The end of natural disasters: the daily life of child brides in ancient times

"I heard from Old Wang that you have grain and coal here, so I thought I'd come and take a look."

Hearing this, Uncle Wu cursed that bastard Master Wang in his heart, but still smiled obsequiously on the surface.

"Sir, you've probably misunderstood."

Our village is made up of farmers who rely on farming for a living. After paying the grain tax, there's not enough left to eat.

Where can we find any extra grain?

Bai Song's gaze swept over Qin Lang at the back of the crowd, and he continued:

"However, it seems now that what Old Wang said was a bit of an exaggeration."

Upon hearing this, Master Wang trembled in fright and hurriedly offered an explanation.

"Brother Bai, there are indeed two very wealthy families in the village. I'm not lying, it is..."

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the ambiguous smile on Bai Song's face.

Bai Song cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards his fifth uncle.

"Grandpa, it's too cold today, and we really can't run anymore."

We heard there were some courtyards on the street ahead, so my brother and I decided to stay there first.

From now on, we'll be neighbors.

As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors.

"I'll have to rely on you all from now on!"

When Uncle Wu heard that they wanted to stay, his expression stiffened.

But seeing the soldiers behind Bai Song, who were all exuding a murderous aura, he could only force a smile.

"Sir, you're too kind. If you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Seeing that the villagers were still tense and on high alert, Bai Song waved his hand and led the soldiers to turn around and head towards the main street.

As the last carriage in the procession turned around and left, the villagers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Sun Laohai looked at his fifth uncle with great concern.

"Fifth Uncle, those people have indeed settled down on the front street."

What are we going to do now?

Uncle Wu looked at the soldiers who had already walked away and sighed.

Let's take it one step at a time.

Now, only these people are left in our village.

If those people really wanted to steal our things, we couldn't fight back.

This statement is quite pessimistic, and sounds like it implies a complete lack of resistance.

But it fits the current situation very well.

The village has about a hundred people, including men, women, and children.

On the other side were more than two hundred strong men, all armed with weapons.

Given this stark disparity in strength, the hope of defeating the opponent is extremely slim.

The villagers also felt downcast after hearing what Uncle Lao Wu said.

For a moment, the scene was eerily quiet.

Uncle Wu kept staring ahead until the soldiers could no longer be seen on the path.

He then turned to look at the villagers, his expression serious.

"Since everyone is here, I have something to say."

You all saw what those soldiers looked like just now.

There were more than two hundred people, but only three horse-drawn carriages in total.

Even if the food is fully stored, it won't last long.

We are now seen as their grain reserves.

Who knows when someone might come and snatch it away?

There are only a few people left in our village now, so everyone should make preparations as soon as possible.

After returning home, I tidied up all my belongings.

In case of any emergency, you can take it with you at any time.

When the time comes, we'll try to get as many people as possible to escape.

"Alright, everyone go back now."

After finishing his sentence, Uncle Wu walked back, leaning on his cane.

That hunched back became even more bent.

Many villagers were surprised that Uncle Wu's thoughts were so pessimistic.

In their view, if they give it a try, there might still be hope.

Just like when we faced that group of merchants before.

Even if the villagers still had their own thoughts, their trust in Uncle Lao Wu was practically ingrained in their bones.

Most people plan to start packing their things once they get back.

The villagers walked back in twos and threes, discussing as they went.

Just as Lu Qingqing was about to turn back, she bumped into Manager Wu and his son.

Manager Wu's complexion has improved a lot these days, and his face has become rosier.

"Young Master Lu, what do you think of what happened just now?"

Seeing that Manager Wu and his son were both staring at her, Lu Qingqing thought for a moment and said:

"To be honest, we came from the north."

In this kind of weather, it's really not suitable for traveling.

Our family has no plans to leave.

Upon hearing this, Manager Wu's face was full of worry.

"If those soldiers come to steal our things, are we really going to fight them?"

Can we outnumber so many officers and soldiers?

"At that point, I'm afraid we'll lose both our money and our loved ones!"

In his heart, Manager Wu agreed with what Uncle Wu had said.

But since he was saved by Lu Qingqing and Qin Lang last time, he still held onto a sliver of hope.

Lu Qingqing wasn't sure either, and shook her head.

Seeing this, even the last glimmer of hope that remained in Manager Wu's heart was shattered.

"Brother Lu, if you ever plan to leave, be sure to call my family."

"Don't worry, my family has all the necessary vehicles and horses; we definitely won't hold you back."

Lu Qingqing nodded in agreement, bid farewell to Manager Wu, and walked back with Qin Lang and the others.

The four of them discussed this matter on the way.

Old Zhuang put his hands in his pockets and sighed several times.

"It wasn't easy for us to finally settle down in Fushan Town."

Now, we have both grain and coal.

Even the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) can be kept warm.

Life's so comfortable, I've even gained some extra weight around my stomach.

With the Lunar New Year just two months away, here comes this stunt again.

"Heavens above, why can't we just have a peaceful New Year!"

Sun Yue thought about the days she spent fleeing famine, and then about her leisurely life now, and her face scrunched up in a frown.

“Master, Qingqing, if it really comes to the point where we have no choice but to leave.”

Our family has stockpiled so much grain and coal, moving it will be a huge undertaking.

Besides, we don't have that many people rushing to catch the train.

Also, the snow on the road is so thick that it's hard to walk.

Where should we go next?

The group talked for a while before returning to the courtyard.

Not long after, the gate was knocked on again.

When Lu Qingqing went to open the door, she found it was Sun Erhe.

Since what happened last time, this kid has become much more composed.

This time, however, he was unusually flustered.

"Brother Lu, among the group of soldiers living on the front street."

There are three people at the village entrance who say they are looking for you.

When I asked what it was about, they wouldn't say, they just said they wanted to see us.

"Right now, Big Head and the others are keeping an eye on those people. They sent me to call you."

When Lu Qingqing heard that the group of soldiers wanted to find her, she also felt uneasy.

They'd never met before, so why were they looking for her?

Seeing Sun Erhe's anxious expression, they had no choice but to call Qin Lang, and the two of them took their weapons and went out.

The three of them hurriedly headed towards the east end of the village.

In the past, three people were found at the village entrance.

One was Bai Song, another was a soldier I didn't recognize, and the third was Master Wang.

Mr. Wang now looks disheveled and extremely thin, a stark contrast to his former appearance.

When Bai Song saw her and Qin Lang coming over, a smile appeared on his face.

"Young Master Lu, Young Master Qin, I've long admired your names!"

I am Bai Song, and this is my brother Yan Xu.

We just settled in and brought some things with us, thinking we'd like to visit you.

Unexpectedly, these two young men were so nervous that they insisted on blocking us from entering.

"There's no other way but to have you come out and meet us. My apologies!"

Seeing his overly familiar manner, Lu Qingqing could no longer keep a straight face.

"Brother Bai, the village was attacked before, so everyone is being extra careful."

We're all just trying to survive, please forgive us.

Bai Song had naturally heard about this from Master Wang, and upon hearing it, he laughed it off.

His gaze swept over Qin Lang's muscular physique before he spoke:

"Brother Lu, I heard from Old Wang that you know the location of that charcoal kiln."

I don't know, could you please tell me?

As you know, we left in a hurry and didn't bring much firewood.

On this day, without anything to start a fire, and truly unable to endure the heat…

Lu Qingqing and Qin Lang exchanged a glance, and Qin Lang told Bai Song the location of the charcoal kiln.

He was also told in detail which places were easy to get lost in.

Bai Song and Yan Xu beside him tried hard to remember those important turning points.

After listening, Qin Lang repeated it again.

Only after he had accurately memorized it did he smile and hand over the gift.

"Young Brother Lu, Young Brother Qin, this is a small gift."

This is just a small token of my appreciation, but I hope you will accept it!

Qin Lang accepted the gift readily and thanked Bai Song and the others.

Throughout the conversation, Master Wang stood to the side, head bowed, and remained silent.