Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Zhao Dashan felt a chill run down his spine as he listened, once again experiencing the savagery of these displaced people firsthand.

Even calling them former commoners felt like an insult to the term "commoners." He wasn't tooting his own horn, but even if his family were reduced to homelessness, starving enough to dig up tree bark or eat clay... and if, in the end, he had to steal food from others to survive, he would never raise a blade against the innocent, let alone violate women or harm children.

Homeless refugees and brutal bandits who took lives with a wave of their hand were two entirely different breeds of men.

Although the two families were distantly related, they were both distant Zhao clansmen. Even though they hadn't considered including Zhao Youcai's family when planning to band together to drive out the bandits, hearing this news suddenly and learning about the tragic deaths of his entire family, he couldn't help but feel a surge of fierce anger—a fierce revulsion toward those who could no longer be called refugees but were instead cruel, inhuman bandits!

At the same time, he despised Zhao Youcai. Back when the clan had repeatedly urged everyone to store some grain in the mountains for emergencies, Zhao Youcai had stubbornly refused, finding it troublesome and unwilling to carry loads up and down the mountain. He had insisted, digging in his heels, that refugees wouldn't come to their village, and had even dug his cellar in a slapdash manner. Now, after starving for a few days, instead of thinking to borrow from familiar families, or considering that the mountains were full of food—whether carefully going out to dig for wild vegetables, setting traps, or walking a bit farther to find wild fruits—when you live by the mountain, you live off the mountain. There was no way you could starve to death in just three to five days. As long as you were willing to eat, even digging up tree roots wouldn't let you starve. But what had he done? He killed the loyal family dog!

Zhao Dashan almost cursed out loud. What a heartless, wicked bastard! If it hadn't been for the earthquake, him wanting to eat the dog would just be his own cruel choice. But after the earthquake, everyone knew that his family had escaped unharmed only because the big yellow dog kept scratching at the door and woke them all up. What difference was there from saving their lives?

To put it bluntly, he should have knelt and kowtowed to that dog twice.

But what did he do? He starved and ate the dog that had saved his life!

Goddamn it! The words "serves him right" lingered on his tongue, but he swallowed them back. Forget it, the man was already dead. Saying these things was meaningless now. The first priority was figuring out how to find the remaining people.

So he looked at Grandpa Er Lai and said directly, "Uncle, you know why I'm here. Given how close our families are, let's skip the formalities. Give me a straight answer: are you willing to band together with my family? We absolutely cannot give up the grain in our fields. Even if we lose limbs, or even our lives, we have to take the risk. Besides, they burned down our house. That's a blood feud. My father and I can't swallow this. If I don't get revenge on them, I'm not a real man."

Letting his parents, sisters, wife, and sons become homeless was a sign of a man's incompetence. He and his second and third brothers had been seething with anger.

Living in this world, especially as times grew more chaotic, always thinking of hiding just gave others the chance to bully you. A peaceful life required the strength to back it up. This incident had been a wake-up call that shocked them to their senses. When no one bullied them, naturally they would hole up in their own nest and live a simple life—that was their aspiration. But if someone tried to walk all over them, they had to fight back with their lives, not be cowards.

The good are bullied, the tame are ridden—their ancestors had taught them this principle eight hundred years ago.

"Of course I'm willing! Absolutely willing!" Grandpa Er Lai slapped his thigh, not even thinking twice, and blurted out, "My old arms and legs would just hold you back. Let Yong Zi go with you. Dashan, I'll be straight with you: Yong Zi is yours to command. Even if he's unlucky and doesn't make it back, his mother and I won't blame you. If he lacks skill, having a leader is a blessing for him."

There's no such thing as a free meal. Grandpa Er Lai wasn't a clever man, but he understood clearly: if you're not smart, follow the smart ones. If things went well, they'd become trusted allies in the future. The Zhao family had five sons; he only had one grandson. Even if Yong Zi really died, with the Zhao family's support in the future, after he and his wife passed away, his daughter-in-law and grandson wouldn't be bullied in the village. If they didn't board the Zhao family's boat this time, they might have temporary peace now, but life later might be even harder.

Dashan coming to them first already showed that their family was his most trusted. Such a rare opportunity—why hesitate? Grab it!

"Alright, then I'll take Yong Zi to find Quan Zi first." Zhao Dashan smiled and patted Er Lai's father on the shoulder, then said to the old couple, "Uncle, Aunt, I'll leave Xiao Wu here. Our dog is clever. If anything happens, send him to find us, and we'll come back immediately."

"Fine, you go ahead without worry. This old man still has some use; don't worry about us." Grandpa Er Lai waved his hand.

Without further delay, Er Lai's father took Zhao Dashan to the cellar where Zhao Quan was hiding.

It really wasn't far—one up, one down—about the time it takes an incense stick to burn. The situation was similar: Zhao Quan and his wife were lying on a bed of leaves, holding Gou Sheng, fast asleep. Hearing footsteps approach, Zhao Quan immediately opened his eyes, gripped the axe beside him, and growled, "Who's there?!"

"It's me, Yong Zi," Er Lai's father quickly replied. "And Dashan. We have something to discuss with you."

Hearing his voice, Zhao Quan relaxed his tense body and couldn't help complaining to the two shadows in the dark, "What are you doing running over here in the middle of the night instead of staying in your own cellar? Scared me half to death." He quickly comforted his awakened wife and son, then added irritably, "Couldn't this wait until daytime? Sneaking around like ghosts in the night—I thought my great-grandfather had come to visit me."

"Hah, bullshit! Blame your own poor eyesight." Er Lai's father, who also had poor night vision, retorted without hesitation and pulled Zhao Dashan down to sit beside Zhao Quan.

Zhao Quan was a generation younger than Zhao Dashan; by seniority, he should call him Uncle Dashan. Although they were similar in age, Zhao Quan didn't dare to be as casual with him as he was with Er Lai's father. He asked with slight unease, "What's so urgent that you had to come over in the middle of the night?"

Zhao Dashan repeated what he had said earlier to Grandpa Er Lai. After hearing it, Zhao Quan didn't agree immediately. Instead, he fell silent.

His mother had died early, and his father had perished in the earthquake. Now, only his wife and son remained by his side. The fields at the foot of the mountain were important, but not as important as his wife and son. If life truly became unbearable, he would rather take his wife and son and take to the road as refugees than risk his life in a fight.

He couldn't afford to gamble.

If he died, how would his orphaned wife and son survive in this world? His wife was weak-willed, and his son was lame. Without his protection, wouldn't anyone dare to bully them?

"Yong Zi, Uncle Dashan, you know my situation. Juanzi can't cope with hardship, and Gou Sheng is still young. Since his leg was crippled, only Xiao Wu and the others are willing to play with him. When Da Tou and San Tou from the village see him, they call him 'little cripple.' I really can't afford to die. If I die, what will happen to them?"

He wasn't like Yong Zi, who at least had his parents alive to lend a hand. His family now relied solely on him.

"Quan Zi, if you're unwilling, I won't force you. I understand your difficulties." Zhao Dashan patted his shoulder, his expression serious. "But you need to think clearly: what will your family do after the grain runs out? Can you stay in the mountains with your wife and son forever? A hunter's life isn't easy. The foothills don't hide people well; the deep mountains are too dangerous. Spring, summer, and autumn might be okay—if you work hard, you might not starve. But what about during a heavy snow like last year's that seals the mountains? You'd freeze to death! If you don't plan to make a living in the mountains, then consider going elsewhere. Without a travel permit, you can't go anywhere. If you're discovered, you'll be arrested as a refugee. If you become a refugee, you've seen what happened to Zhao Youcai's family up there. Being a refugee is hard. People like that either turn cruel and harm others or are weak and get bullied. Especially since you have your wife and son with you, you need to think carefully about whether you can protect them."

Zhao Dashan spoke earnestly, analyzing the situation. In peaceful times, the government strictly controlled people's movements. You needed a travel permit to go anywhere; without one, you couldn't take a step. Now that times were chaotic, you might find loopholes, but a person away from home is lowly. Unless you had extraordinary ability to protect and provide for your wife and children, the day you were driven to desperation, the world would just have a few more refugees.

Fleeing famine was a last resort; no one would choose to abandon the land their ancestors had lived on unless it came to that.

And right now, they hadn't reached that final step yet.

In the dark night, the mountain wind blew, rustling the leaves. Zhao Quan's wife shivered. Lost in thought, Zhao Quan instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm with his large hand. It was chilly, just like his heart.

He had indeed been thinking too simply.

People in the village said the old Zhao family at the foot of the mountain was becoming more successful. Uncle Dashan and his brothers often went to town, even to the county and prefectural cities. They had ability, courage, insight, and foresight. They saw things more comprehensively, unlike him, who could only see the immediate pros and cons.

He did have strength. Even as a refugee, he would likely be among the cruel ones. But he couldn't guarantee he could protect his wife and son... The outside world was too unfamiliar to him. The farthest he had ever been was Tongjiang Town. He had the self-awareness to know he wasn't very clever and wasn't sure he could outsmart others when faced with complex human nature.

Moreover, he truly couldn't bear to give up the crops. No farmer could stand having the fruits of a year's hard labor snatched away by others halfway.

"What do you plan to do?" After a long silence, Zhao Quan suddenly asked. "If we go down the mountain and fight them head-on, at best we'd take a few down with us. Not only would we fail, but we'd also die for nothing." That was too costly; he wasn't willing.

"Who said we're going down the mountain to fight them head-on?" Zhao Dashan sneered. He wasn't a fool. Knowing the other side had big knives, would he still lead people down to be slaughtered? What was he thinking? Even someone with a hole in their head wouldn't do that. He was looking for allies, not people to die with.

Zhao Quan and Er Lai's father immediately perked up, especially Er Lai's father, who had boarded this ship without asking anything, trusting him unconditionally. "Dashan, what's your idea? Tell us."

"The method was thought up by Third Brother." Actually, it was Wang Jinyu who had suggested it while listening to them talk about banding together. But he couldn't say that; he had to attribute this cleverness to Third Brother, which fit his image as the village's best at calculations. "He heard Father say the refugees immediately went into the mountains when they saw smoke from cooking fires below. So why don't we deliberately light fires to lure them into the mountains, capture a batch first, and seize their weapons? If they don't return for a long time, the refugees below will surely grow suspicious. When they send people to investigate, we capture another batch. Weakening their strength is strengthening ourselves. If we're lucky enough to catch the big fish in these two rounds and seize their big knives, we'll have a fighting chance when we go down the mountain later."

Wang Jinyu's original words were: Kill one batch first. If more come, kill another batch.

When he said this, his face showed no expression; he seemed very calm. They had all been startled, feeling a chill deeper than when A Deng had shouted about killing refugees.

It felt like Wang Jinyu had changed drastically after going into the mountains.

Suddenly, he seemed very distant, far away—no longer someone who could sit with them in the main room eating coarse rice.

Zhao Quan and Er Lai's father's eyes lit up. Right! Why hadn't they thought of that? They had been enduring hunger, not daring to cook even though they had grain, worried that the cooking smoke would attract refugees—it was too obvious. When fleeing for your life, you had to have some awareness. Wasn't that just signaling your location?

To be honest, they still couldn't understand what Zhao Youcai had been thinking. Had hunger addled his brain? How could he be so bold? If he had found a hidden spot, fine. But being so blatantly obvious—it would be strange if the refugees didn't come for him.

Now, hearing Dashan's words, the very thing they had been too scared to do, starving with their bellies empty, could actually be used to attract refugees?

Zhao Quan pondered carefully and thought the plan was brilliant. After tonight, it would be the fourth day in the mountains. The limit of human endurance was about one or two days. Including himself, when they fled, fortunately there had been leftover food at home, which his wife had brought along. That was how the family of three had held on. But the leftovers were finished yesterday. They could only endure hunger for one more day at most. Even knowing the danger, he would have to find a place to cook.

If cooking smoke rose from the mountains in the next day or two, it would seem perfectly reasonable. Perhaps the refugees below had anticipated this. Zhao Youcai's family was just the chicken used to scare the monkeys.

Then they could split into several groups, also dispersing the refugees. With Zhao Youcai's precedent, the refugees might think slaughtering them would be as easy as slaughtering dogs. Taking advantage of their lowered guard, who killed whom was still uncertain!

Thinking of this, Zhao Quan bit his cheek hard. The pain and taste of blood instantly cleared his mind. Uncle Dashan was right. Whether as a hunter or a refugee, he couldn't guarantee he could protect his wife and son. Only by driving the refugees away could life return to how it was before.

He could hide for a while, but not forever.

Life was full of setbacks. At least now, sitting beside him were his most familiar clansmen, people he knew inside out. If he, Zhao Quan, were truly unlucky and died, he believed Yong Zi and Uncle Dashan wouldn't let his wife and son be bullied.

"Uncle Dashan, Yong Zi, I'm in!" Once he had thought it through, Zhao Quan was decisive too, though he still added uneasily, "If anything happens to me, I'll trouble you two to look after my wife and son. No need for anything elaborate. Just if they truly can't survive, throw them a mouthful of food—just enough so they don't starve."

He didn't dare ask them to take care of them—that wasn't necessary. People had to rely on themselves. It was already very good if others could lend a hand at critical times. One had to know their place; don't push your luck. Not knowing your place would make people resent you.

"What nonsense are you talking, with all this talk of death?" Hearing his nephew's wife's suppressed sobs, he slapped Zhao Quan on the forehead. "It's the refugees who should die. We'll all be fine, not even injured. In another month, it'll be time to harvest the rice. Once we get the grain, we'll have new rice to eat. Good days are still ahead."

Zhao Quan chuckled a couple of times. No wonder Uncle Dashan had been to the prefectural city—his words really hit the spot.

“But rest assured, and this includes myself, if we become brothers-in-arms, no matter whose family it is, we must support each other in the future.” Zhao Dashan patted their shoulders and spoke earnestly.

Zhao Quan and Zhao Yong nodded firmly, their minds finally put at ease. They weren’t afraid to risk their lives; they were afraid that if they died, their wives, children, and parents would be bullied. With Dashan’s words, that was enough—they trusted him.

Next, they continued discussing how to find the remaining people. Zhao Quan knew the locations of the cellars belonging to A Song and Bai Zi’s families, but Li Dahe and old lady Wu’s household were a bit more difficult. They agreed that Zhao Quan should first go to A Song and Bai Zi’s families to see if they knew the whereabouts of the Li and Wu families.

It shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The Li and Wu families were separated by just one household, so they were practically neighbors. Moreover, A Song’s wife was Li Dahe’s own niece, so the two families were quite closely related by blood. They likely could get some answers.

That’s how it is in small villages—on the surface, people seem unrelated, but scratch the surface and you’ll find they’re all connected by family ties.

As the saying goes, “pull up a radish and the mud comes with it.” Basically, once you find the first person, you can follow the trail to locate everyone else.

This matter couldn’t be delayed. Zhao Quan, worried about his wife and son, decided to take them to Er Lai’s family cellar, letting the elderly couple help look after them so they could support each other.

He then went in the dark to the homes of Zhao Song and Zhao Bai. By the time everything was settled, it was already midnight.

In a hidden corner of another mountain, the Li and Wu families also had their visitors arrive.

…