ised an eyebrow.She and Bao Lei didn't see eye to eye, not even a word. Bao Lei came here today specifically, there must be something...Since she was idle anyway, she took Peng the shopkeeper and Shui..."Village chief, you go over the mountains. Our family of three won't be following."
The young daughter-in-law spoke succinctly, her tone laced with a hint of pride.
People from her familiar village hurried to ask.
"What's going on Where are you guys going You wouldn't actually climb the mountain yourselves, would you That's impossible! It's way too dangerous up there. Just come with the group."
The villagers were kind, but unfortunately the young daughter-in-law didn't appreciate it.
She pointed to the city gate and smiled.
"We'll go straight through the city gate. No need to climb over the mountains with everyone else, that takes too much effort."
The villagers were stunned, their faces turning pale.
Passing through the city gates cost a toll.
That is to say, their family could come up with fifteen ounces!
But yesterday she was still clamoring for the Li family to pay her in silver, and now this has happened!
They are unwilling to spend their own money, but they are always looking for ways to take advantage of others!
The more people thought about it, the angrier they became. Their eyes fixed on the family of three, with a hint of contempt and anger.
The man couldn't quite bear it, and spoke in a low voice.
"Village Head, my child is weak and I'm afraid climbing the mountain won't be possible. We can reach the official road over there and wait for everyone else..."
"No need!" The village head's face darkened, and he cut him off directly.
"You just leave, and from now on you all go your separate ways. When you meet, pretend you don't know each other. You all needn't wait for any of you."
"Just that, who wants your fake kindness, get out of here!"
"Such shameless things, you clearly have silver, and yesterday you even forced Mrs. Li's family to give you money, simply lost your conscience!"
"From now on, you all go your separate ways. Your life and death have nothing to do with the village anymore!"
The villagers spoke harshly. The ashamed man grunted a few times, unable to speak.
But the little daughter-in-law pouted and pulled the child away.
But Li Lao Si stepped forward and blocked their way.
The young wife was startled and hid behind the man, shouting.
"What are you doing Everyone is watching! If you kill us, you'll go to jail!"
Li Lao Si let out a cold snort, disdainful of speaking to her, and only addressed the man.
"You may leave, but since we won't be seeing each other again, you should at least return the grain you borrowed from our family back when you were in the village."
"Yes, and grain too!" the villagers immediately cried in unison.
"Don't you have silver Aren't you going through the city gate Why don't you pay back the food you owe"
"Must pay back!"
The young daughter-in-law was indignant and shouted, “Why should we pay it back Hu Laosan and the others didn’t pay it back before!”
Li Laotai embraced her granddaughter and said coldly, "Hu Lao San and his men just don't know gratitude or how to look after each other. But you, you are a white-eyed wolf, always scheming against our family!"
The young daughter-in-law flushed red with shame, deeply regretting her former arrogance and self-satisfaction.
I should have just left earlier, then I wouldn't have been forced to pay back the food.
"We have no food left, almost all of it is gone! We can't just spit it out, can we"
"Then give me the money! Don't you have any Food discounts, pay at market price!"
The village head was also furious and decided immediately.
The young bride and the man were surrounded by villagers in the middle. Where would they dare not give it.
Gritting his teeth, he paid the price of thirty catties of sorghum at twenty ounces per catty.
Li Laotai took the silver coins in her hand and turned to leave.
The villagers then parted ways, coldly watching the young wife and man flee with their child.
"I used to think he was a good person, but I realize now that you can't judge a book by its cover."
"It's just, there are too many ingrates."
The villagers were all fuming and cursing incessantly. The village head shook his hand, turned his head, and looked at the Li family who had already started walking towards the foot of the mountain.
“By now, you should know how rare a person like Li Jia is. They could have easily passed through the city gate, but because they're with us, they choose to climb mountains and endure hardships together. You guys, learn some conscience! From now on, if anyone dares to be unkind to Li Jia, don't blame me for personally digging out your wickedness!”
Everyone followed their gaze and saw Li Laosan helping Zhao Shu onto the donkey's back. The other two old men with weak legs were pulled onto a wooden sled by Li Laosi and Jia Yi.
At times like this, these three old men are nothing but a burden.
But Li was willing to spend so much effort and refused to abandon them.
Such deep loyalty and righteousness, it simply embarrasses everyone.
At the same time, they felt a deep sense of security in their hearts.
Following the Li family, how the path ahead is unknown, but as long as they listen and have a conscience, even if they face hardship, there's no need to fear being abandoned...
The journey was fraught with twists and turns. By the time everyone had scrambled into the woods, the sun was already rising high above their heads.
The city gate was still packed, even more crowded than yesterday.
Occasionally, someone would glance over and suddenly see the residents of Qing Shui Village walking up the mountain.
"Goodness, it seems someone's climbing a mountain"
"Climb over the mountains Of course! Why are we staying here and doing nothing We can climb over the mountains and bypass the city gate!"
"Yes, over the mountains, over the mountains!"
"How could I have not thought of this I wasted two days' worth of effort!"
As soon as the words were spoken, some people began gathering things and rushing toward the hills on both sides of the county town.
The common people on the outside didn't know what was happening at first, but as word spread, they became panicked and fled in a hurry.
The soldiers at the city gate were initially proud, but when they suddenly saw the crowd of people retreating like a tide, they were taken aback. Could the imperial procession have arrived
Or was it a high-ranking official from Kyoto who had set out early and arrived ahead of time
But it didn't take long for them to understand.
Because the hills on both sides of the county town looked like green steamed buns, they were covered with ants, densely packed.
All those who had no carriages and no silver began to climb the mountains, dragging their families with them.
The soldiers at the city gate were furious, these fools how suddenly became so smart.
Why didn't anyone think of this a few days ago Now everyone seems to have had a sudden realization!
Of course they didn't know, at this very moment, the culprit had already climbed to the top of the mountain.
The village headman was carrying a heavy load on his shoulders and supporting his elderly wife at the same time. He was exhausted.
Halfway there, the old wife was picked up by Zhao Yuru.
Tao Hongying carried Jiayin on her back and supported Lao Li.
Jiarren, Jiayiyi, Jiahuan and Li Lao San were carrying their luggage, pulling Jia'an and Jiaxi along.
Li Laer carried a basket on his back and led the big mule, Da Qing.
Uncle Zhao on the mule kept nagging, "Let me get down for a while and let your mother and children come up."
Li Lao'er refused, and Zhao Shu had lost a foot and struggled to walk every day.
In such barren wilderness with no path, he definitely couldn't walk through it.
Li Lao Si and Jia Yi had the heaviest burden. They not only had to pull two elderly men, but each also carried a bag of grain on the sled.
But the two of them seemed more relaxed than everyone else, which was touching to see.
Several young men from the village walked at the front, occasionally using their sickles to clear away weeds and tree branches and vines.
It's much easier for the elderly and people with disabilities to walk now, as there are fewer obstacles.
The old and young in the village were exhausted. Looking at the old men sitting on the sled, they were extremely envious.
Thinking about it, their tiredness didn't seem so unbearable after all.
Jia Yin lay on the basket on her mother's back, swaying and watching the crowd. She really wanted to tell them.
This is a sense of security, an unshakeable and unwavering sense of security!
Li Lao Tai occasionally turned her head to see her granddaughter's excited expression, she really couldn't help but laugh and cry.
At such times, even the children would perk up.
She hurriedly pulled the fine sand again, covering her granddaughter completely, afraid that insects or something from the tree might fall and scare her.
After finally making it to the top of the hill, the village chief called for a two-minute break.through the pages while chattering to herself, getting herself excited and making everyone else chuckle with amusement.Mrs. Li couldn't help but urge, "Funiu'er, Baozhu was terrified following you thi...