Rebirth of an Old Farmer: Escape from Famine with Children and Grandchildren

Su Duanxu tried to make himself look normal, at least to prevent the villagers from noticing his inner panic.

After walking a few steps, he heard someone calling him: "Duan Xu? When did you come back?"

A familiar figure appeared in front of him. It was Zhu Xiuqin who went out to fetch water. She obviously had not realized Su Duanxu's predicament.

Zhu Xiuqin, who happened to be out fetching water, saw Su Duanxu and couldn't help but be surprised.

Her eyes were full of questions, and she seemed very confused by Su Duanxu's sudden appearance.

Su Duanxu carefully looked at the other person's expression and found that she seemed not to have realized that he had left the Shu family, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Fortunately, the news has not spread yet.

At this moment, he seemed to have grasped a glimmer of hope.

He forced a smile and replied, "I was thinking about my fellow villagers and came back to visit them."

Although these words sounded unnatural, they were enough to conceal his true thoughts.

If Zhu Xiuqin heard such words from Su Rongze or Su Guiying, she would definitely believe it, but when it came from Su Duanxu, she felt something was wrong.

But she was too embarrassed to get angry with the smiling man, so she retorted, "Hey, so you're still thinking about us."

Her tone was teasing, but still revealed concern.

"Hey, how is your mother's health lately?"

Zhu Xiuqin asked with concern.

"I'm discussing this with the village chief. I'll go to the city to see her in a few days."

Su Duanxu responded with a nonchalant tone, but his heart was in turmoil.

Su Duanxu's heart tightened, fearing that their visit would expose the secret he was hiding, so he quickly said, "My mother is much better now."

He had to ensure that the lie would not be exposed, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

"It's just that I was too weak before, and this illness brought out all my old ailments. The doctor said I need to rest for a while."

Although these words were made up on the spot, he tried his best to make them sound reasonable.

"Oh!"

Zhu Xiuqin became anxious when she heard this. "The doctor said how long it would take to recover?"

The worry on her face seemed very sincere, which made Su Duanxu feel a little embarrassed.

Su Duanxu replied casually: "Probably one or two months."

This answer gave her some comfort and also bought him some time.

Hearing that the illness was so serious, Zhu Xiuqin became even more anxious. She didn't even bother to fetch water. She was anxious to get back to the village and tell the village chief.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly remembered that Su Duanxu was still behind, so she quickly turned around and asked, "Duanxu, are you staying in the village tonight?"

Su Duanxu nodded slightly and replied, "I plan to stay overnight before leaving."

He continued, "That's what my dad wanted to say. He's very grateful for everyone's help along the way, and asked me to ask about everyone's situation so he can report back to him. He also specifically told me to let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Zhu Xiuqin originally had no special feelings for Su Duanxu, but after hearing these words, she couldn't help but feel warm in her heart.

"Your father is still the same, always thinking about the people in our village."

Zhu Xiuqin said gently.

Then, she enthusiastically invited Su Duanxu, "Come on, come home with me, I'll cook you some bacon rice!"

As he said that, he took Su Duanxu's hand and couldn't wait to take him home.

Seeing this, Su Duanxu smiled and followed Zhu Xiuqin away without hesitation.

On their way back to the village, Zhu Xiuqin spoke loudly all the way, causing the news to spread quickly in the village.

The village chief, leaning on a cane, looked at the two men with a worried look on his face as they approached. He asked, "Duanxu, has your mother seen that famous doctor?"

"Yes, it's the female doctor who cured Miss Ye!"

Zhu Xiuqin nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Then someone else added: "It's amazing, she's like a living god!"

"Ever since I treated Miss Ye, she's taken some medicine and undergone several acupuncture treatments. Now her mind is much clearer!"

When he heard this, the expression on Su Duanxu's face changed slightly.

To conceal his true thoughts, he pretended to look around casually and asked, "Is it really that magical? Why can't I see Miss Ye in person?"

Just then a voice came: "Here we come!"

I saw Brother Ye San slowly walking towards me, supporting Lin Xiangxiang, who had a smile on her face, while the latter followed behind him shyly.

Su Duanxu looked carefully for a few seconds and found that there was indeed a little more light in the eyes of this girl who had suffered from a serious illness.

Although she was still a little slow, she could now understand what others said and no longer lost her temper or cried. She held a piece of dried meat in her hand and savored it carefully.

After seeing this situation, Su Duanxu licked his lips lightly, as if he was hesitating whether to say what he was going to say next, but he finally decided to speak: "Actually, I came here today to inform everyone of something more important."

He paused to get everyone's attention. "I think everyone knows that my father has now led the troops to the Huizhou area. Among this team is an extremely outstanding military medical expert."

"This person has a profound family background and possesses extraordinary skills. The reason for coming here is actually that my mother wants me to take Miss Ye away from here and ask that expert to provide her with specialized treatment."

After hearing these words, the villagers all showed joyful expressions, especially the three brothers of the Ye family. Their faces were full of surprise, and they exclaimed in unison: "That's great!"

The eldest brother said excitedly: "With Mrs. Zhou's promise, our girl's illness will definitely be cured soon!"

The anxious third brother then asked, "When are we going to leave?"

Su Duanxu was surprised by everyone's active cooperation.

He had originally planned to prepare a whole set of persuasive words, but he didn't expect that he would be accepted smoothly as soon as he opened his mouth.

Seeing everyone looking at him with trusting eyes, Su Duanxu felt a rare sense of guilt in his heart.

But this emotion was soon replaced by other thoughts.

The villagers began to talk excitedly.

"I knew that no matter where Madam Zhou was, she would always be thinking about us fellow villagers!"

"Even though he was still sick, he still cared about his sister. What a kind and benevolent person he is!"

Everyone was amazed.

Seeing that these villagers only had that woman in their hearts, Su Duanxu's mood suddenly turned cold.

His mood was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him, and the remaining warmth disappeared in an instant.

He gritted his teeth, trying his best to suppress the irritation and disappointment in his heart, and tried to remain calm: "I was planning to set off tomorrow, but since Ye Lao San is so anxious, let's set off tonight."

His voice was a little cold, but also a little helpless.