Chapter 125: Arrival

At the Shen residence.

Shen San and his wife Li had also learned that the main family and a few other households had fled together, and they had even personally visited the main house's courtyard.

Seeing their son return, Shen San immediately grabbed Shen Jin: “Where did your elder brother go?”

Shen Jin shook his head: “I don’t know.”

Frustrated, Shen San almost twisted his mouth: “You’ve been running there every day, how can you not know? You think I don't know where you sneak off to every morning? Whose son are you, to keep such a big secret silent?”

Already feeling gloomy, Shen Jin didn’t want to respond to his father’s accusations, but after a push from his mother Li, he retorted: “I really don’t know. Why would my brother tell me? To let me inform you?”

Before he could finish, Li slapped him on the back: “Enough already! What do you mean by 'us'? Who are we to you? Can't distinguish between your own family and outsiders, have you been charmed by their sweet nothings? Who gave birth to you and who raised you!”

If it weren't for knowing that Shen Lie was skilled in hunting, would she have turned a blind eye to her son constantly visiting the main family? Now she didn’t know whether he had learned any hunting skills, but he seemed to have become alienated from his own family due to the other side's influence. What a 'great' accomplishment.

Furious, Shen Jin didn’t want to speak any further and turned to leave hastily.

Shen Yin, who had followed Shen Jin, also hurriedly ran after him. Shen Tie was a step late and didn't manage to run as his sister Tian Ya grabbed his jacket.

Shen Jin didn't go anywhere else but headed to the small hill where he usually practiced slingshot shooting.

The area was still dotted with various sized leaves, their targets for practice. Now, it lacked the presence of those who used to train there.

Shen Jin wasn't in the mood to do anything; he just sat hugging his knees on the large round rock they used to rest on.

Shen Yin sat beside him and finally asked in a quiet voice, “Brother, do you really not know where our eldest brother went?”

Shen Jin shook his head: “I don’t know.”

Head bowed, Shen Yin finally voiced the question he had been keeping inside since learning that his eldest brother and sister-in-law, along with the second brother and eldest sister, had left with several other families from the village: “Brother, why didn’t the eldest brother take us with him?”

It wasn’t as if he didn't feel upset or abandoned.

Seeing his third brother also looking very sad, Shen Yin felt even worse.

Shen Yin had been better off not mentioning it, as now Shen Jin felt a sting in his nose and his eyes reddened, but he still explained, “They couldn’t take us with them. If they did, what about our parents?”

Both brothers were acutely aware of the current strained relations between the two families, leading Shen Yin to bow his head in silence.

Seeing his brother like this and wanting to cheer him up, Shen Jin gently added, “The eldest brother taught me a lot. He even dug us a hiding place and gave me a slingshot. I’ll take you there to see it.”

This indeed shifted Shen Yin’s attention: “Really?”

“Yes, really. Let's go, but remember, don't tell anyone. If you do, it won’t be useful anymore.”

“Can we tell mom and dad?”

“No, let’s find another spot and then tell them. We need to find one closer to our house.”

As Shen Jin said this, something else came to mind. He tugged Shen Yin's arm: “Wait, let's go to our brother’s house first.”

“What for?”

“To find useful things and hide them.”

Useful things referred to items too large for their small hiding place. Eventually, they found a broken pottery jar, the one Shen An and Shen Ning had used for cooking when they separated their households.

Despite being a bit damaged, it was still useful. It could serve as a pot or a water container.

Shen Yin also had a moment of insight. After searching their elder brother's house, he remembered the other families. Taking advantage of the villagers’ diverted attention, they decided to search there as well.

They found jars, pots, and even several sets of bowls and chopsticks, treasuring them all and storing them in their secret hiding spot.

Shen Yin’s grievances disappeared in his excitement over their secret trove, blissfully unaware of the lurking dangers.

……

Contrasting with the unsettled mood back in Shili Village, the group at the grain storage cave, though apprehensive, was unified in spirit. Even the newly added members from the Xu family didn’t lag much behind.

Among the three children, the eldest was quiet and endured hardships well, rarely speaking along the way. The two younger ones, probably unaccustomed to the deep forests or missing their parents and siblings, showed more emotion. The youngest of the Xu family had cried when they were about to leave, but after being comforted by Xu Zhanggui and the grandmother a few times, calmed down.

After everyone had a bit of dry food, Shen Lian got busy arranging for them to rest.

Along the way, carrying loads for a day and a half had left everyone thoroughly exhausted, not to mention that they hadn’t really rested for two consecutive nights. The first night was spent packing up and they left at midnight; the second night they found a cave, lit two fires, sprinkled snake repellent powder, and men took turns keeping watch. But with occasional howls of wolves and roars of beasts, no one could really sleep.

They had just barely made it to the first grain storage point.

Old Man Lu and his group, who often traveled this route, knew too well that it was impossible to get good rest at first.

Together with Shi Dalang, they stayed vigilant by the side of the cave, keeping an eye on any movements outside, to ensure that Shen Lian and the others could rest peacefully.

In the cave, Old Man Lu and the others had previously brought back some dry grass. Each family took a share, making a small space for themselves, laying out several mats and blankets – one for each family, looking like a large communal sleeping area. For families with many members, they could only manage to half sit, half lean for rest as the cave wasn’t too spacious and was also storing grain.

Sang Luo’s family of four also spread out a mat. As soon as the two children lay down, they didn’t want to move a muscle anymore, their legs and feet aching so badly it was almost maddening. This was even after getting used to the daily burden of traversing mountains.

Just as Sang Luo was thinking this, she heard soft sobs nearby. Turning her gaze, she saw it was the young girl from the Xu family, tears streaming down due to the pain in her legs.

The younger ones from each family, who hadn’t been trained, were all in a similar state. The children from Shi’s family – San Niu and Qiao’er, from Lu’s family – Stone and Ah Xu, and Xiao Ya from Chen’s family, were only slightly better than the two kids from the Xu family. Hearing the young girl from Xu's family crying from leg pain, they too started crying.

Sang Luo wanted to heat some water for everyone to apply hot compresses with a cloth, but she herself was also in bad shape. Sitting down wasn't too bad, but once she sat, the aching intensified tenfold.

She had no choice but to ask Shen Lian to heat some water.

Among the group, only Shen Lian and Lu Er seemed unaffected, probably due to their years of accustomed travel.

Shen Lian nodded in agreement, turned around to fetch water. The cave had some water stored, but not much, as most of it had been used for cooking earlier.

Once the water was heated, he called each family to bring their clay pots to collect the water. He soaked a cloth in the hot water, wrung it out, and applied compresses to the children’s legs and feet, then personally carried a basin to Sang Luo.

Sang Luo had prepared several towels earlier, but when she tried to take them out of the hot water, Shen Liel stopped her, saying, "It's too hot, let me do it."

With six towels, Sang Luo and the two little ones each got two; Shen An and Shen Ning, still young, didn't need any. Sang Luo turned her back and covered herself with a blanket, lifting her pant legs inside to apply the hot compress.

Shen Liel felt his face heat up, especially when wringing out the towels for Sang Luo, his ears almost burning.

The hot compress really worked; after a few applications, the children stopped crying, including the little girl from the Xu family. The very young ones even fell asleep while being treated.

The cave was filled with the sound of shallow breathing and soft snores.

Sang Luo’s eyelids grew heavy. Seeing Shen Liel hanging the towels to dry before sitting by a pile of grass, she pointed to Shen An and Shen Ning: “Move them to the middle, and you should rest too. You haven't slept for two days and need to keep watch tonight.”

The forest becomes most dangerous after nightfall.

Shen Liel paused for a moment, but Sang Luo had already laid down to sleep.

He looked at the shared bedding, his ears growing warmer, but realizing he hadn’t slept in two days and needed to stay alert to protect them, he carefully placed his siblings in the middle of the mattress and lay down in a narrow space at the edge.

Sang Luo, hearing his movements, smiled slightly and finally fell into a deep sleep.

……

On February 4th, Shen San finally used the key he took from Li Shi to retrieve his family’s heirloom gold bracelet and went to a pawnshop in the county.

He went to the county with a few villagers, where they split up to run their errands before meeting to return to the village together.

Meanwhile, at the first grain storage point, after resting for half a day and a night, the group was joined in the morning by Chen Dashan and others who came to carry grain. When they arrived, everyone was shocked to see that several of them were injured.

Among them, Zhou Er Lang, Zhou San Lang, Chen Youtian, and Zhou's second daughter-in-law appeared hurt, with the latter looking particularly pale and unwell.

Shen Liel, with a serious expression, asked Chen Dashan, "What happened?"

Chen Dashan expressed his lingering fear: "Wolves. Fortunately, there were only four. If it had been a pack, we’d have suffered more than scratches. Zhou Er Sao got bitten on her leg, but luckily she was wearing thick clothes and we acted swiftly to save her."

Everyone gasped at the news.

Zhou Village Head and his wife rushed to see their daughter-in-law: "Ah Yun, how are you? Where were you hurt? Have you been treated?"

Wang Yun shook her head: "I'm okay, already treated. I was just scared. Actually, everyone got a bit hurt trying to save me."

Wang Yun tried to downplay her fear, but her trembling hands betrayed her. She knew how to climb trees, but froze at the critical moment. If not for Chen Dashan’s quick action, she might have been knocked down instead of just bitten on the foot.

Relieved to hear she was alright, everyone felt a chill thinking about the close call.

Shen Liel instructed everyone to return to the cave, while he, Chen Dashan, and Lu Erlang dealt with the wolves’ corpses.

Only three wolves were killed; one escaped.

Chen Dashan's face darkened: "These creatures hold grudges. We must be extra vigilant. If it trails us and attacks suddenly, we won’t stand a chance. If more wolves are nearby, it'll be tough."

They could handle four, but how would they protect all the elderly, women, and children in the cave?

～

After resting for over two hours, the slightly injured, along with the older men, stayed to guard the grain and handle the wolf pelts and meat. Young and strong men, including Shen Liel, set out again, focusing on safety, not speed.

With many to care for, they brought only necessary belongings. The primary goal was to safely relocate the vulnerable into the mountains.

Shen Liel led the way with heightened caution. Guarding against wildlife was much tougher than transporting grain. With Chen Dashan at the rear, Lu Erlang, and Shi Erlang covering the sides, everyone was ready for combat, weapons either in hand or easily accessible.

The journey was silent, with everyone attentively listening for sounds in the forest.

Even the children, relieved of some load at the grain storage, were armed with bows.

For safety, they stopped building treehouses for overnight stays a few hours before dark, ensuring women and children were safely up in the trees by nightfall.

Though slower, their journey prioritized safety. The first night, when they encountered a pack of jackals, the women and children, weaker in self-defense, were safe in the treehouses. Shen Liel and his men, free of concern for their families, received remote assistance from the treehouses through slingshots and arrows. Despite some minor injuries from jackal attacks, they emerged victorious.

These minor injuries were a result of being pounced on by the jackals.

Wei Qinghe, at twenty-one and supposedly in his prime, fared worse than fifteen-year-old Shuanzhu. He owed his safety to support from above and Shen Liel's timely rescue.

Familiar with everyone, Mrs. Xu awkwardly explained for Wei Qinghe: “He’s a scholar, less agile and strong.”

“A scholar?!”

That settled it; everyone respected scholars. Look at our Aruo, how impressive!

～

On the 6th of February, when the conscription officer arrived in Shili Village, Zhou Village Head discovered another family, or rather, half a family, had fled. They had originally planned to send the second son for conscription, but he and his wife escaped the previous night. The third son was taken by the officers amidst wails and cries from his family.

Meanwhile, Shen San, with heart-wrenching pain, had pawned a gold bracelet he'd kept for nearly a decade. Combining the ten silver taels from the pawn with five saved taels, he paid off the village head and conscription officer to avoid service.

Mrs. Li, trying to retrieve the silver, was met with Shen San’s resistance. The couple fought fiercely in the courtyard, scratching, biting, and pulling each other’s hair in a wild scuffle.

The village head and conscription officer, unconcerned with the domestic dispute, took the silver, crossed Shen San's name off the list, and moved on to the next household.

Shen Tian was terrified and burst into loud crying, tears also streamed down Shen Tie's face. Shen Jin and Shen Yin were each busy comforting their younger brother and sister.

When the recruitment officer walked through the village, cries, curses, and quarrels erupted everywhere. The Shen household, however, remained unnoticeable.

～

On the tenth day of February, the tax collector entered the village again. The villagers protested against paying next year's taxes in advance. With the head of the village threatening and scaring them, and with the presence of government clerks, the villagers ended up either paying taxes in the drying field or having their grain forcibly taken from their homes.

Taken?

It was a robbery!

Wherever the tax collectors went, entire families broke down into wails.

In the third branch of the Shen family, Mrs. Li clung to a sack of grain and refused to let go, but was forcibly dragged away by a tax collector. Furious, she charged at him, causing chaos in the house. She was then whipped repeatedly by the collector. Not only Shen Tian and Shen Tie, but also Shen Jin and Shen Yin were terrified into crying and rushed over to her. The tax collector, seeing several children shielding the frenzied woman and with the village head persuading him to stop, ceased after delivering several lashes, deciding it was enough to vent his anger, especially since there was still more grain to be collected.

Meanwhile, Shen Lian and his group, extending a four-day journey into seven, finally reached the entrance of their refuge. Gazing at the towering peaks, so high that their tops were lost in the clouds, and after leading everyone through a long, winding path to a narrow passage, barely noticeable and requiring one to sidewise to enter, the adults from the six families understood the significance of such a hidden entrance and were thrilled with emotion.