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

As they spoke, they noticed that the frostbite on Sun Xiaobao's ears had spread even further, and they felt a pang of sympathy.

"Little Bao, be good. When we get to the city, Mom will buy you a box of ointment."

"After applying the medicine, the chilblains don't hurt so much!"

Sun Xiaobao cheered.

"Okay, Xiao Bao will definitely be a good boy!"

The conversation between the mother and son put the whole family in a good mood.

The rain was still falling outside the shed, but it had turned from the heavy rain of the past few days into a light drizzle.

Sun Erhe put on his clothes and then put on the straw raincoat hanging there.

Peeking outside, I saw that the guards on Steward Zhou's side were already up.

Smoke was even rising from under the shed.

Seeing this, he felt more at ease.

He tugged at his raincoat and ran outside.

Yesterday, after learning that he could go into the city, his father boiled some water.

He was tempted by the hot water and couldn't resist drinking more than he should.

I really can't hold it in any longer!

When they ran back after relieving themselves, they found that people were watching them from several sheds not far away.

The person immediately looked away when he looked over.

This unusual behavior made him panic.

After running into the shed, I saw that my father and older brother had gone out to relieve themselves and had not yet returned.

At this moment, only his mother and sister-in-law were heating up flatbreads in the shed.

He suppressed his unease and took off his raincoat.

He went and got the knife, then stood guard at the entrance of the shed.

Seeing her brother-in-law sitting at the door, Dahai's wife worried that he might catch a cold and greeted him:

"Erhe, it's warm here by the stove, come and warm yourself up."

Sun Erhe agreed and glanced outside again.

Seeing that the refugees not far away did not make any move to approach, he walked towards the stove.

But with something on his mind, he couldn't sit still by the fire, constantly peeking outside.

After waiting a while, he breathed a sigh of relief when his father and older brother finally returned.

He quickly stepped forward and told them what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Sun Laohai and Sun Dahai quietly lifted the curtain and looked outside.

Sure enough, there were indeed refugees watching them from not far away.

This brought the family's good mood to an abrupt end.

After thinking for a while, Sun Laohai decided to talk to Steward Zhou about it.

The specific procedures to follow will depend on Manager Zhou's arrangements.

Once he made the decision, Sun Laohai couldn't wait a moment longer.

He didn't even have time to eat the hot flatbread before putting on his raincoat and going out.

Sun Dahai asked Erhe to watch the house and then hurriedly followed.

When the father and son arrived, Steward Zhou was having breakfast.

Compared to the simple multigrain pancakes at the Sun family's house, Steward Zhou's breakfast could be described as lavish.

A plate of hibiscus cake brought from the city, a plate of thinly sliced ​​ham, a bowl of thick medicinal porridge, and four plates of pickled vegetables.

Upon hearing the guard's report, Steward Zhou wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

Only after putting on a mask did they leave the tent.

Outside, as soon as Steward Zhou came out, Old Sun hurriedly told him what he had discovered.

Manager Zhou looked towards several sheds not far away and, sure enough, saw the people staring at him with shifty eyes.

Compared to the tension of the Sun family father and son, Steward Zhou was much more relaxed.

"Don't worry, I dare to walk around in this world because I have something to rely on."

I was careless when I returned to the city last time and almost got pushed into the city by those refugees.

I had already made arrangements with the guards at the city gate when I left yesterday.

If there is any unrest, they will help quell it.

There are quite a few garrison troops in Dongyuan City, let alone just twenty or thirty refugees.

Even if there are more, there's no need to worry!

Upon hearing this, Sun Laohai and his son finally relaxed.

After the two took their leave, Steward Zhou glanced at the sheds a few more times.

He then called over his guards, whispered a few instructions to them, and then returned to his tent to eat.

The rain drizzled for most of the day, only stopping in the evening.

Throughout the day, apart from the occasional person going to relieve themselves by the roadside, there was no other activity.

After dinner, Steward Zhou sent people to inspect the camps of the three families who were about to enter the city.

Only after confirming that no one showed signs of fever did they return to report.

After listening to the guard's answer, Steward Zhou continued to inquire about the situation of the other sheds.

Upon learning that there were still people watching them from those sheds, he frowned slightly.

After hearing that there was no movement on the other side for the time being, he ordered them to continue keeping an eye on those sheds.

If any unusual activity is detected, immediately lead the team back to the city and sound the gong to signal for help.

The guard acknowledged the order, bowed, and left.

Time quickly passed to midnight.

With the agreed-upon time for entering the city approaching, Manager Zhou sent someone one last time to confirm the health status of the people entering the city.

Fortunately, no one showed any abnormalities.

When the carriage started moving, Sun Laohai's family was so excited that their hands and feet were shaking.

They had already packed their luggage, and the tent had been dismantled and loaded onto the vehicle long ago.

At this moment, the whole family was wearing straw raincoats and squatting beside the wheelbarrow.

They covered the wheelbarrow with the large tarpaulin, and several people squatted around the wheelbarrow, sticking their heads inside the tarpaulin.

In this way, the head and most of the body can be covered by the oilcloth.

It was a bit stuffy, but at least the wind didn't reach the top.

In the tense atmosphere, only Sun Xiaobao was still smiling.

From the time he was born, he has been plagued by disasters.

It's fair to say that, throughout his life, he has had very few opportunities to play with his family.

At that moment, he still thought his family was playing with him.

They tease this person one minute and that person the next.

If anyone responds to him, he will laugh heartily.

The rain had stopped, and the laughter became more noticeable.

Dahai's wife was worried that the noise he made would cause trouble.

She quickly squeezed inside, hugged her son, and soothed him softly.

After realizing that making a sound might cause trouble, Sun Xiaobao tightly covered his mouth.

Although he stopped speaking, he still couldn't sit still.

She ran to her father's side and touched his newly grown beard.

A moment later, she ran to her grandfather's side and touched his nose or the wrinkles on his face.

Or perhaps they would run to their grandmother's side and touch her hands, which were dry and cracked.

In short, I was basically never idle.

The family felt that it was too pitiful for a little boy like Xiaobao to be fleeing the famine.

Seeing this, no one stopped them.

Just as the family was getting along well, the guards from Steward Zhou's side arrived.

"Old Sun, pack your things, let's go into town now!"

Upon hearing that they were going to the city, the whole family stood up.

Seeing that Steward Zhou and his group had already started to set off in the distance, they immediately set off as well.

Sun Dahai was in charge of pushing the cart, while Sun Laohai and Sun Erhe carried baskets on their backs.

The group, carrying their belongings, left with the guards.

At this moment, Sun Xiaobao was still under the tarpaulin and was stunned when his family suddenly went out.

When you hear the voices of strangers outside, sit down obediently.

He knew that his father and grandfather would be on their way for a long time to come.

He must not cause trouble; he must sit quietly to be a good boy.

Beside her, Dahai's wife followed closely beside the wheelbarrow, holding a small dagger in her right hand.

Seeing that the refugees not far away were not making any movement, he relaxed a little.

At that moment, she noticed the protruding part on the oilcloth.

Knowing it was her son's little head, she gently patted it.

At this moment, Steward Zhou had already led his men to turn the carriage around and head towards Dongyuan City, with the three households following behind in turn.

However, they hadn't gone far when they heard a commotion behind them.