Soon, Su Yonglin, the village chief of Sujia Village, stood at the front of the team with a solemn expression.
He cleared his throat and shouted in a heavy voice, "We've agreed to head south to Jeju this time. No one knows what the situation is like outside. It will take at least five months to get from Sujia Village to Jeju, so we need to bring food and clothes. We have 31 households and 267 people in our village. If you want to reach your destination safely, you must obey orders and not cause any trouble. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences!"
The village chief stared at the people in the village who needed special attention and said with a stern expression.
Seeing their evasive gazes, he continued, "Everyone, we are about to leave. Before we go, you must kowtow to our ancestors and pray that their spirits in heaven will bless us and keep us safe on the journey!"
After saying that, Su Yonglin took the lead and walked towards the direction of the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall, knelt down respectfully, and kowtowed several times.
Seeing this, the villagers followed suit. For a while, the only sound was the "dong dong dong" of kowtows echoing in this small ancestral hall.
Everyone's eyes were filled with reluctance and worry about the future. After all, once they left, they didn't know if they would be able to return to the land that gave birth to them.
After bowing, Su Yonglin slowly stood up, looked around at everything familiar, then took a deep breath, and led everyone to walk towards the village head, looking back every step of the way. The reluctant look on his face made anyone feel sad.
Yao Qingshuang was also in this group. As she followed the crowd slowly forward, she couldn't help but look back at the village.
Although she had only been here for one day, for some reason, when she was about to leave, she still felt an indescribable sense of confusion in her heart.
However, this sadness did not stay in her heart for long.
This road is really too difficult to walk on!
Ancient roads are completely incomparable to the smooth cement or asphalt roads of modern times.
The roads here are full of potholes, as if they have been trampled by countless giant beasts, and there are occasionally a few broken stones lying across the road.
In the still dark sky, with the faint moonlight and the flickering light of the torches, it was difficult to see clearly and one could easily trip if not careful.
Everyone could only walk slowly and carefully, being wary of the conditions under their feet with every step, so Yao Qingshuang could only put those worries behind her temporarily and concentrate on dealing with this difficult road.
The villagers of Sujia Village drove all kinds of vehicles and set out on the road to escape famine.
There are slow but steady ox carts, with lowing oxen pulling the carts, as if they know the hardships of the journey and move with extra steadiness; there are also mule carts that are a little more impatient, with mules snorting and rhythmically tapping the ground with their hooves, pulling the carts forward quickly; there are also quite a few carts, pushed by people, making creaking sounds, as if telling of the difficulties of the journey; and there are also small and flexible wheelbarrows, which, under the control of their owners, steadily carry their small belongings.
Looking from a distance, this long convoy, under the dim sky, was illuminated red by the light of the torches, just like a winding fire dragon slowly floating through the mountains. The scene was quite spectacular, yet it was also filled with a strong sense of tragedy.
Half an hour later, the sky gradually turned pale, and the bright yellow became stronger and stronger, and the sky finally gradually brightened.
As the sky grew brighter, the road became easier to walk on.
The potholes and rocks that were previously hidden in the darkness can now be seen more clearly, and everyone no longer has to walk as cautiously as before.
This time when the Su family fled the famine, they brought an ox cart and a cart.
Su Wencheng and Su Wenjun agreed that one would be responsible for driving the ox cart and the other would be responsible for pushing the cart. They also agreed to take turns pulling the cart every day so that they could have time to rest.
"Mom, come on up and sit on the ox cart." Su Wencheng looked at his mother who had been walking beside the ox cart with concern, his eyes full of worry.
The sun was shining brightly at this time, and the heat was still making people feel a little uneasy. Su Wencheng thought that his mother was old and could not withstand such torture.
After hearing what her son said, Yao Qingshuang stopped and looked at the ox cart filled with various belongings and items.
I saw that the small truck bed was filled with all kinds of clothes, food and other things, with only a narrow space left that could barely accommodate one person.
She frowned slightly, then shook her head gently, and said firmly, "I can still walk, so leave the ox cart to the children. They are young and weak, so don't let them get hurt on the road."
Su Minglan followed her grandmother closely and walked side by side. Her small figure looked particularly well-behaved in the sunlight.
Hearing her grandmother's words, she looked up, her bright eyes revealing a hint of stubbornness. She reached out and tugged at Yao Qingshuang's hand, saying crisply, "Grandma, I can walk too. I'm already grown up, and I don't want to ride in an ox cart. I want to walk with you, so I can talk to you."
"Okay, dear, let's take the bus when you are tired of walking." Yao Qingshuang gently touched the hair of her eldest granddaughter Su Minglan with loving care, her eyes showing endless love.
She was filled with emotion, thinking that this little kid was only six years old, who should have been playing coquettishly in his parents' arms and playing carefree, but now he had to follow the adults to escape famine and sleep in the open air all the way.
But this child never complained or felt tired along the way. He is so sensible that it makes people feel distressed.
Yao Qingshuang took advantage of the fact that others were not paying attention, and quietly had an idea, and took out a few rock candies from the supermarket space.
She quickly and secretly stuffed it into Su Minglan's mouth, and put two into her own mouth as well.
In the past, this rock sugar was too sweet and a bit cloying.
But now, in this difficult situation of fleeing famine, tasting this rock sugar again is really delicious. The hint of sweetness seems to be able to dispel the fatigue and hardship along the way.
Su Minglan suddenly tasted the sweet taste in her little mouth, and she was immediately very happy, and her big eyes lit up instantly.
She excitedly tugged at the corner of her grandmother's clothes, as if she wanted to share the joy with her grandmother.
Seeing this, Yao Qingshuang quickly raised a finger and gestured to her not to speak, with a hint of warning in her eyes.
Su Minglan immediately understood and nodded obediently, but she couldn't help but reveal a sly smile on her little face, as if she and grandma were hiding a little secret that belonged only to the two of them.
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