The two carefully avoided soldiers and farmers at the foot of the mountain, hurrying home.
Because we came by boat today, but to avoid alerting the enemy, the boat was stopped halfway, so the return trip is much later than usual.
It was past 11 p.m. when the Taoist priest and Lu Chuan arrived home.
Xu Han was anxious at home and wished she could run out to find them immediately.
However, Xu Han was self-aware enough to know that with her small frame, she would have trouble walking at night, and she didn't want to end up getting herself into trouble before she could even find the person.
Besides, despite her worries, Xu Han had great confidence in the skills of the Taoist priest and Lu Chuan. They were always the ones doing the beatings; it was almost impossible for them to be the ones getting beaten.
Thinking of this, Xu Han slowly adjusted her mindset and stopped being so anxious, but as time passed by, she couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Grandpa Zhao waited in the main room as long as the two had not returned.
"Xiao Han, it's getting late. Why don't you go to sleep first? Xiao Chuan and the Taoist priest must have been held up by something. They should be back soon."
Xu Han stopped pacing and slowly sat down. "Grandpa Zhao, I'm not sleepy yet. Let's wait a bit longer. Besides, I can't sleep until the two of them come back."
"Alright then, the hot water in the pot must be getting cold. I'll go add some more firewood, and they can take a bath when they come back in a bit."
"Okay, I'll go see the children too."
When Xu Han came out again, there was still no movement outside.
After waiting a while, Xu Han heard the barking of dogs outside, which sounded like familiar people.
Hearing this, Xu Han smiled, unable to hide her excitement. They were finally back. She said to Grandpa Zhao, "They're back? They're back."
"I heard you, I'll go open the door."
Grandpa Zhao quickly came to the back of the courtyard gate, still very cautious, and did not open the gate on his own initiative.
Grandpa Zhao only opened the door after hearing Lu Chuan knock.
Xu Han followed them out, having worried all night. Upon seeing the two, she complained irritably, "Why are you back so late? What happened? I was so worried about you."
Faced with a barrage of questions, Lu Chuan was momentarily at a loss for which to answer first.
Grandpa Zhao stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "Alright, Xiao Han, go and prepare some food. They must be starving when they get back at this hour. Let them take a bath and have something to eat first."
Xu Han then realized what was happening and quickly said, "Yes, yes, you guys go take a shower first, I'll go prepare dinner. We can talk about it after we eat."
The two were indeed starving. They had hoped to make it into the county town today, so when they left, Xu Han only gave them the dry rations from the morning. Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest hadn't eaten anything all day.
As soon as Xu Han finished setting out the food, Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest began to wolf it down, one bite after another, their cheeks bulging.
After a flurry of activity, Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest ate until they were about half full before slowing down their eating pace and saying slowly, "When we came down the mountain today, we saw a lot of people in the mountains. They were conscripting men down below, so they all hid up the mountain."
Upon hearing this, Xu Han sat up straight immediately and asked anxiously, "Are they alright?"
He then asked, "Have you spotted us?"
Lu Chuan explained, "Not yet. The place they're staying in is quite far from us. We just don't know if they'll go deeper into the area later."
The Taoist priest continued, "The situation down the mountain is very bad. Because of the conscription, all the able-bodied men have hidden deep in the mountains, and the crops in the fields have not been planted. The elderly, weak, women, and children who remain at home keep their doors tightly shut and dare not come out easily."
Because of the time constraints today, we didn't have time to go into the county town to check the situation. I imagine it's similar to the situation in the village, where everyone is living in fear.
Grandpa Zhao nodded knowingly. "That's understandable. For them, survival is the most important thing right now. People in the county town probably feel the same way. Even if you went there, there probably wouldn't be anyone on the streets. They'd all be hiding at home right now, too afraid to come out."
While continuing to eat, Lu Chuan said, "Today, my master and I looked around the village and found that the soldiers were not killing anyone. They only searched the outer perimeter of the mountain and did not go deep inside."
The conscription operation seems to have just begun, but it's unclear whether the searches will be intensified later.
After listening, Grandpa Zhao continued, "It seems that neither the government troops nor the group of people who have hidden in the mountains have reached the point of being forced into a corner."
Once the mountain people run out of food, they will definitely go back into the mountains to find food, or they will go home. However, if they go home, they will be arrested by the soldiers, so they will most likely choose to go back into the mountains to find food.
The officials, who are currently able to apprehend people, are naturally unwilling to venture deep into the mountains. However, once they run out of arrests and have no way to report back, they will undoubtedly choose to continue deeper into the mountains.
After Grandpa Zhao's analysis, Xu Han immediately grasped the key point: "We also need to prepare. If people find out that we are deep in the mountains, and that we have food and are raising chickens, ducks and geese, we will definitely become their target."
Whether they are soldiers or civilians, they all pose a threat to us. Even unarmed civilians are no exception; when people are desperate for food, they are capable of anything.
Moreover, these people have all experienced years of famine; they've seen all sorts of hell on earth. We can't underestimate them.
The Taoist priest nodded in agreement, saying, "What the girl said is right. Although they may not be very skilled, there are many of them. Even if they can't hurt us, they will destroy the homes we have worked so hard to build. I don't want the courtyard and roads that I have painstakingly repaired to be ruined by them."
After finishing the last sip of soup, Lu Chuan wiped his mouth and said, "Then starting tomorrow, my master and I will take turns guarding the entrance, and we'll also set up some traps around there just in case."
Everyone unanimously approved Lu Chuan's proposal.
Xu Han added, "Starting tomorrow, the children won't be allowed to play outside the yard; they'll only be allowed to stay inside. We also won't cook during the day to avoid being discovered and having people come looking for us by the smoke."
Anyway, we've already cooked a lot of food, enough to last us for a while.
Grandpa Zhao agreed, "That's for the best. From now on, we'll try to minimize our presence until this storm passes."
Xu Han thought for a moment and then asked, "How did you get back? Where did you put the boat? Don't forget to bring it home; it wouldn't be good if someone found out."
"It's still parked in the same spot! It's too late today, we'll tow it back tomorrow."
After a brief discussion about what to do next, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. It was really late, and Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest had been traveling all day and were extremely tired, so they should rest early. If there was anything they hadn't thought of, they could talk about it tomorrow.
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