"Chapter 128: Has Little Jin Cried?"

Having chosen their caves, the families each headed to their own. Sang Luo felt it was like modern people buying a house, even if it was just a gray, dusty cave – it was home for the foreseeable future.

Shen An and Shen Ning, along with Chen Xiaoya, were particularly excited, leading the way with twigs and grass. The Xu siblings felt apprehensive, unsure how to live in the cave they'd just seen. Wang Yunzhen, clutching the small bundle he'd held for nine days, followed behind Old Lady Xu and Wei Qinghe, looking towards the chosen Xu cave with tentative hope.

The first visit to the caves was brief, but the second time, everyone paid closer attention – it was where they would settle down.

Shen Lian and Sang Luo, along with the two children, did the same.

Sang Luo appreciated her chosen cave, small but not lacking in other aspects, with a wide entrance and adequate light, avoiding the claustrophobia common in deeper, narrower caves.

From initially settling for less, Sang Luo had grown quite satisfied with her choice. She realized that even cave dwelling needed careful planning, especially a smaller one.

Shen Lian noted protruding rocks in the cave wall. They weren't sharp but could cause discomfort if bumped into. He suggested to Sang Luo, “Think about how to tidy up these days. Be careful with these rocks. After we transport all the grain, I’ll smooth them out and make the furniture.”

He hesitated about the cave's size, knowing why Sang Luo had inquired about another cave. Since they weren’t truly husband and wife, she preferred separate spaces. He offered, “Shall we dig further in to expand a bit? It's laborious but feasible. I’ll get some tools from Xu Zhanggui.”

While leading a group with children and elders was challenging, Shen Lian knew traversing the woods, especially with Chen Dashan, was not a difficult task for him.

Sang Luo's eyes lit up at the prospect of enlarging the cave but then hesitated, considering the stability of the mountain housing nine sizable caves. She shook her head, “Just a minor modification to the walls and slightly enlarging the interior will do. I'm afraid too much digging might hollow out the mountain.”

She pondered the mountain's strength, fearing a collapse would bury them all, although it might have been an overthought.

Shen Lian, smiling, agreed, “Alright.”

Privately, he actually preferred being closer to Sang Luo, like in the past.

After examining the cave, Sang Luo decided on the decoration and layout, to be implemented once Shen Lian returned with the grain. The group then returned to the larger cave as Shen Lian and his team had no time to rest; they had to return after lunch to get the grain stored at the first location, as it would be challenging to bring more grain into the mountains once chaos erupted outside.

In the large cave, Qin Fangniang and Gan Shi had already returned to prepare lunch. It was still early for the meal, but they were arranging dry food for Shen Lian and the others to take on their return journey.

Sang Luo joined in to help, but as families returned, the old ladies and aunts took over, bustling around the cave entrance, cooking. The entrance couldn't accommodate everyone, so they sent Sang Luo to pick vegetables for lunch.

The Xu family arrived last, unlike the village families, as none of them were used to hardships. Old Lady Xu and Wei Qinghe were okay, and Wang Yunzhen was mature for his age. The younger Xu siblings were wilting, struggling to imagine long-term living in a cave.

They replicated what they saw in the large cave – spreading dry grass and laying mats, diminishing the initial joy of discovering Yun Valley by half.

They understood the reality but were dispirited.

Old Lady Xu had already consoled the children inside the cave. She said little more now, encouraging them to play with friends, while she rolled up her sleeves to work with Chen Old Lady and the others.

The men, soon to depart, should have rested in the cave, but concerned about snakes hiding in thick grass, they all took up their hoes to clear the wild grass along the paths leading to each family's cave.

The most relaxed were the children, huddled together, discussing the layout of their own caves.

Older kids gathered with their age group, younger ones with theirs; boys in one cluster, girls in another.

Due to Xu Zhanggui's instructions, the Xu family had grown particularly close to the Shen family. Wen Ying, who had received extra care from Shen Ning during their journey, now joined Shen Ning, Chen Xiaoya, and Qiao'er in their group.

Listening to Shen Ning and Chen Xiaoya vividly describe their cave, whether big or small, round or narrow, Wen Ying was at a loss for words about her own.

Xu Wen Yin, noticed by the others, hesitantly said, "Our cave is so dark. Are we going to live there forever? Just sleeping on hay spread on the ground?"

Shen Ning chuckled, "Of course not. We'll make beds and even cabinets and tables. My brother knows how."

Chen Xiaoyan joined in the laughter, "My dad can do that too."

Xu Wen Yin looked perplexed and pondered before adding, "I don’t think my uncle knows how to."

Chen Xiaoyao reassured her, "Your uncle can learn from my dad, or from Brother A'Lie. Brother A'Lie learned from my dad too."

Wen Yin asked, "Is it difficult to learn?"

Shen Ning shook his head, "I don’t think so. My brother seemed to pick it up quite easily."

Wen Yin was relieved, whispering to the others, "I was worried we'd have to sleep on the ground forever. I saw bugs on the cave floor just now."

They all laughed, with Chen Xiaoyao suggesting, "We can get some dried mugwort from my grandmother to fumigate the cave."

Shen Ning added, "And bugs aren’t so bad. We can catch them to feed the chickens."

Even six-year-old Qiao'er nodded, "My brother catches bugs for our chickens. Mom says eggs are better when chickens eat lots of bugs."

Wen Yin looked at them admiringly, "You're all so brave."

Having been to the county and Dongfu Tower, Shen Ning replied, "It's not about being brave. We’ve just seen a lot since we were little. You must have always lived in nice houses in the county, so you haven’t seen such things."

Indeed, Wen Yin shared, "I used to live in the county, and recently in Shexian. This is my first time in the mountains. I've never seen so many bugs or wild animals before."

Hearing about the county and Shexian, Chen Xiaoyao curiously asked what they were like. Wen Yin's vivid descriptions of houses, shops, streets, vehicles, restaurants, and snack stalls left even the youngest, Qiao'er, drooling with envy.

Wen Yin smiled, "My father said if things calm down outside, he'll take us out. I'll bring you to my home then. We'll visit all those shops with my mother."

The girls were delighted at the thought, but Wen Yin's mood dimmed when mentioning her mother, "I miss my mom and dad, and my older and second brothers. Do you think it will really get chaotic outside? I heard my parents and grandmother talking about rebels storming into cities, killing people. That's why my father didn't want us all to stay in Shexian."

Most children might not understand the plight of refugees or the chaos of unrest, but the kids from these families are an exception. Their elders and Shen Lie have always kept them well-informed.

Shen Ning, who has heard the most, said, "I heard from my brother that the north has been in chaos for a while, with many deaths. It's not just the cities and towns; even the mountains are unsafe due to bandits. That's why we've hidden deep in these remote mountains."

Hearing Wen Yin talk about missing her parents, Shen Ning also thought of Shen Jin and the others.

"Now that we have a new home, I wonder how Shen Jin, Shen Yin, Shen Tie, and Tian Ya are doing back in the village."

Her spirits, which had been lifted, started to wane.

"Xiao Ya, do you think Shen Jin and the others are alright? Have they realized we're all gone? Did Shen Jin cry?"

She had kept these questions to herself for a long time, too afraid to voice them. But now, having safely reached their destination and settled their future living situation, she couldn't help but ask her closest playmate.

Chen Xiaoyao also felt downcast. She used to clash with Shen Jin but had grown to tolerate him as they spent every day playing together. His mention by Shen Ning brought a heaviness to her heart.

"He must have cried. If I were left behind, I'd cry too. And with the rebels around, could they have been harmed?"

This thought made her heart skip a beat. The idea of killing, previously only associated with slaughtering chickens or ducks, became a terrifying reality after her brother returned home, revealing that people could kill each other senselessly.

Thinking of their playmates made the children feel anxious.

Wen Yin, curious, asked, "Who is Shen Jin?"

Qiao'er explained, "He's Shen Ning and Shen An's cousin. Shen Ning has three cousins and a younger cousin sister. The eldest cousin is Shen Jin."

Wen Yin blinked in confusion, "Why didn't they come with us?"

Wen Yin noticed that the other families had all their cousins together.

Chen Xiaoyao spoke in a subdued tone, "It's because Shen Ning's aunt and uncle are especially difficult, and no one wanted to bring them along."

Wen Yin, who only had a kind uncle, couldn't quite grasp the concept of difficult relatives and asked, "Couldn't they just bring Shen Jin alone?"

Shen Ning, fiddling with grass in her hand, replied, "They probably wouldn't want to leave their parents."

Wen Yin realized that children usually stay with their parents, like how her grandmother had brought her and her brother since their parents couldn't come.

……

In Shili Village, after the tax collectors measured the grain and found it sufficient at Shen's house, they left, leaving Li Shi, who had been beaten, lying on the ground, unable to get up for a long while.

Shen Jin and Shen Yin tried to help her up, but being so young, they lacked the strength to lift her, crying uncontrollably. Shen Jin, noticing his father Shen San standing motionless in a corner, shouted, "Dad, what are you waiting for? Help mom up!"

Shen San was indeed startled, not expecting Li Shi to be so bold as to collide with an official.

He thought she had gone mad.

But his son's crying snapped him out of his daze. Realizing the tax collectors had left, he finally stood up straight and hurried over to help Li Shi, while scolding her, "Have you lost your mind? Wasn't two months of labor enough? You dare to assault an official - aren't you afraid of being taken away to serve for half a year or more?"

Li Shi had kept her eyes closed, and if not for her visible breathing and the blood on her clothes, it could have terrified her four children.

Fortunately, it was winter, and the villagers couldn't afford both thick and thin jackets, so everyone still wore their winter coats, which weren't particularly thick.

The tax collector's whip was fierce, but the coat offered some protection, though the exposed cotton from the torn jacket was stained with blood.

Besides being whipped, Li Shi also endured several kicks from the tax collector, leaving her in too much pain to speak, just gasping with her eyes closed until Shen San approached with his complaints, prompting her to finally open her eyes, unable to respond but staring blankly at him.

Shen San felt unnerved under Li Shi's intense gaze, as if she had the strength and desire to tear him apart. He said apprehensively, "Why are you looking at me like that? I did it for your own good. Taking that beating wasn’t for nothing, was it?"

Li Shi's cold stare left Shen San both alarmed and uncomfortable. He helped her to the room with a pretense of bravery, but his chaotic mind caused him to release her too abruptly onto the bed. Claiming urgency in the fields, he grabbed a hoe and hastily left the house.

Li Shi, jolted by the rough handling, winced in pain from her injuries hitting the bed, gasping for air. It took her a while to calm down, eventually managing to lie on her side on the bed with assistance from Shen Jin and Shen Yin.

The siblings cried intensely. Shen Jin had never felt so scared; seeing the bloody wounds on his mother and not daring to touch them, he was appalled by his father's rough handling.

Overcome with concern, Shen Jin wiped his tears and said, "Mother, should I go to Sanli Village to fetch a doctor?"

Li Shi, struggling, shook her head.

At home, there was no money left for a doctor. Even the gold bracelet and the little savings they had, Shen San had taken them all to exempt himself from military service.

Li Shi finally despaired. Shen San wasn't diligent, and they had little land cultivated. Now, they were down to a small bag of grain and two of beans, barely enough for four months. It was only February, and the autumn harvest was far away. How would they survive the coming months?

This was why she had desperately attacked the official collecting grain.

Survival seemed impossible.

Yet, seeing her children crying bitterly, Li Shi dared not voice her fears. She forced a weak smile, "Let’s endure. Once the bleeding stops and I’ve rested, I’ll be fine."

Shen Jin, wiping his tears, pleaded, "Mother, let's run away. The officials are seizing grain, and we hardly have any left."

Seizing grain – wasn’t that what was happening? The officials were worse than bandits, taking openly and mercilessly.

Li Shi knew this but shook her head, "We have barely any grain left... Let them take it. We've already paid what's due. Escaping now would make our remaining gold, silver, and the grains they took in vain. Staying here, we at least have land to cultivate something."

Panting heavily, she paused before continuing, "And where would we flee? The mountains are full of wild animals and desperate refugees. You haven't seen the hardships of escaping. Our family escaped famine; only your father, your eldest cousin, and I survived, along with Shen An and Shen Ning who were just born. Being a refugee is not easy. Running to the mountains might end in being killed by others or becoming prey to wild beasts."

Shen Jin lowered his head, murmuring, "Big brother and the others are very capable."

Li Shi's gaze seemed vacant.

Indeed, Shen Lian had capabilities, successfully traversing forests and mountains without becoming prey to wild animals, but he would never take Li Shi's family with him.

Bearing her pain, Li Shi asked Shen Jin, "Has your brother taught you hunting? How well have you learned?"

Shen Jin nodded, "He did teach me, some simple traps for pheasants and the like. I haven’t tried them myself yet, but he said with practice, I'd get it."

He didn't mention the slingshots and hideouts, recalling what Shen An had said that day.

Li Shi managed a smile, but the pain contorted her face, tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing his mother in pain, Shen Jin's tears fell even harder. Recalling her mention of stopping bleeding, he suddenly said, "Mother, don’t move. My brother taught me to recognize some herbs that can stop bleeding. I'll go find them now."

Shen Yin, seeing this, hurriedly followed, "Bro, I'll come too."

The brothers dashed out, leaving Li Shi looking at the now-empty doorway, then turning her tearful eyes to Shen Tie, crying beside the bed, and Tian Ya'er, whose small stature didn't reach the bed's edge, her tears rolling down unchecked.

Seeing his mother crying, Shen Tie, tears and snot covering his face, moved closer to wipe her tears, asking, "Mother, does it hurt a lot?"

Yet, the more Shen Tie wiped, the more tears Li Shi shed.