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

Everyone has a little bit of nervousness in their hearts, but more of anticipation for the future.

As the altitude continued to rise, the mountain road became steeper. The children, tired out, had already fallen asleep in the baskets carried by their parents or in some small baskets temporarily tied to the horse's back, and they were sleeping soundly.

Zhang Kun and several of his guard teammates still stayed behind the team.

Their mission is critical - not only to keep everyone safe, but also to cover up any traces left behind that might reveal their whereabouts as the team advances.

To this end, they would sometimes deliberately ride their horses in other directions, leaving obvious routes to mislead any enemies that might be following them, thereby buying as much precious time as possible for their escape.

When the first rays of dawn gradually illuminated the sky and shone on the sleeping mountains and forests, everyone finally reached the top of the mountain.

It had been a long and arduous journey, and everyone was exhausted. Even the most enduring horses were panting with fatigue.

However, there is an eternal light shining in their tired eyes, which is the hope and longing for the future.

Although the physical fatigue almost overwhelmed everyone, no one was willing to fall down. Instead, their mental state became more and more uplifting, as if they had just started a new life full of infinite possibilities.

It turns out that the top of this mountain not only has pleasant scenery, but also hides a small and exquisite waterfall.

The clear water gently hits the rock surface, forming a string of crystal clear water droplets.

The surrounding area is covered with dense green plants, and the lush greenery seems to provide a quiet and comfortable harbor for the tired soul on the journey.

If they had more time, these lively and lovely women would surely go and pick the wild mushrooms and fresh green vegetables growing on the ground. Unfortunately, now they can only watch the occasional pheasants flying by and the hares passing by and swallow their saliva, feeling a little regretful.

After finding a dense and tall pine forest as a temporary resting place, Su Shunde suggested that everyone have a good rest first.

At this time, Sun Wan keenly noticed several pregnant women: her eldest daughter-in-law, and two pregnant young mothers from Sujia Village and Dongjiazhuang respectively - they all showed extremely obvious fatigue, almost slumped down on the simple straw mats and no longer wanted to get up and move.

The experienced old woman immediately had a plan in mind. The more valuable items brought from the prefectural government office could be used to exchange for some necessary medicines, especially for prenatal care. At the same time, she also wanted to prepare in advance some other supplies that would be very useful for women who were about to give birth, because no one could guarantee whether these pregnant mothers would suddenly welcome the birth of new life while looking for shelter.

The Su Yaozong brothers acted quickly, found several large trees with lush branches and leaves, and cleverly used the existing straw mats to enclose a small semi-enclosed space for people to rest for a while.

They didn't bother to build a rooftop cover, but simply marked out an area on the ground to ensure everyone could have a better resting experience while sitting next to the tree.

This approach was well received by the surrounding companions and they followed suit, and soon rows of "hut-like" residential units were formed.

For some people who do not have spare mats, they simply use local materials and ready-made resources, selecting the kind of flexible green grass that is about half the height of an average person and weaving a simple version of the mat by themselves.

Several old ladies or young women with nimble hands and feet were seen quickly completing several finished products.

Seeing this, Sun Wan decided to wait until everyone had completed the most important preparatory work at hand and then continue to organize more people to participate in making more straw mats as backup supplies.

This way, it can not only provide some protection against wind and rain erosion during the difficult journey ahead, but also serve as bedding at night.

Meanwhile, in Ankang City, one of King Jin's captains was furiously whipping the city's prefect, Lord Wu. "Tell me the truth! Were you and the fleeing civilians colluding with us? Why were our men nearly wiped out, while you suffered minimal losses? Do you seem to have seen the fireworks used in the last attack? Don't tell me you're clueless."

Lord Wu, the prefect of Ankang City, could only kneel down and cry out, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. I have always been loyal to you and have no second thoughts. Even my wife is a distant relative of yours. How could I possibly secretly help these people betray you?"

Hearing the mention of his wife's connection, the general softened his tone and asked, "So, according to you, where are these people heading?"

"They seem to claim to be the Su family and are fleeing eastward to Youzhou."

"Humph! Want to surrender to Prince Rong? Watch me capture them all and bring them back to the battlefield."

After that, he gave the order, "Immediately send a team of ten to intercept them. No one with the surname Su can be spared!"

After his men left, he turned to the prefect who was still kneeling there and said, "My dear fellow, since these coolies have escaped from the land under your jurisdiction, you must send over an additional 200 men."

Although he cursed the other party's ancestors in his heart, Lord Wu had to promise repeatedly, "Of course, of course, I will send the full amount to the military camp tomorrow."

At this time, the villagers who were unaware of all this were enjoying their rare leisure time, drinking the sweet spring water beside the waterfall.

The sunlight shines through the treetops onto the clear water, making it sparkle.

The villagers' faces were filled with long-lost smiles, as if they had temporarily forgotten the hardships and sorrows of the past.

While drinking water, everyone discussed taking a good bath - the severe drought in recent years has made everyone dirty and smelly.

The men took the initiative to step back, leaving the front row for the ladies to bathe first, and began to help chop wood, hunt for food, and make a simple changing room around the pool with curtains; while the women began to boil water for bathing, and especially reminded everyone to boil the water before using it to avoid catching a cold and getting sick.

The children were also carefully placed in warm water by their mother and washed one by one.

The children's laughter and playful sounds echoed in the mountains, as if the clear spring also brought them endless joy.

Sun Wan looked at the long hair of the villagers, and even her own hair was stuck together. She thought it would be a headache if she didn't have shampoo, but she didn't have this thing in her space.

Suddenly she thought of the vendor selling labor protection supplies whom she met when she was exchanging supplies before. The man had given her a box of sulfur soap.

The box of soap had been sitting quietly in the house for some time, but now it showed its value.

Sulfur soap is a good thing. It can kill bacteria and treat eczema.

It’s so hot today that adults and children alike have a lot of prickly heat on their backs, necks and armpits.

She was delighted and immediately took out pieces of soap with a faint smell of sulfur from her storage bag. She carefully cut them into small pieces with a knife and then shouted to the women in the village.