Others are fleeing famine, but I am a salted fish

When everyone heard the call from the head of the village, the heads of each household wiped their dusty faces, tightened their thin clothes, stood up from the crowd, greeted their neighbors, and walked out of the threshing ground one step deep and one step shallow to gather in the spacious place outside.

It was 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, which was the darkest time of the day. The cold wind of the last frost was blowing wantonly. After leaving the crowd, the cold air kept drilling into the arms. Everyone trembled, looked confused, and hesitated, unwilling to leave the warm crowd in a panic.

Everyone was muttering to themselves unwillingly, wondering what exactly was going on?

After a disaster, every household has injured or sacrificed people, whether they are elderly or innocent children. Is it a unified arrangement of memorial services for the dead or the reconstruction of homes after the disaster?

Everyone's minds were in a mess and they had no idea what to do. They hoped that the head of the village could give them clear instructions.

However, the head of the village did give it, but his idea was completely different from what everyone thought.

When almost all the people who were supposed to come had arrived, the upset people became completely agitated, with an occasional complaint or curse mixed in, which made the restless people's hearts move even further to the left.

"I won't leave, not even if I die. If you want to leave, you go. This is our roots. Our ancestors' graves and ancestral halls are here. Our home and fields are here. I won't leave, no matter what." The person who said this was a stubborn middle-aged man.

"I won't leave either. I'm old and my hands and feet are stiff. I can't walk anymore and I will be a burden to you." This was said in a muffled voice by an elderly elder of the clan.

"My wife just gave birth to a baby, and she's still in confinement..."

"I can't leave either. My parents are old and can't walk. I can't leave them behind. You can take my child away and give him something to eat. Don't let him starve to death on the road. As for the future... If there is a chance in the future, wait until he grows up and let him come back to see us."

Everyone knows that people are despised when they leave their hometown. As soon as the head of the village started to speak, the depressed crowd started to explode, sighing and groaning, and started to resist passively.

Those who are unwilling to leave do not all have a desperate attitude, nor do they just sit and wait for death after a disaster, giving up on themselves and refusing to make efforts to change.

Rather, the plants and trees are deeply attached to one’s homeland and it is hard to leave.

The ancestors of Linjia Village were born and raised here, and have lived and multiplied here for hundreds of years. Today, there are 103 households and 620 people in Linjia Village, living in a corner of this place. Except for the spouses who married in and a few relatives from other families who joined, most of them are native Lin family members.

They have lived and taken root here for generations. Even when faced with bankruptcy and frequent natural disasters, the villagers of Linjia Village have never thought of leaving their hometown and looking for another way to make a living.

Today, it is just another year of famine and disaster, a disaster caused by the earth dragon turning over. Why does it need to migrate the whole clan and make such a big fuss?

The head of the village was quite old among these people, and he was just like them before, hesitant and undecided. Now seeing the tribesmen making excuses one by one, he was too lazy to persuade them. He just repeated what Lin Xiaoyue said to everyone, and said nothing else.

Good advice hurts, and he doesn't have the time or energy to go door to door to persuade people.

Seeing that everyone was still hesitant and complacent, the village head simply opened up and spoke loudly to a few elders. It was his last effort to tell everyone his guess.

Mentioning the military service and military taxes that had just passed a few years ago, and then talking about the serious situation in the town now, the yamen runners were already short of manpower just to deal with the victims who came one after another. There was also an earthquake, and the post-disaster reconstruction work in various places was arduous. More manpower was needed everywhere, and it was probably inevitable to recruit corvée labor from all over the people.

Those who did not want to relocate would definitely want to stay in the village and rebuild their homes as soon as possible. However, by then, the county government would be short of staff and conscript labor. I am afraid that not only men over 20 but also men under 60 would be exempted from labor service, and they would not be able to resist. The shortage of food and heavy labor service would make it even more difficult for everyone to breathe, so how could they rebuild their homes?

The village head had made his confession, saying everything that should and should not be said, hoping that everyone would change their minds. This could be regarded as his last effort and the last bit of his heart he could make for the villagers and his clansmen.

……

After a long silence, the people who were still hesitant seemed to open the door of fear in their hearts. Their faces turned pale, they clenched their fists, bit their back teeth, and forced themselves to calm down.

"Okay, I'll go with you. We have nothing now anyway. If I stay, I might even be forced to join the army. It's better to follow the others and find a way to survive."

"I won't guard the ancestral hall anymore. Our ancestors know how filial we are and they will definitely not want to see us suffer any more. I'm leaving, and my whole family will leave too."

"I won't stay either. At my age, it's better to follow the others than to die in a heavy battle without even a grave. Even if I can't hold on and collapse on the way, at least we are from the same hometown and someone can help me dig a grave to bury my body. It's better than being thrown into a mass grave without even anyone to collect my body."

"That's right. I stayed here to rebuild my home. I couldn't even rebuild my own home, and now I'm forced to rebuild for other people in the county. Damn it, I'm a simpleton, but not stupid. I won't do this unprofitable and thankless job."

"Let's go, let's go together. I'll go wherever my people are. It's scary to be alone in an empty village."

"Our whole family will leave too. The old and the young can't be together. We must be worried and anxious, and worry about death all day long."

……

This time, the village head's words finally worked and got everyone's response. Of course, there were still some people who remained silent and hesitant. But at least, these people stopped making a fuss and only discussed it quietly, without affecting others. The village head secretly breathed a sigh of relief, which was also a comfort.

Now that the decision had been made, the village head waved his hand and gave everyone two hours to bury their dead relatives together. Then those who wanted to leave should go back quickly to collect useful equipment, pack up their bags quickly, and gather at the village entrance two hours later.

To avoid any troubles caused by delay.

God knows when the county yamen runners will come to the village to raid and conscript corvée. If you don't run now, you will be unable to run when the runners arrive.

As for whether anyone has thought of having a good talk with the yamen runners and trying to find room for mediation.

Ha ha.

The word "official" has two "mouths", so I just want to ask you if you can explain it clearly with your mouth?

Stupid!

Don't think that country people only know how to work in the fields. In fact, everyone has a scale in their heart and knows everything clearly.

……