Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 13 Hold on tight, don't let go! (Please continue reading)

Xiahou Lan continued driving the carriage on the straight road, but now there were two more passengers.

"Mother, eat this. I hid it well; they didn't take it back." The little girl, nestled in the woman's arms, took out the piece of dried meat that had almost killed her from under her arm and handed it to the woman.

The carriage swayed slightly, and the woman shook her head and tenderly stroked her daughter's dry, straw-like hair: "Mother isn't hungry, Zhen'er can eat by herself."

The little girl pouted: "Mom is lying. You haven't eaten for days. You always give the best food to me."

"Just eat it." The little girl stuffed the meat strips into the woman's mouth.

The dry, hard, and smelly jerky didn't have much flavor. The woman tore off a small strip of meat, chewed it a few times, and then fed the rest to her daughter.

As Xiahou Lan, who was driving, listened, he took out a steamed bun from his bosom and stretched it out behind him.

"If you can't chew it, eat this." The food prepared by the Guo family was all of high quality, much better than the meat strips that the rascals used to feed their fighting dogs.

The woman's name was Zhou Cui. She was originally from Anxiang, but after her hometown was hit by disaster, she fled west to Zhengding.

The girl's name is Li Zhen. She is ten years old this year, but she looks as thin and small as a six or seven-year-old child, probably because of long-term malnutrition.

"Thank you, brother." Li Zhen deftly reached out and took the steamed bun, not even giving her mother a chance to refuse.

Zhang Xian's horse followed on the side of the carriage. Seeing this, he couldn't help but smile. No wonder he dared to steal food from a bunch of rascals. Putting everything else aside, he was certainly reckless.

He ultimately decided to bring the mother and daughter along. Putting aside everything else, he wasn't sure if those hooligans would dare to cause him trouble, but they definitely would dare to come after the mother and daughter.

Since I've already decided to take shelter for some poor people, let's start with this mother and daughter.

After receiving the steamed bun, Li Zhen divided a large piece and handed it to her mother. She ate the dry and fragrant steamed bun with great care, not leaving a single crumb.

Perhaps she ate too quickly, because she choked a little when she swallowed the last bite of the pancake, and she pounded her chest hard.

"Drink of water."

Zhang Xian, riding a brown horse, handed Li Zhen a gourd. Li Zhen took it and drank a few mouthfuls, a satisfied smile immediately appearing on his face.

"Thank you, my benefactor brother." She smiled and handed over the gourd, which Zhang Xian took and hung on his saddle, a smile also appearing on his face.

She's a fairly likable girl; at least she's well-behaved and not unruly.

He nodded to Li Zhen, then turned his gaze to the woman Zhou Cui: "Where is your husband?"

Zhou Cui quickly replied, "My father was originally with us."

They chatted quietly on the straight road, and Zhang Xian finally understood their family's situation.

An ordinary farming family, with one husband and one wife, and one daughter. Although Zhou Cui looks like an old woman, she is actually only twenty-six years old.

Originally, his family lived in the Julu County area east of Changshan County. They owned seven or eight acres of land and worked for the surrounding landowners, so they lived a relatively comfortable life.

However, since last year, Julu County has experienced almost no rainfall throughout the year, resulting in a sharp decline in crop yields. Furthermore, the county governor levied taxes several times, causing their family to go from being farmers to becoming refugees.

"Isn't there the Taiping Dao in Julu County? Why didn't you seek their protection?"

Zhou Cui: "My father went there a few times, but each time he came back he said that something was wrong. After the first two times, my father took us to Zhen Ding County."

"What's wrong with it?" Zhang Xian's eyes flashed.

Others may not know, but he knows what the Taoist of Peace is planning.

Zhou Cui shook her head: "My father didn't say it clearly, but he just wanted to take us with him."

Zhang Xian tightened his grip on the reins.

Even ordinary farmers could sense that something was wrong with the Way of Peace; it seemed that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was not far off.

Skills training must be expedited! The day and a half we spent in Zhen Ding County has already delayed our progress considerably. "Where is your husband?"

Zhou Cui's face darkened, and Zhang Xian immediately understood, letting out a sigh.

"Lan Di and Yun Di, speed up!"

"Oh."
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They traveled non-stop and arrived back in the small mountain village before noon.

The village nestled at the foot of the hill remained as tranquil as ever, as if it were isolated from the outside world.

Xiahou Lan drove the carriage to Zhao Yun's house, while Zhang Xian and Zhao Yun went to the village to return Tong Yuan's horses.

The village elder was the real leader of the small mountain village. In his youth, he followed Tong Yuan all over the country, which is why Tong Yuan chose to settle down in the small mountain village in his later years.

"Yunwazi, Xianwazi is back. I hope the journey was smooth."

He is nearly seventy years old, but still in good health. To live to seventy in such an era, the village elder is truly a blessed person.

Leading the horse to the cowshed, Zhang Xian continued, "It went smoothly, thanks to Brother Yun and Brother Lan's help. There were no problems on the way."

"That's good. Let Dongming know when you get back so he won't worry."

"Oh, I know. I was just about to pay my respects to Master Tong," Zhang Xian replied cheerfully, tying the reins on the two horses.

Dongming is Tong Yuan's courtesy name, but in the small mountain village, only the village elder can call him by his courtesy name.

The two men bid farewell to the village elder, who watched them leave with a smile. The door to the inner room was pushed open, and a middle-aged man walked out and whispered a few words in the village elder's ear.

After hearing this, the old man's smile widened. He stroked his beard and laughed, "You see, I told you this Xianwa was capable. You even wanted to drive him away back then."

"It seems that the younger generation of our small mountain village will have a place to settle down in the future. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to understand the ways of the world."

"If it weren't for my grandfather's keen insight, how could the people of this small mountain village live in peace?"

"Alas, I can't go on like this. I'm getting old, my eyesight is failing, and my energy isn't what it used to be. If it weren't for Dongming's imposing presence, we would be in trouble too."

"In the end, this world still belongs to the young. We old folks should just stay put and not cause trouble for them."

"Then, Master, what about our dealings with Chief Secretary Gongsun?"

"Let's continue our exchanges. Most of the people in our small mountain village are warriors, and they mostly eat the same food as soldiers. We were originally planning to send Yunwa to Liaodong to find a way out in a couple of years, but now..."

The old man stroked his beard, a profound and enigmatic smile appearing on his face.

"Grandpa," the middle-aged man hesitated.

"Speak your mind." The old man glanced at him with an annoyance.

The middle-aged man then spoke up: "You think so highly of Zhang Xian?"

The old man patted the middle-aged man on the head: "His knowledge, his manner of speaking, and all his strangeness indicate that this person is either an extraordinary person or a monster."

"How many opportunities does one have in a lifetime? I met Dongming when I was young, and in the past thirty years, the villagers have had another way out instead of spending their days working the land."

"This day and time is just like the day and time I was thirty years ago."

"Some people only get one chance when they encounter such a situation."

So, if you meet someone like this, hold on tight and don't let go!

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(End of this chapter)