our journey during the famine.
Each family dried the loaches and small fish they caught in the stream in an iron pot and carefully stored them away.
So now she has more luggage, and it's heavy, but she's very happy. Li Lanzhen saw that there were quite a few people, so she prepared to go up the mountain.
As for those who won't leave, there's nothing that can be done. You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep; it's up to fate.
"Boom!"
Upon hearing this voice, Li Lanzhen's expression changed, and she shouted, "Run!"
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