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

"Huh? Where's Brother Lin? Why don't you see him?"

Before Aunt Chi could answer, the shy little girl standing next to her suddenly burst into tears.

Sadness also flashed in Aunt Chi and Lin Yutang's eyes.

After seeing this scene, everyone understood about 70% of the situation and fell silent.

Aunt Chi smiled bitterly: "Lushui County has been disrupted by the Western Zhao Army. The three of us, mother and son, were able to escape thanks to Brother Lin."

"Brother Zhang, excuse me for asking, are you guys planning to flee to another place?"

Zhang Daniu looked at the village chief hesitantly.

The village chief nodded.

Zhang Daniu responded honestly: "Yes, we plan to go to Huizhou."

Aunt Chi was a little surprised when she heard it was Huizhou: "Aren't we going to the capital?"

"The capital is not that easy to get to. Besides, the Western Zhao army is determined to invade the capital and become emperor. If we take the initiative to send ourselves to their gate, we will be courting death."

"It's better to go to Huizhou. I heard that the commander there is kind-hearted, and the common people can live a peaceful life there!"

Aunt Chi seemed to have suddenly realized something. She pursed her lips, as if she had made a great decision. Then she slowly asked, "I wonder if my mother and I can join everyone?"

As soon as these words fell, the crowd began to whisper to each other, and they all looked at Sun Wan and the old village chief, their eyes full of expectation and hesitation.

Sun Wan began to have doubts in her heart. Although these three were women and children, they were outsiders after all. She had to think carefully before taking them in rashly.

More importantly, in her memories of her previous life, she had no impression of these three people.

As if sensing everyone's hesitation, Aunt Chi pursed her lips again: "I know what everyone is worried about, but we really aren't here to eat for free!"

"My husband is gone, leaving us an orphan and a widow. The road ahead is dangerous and unpredictable. We might die any day. We just want to find a companion to walk this difficult road together. Don't worry, we will take care of food and drink ourselves and won't cause any trouble to anyone."

Having said that, Sun Wan and the others couldn't refuse anymore.

Strength lies in numbers, which is always good. The old village chief thought about it and finally nodded in agreement: "If you have thought it through, then come with us."

"But the rain has been heavy in the mountains lately, and mudslides are a common occurrence. We plan to take shelter in this ancient temple for a while. Is that acceptable to you?"

The tension on Aunt Chi's face instantly turned into a relieved smile: "Okay, of course!"

She turned around, pulled out her shy daughter, and gently nudged her son: "These two are my children. The older one is called Chi Dong, and the younger one is called Chi Xi. Come and say hello!"

This sentence is obviously said to children.

The two children were well-trained. Although the little girl was a little shy, she greeted everyone politely.

Sun Wan smiled, took out two candies from her sleeve and handed them to the children.

Aunt Chi and her family of three quickly became familiar with everyone, and then they consciously found a corner to park their cart, sat around it, and chatted in low voices.

Everyone took a sneak peek and thought this family was quite reliable.

Zhu Xiuqin finally finished drying the rabbit skins and came back to see the Chi family, so she curiously went up to them and started chatting with them.

Soon, Zhu Xiuqin excitedly dragged Aunt Chi to the old village chief and said, "Chief, Aunt Chi said she knows how to tan rabbit skins!"

Aunt Chi stood at the back and smiled a little awkwardly: "My husband used to be a hunter and often dealt in furs, so I also learned a little about furs."

When the old village chief heard this, he was overjoyed and quickly took Aunt Chi to see the rabbit skins.

Aunt Chi carefully checked each one and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "It's okay, it's okay."

"These hides have not been peeled for long, and they were hung up just in time. If they had been delayed another day, they would have been completely ruined."

"But we can't leave it hanging like this anymore. It's raining heavily outside. The longer it hangs, the wetter the leather will get, and the meat residue and grease will stain it more easily."

"What should we do then?" Zhu Xiuqin stamped her feet anxiously.

Aunt Chi patted her hand gently and comforted her, "Just find a way to dry it."

"Scrape off the grease with a knife while drying, then bake it for another day or two."

She paused. "To tan the leather, we need to have plenty of wood ash, preferably the dark grey kind. We need to collect some in the next few days. We also need saltpeter."

"I know saltpeter. It's just the stinky stone in the toilet!"

"There's nothing else in this temple, but there are plenty of toilets."

Aunt Chi smiled and said, "That's great, but these saltpeter must be boiled in water before use. It's dirty. I have a stone pot at home specifically for boiling this stuff. I'll go back and get it now!"

With the guidance of Aunt Chi, a very experienced person, everyone acted quickly and performed their duties.

The young men continued to go out hunting, chopping and drying firewood, busying themselves with processing the rabbit meat while accumulating wood ash for future use.

The women in the family accompanied Madam Chi in busying themselves with peeling the skins and boiling saltpeter. The lobby was filled with warmth, as if spring had arrived early, totally unlike the cold and rainy weather of late autumn.

Sen Yue observed silently from the side, and her body gradually recovered over the past few days.

On the first day he was able to walk, Sen Yue left for a while on the pretext of going to the bathroom.

When she returned, she looked uneasy and as if she had lost something.

Most people didn't notice this change, but Su Duanxu did.

While everyone was busy, Su Duanxu quietly approached Sen Yue and asked hesitantly, "Miss Yan?"

Sen Yue trembled all over, looked up suddenly, and his eyes were fixed on Su Duanxu.

Seeing her reaction, Su Duanxu realized that he had guessed something right.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! I have no bad intentions!"

Su Duanxu hurriedly explained, "It's just that I have a younger brother who is studying in the city. When I went to visit him, I accidentally met Miss Yan."

"I'm the only one who knows this! I haven't told anyone!"

Seeing that Yan Senyue was still on guard, Su Duanxu quickly raised his hand to make a promise.

"What do you want to do?"

Yan Senyue remained unmoved, clenched his fists and stared at Su Duanxu nervously.

Su Duanxu scratched his head: "I, I don't want to do anything, I'm just curious and want to know if you are the Miss Yan."

"Miss Yan, speaking of which, shouldn't you be in Jizhou City? Why are you here in Lushui County?"

Yan Senyue's eyes were sharp, sweeping across Su Duanxu's face like a knife.

After a long time, after confirming that Su Duanxu had no ill intentions, she slowly relaxed.

"I have relatives living nearby. I originally came here to visit them, but unexpectedly, Lushui County was occupied by the Western Zhao army. I had no choice but to flee to the mountains."

Su Duanxu responded dryly with "Oh".

After a moment's silence, he couldn't help but speak again: "Miss Yan, when you arrive in Huizhou, do you have any relatives or friends you can rely on?"

Yan Senyue frowned and looked at him, as if he understood something.

"Second Brother Su, please rest assured. As long as you can safely get me to Huizhou, my grandfather will definitely reward you handsomely."