Yan Ci went to open the door, and Bai Wenyi and Lin Xiao were standing outside, each carrying two bolts of cloth.
Bai Wenyi asked, "Yan Ci, is everything alright at home?"
Bai Xiaoyue came out and said, "Second Brother, we're alright. Are He Miao and the child alright?"
Bai Wenyi said, "They're fine. My father told us, my siblings and I, and our families to stay at the old house for a few days until things calm down, and then we'll move back."
Bai Xiaoyue smiled and said, "Uncle is indeed wise."
Chang Le ran out and took the cloth from Bai Wenyi's hand, smiling as she said:
"Second Uncle, thank you. I was just about to come find you."
Bai Xiaoyue asked Bai Wenyi and Lin Xiao, "Have you eaten yet? Would you like to stay for a simple meal?"
Yan Ci took the cloth from Lin Xiao's hand and glared at Bai Wenyi.
Bai Wenyi quickly said, "Xiaoyue, no need, my mother has already prepared the meal."
Bai Xiaoyue watched the two leave and then closed the courtyard gate.
Lin Xiao asked Bai Wenyi, "Brother Wen, does that Brother Yan dislike me?"
Bai Wenyi sneered a few times: "You've finally realized that your wolfish ambitions are obvious. He can like you."
Lin Xiao protested, "That was before. I wouldn't dare have such thoughts now. Didn't you see how fierce my aunt was today? She was even more ferocious than a man."
Bai Wenyi laughed: "I think our family is very good. If it weren't for her, we might not have been able to get out of here unscathed today."
Lin Xiao nodded in deep agreement:
"That Cui Yu is incredibly skilled at such a young age. He fights like a madman. I never realized it."
Bai Wenyi coughed lightly and said:
“At first I thought Cui Yu was a burden, but it turns out I was the one who needed protection.”
Lin Xiao sighed: "Brother Wen, it's all my fault. If I hadn't changed routes, even if we had run into that group of people last time, it wouldn't have been this dangerous."
Bai Wenyi patted Lin Xiao on the shoulder:
"Lin Xiao, how can I blame you? You were doing it for everyone's good. Who knew the road would be so turbulent?"
I'm already so grateful to have come back safely!
Lin Xiao: "It's good that you don't blame me."
Bai Wenyi: "You've helped me a lot, and I remember it all."
Lin Xiao: "Brother Wen, it's too formal for us to talk about these things."
At the Yan family home, Wang Weiguo saw that Yan Ci had returned and wanted to take Li Mingyue and the child home.
Bai Xiaoyue disagreed: "Brother-in-law, since we don't have anything else to do right now, why don't you stay here with me!"
Wang Weiguo said, "Xiaoyue, don't worry, I'm being careful. All our neighbors have people at home, so everything will be fine."
Mr. and Mrs. Bai insisted on leaving, saying that their courtyards were next to each other and they would let them know if anything happened.
Bai Wen'an asked his parents to come to his place to help take care of the children, saying that his youngest son was very noisy at night, making it hard for him to sleep and leaving him with no energy for work during the day.
Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Bai realized that their son was so listless at work that they couldn't bear it and quickly agreed to go see their grandson.
Bai Xiaoyue made Yan Ci check each room before letting the three children go back to their rooms to sleep.
After everyone had gone to sleep, she finally had time to ask Yan Ci, "Did you have a smooth journey today?"
Yan Ci was thinking about how to say it so as not to scare his wife.
Seeing that Yan Ci didn't speak, Bai Xiaoyue panicked: "A-Ci, are you injured again?"
Yan Ci quickly said, "Wife, don't panic, I'm not hurt. Chang Le is fine too."
Bai Xiaoyue asked suspiciously, "You're not lying to me? Did you run into the same robbers again on the road?"
Yan Ci lay down and opened his arms: "Wife, why don't you take a look?"
Bai Xiaoyue pulled open Yan Ci's clothes and examined him carefully. Finding no injuries, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She lay on top of Yan Ci, beaming, and said, "Ci, it seems we were lucky this time and didn't run into any bad people."
Yan Ci covered his wife with the quilt before casually telling her about what had happened along the way.
Bai Xiaoyue was terrified when she heard this. This was far from smooth sailing; it was much more dangerous than the last group of farmers. One wrong move and she almost didn't make it back.
Seeing his wife stunned, Yan Ci pressed her head to his chest and whispered:
"Honey, were you scared? Look, I'm perfectly fine. All of us who went there are okay."
Chang Le and Cui Yu are both quite skilled. I didn't want to tell you this and make you worry, but I was afraid you'd hear it from someone else and it would frighten you even more.
Bai Xiaoyue pursed her lips, tears welling up in her eyes, not wanting Yan Ci to see, and nestled against Yan Ci's chest without moving.
Yan Ci knew his wife was still scared, so he quietly stayed with her.
After a long pause, Bai Xiaoyue said, "Aci, let's not go there anymore. Let's just stay in the village and live a peaceful life."
Once the world is stable, if the children want to go out and make their way in the world, let them go.
Yan Ci said, "Alright!"
Bai Xiaoyue said again, "Aci, you should get some rest. You must be exhausted after a long day. I made you worry when you got back, and you ran all the way here."
Yan Ci: "Wife, as long as you're doing well, I don't feel tired!"
Bai Xiaoyue: "You should get some rest. My uncle said that the group of fugitives is nearby, but we don't know where they're hiding. We might have to organize a search tomorrow."
Yan Ci: "Wife, don't be afraid, I'll protect you and the child."
With Yan Ci by her side, Bai Xiaoyue quickly became sleepy.
Yan Ci heard his wife's breathing was steady and long, so he changed his position and let her lean against him before closing his eyes to sleep.
The next day, my uncle said that the group of fugitives hadn't gone far and had robbed another family in a nearby village.
Ye Jianguo organized a meeting for the commune members:
"If there are few people in your family, it's best to live with relatives or neighbors so that everyone can look after each other."
We can only feel at ease once we've caught this group. It's best to go out in groups of several people, and never stay home alone.
In addition, people should be organized to patrol the village entrance and exit to prevent strangers from entering.
After the meeting, everyone went to visit families they were close to.
Bai Xiaoyue then discussed with Yan Ci, "Aci, how about letting Mingyue move in with us for a few days?"
Yan Ci nodded: "Okay."
Bai Xiaoyue approached Li Mingyue: "Mingyue, why don't you move into my house?"
After discussing it with Wang Weiguo, Li Mingyue moved to the Yan family home with Ping'er and An'an.
Xiao Bai moved to her parents' room, giving the room to Li Mingyue's family.
During the day, Li Mingyue, Chang Le, and Ruyi go to work. Wang Weiguo takes them to the garment factory and then goes to the meat processing plant to work. He also picks them up after get off work.
Yan Ci patrolled during the day and stayed home to guard the house at night.
For two days in a row, everything was peaceful and no cases were reported elsewhere, so everyone assumed that the group had left.
The storm has passed, and everyone is preparing to go home.
Li Mingyue was also happily preparing to move back.
Bai Xiaoyue asked her to stay another night; it was a rare opportunity to be together, and the children were happy too.
That night, everyone fell asleep. They were probably quite stressed these past few days and slept very soundly.
Xiao Bai got up in the middle of the night and heard what sounded like a noise, but upon closer listening, it seemed like there was nothing there.
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