Chapter 157: Escaping

Overnight, Qiyang County transformed: shops closed, residents shut themselves in, the military occupied the city, and key locations were controlled by soldiers. The Eastern Market near the city gate remained, while the Western Market and the old county school far from the gate became shelters for villagers.

Of course, these two places couldn't accommodate all the people from the surrounding villages. Even with the deaths from labor and military conscription over the years, several escapes, and recent conscriptions, the 5,000-plus residents gathered couldn't fit into just the Western Market and the county school.

Far from the city gate, every open space and alley began to fill with makeshift shelters, leaving barely enough room for people to squeeze along the walls.

Where did the materials for building these shelters come from?

With the strategy of scorched earth, as soon as villagers left, the next batch of soldiers scattered into the countryside, collecting usable wood and straw from the villages, which the villagers could then collect from outside the county office.

As for the main streets near the city gate, especially large shops like Dongfukui, shopkeepers were directly summoned to the back hall of the county office, where they were greeted not by the county magistrate but by a young, imposing military officer.

Summoning all the shopkeepers, it was not for discussion but to inform them that their shops were temporarily requisitioned for soldiers to rest and recuperate while off patrol duty.

When told it was temporary, someone boldly inquired, only to be told that as long as there were no orders from above, the military presence in each county would become permanent during these turbulent times.

Thus, the end date for this 'temporary' arrangement remained unknown.

Of course, it wasn't just the shops that were requisitioned; houses for the commanders were needed too. With 1,500 soldiers, including numerous high-ranking officers, while the soldiers stayed in tents, it was unthinkable for their leaders to do the same. However, the wealthy and insightful locals, who had successfully managed their estates, didn't wait to be asked; they proactively offered their properties to the authorities.

In the small Qiyang County, the population of soldiers and civilians totaled 6,500.

After a visit to the county office and witnessing the young commander's authority, coupled with learning the exact number of people in the city, Xu, the storekeeper, felt a chill at his feet. He returned home and privately told his wife and old servant, "We must escape! Regardless of what happens outside the city, we need to find a way to create an exit before the city runs out of food."

The experienced servant, Uncle Xu, suggested upon hearing the plan, “Should we dig a tunnel out of the city?”

Xu, the innkeeper, agreed: “Exactly!”

Only Wei Lingzhen and her sons, unfamiliar with the concept of tunneling, listened with some confusion to the discussions between Xu and Uncle Xu.

The small residence Xu currently occupied was once considered a prime location in the center of the county.

However, digging a tunnel from there to escape the city was impractical; it would mean tunneling under half the city. Disposing of the excavated earth would be challenging, and if the direction went awry, they could accidentally surface in someone's house or a military encampment, which would be disastrous.

“We need to find a new house!”

They decided to search for a house under Uncle Xu’s name, ideally located near the city wall and in the direction of their existing tunnel.

Luckily, Shen Lian and Chen Dashan had chosen a good initial location for the tunnel, situated deep on the side of the county, away from the city gates. If they could tunnel out in that direction, their chances of successfully reaching the shelter were high.

However, finding a house was not easy.

There were too few houses near the city wall, and the available spaces were now occupied by military tents or makeshift huts of villagers...

Building a hut to start their tunnel was out of the question, as it would be impossible to hide the activity and dispose of the excavated soil.

A few houses were close to the wall, but who would sell their house at this time? To trade a house for a life in a hut?

After searching, they were fortunate to find a house on the extreme west side of the county. It was relatively close to the wall, belonging to a very poor family, thus isolated and offering a feasible, though challenging, tunneling opportunity.

Uncle Xu proposed to exchange two bags of grain for the house. The desperate family, seeing the grain, hesitated, their lips trembling. After several attempts to speak, the woman of the house tearfully agreed, and they brought out the property deed.

The house, passed down for generations, was now in others' hands.

Going to the county office for the property transfer raised no suspicion, as Uncle Xu was an outsider and there were a few other outsiders trapped in the county due to the sudden military takeover and restricted entry and exit.

After completing the property transfer, Uncle Xu moved into the old thatched house. The original inhabitants used wood and straw from the county office to construct two shacks nearby.

The area near the city wall was chaotic, with shacks everywhere and military tents further away. That night, only Uncle Xu and Xu Wenqing, the main laborers for tunneling, went there. Xu, the innkeeper, a known figure in the county, dared not venture near the house during the day.

……

While the Xu family found a potential escape route, a crisp slap resonated in one of the many shacks outside the county school.

Inside the newly constructed shack of the Shen family, a faint aroma of smoked meat escaped from a bag pulled aside by Shen San.

The scent, albeit faint, was unmistakably that of smoked meat. Li Shi had hidden it well, and Shen San had not detected it until the shack was set up and the stale air revealed the meat's aroma.

Long deprived of meat, Shen San could not resist the faintest scent of it.

Finding the meat after following the smell, Shen San realized everything as Shen Jin rushed over nervously. It was clear the boy had been hunting and hiding the meat from him.

Furious, Shen San delivered a hefty slap to Shen Jin.

“You truly are my son, Shen San! Hiding your hunting skills and hoarding meat, leaving your own father to starve? Do you even recognize me as your father? Do you know the meaning of filial piety?”

"So, you didn't just learn hunting from Shen Lian, but also how to be disloyal and disrespectful to your own father?"

That slap, delivered without restraint, left Shen San's hand numb with the force of his own anger, particularly as he thought about the hard past three months and discovered his son hiding a whole bag of meat.

But amidst his anger, there was also excitement – a whole bag of meat!

Shen San’s face was a twisted mix of anger and joy, an eerie expression.

Shen Jin, his cheek numbed by the slap, couldn’t hear his father clearly, but he lunged to protect the bag of meat.

“Big Brother gave it for emergencies,” he protested.

Shen Yin, Shen Tie, and Shen Tian were terrified. The youngest, Shen Tian, burst into tears at the sight of her older brother being hit.

Shen San, ignoring his crying daughter and angered by Shen Jin’s protective reaction, kicked out at him. It wasn’t a hard kick, more an expression of his fury at being kept hungry while his son hoarded meat.

Li Shi, hearing the slap, rushed in to see Shen San kicking Shen Jin. She hurled the water jug in her hand at Shen San’s head.

Shen San dodged, avoiding a direct hit, but the water drenched him and soaked the newly made bed in the shack.

“Are you crazy, woman? Attacking your own husband? You knew Shen Jin was hiding meat, didn’t you?”

Li Shi, dizzy with anger at Shen San’s loud claim to the meat, shouted, “Yes, just those two pieces, given by Shen Lian, for the children from his nephew who almost died because of you. And you want to eat it? Do you have no shame?”

“Why can’t I eat it? Why shouldn’t I? I’ve raised those three siblings!” retorted Shen San.

The neighbors in the nearby shacks, mostly from Shili Village, perked up at the mention of meat, knowing the Shen family’s affairs all too well.

“Meat given by Shen Lian?”

Some salivated at the thought of meat, fixating on that single word, while others remembered Shen Lian and the families that had left with him.

“Shen Lian, a man of skill, along with Chen Dashan... How are they faring in the mountains now? Facing wild beasts, surely Shen Lian could protect them, right?”

“They didn’t pay taxes and took their grain with them. They must be living better than us who stayed, right?”

Some envied, some regretted, and of course, many felt sour, assuming those who fled to the mountains were probably filling the bellies of wild beasts by now. What good could a few skilled men do to protect so many, young and old? How could they be safer than us here?

Unbeknownst to them, the nightmare unfolding in Qiyang County was just the beginning.

……

As Shen San and his wife quarreled, elsewhere in Shili Village, Shen Lian and Chen Dashan, oblivious to the outside world, were with Lu Erlang and Shi Dalang, half a day’s journey from the valley, having just hunted a lone wild boar.

The wild boar was huge, too big to take back to the valley entrance. The four men found a cave where one stood guard while the other three swiftly butchered the boar into several large pieces.

After hunting the wild pig, they cleaned off the blood and layered the bottom of their baskets with several thick leaves to ensure no blood would drip. Each carrying a basket, they made their way back to Yungu (Cloud Valley).

This was their second major hunting expedition since completing the furniture for each household.

By May, the limited arable land in the valley was fully utilized for planting grains and vegetables. After successfully introducing fish into the paddy fields, their main source of additional food became hunting.

Focusing on larger prey with more meat, wild boars were their preferred target, being the most common large animal in these mountains.

Only Shen Lian, Chen Dashan, Lu Erlang, and Shi Dalang dared venture into the deep forest for these large hunts, accustomed as they were to the wilderness.

Bringing the meat back to the valley, everyone, especially the elderly and children, were overjoyed as if it were a festival.

For the distribution of the large game like wild boar, it was mainly based on contribution. Shen Lian and Chen Dashan received the most, followed by Lu Erlang, with Shi Da getting the least due to his disability.

However, a large wild boar typically weighing two to three hundred pounds meant that even the smallest share was quite substantial.

In Yungu, with six households living harmoniously and supporting each other, everyone contributed in their way. Even Wei Qing, who couldn’t do physical work, took on the responsibility of teaching the children to read and write.

Zhou Lizheng’s family also contributed. His two daughters-in-law were skilled in weaving. Along with Feng Liuniang and Chen Youtian, they managed to build a loom after several trials, relying on their memories.

Recently, they discovered wild ramie in the mountains, which Shen Lian and the other men harvested. Now, the loom is set up under a large tree where the children study, sheltered by a small pavilion built collectively by the families for both study and weaving.

Therefore, when Shen Lian and others brought back such large game, they usually shared it beyond the four participating households. Depending on the size of the boar, the Zhou and Xu families also received a share, ensuring they had oil for cooking and could occasionally enjoy meat.

Given the frequency of these hunting trips, life in Yungu was not only comfortable but also filled with a sense of community.

The Shen family had another bountiful harvest. They reserved the pork for making cured and dried meat. That evening, Sang Luo prepared to clean the pig stomach they received, planning to cook a pig stomach soup and save some for a clay pot dish the next day.

Cleaning the pig stomach wasn't difficult; Shen An took over the task, using a handful of bean dregs to scrub it thoroughly clean.

That evening, the scent of cooking meat wafted from each cave dwelling. As Sang Luo and Shen Ning prepared dinner, Shen Lian discussed with her, “Ah Luo, it's been about forty or fifty days since I last went out. Everything at home is in order now, and we have enough food. I'm thinking of going out to see if Xu Zhanggui has left any messages.”

Sang Luo slowed her movements, considering. Shen Lian was adept at navigating the forest, so it wouldn’t be too dangerous.

Although they were living well in the valley, they were unaware of the situation outside. Knowing this, Sang Luo nodded, “Then go ahead, it’s good timing. I think the old lady is also quite concerned about what's happening beyond the mountains.”

Living comfortably in the valley, what mother wouldn’t worry about her children and grandchildren? She just didn't dare to show it.

Seeing Sang Luo had no objections, Shen Lian smiled, “Then I'll discuss it with Dashan later. Lu Ershu and Shi Dashu will stay in the valley to ensure your safety while I'm out.”