Escape from famine: Daddy stands up, Dali girl lies down

"Don't kick me, Daddy is holding your shoes!"

Lin Erzhuang tied the strap into a knot around his waist to ensure that it was secure.

The bag was tied around his waist and all the belongings were hidden in the big backpack.

"Dad, aren't you too hot?"

"Dad has thick skin and is not afraid of the heat. Your mom and the others wanted to carry you, but Dad was worried."

"Thank you dad!"

The father and daughter cleared up their past grudges with just a few words, and Lin Shu deeply felt how much Lin Erzhuang loved his daughter.

After everything was packed up, the group squeezed towards the city gate, with the elderly and the weak among them, even little Liu was among them.

The early morning sunlight shone on the tips of the guns of the soldiers defending the city, casting a white glow that made people shiver.

Dozens of people were already queuing in front of the closed city gate.

There were wisps of white smoke coming out of the porridge stall on the right, and bags of stale grain and bran were being poured into the six large pots.

If you look closely, you will find a thick layer of black substance floating on the surface of the porridge.

With a few stirs of the large iron shovel, the black, yellow and white mixed together and bubbled.

The refugees watching from afar stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks to look eagerly, with saliva and sweat flowing down their dirty necks.

When they smell the food, they bend down and arch their backs, ready to go, like marathon runners waiting for the order.

Lin Shu, who was lying on his back, turned her head and saw only a sea of ​​heads.

The person at the front of the line had thick bare arms that shone with a black luster in the sunlight.

He held a bowl or basin in one hand and a stick in the other, with a fierce look on his face.

Such people are obviously physically superior to other refugees.

Many people are fighting for a bite of food.

Lin Shu's heart beat wildly as she watched. She felt frightened just by looking at it.

If she participated in person, she wouldn't have to think about the consequences given her small body.

Although they are stronger than adult men, a large number of ants can kill an elephant.

It is also difficult to survive alone in such a refugee crisis.

...

"Gah~squeak~squeak~"

The heavy city gate slowly opened, and a team of armed soldiers trotted out in an orderly manner and stood in two rows at the city gate.

A man who looked like a legal advisor came out with his head held high and chest puffed out, accompanied by several yamen runners.

Enter the straw hut on the left and set up a stall.

During the visit, Lin Shu saw several familiar figures coming towards the city gate.

When she saw who was coming, she was so surprised that her mouth opened slightly, and she turned her head and whispered to Lin Erzhuang.

"Dad, the Liu family is here, but the youngest son is missing."

"Don't worry about them." Lin Erzhuang nodded.

He couldn't help but look at his second uncle standing in front of him, wondering how he would feel when he knew.

Forget it, everyone should mind their own business and not worry about other people's troubles.

It is not good to be a pushover, it hurts others and yourself.

The people lined up and each paid one or two taels of silver before they were allowed to enter the city smoothly.

Xiao Liu stood inside the city gate, watching the Bird's Nest team leave, at a loss.

He opened and closed his lips again and again and lifted his feet several times, but in the end nothing came out.

Looking at my children who are gradually moving away, I shed a few tears of reluctance.

“I’m sorry, I lost my mother, I can’t lose my father and elder brother again.

I will work as a cow or a horse in my next life to atone for my sins. I'm sorry!"

Little Liu held the corner of her clothes tightly, inside which lay a few thin pieces of paper.

That was the silver note the man had ordered her to sew into the corner of her clothes to save her life when he was packing her bag.

Tell her not to take it out unless it’s a life-and-death situation, and not to let her family know.

“If you don’t want to be sold, you should hide the banknotes.

If you really can't make it, find an honest man to marry, and I will raise the children."

The man's words of warning as he pinched her shoulder echoed in Xiao Liu's mind, and she felt a little heartbroken.

As little Liu stared at the city gate and thought about something, a long-lost smile suddenly broke out on her dazed face.

"Dad, big brother~"

The Liu family members who were standing across the city gate did not even look at her, but walked towards the registration booth of the government office together.

When Xiao Liu was very happy to see her family, she didn't expect that her family turned around and went to the registration office.

And she had paid the entrance fee and was standing inside the city.

"Dad, big brother, I'm here."

In a hurry, Xiao Liu screamed and ran towards the city gate.

"Dani, why are you here?"

When Old Man Liu heard the familiar voice, he turned around and saw that his daughter was the only one there, and his heart sank.

"Dad, I'm waiting for you here!"

"My sister-in-law talks nicely, but I'm afraid she was divorced by the Wu family!"

Qian pointed out the truth and looked at Xiao Liu with complicated eyes, her teeth chattering as if she wanted to eat someone.

Her little son!

He was only nine years old, and he disappeared in the crowd in the blink of an eye. We searched for him all night but couldn't find him.

Having lost her only daughter and then her youngest son, Qian's heart was numb with pain.

When he saw Xiao Liu, he became extremely angry and wanted to inflict all the pain on her.

"Sister-in-law, why do you say that? I'm doing this to take care of dad." Little Liu whispered.

"That sounds nice. Mother, Jiaojiao, and Muzi all died because of you. You must atone for their sins in all your lives."

"Dani, my elder brother treated you well, but you caused his family to be destroyed.

I didn't want to see you, but you wanted to show up in front of us. I'll leave my father to you."

Liu Yiming blamed his parents for listening to Dani, but the family ended up like this.

Since you like listening to it, let Dani keep it!

...

"Are you still going to register? If not, get out." The bailiff in charge of registration shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Sir, ding ding ding."

Liu Yiming quickly nodded and bowed to apologize, and secretly registered the old man and Liu Dani as one household.

Their family of three lived in a separate household, and each household received two taels of silver as resettlement fee, as well as a subsidy of one hundred coins per month.

The silver was taken from Qian's hand and went into Qian's pocket in a blink of an eye, and she could never take it out again.

Liu Dani's household registration was also controlled by Liu Yiming, making her a person without any freedom.

From beginning to end, the Liu family never asked a single question about Liu Dani's four children.

She accepted the fact that she was divorced and sent back to her parents' home very quickly, as if she had already expected it.

...

The streets of the city are wide and clean, and pedestrians walk calmly, covering their noses and avoiding refugees who appear on the streets.

There are shops lining both sides of the street, and business is booming. Everything seems to be in order, and it does not seem to be affected by the drought at all.

It was so clean that there was not a single beggar or stray dog. This was what Lin Shu found most strange.

The sight of the bank sign fluttering in the wind made Lin Shu's eyes light up and she smiled with her gap-toothed face showing.

...

The group stopped at the entrance of Xilai Inn, and the bad smell on their bodies immediately woke up the daydreaming boy.

"Sir, do you want to stay in the hotel or have a meal?"

The young man was five steps away, covering half of his face with a towel, and said impatiently.

"If we stay in a hotel, is there a separate yard?" Lin Erzhuang said without changing his expression.

It’s good enough that you weren’t kicked out. Haven’t you seen people being kicked out before they even reached the door?

"Yes, ten taels of silver a night.

The empty yard was just vacated. No other family will definitely have such good conditions as mine.

When you are away from home, living with familiar people can help you take care of each other.”

The shopkeeper looked up from behind the counter and called out what he thought was a fair price.

"Ten taels of silver, OK."

Lin Erzhuang forced an ugly smile. The shopkeeper really treated people differently based on their status.

Even though I knew the price was high, I had no choice but to accept it.