Chapter 142

Meeting Manager Xu again proved to be much more difficult than it was a month ago.

Three and a half days into their journey out of Yun Valley, Shen Lian and his group encountered an increasing number of refugees hiding in the mountains. They proceeded with utmost caution, reaching their newly designated food storage location only on the afternoon of March 13th.

Shen Lian chose a spot in a dense forest, where the trees provided ample cover, making their movements invisible from distant mountains. After ensuring no one was hiding in the woods, they located the new food storage site and communicated with those hidden in the burrows using secret signals.

Since Shen Lian and Chen Dashan planned to meet Xu Zhanggui outside the mountain, everyone decided to stay hidden in the cave for another night, waiting for their return before leaving.

On the morning of March 15, Xu Zhanggui hurriedly left the county for the mountains after receiving a message from the old servant, and met Shen Lian and Chen Dashan halfway to Shili Village, deep in the mountains.

His expression was slightly anxious as he asked, "Why have you come out suddenly? Did something happen?"

Shen Lian quickly clarified, "Don't worry, Xu Zhanggui. The old lady and the children are safe. I needed to meet you since this is our last trip for grain transport. Wei Qinghe also came out, but for safety, given the many refugees in the mountains now, he stayed with those transporting the grain at the storage site."

While speaking, he handed over a small bamboo tube with a smile, "This is a letter from the old lady for you."

Shen Lian had been coming out frequently, and had met Xu Zhanggui last month during a grain handover. Previously, Wei Qinghe had only brought verbal messages, but now with writing materials, the old lady wanted to send a letter to assure the family of their well-being.

The letter was handed to Sang Luo, unsealed, for Shen Lian to find a bamboo tube to protect it from rain.

Although Yun Valley had plenty of trees, bamboo was scarce. The request for a bamboo tube wasn't the main concern, as Xu Zhanggui had sent letters before, and Wei Qinghe could have carried the letter himself.

The old lady preferred Sang Luo to glance over the letter, ensuring Shen Lian and Sang Luo's peace of mind that the content didn't reveal any inappropriate information about the valley.

After sending off the old lady's letter, Sang Luo and Shen Lian shared a knowing smile, their trust in the Xu family's discretion deepening.

Interacting with the Xu family was indeed reassuring.

……

Unaware of these details, Xu Zhanggui smiled as he read the letter, "It's written by Wenbo."

Skimming past the initial greetings, he focused on the main content. Wenbo mentioned they were in a scenic and very safe location, living in caves but each family having a separate one, not crowded together.

The caves were made comfortable with flattened floors and wooden doors. They had built a cooking stove at the cave entrance, and Chen Dashan had constructed a bed for the grandmother and sister. Wenbo, his cousin, and uncle were temporarily sleeping on planks on the floor, covered with dry grass and mats. They hoped to make a second bed after the grain transport was completed.

Initially, adjusting to mountain life was challenging, but now they had grown accustomed and even fond of it. The first sounds in the morning were always the delightful chirping of birds.

Life in the mountains is quite enjoyable. Sister-in-law A'luo's Laba porridge is exceptionally delicious, and she also makes a dish called 'vegetarian tripe.' Auntie Chen's pickles taste great too. We get to taste various wild vegetables, all delicious in their own right. A few days ago, grandmother stewed a wild chicken for us, and my sister, along with Shen's sister, learned how to sprout different beans.

We've started raising chickens and ducks and growing vegetables at home. Recently, my cousin and I joined the village children to learn farming with Grandpa Chen. The land isn’t vast, so it’s not too tiring – it's a different kind of experience. When I’m writing this letter, we've already sown the rice seeds in our fields.

On idle days, I join my friends to study. The kids from Shili Village are all learning to read, and I recognize many characters in 'Thousand Character Classic.' My cousin can already recite 'The Analects of Confucius,' and I’m a bit behind. Shen An is diligently trying to catch up with us, and I need to work hard to match my cousin’s progress.

In summary, life in the mountains is great and very safe. It’s nearly impossible for outsiders to find this place. Grandmother really likes it here, and my sister has several playmates, but we all miss our parents and elder brother a lot.

Finally, I urge them to take care of themselves and hope our family can reunite soon.

……

It's just three thin sheets of paper, and there’s not much that can be written, but the words are simple, merely sharing our everyday life.

Yet, it’s precisely these everyday details that deeply touched Xu Zhanggui’s heart. Living in a cave is a hardship his mother and the children never faced before. Although he has been worried, now seeing what his son wrote, every word reveals that they are doing well.

Truly well.

Xu Zhanggui, deeply moved, raises his hand to bow to Shen Lian and Chen Dashan, but Shen Lian stops him, touched, “I didn’t expect they would be doing so well.”

Tranquil and serene, their life revolved around farming and studying, devoid of the panic and hardship he had imagined. Everything was organized meticulously, a stark contrast to the outside world where people lived in constant fear.

Shen Lian smiled, “Life here might be more modest than outside, but it's peaceful. Once this last batch of grain is transported, we’ll be coming out less frequently and can manage our daily affairs more effectively.”

Xu Zhanggui quickly replied, “That’s already very good. As soon as this letter is sent to Shexian, my wife will be relieved.”

After carefully storing the family letter, Xu Zhanggui inquired about the main issue. Hearing that Shen Lian had come out this time to teach him a new method of hiding in the mountains, his eyes lit up.

The area around Qiyang County is surrounded by mountains. If the method Shen Lian described worked as said, it would be incredibly beneficial for him.

With that, Shen Lian and Chen Dashan didn’t delay. Considering Xu Zhanggui spent most of his time in the county, and taking into account the terrain inside and outside the county, they chose a direction near the county and ventured into those mountains.

They started teaching Xu Zhanggui and his servant from scratch – how to escape from the county, enter the forest, choose the terrain, and construct a concealed shelter. By early afternoon, they had created a perfect temporary hideout deep in the forest outside the county.

Xu Zhanggui was so amazed he forgot how to express his astonishment.

Had he not witnessed Shen Lian and Chen Dashan's work and participated himself, he would have never guessed that beneath where he stood, perfectly camouflaged, lay a bunker big enough to hide several people.

The interior even had a wooden structure, ensuring stability without the risk of collapse. One could comfortably open the camouflaged door hidden in the bushes from inside to observe the surroundings before deciding whether to exit or not. Now, the entrance was completely covered with turf, indiscernible as a door.

Even ventilation was thoughtfully addressed.

Xu Zhanggui stepped onto the ground above the bunker, feeling the dead tree stump among the bushes with his hand.

It appeared identical to other dead tree stumps in the forest, deeply and firmly planted. Who could guess that it was an entirely hollowed stump from another part of the forest, moved here as a camouflage? Inside, there was an air vent built with yellow mud, and several natural holes the size of fists on the side of the stump served as ventilation.

This meant that if anything happened in the county, as long as he could reach these mountains, with enough food and water prepared, he could hide here for a month or two without issue.

The eyes of Xu Zhanggui's old servant practically sparkled with excitement: “Young Master, with this, you'll be much safer in Qiyang County.”

The servant became even more convinced that sending the old lady, the young master, and his wife into the deep mountains was the right decision. Shen Lian and Chen Dashan were skilled and trustworthy individuals who showed their gratitude and risked their safety to ensure the young master's fallback plan was set.

Such people were truly reliable.

Xu Zhanggui also smiled, “Learning this method greatly increases the chances of survival elsewhere.”

He bowed to Shen Lian and Chen Dashan, “I can’t thank you enough. I, Xu Yuanchang, will remember your kindness forever.”

Both Shen Lian and Chen Dashan smiled, with Shen Lian saying, “Alright, we won’t stay long. I want to visit the village and should set off early to meet up with the grain transporters.”

Mentioning his return to the village, Xu Zhanggui advised, “You're going to the village to see your young cousin, aren’t you?”

It wouldn't make sense to teach him such an effective method of concealment and then neglect those children.

Shen Lian nodded in agreement.

Xu Zhanggui then advised, “You should remind that boy not to venture too deep into the mountains.”

He recounted the story of Shen Jin catching pheasants, with the old servant disguised as a peddler buying them.

It turns out, after Shen Jin caught his first pheasant, he had another catch two days later. This wasn’t a problem until the day before yesterday when he caught three at once.

The old servant from the Xu family, having noted this, had discreetly followed Shen Jin into the mountains yesterday and discovered that he was venturing quite deep. He had just reported this to Xu Zhanggui yesterday after returning, intending to get a directive. However, Shen Lian and his group returned today.

After hearing this, Shen Lian furrowed his brows and inquired in detail about the time and direction of Shen Jin’s forays into the forest from Xu’s old servant. He then thanked Xu Zhanggui and his servant, and along with Chen Dashan, armed with a hoe and a sickle and carrying a bag they had brought with them, stealthily departed through the forest.

……

Ten Miles Village.

Once again, using the pretext of checking the traps separately, Shen Jin managed to sneak away from Shen Yin and headed deeper into the mountains alone.

Meanwhile, Shen Lian and Chen Dashan, already following the approximate location given by Xu's old servant, were waiting near a tree close to a trap where Shen Jin had made a catch.

The two waited a long time; the caught pheasant initially struggled violently, especially upon seeing Shen Lian and Chen Dashan appear. However, seeing that they didn't harm it and as it grew tired, its struggles subsided to feeble attempts, eventually just struggling intermittently in resignation.

On the small path leading to the village from their direction, Shen Jin, carrying his slingshot and holding a bamboo stick, was cautiously approaching while occasionally tapping the grass along the mountain path and its sides.

Seeing Shen Jin from afar, Chen Dashan couldn’t help but chuckle softly: "Your cousin sure is capable, inheriting your boldness."

And seemingly the tough fate as Shen Lian.

Observing the tough life he leads at such a young age.

Shen Lian remained silent, noticing Shen Jin’s cautious approach into the mountains and relaxing slightly upon seeing his careful demeanor.

Unaware that he was being observed, Shen Jin vigilantly scanned his surroundings until he neared the trap he had set. It was only then that his attention shifted towards the trap.

Spotting the pheasant, which had begun struggling again upon noticing someone approaching, his eyes lit up. He wanted to quicken his pace but remembered his brother's warning about being cautious of snakes in the spring and summer.

He hastened his pace of sweeping the grass with his stick, thoroughly examining the area around the trap, the nearby trees, and branches. After ensuring there were no snakes on the ground or in the trees, he tossed his bamboo stick aside and lunged at the pheasant.

The vigor in his dive made Chen Dashan think that even if Shen Jin couldn’t grab the bird firmly, he was determined to pin it down with his body.

Truly fearless, not worrying about being pecked or scratched.

It's so similar!

Chen Dashan couldn't help but laugh out loud again.

Shen Lian gave him a silent glance as Shen Jin, having just subdued the pheasant, stiffened slightly.

The pheasant was making quite a fuss, but Shen Jin was sure he hadn't misheard the laughter.

"Who's there?!"

"It's me." Shen Lian answered, slowly emerging from behind the tree.

Hearing that voice and seeing who stepped out from behind the tree, Shen Jin’s eyes widened in shock. His grip on the pheasant loosened without him realizing, allowing the bird to break free in a sudden flurry. Startled, Shen Jin quickly refocused and lunged to recapture the bird.

"Big brother?" As soon as Shen Jin called out 'big brother,' his nose felt sour and his eyes reddened with emotion. He was so excited that he wanted to run towards Shen Lian, but was reluctant to let go of the pheasant. Realizing that the bird was firmly caught in the trap, he finally threw it aside and ran towards Shen Lian.

"Big brother! Big brother!" Shen Lian was already walking towards him. When Shen Jin reached him, his face was smeared with tears.

He raised his hand to wipe away his tears, his hands, dirtied from scrabbling on the ground and catching the pheasant, smudged his face into a mess. Unaware of this, his wet eyelashes clumped together as he looked up at Shen Lian, his lips pursed tighter and tighter, feeling a lump in his throat, too overwhelmed to speak for fear of bursting into tears.

Shen Lian also found the moment hard to bear, crouching down to wipe Shen Jin's tears and smiling at the disheveled pheasant: "You've learned well."

With just those words, Shen Jin, who had been desperately holding back his tears, couldn't hold back anymore and started crying, tears falling rapidly.

He buried his head, wiping his tears with his sleeve, simultaneously hiding his face in his arms, struggling to control the tears and the runny nose. After a while, he finally composed himself, looked up at Shen Lian with red, teary eyes, and forced a big smile: "Big brother, did you come back secretly just to see me?"

While talking, he anxiously looked around, still cautious of someone from the village spotting his big brother.

Shen Lian smiled and said, "Yes, I came back to see how you're doing, to check if you've learned what I taught you."

Seeing his nervous glances, he reassured, "Don’t worry, your brother Chen Dashan is here, keeping an eye out."

Shen Jin peeked and indeed saw Chen Dashan standing behind; his smile relaxed as he greeted Chen Dashan, then turned to proudly show Shen Lian his achievement.

"Big brother, I can catch pheasants now."

Pointing to the exhausted pheasant in the distance, he boasted, "Look, that's the one I caught. It can sell for about a hundred wen!"

Shen Lian nodded, "I see, very impressive. But didn't I say not to venture deep into the mountains unless absolutely necessary?"

Shen Jin’s smile froze, and he lowered his head, fiddling with the hem of his shirt: "My mom's really sick. I wanted to catch pheasants to sell and get money for her treatment."

His voice grew fainter as he spoke.

"Big brother doesn't like our dad and mom, but now I need to save mom, and I'm using all the skills big brother taught me."

Shen Jin felt guilty and hesitant to look up at Shen Lian.