The old man did not run around or shout. He was very calm. He took the gong and knocked it three times at the entrance of the village. The villagers who lived not far away could hear it.
The village chief woke up early every day. He was about to get up and go for a run to exercise, but when he heard the gong, his heart tightened. He took a group of people and grabbed weapons and hurried out.
The group of bandits were still living in the ancestral hall. They woke up when they heard the faint sound of the gong.
"Should we go over and help?"
"Are you crazy? Why are you helping me? Why are you so bored?"
"But if someone breaks in, we won't be able to survive."
"Yes, although we don't have enough to eat now, at least the villagers didn't beat us..."
In fact, they had been in the village for so long, working to atone for their sins. Although tired, they did not feel the urgency of fleeing to the end of the world. Moreover, they looked at the food in the fields and felt itchy in their hearts, even looking forward to whether they could get a share.
It would be nice if I could settle down in this village and have food and drink.
Everyone looked at the eldest brother. He pursed his lips, thinking of his dead brother, then turned to look at the second brother who lowered his head and said nothing, and the second brother's vitals, and thought of the murders they had committed in the village.
Finally nodded, "Let's go take a look. If you need help, we can ask you. If not, then come back."
The village chief had a stern face, holding a hatchet in his hand, and led his men to the village entrance.
The old man spoke first, "I heard a lot of footsteps outside the door. I asked who it was, but they didn't answer."
"I understand, Grandpa, please go inside first."
The old man leaned on a crutch and retreated under the eaves. He couldn't see or hit anyone, so he could only try his best to avoid being hit, so as not to be a hindrance.
The village chief shouted, "Who is outside? What brings you to the village?"
He heard a commotion outside the door. After a while, a weak female voice cried out, "Brother, I'm fleeing from the disaster in the neighboring city. My child has fainted from hunger. Please save the child! I beg you!"
The village chief didn't reply. After a while, another child cried out in a hoarse voice, "Please, uncle, save my brother! He's dying!"
In the gloom, the cries for help sounded so pitiful that they struck those with children at home. Some people couldn't help but feel sympathy, but no one spoke up. The village chief had the final say.
Zhuzi and Tiezi brought a long ladder they had made specially and placed it on the wall.
Zhuzi climbed up, observed for a while, and after coming down, he whispered to the village chief, "There are ten people in total, eight boys and two girls. The youngest child is being held by someone, and there's no sign of any illness."
"How do the adults look?"
"He's about thirty or forty years old. He looks about the same age as us. He doesn't look like he's starving to death."
The village chief hesitated for a moment, then replied to the door, "We don't have any food here either, so please leave quickly."
The weather has been good for a while now, and summer has only been here for a month. We survived the disasters of last year and more. In the past few months, we have been hiking up mountains and down rivers, picking wild vegetables and eating leaves. At least we are not starving now.
Unless, they want to take the opportunity to steal something or enter the village to rob things.
When those people heard this, they cried even louder, banging on the door and wailing, with even the voice of a little child mixed in.
"Please, save us!"
"Help! We just need a sip of water and a bite of food, no more..."
If someone were soft-hearted, they would have probably paid out food aid by now.
The village chief had a cold expression on his face, and no one else dared to speak, leaving the situation at a standstill. The people outside cried until their voices were truly hoarse, and since no one was coming out, they began to bang on the door.
This door is newly made of good wood. Although it is not as good as the best doors, it is not so easy to break into.
But everyone felt sorry for the situation and couldn't just let people smash the door, nor did they want to be cowards.
Tiezi stood up, looking very determined, "Village Chief, we've been training for so long, it's time for a real fight!"
Zhuzi nodded as well, holding a wooden stick. He was used to it, so the long stick was more comfortable to him, and it was just as good as a kitchen knife.
The village chief felt that he couldn't lose the momentum. If he hid the first time, the villagers might not dare to fight again. He immediately ordered, "Open the door."
When the people outside saw the door open, they thought the villagers had relented and were taking out food. Before they could even smile, their faces froze.
A group of more than twenty strong men came out with knives, guns, sticks and clubs.
They immediately stepped back, and the woman holding the child knelt on the ground crying and began to kowtow.
"Please save my child! Just give me a bite to eat, and I'll work like a slave for you!"
The village chief knew at a glance that the child was beyond saving. His face was blue, and he didn't even open his eyes despite the loud noise.
"If you don't leave, we won't be polite!"
The woman held the child, hatred in her eyes. Why was no one willing to save her child? Why were they so cruel? Everyone deserved to die!
She put the child down and rushed towards the village chief like crazy. The people behind her also pulled out kitchen knives, obviously coming prepared.
The villagers guarded the entrance of the village tightly and did not let anyone in.
These people also realized that there must be money to be made in this village, so they fought for their lives.
With more than twenty people against eight or nine people, the chances of winning were naturally greater, and they were easily subdued.
The village chief confiscated all the weapons and used them for the village.
He didn't want to commit too many murders; everyone was forced by the situation. He beat the man up and drove him away.
This was their first fight, and they won, with smiles on everyone's faces.
Jiang Yue and the other person did not participate, but they were watching behind the door to serve as backup for them.
Everyone was smiling. Some people were injured but only slightly. They all said that they would practice martial arts every day in the future.
The martial arts they practiced were all wild, but they were not used on the battlefield. They were only used for self-protection and were enough to deal with ordinary people.
The dozen or so bandits in the village came out quietly, watched the fight, and then went back quietly. The atmosphere was silent.
The eldest brother, who was in charge, said sullenly, "From now on, let's all behave ourselves and do the work when we are asked to."
They will never be able to beat others again.
Perhaps the high walls of Changle Village signaled that something good was coming. People kept coming to beg for food, crying and showing weakness, or beating and scolding, but they were all driven away.
The villagers now dare not leave the village easily. They draw water from the well every day to irrigate the fields and keep a close eye on the grain in the fields. As long as the grain is not harvested, they will not feel at ease.
As for the vegetable garden, a new crop of vegetables has been planted. We will harvest as much as we can. They are good things that can fill our stomachs.
Under the scorching sun, the villagers were worried about the harvest and were getting anxious.
In mid-July, they finally began to harvest the crops.
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