Chapter 144: The Mountain Rat

Li Shi’s will to survive finally resurfaced. She mustered her energy to manage selling clothes and bedding.

On a warm-yet-chilly day in March, after finishing his farm work, Shen San returned home expecting to lie down on his bed, only to find his bedding and pillows replaced…

While the couple in the third room debated about who was more shameful – him for spending all the savings on avoiding military service, thus cutting off the family's food supply, or her for selfishly selling belongings to seek medical treatment – in the dense forest, Shen Lian and his group, with bows drawn and serious expressions, aimed their arrows at a group of refugees who had appeared behind them.

These twenty-odd young men, unlike the refugees from the north, appeared neither starving nor weary, dressed decently, and seemed to be in better condition, likely original inhabitants from the vicinity of Qi Yang County who had fled into the mountains.

At this moment, the leaders of the group had been struck by arrows, wailing in agony. The arrows, made of bamboo, had penetrated deep into flesh due to the considerable strength of the archers, piercing through clothing with ease.

Four were wounded: two in the shoulders, two in the thighs, symmetrically distributed on either side.

By now, Shen Lian had switched to military-forged arrows on his bowstring.

“Next arrow, left chest. Who wants to test the accuracy of my shot?”

The tension of the bowstring in his hand shifted slightly, causing those he aimed at to continuously retreat in fear.

The thought of several dozen sacks of grain was tempting, but the sight of a dozen men with their bows fully drawn, especially the two teenagers and a young man who could disable an arm or leg at will, forced the group of outnumbering refugees to swallow hard in terror.

Terrified.

If bamboo arrows could penetrate so deeply, what damage could iron arrows do? A chilling thought crossed their minds as they imagined an iron arrow piercing a chest.

“No, no, we'll leave, right away.”

The grain wasn't worth risking their lives.

Once one person spoke up, the others turned and fled, dragging the wounded with them as they quickly retreated.

After the fleeing refugees had gone far, the young men following Shen Lian and his group felt their hands go weak, especially Wei Qinghe. His bow, borrowed from Chen Youtian, was barely functional, lacking both strength and accuracy.

Zhou Dalang and his companions sighed in relief, their legs still trembling: “Our mountain isn't so peaceful anymore.”

The journey out was smooth as they were only carrying empty baskets and didn’t encounter any trouble. However, the return trip was different. They had loaded up all the remaining grain, making them a conspicuous target.

Fortunately, Shen Lian and Chen Dazhan were truly fierce, and Lu Er managed to maintain control of the situation. Otherwise, not only would the grain have been lost, but their safety on the way back would have been uncertain.

The four men who returned from the north were accustomed to such situations. After a quick discussion, Shi Dalang and Lu Er took the lead, with Shen Lian and Chen Dazhan covering the rear, watching for any followers. They continued deeper into the mountains.

From Shili Village to the new grain storage site, and then towards Yun Valley, they had to detour and scout cautiously. The journey that normally took three days took more than four this time, encountering fewer people as they went deeper into the wilderness on the fifth day.

They once came across a group of wild boars at night. To avoid detection and make it easier to hide, they spent extra time digging a shelter on a mountainside, fitting both people and grain inside.

Hearing noises in the middle of the night, everyone held their breath, daring not to move. It was Shen Lian and Chen Dazhan who quietly opened the camouflaged wooden door of the shelter a crack, using the moonlight filtering through the trees to identify the source of the sound.

Fifteen or sixteen wild boars of varying sizes – had they stumbled upon a boar’s nest?

Better not to provoke them. They stayed quiet in the shelter.

Having left Yun Valley on the early days of March, it wasn’t until the evening of March 22nd that they finally made their way back, nearing Yun Valley. The group rested in a cave, scouting separately to ensure they weren’t followed, and only returned to the valley under the cover of darkness.

As they had previously informed that they would return late, no one was waiting at the entrance of the valley. Shen Lian and his group managed to get all the grain into the valley, hid their baskets, sealed the entrance, and only when delivering the grain to the main cave did the residents of the outermost Xu family faintly hear some noise.

Upon entering the valley, Shen Lian and his group lit torches, and they all paused in surprise upon seeing the situation inside the main cave.

The previous shelves and grain bags were gone, replaced by neatly stacked firewood.

Puzzled, the group exchanged looks, wondering, “What happened? Isn’t the grain supposed to be stored here?”

Old Madam Xu had already come out to greet them, accompanied by Xu Wenbo and Wang Yunzheng. As for Xu Wenying, she had gone to inform the other families.

After inquiring from Old Madam Xu, Shen Lian’s group learned that an infestation of mountain rats had damaged many of the grain bags, wasting a considerable amount of grain. To prevent further loss and make it easier to watch over the grain, each family had moved their supplies back to their caves, using the main cave for storing the dried firewood.

They realized there was no need to move the new grain to the main cave; it would all be taken to the Xu family’s cave, as this last batch consisted of their grain and salt supplies.

Sang Luo, upon hearing from Xu Wenying that the grain carriers had returned, came out with Shen An and Shen Ning to meet them and ran into Shen Lian carrying a large bag of grain outside the Xu family's cave.

Upon meeting, Shen An and Shen Ning had many questions, knowing their brother had planned a secret visit to the village to see Shen Jin.

Sang Luo also wanted to learn about the situation outside.

However, with many people around and grain still being moved, they had to hold back their inquiries.

The wooden racks previously in the main cave were now distributed among the families, with the Xu family getting two. Chen Youtian, who stayed in Yun Valley, even made two extra racks, ensuring enough storage space in the now cramped cave.

It was only after all the grain was moved that everyone had a chance to talk. By then, the Chen family, Zhou Cunzheng, the Lu family, and the Shi family had also arrived, gathering at the entrance of the Xu family's cave, primarily to ask Shen Lian and Chen Dazhan about the situation outside.

They were relieved to hear that the county and villages were still stable for the time being, although more people had fled into the mountains. Specifically, two more households had been added to Shili Village.

However, the number of refugees in the mountains had increased, as Zhou Dalang shared their experience of being ambushed by over twenty refugees while transporting grain, causing everyone's hearts to sink.

Zhou Cunzheng anxiously asked, “What happened then? How did you escape?”

“Ah Lian, Dashan, and Uncle Lu were the first to act, shooting and injuring several of their men, which deterred them and made them retreat,” was the reply.

The elders looked worried, but Shen Lian reassured them, “There's no need for excessive worry. Deeper in the mountains, it's more likely to encounter wolves and wild boars, so the journey was relatively safe the last few days. People are unlikely to venture too far into the mountains for now, but we do need to be more cautious in the future. We'll need to hide or disguise anything that can't be brought into the mountains, like the leftover carrying baskets.”

Shen Lian was aware that this temporary peace was just that - temporary. Initially, when seeking a refuge, they had planned to explore deeper into the mountains for seven days before returning, but discovered this secluded valley on the sixth day and chose it as their shelter.

He understood that if true chaos erupted, even deeper areas like this would attract the more daring refugees seeking safety.

After all, the dangers of war and bandits are often more deadly than wild animals in the mountains.

So, if real turmoil starts outside, the area around the valley would likely see refugee activity, but that was an unavoidable situation. They would have to deal with challenges as they arise.

Shen Lian suggested, “If you need any specific supplies from the mountains or things not found in the valley, we can go out and look for them soon. Once turmoil starts outside, it’ll be harder to travel in and out.”

Most families lacked food, unsure how long they would need to hide in the mountains. More food storage meant longer sustainability.

Currently, in early spring with summer still some weeks away, the valley’s food mainly consisted of wild vegetables, not a necessity when cultivable land was available.

Meat, however, was a valuable resource as it could be preserved, but hunting required skill. While Shen Lian and Chen Dashan led them into the mountains, hunting remained a skill-dependent task, so those with the ability could hunt, and others would have to calculate whether it was worth the risk.

Those willing to try could slowly hone their skills and expect some success.

Everyone nodded in understanding, knowing that after spending over ten days outside, the group must be exhausted. They agreed it was time to rest and returned to their respective homes.

The Shen and Chen families lingered a bit longer, sharing the details of their meeting with Xu Zhangmu (Manager Xu) with the Xu family.

When Xu Lao Tai Tai (Elder Mrs. Xu) learned that they had helped her son by digging a concealed hiding place in the mountains outside Qiyang county, she profusely thanked Shen Lian and Chen Dashan, who both modestly declined the gratitude.

Noticing the eager looks of Xu Wenbo and Xu Wenying, Shen Lian realized something and smiled, "We met hidden in the mountains due to time constraints and lack of writing materials. Your father couldn't reply to your letters, but he will take your letters to Huizhou for your mother and brother, to reassure them."

Xu Wenbo was relieved to hear that the letters would reach his mother, saying, "That's great, my mother will be less worried after reading them."

He then gratefully bowed to Shen Lian and Chen Dashan for delivering the letters.

Still a young boy full of childlike innocence, Shen Lian and Chen Dashan smiled and accepted his thanks. After some casual conversation, they bid farewell to the Xu family and headed home.

The Shen family's cave was just a few steps away. Approaching, they noticed the cave door was securely closed.

Shen Lian paused, then realized that Sang Luo must be afraid of snakes.

Indeed, Sang Luo explained with a laugh, "With no one around, I was worried that leaving the door open might let snakes or rats in, so I closed it when we left."

Right, the issue with mountain rats.

As Shen Lian removed the door plank, he asked Sang Luo, "Did our grain suffer much damage from the rats?"

Sang Luo hesitated before responding, "Not too bad, four bags were damaged. Uncle You Tian is planning to build a granary, and fortunately, we discovered the issue in time. The loss wasn't significant."

At first, Shen Lian didn't catch the underlying tone in her voice, but then Shen An commented in a low voice, "The rats are quite picky, only going after the grains in our storage."

His words carried a hint of resentment.

Only then did Shen Lian realize something was amiss, and instinctively looked at Sang Luo, "What happened?"

Sang Luo nodded, signaling, "Let's talk inside."

She then asked Shen An and Shen Ning to fetch some firewood for the stove near the cleansing room, as Shen Lian needed to wash up and she had to prepare some food for him.

Shen An understood that his sister-in-law preferred not to discuss this matter in front of him and his sister, so he led Shen Ning out.

Inside the cave, Shen Lian asked in a low voice, "Did someone steal our grain?"

Sang Luo glanced outside before replying softly, "There's no evidence. It's true about the rats; the bags have bite marks and there's scattered grain and half-eaten beans on the ground. However, not all bags show these marks. Of the four damaged in our house, two seem different. It might just be my overthinking."

"What about the others? Any similar incidents?"

"It's hard to openly ask about such matters. The Xu family needed sewing supplies and came to us. Old Mrs. Xu's eyesight isn't great, so I offered to help. I noticed three of their grain bags had neater cuts. I didn't see this with the other families when I visited."

So they specifically targeted our and the Xu family's supplies?

Shen Lian furrowed his brow, trusting Sang Luo's judgment. He knew she wouldn't mention it unless she was fairly certain.

He felt agitated, noting the need for caution against wild animals and bandits outside, and now this inside the valley. Suppressing his annoyance, he asked, "You must have some suspicions, right?"

After working together for so long, they had a good understanding of each family's character.

It had been a few days since the incident, and Sang Luo was more composed. Meeting his gaze with a smile, she said, "Without evidence, I won't make baseless accusations. We should move our grains back into the cave to prevent rat damage. The perpetrator can't reach inside our cave. Just be more vigilant from now on, and stick to our plan for careful comings and goings. Let's avoid any trouble while we're here."

Besides Shen Lian and Chen Dashan, the other valley residents, including Lu Er and Shi Dalang, should be cautious about venturing out alone.

Shen Lian met Sang Luo's eyes and, although he didn't ask further, had a vague idea. He clenched his jaw, holding back anger, and said, "Alright, I understand."

Hunting wasn't everyone's forte. If someone was so intent on petty gains to this extent, then let them continue to covet.