Troubled Times Survival Raiders

By the time of the official departure, it was already past half hour.All the little guys stared in a daze, their eyes could hardly be opened, only Zan Yuan sat on the straw, and when Shen Yu's hand touched his shoulder, he opened his eyes with a swipe. His eyes were clear, and he didn't seem to be in a deep sleep at all.

"Let's go." Shen Yu whispered. "Avoid the soldiers."

Zan Yuan thoughtfully, stood up silently, staggered because of the numbness in his leg.As soon as Shen Yu was about to help, he had already stood firm on his own, and asked as if he hadn't seen anything: "Where are you going?"

"Go south."

The dark clouds were thick, the moon was gone, and the earth was shrouded in darkness.This is the best opportunity for them.It was pitch black, and it was difficult for the soldiers on duty on the tower to notice them, and the arrows they shot were not accurate.Yet they also couldn't see clearly.The ground was extremely muddy, and there was an unknown amount of filth. A hundred people stumbled forward with one foot deep and one foot shallow, and their eyes adapted to the darkness before they could see the blurred outlines of human figures.

Only Shen Mu still had a cane and a small lantern in his hand.Candlelight is easy to expose the position and consumes lamp oil, so the refugees dare not use it.Only Shen Mu, who was once a master, has been a teacher for many years, and has a detached status in the village, has this little lantern the size of a palm.

According to the custom, the young and the strong go ahead to explore the way, then the old people, and the women and children walk last.Shen Mu walked in the middle and front. He was concerned about his beloved grandson, so he asked Shen Yu to walk by his side at all times.Shen Yu stepped on the dim circle of light under his grandfather's hands, and pulled Zan Yuan to his side without making a sound.

Shen Tai, who was originally following Shen Mu, walked past Shen Mu with a livid face, and walked towards his elder brother and second brother. Under the blurred light and shadow, his tense face was as terrifying as a clay sculpture of an arhat.

Zan Yuan raised his head sensitively, and pulled Shen Yu's sleeve with his hand, "I'll go behind."

"Go back? You don't know the way, what should you do if you get lost?" Shen Yu still looked serious and concerned when she said this, without any blame, as if she was seriously making assumptions.

Zan Yuan showed a look of disapproval, but it was not easy to argue with him.Although he is young, he is already a governor. With such a group of people walking south, I am afraid that no one will be able to say the word "recognize the way".

Shen Yu suddenly had a flash of light in his mind, and understood the meaning of Zan Yuan's actions. "Third Uncle is not like this usually, he doesn't have a problem with you."

It is wrong to criticize the elders, Shen Yu lowered her voice nervously, but she was full of apology. "My aunt passed away last month, and my third uncle has been depressed..."

Enough talking here, Zan Yuan was sensitive and guessed that this group of people did not welcome his arrival, so he just lowered his head and nodded indiscriminately, telling Shen Yu to shut up first.

Shen Yu didn't finish her sentence, "...Second brother is not here either."

His tone suddenly dropped and turned into a mutter, Zan Yuan didn't know how to recall, and fell alone in the quiet night.

In fact, it is not quiet, the sound of distant flames burning, birds and beasts chirping, and the sound of people walking nearby.But Zan Yuan's heart suddenly became empty.

The voices of the two children biting their ears were small, and Shen Mu didn't pay attention, but just followed the habit of the eldest grandson who was close to the school and said: "The people are not queens, so they can live without restraint; the queens are not people, so they can open up the world."

Shen Yu took up the nonsensical sentence, but calmly said: "The emperor blesses you with business, and the heir king will conquer Jude, and it will be a rest forever."

Surprise flashed in Zan Yuan's eyes, these two sentences were from "Shangshu·Shangshu", Shen Yu could pick them up casually, obviously by heart.

He only thought of him as the son of a farmer, but unexpectedly he was a scholar.

Shen Mu checked a few more sentences, all of which were from the "Shangshu". Shen Yu's answers were fluent, and he was satisfied. He just nodded slightly, looked at the front and suddenly said: "Are you tired? After walking this section, it will take a while , it’s dawn, it’s time to rest.”

Shen Yu suddenly held Shen Mu's arm, stepped on her feet and looked around. "Grandfather, tell them to make a detour. I've been here before, and the fence is set up in front. If you go further, you will step on the farm field."

Zan Yuan showed surprise again, it turned out that Shen Yu really knew the way.

Shen Mu shook his head with a stern face, "I have already discussed with Zhao Weng today, and we have to go a lot farther by detour. If it is really a crop field, it will be fine. There are no crops in this field, so why can't we go?"

"Although there are no crops, there are a lot of vegetable seedlings, and the master's family kept them alive. If they stepped on them, the master's family would not be able to eat them." Shen Yu replied sternly.

Hearing this, Zhao Weng also echoed, "Mr. Xiaolang is right. The Lord of this land must be respected. Indeed, one cannot trample on it at will." He bowed his hands to Shen Yu with great respect, not like treating a ten-year-old child.

Shen Mu was gasping for breath. After all, he waved his hands to tell the young man at the end of the thread to detour, but what he said to Shen Yu was also firm: "Go and take care of your younger siblings, don't talk back here!"

"Grandson knows his mistake." Shen Yu apologized, and happily pulled Zan Yuan back.It was pulled so tightly that Zan Yuan couldn't shake it off.

Zan Yuan's eyebrows were wrinkled, and the chubby face was puffy, but he still didn't let go.

The women and children of the Shen family were also behind. Seeing Shen Yu approaching, the youngest threw herself into his arms and acted like a baby, "Brother, I'm tired and I can't walk anymore."

An immature but serious female voice sounded next to him: "Third brother, you are too embarrassed. The mother and aunt took turns hugging you all the way, but you are the first to shout tired."

"Yue Niang, don't say a few words." The woman counted her down, but she didn't mean to blame her. "Da Lang is laughing at you." Shen Yue was nagged by her mother and could not speak anymore, but she winked at her younger brother and scratched her face.

"Auntie, mother." Shen Yu nodded to the two female elders, hugged the monkey wrapped around him in his arms, rubbed his little bald head, and said kindly: "I'll hold you for a while, and I'll be there soon .”

"Sanlang, don't make trouble with Dalang. Come here and let my aunt hug her." The woman who spoke just now put on a straight face again, Shen Qi was frightened by the second aunt, and obediently slid down, and was hugged by her.

"Siblings are also very careful, shouldn't Dalang hug his younger brother?" Shen Yu's mother, Mrs. Song, was silent at the side, and only spoke softly when she heard this.The two women stood together, and the contrast was sharp: one was crisp and sharp, and the other was gentle and soft.The second wife, Mrs. Lu, saw Zan Yuan who was silent first, stopped to scold her children, and asked, "Did Da Lang bring you back? What's your name, where did you come from? When did you get married?"

A series of questions popped out.Shen Yu was worried about Zan Yuan's heart, gently squeezed his hand, and replied instead: "His name is Zan Yuan, and now..." He really didn't know how old Zan Yuan was.

"Nine years old." Zan Yuan replied softly.

Mrs. Lu praised a few words, but didn't say anything more, the team became quiet again, and moved forward in silence.Behind them are countless yellow and thin women, their withered bodies wrapped in faded clothes, some of which are worn out, with a flat breast hanging outside, shivering with the only thin body covered The sallow faces and sluggish spirits of the sons and daughters show that their lives have also faded.

Zan Yuan felt chest tightness and nausea, and staggered on his feet.

"Tired?" Shen Yu reached out to help him, but Zan Yuan pushed him away, "Not tired. I'm not your brother."

His refusal was very strong, and Shen Yu didn't say anything. He took his hand back and continued walking. His pace was a little faster, and he passed the women and children. "You follow us first, and when you get out of Henan Road, the rebels can't catch up, and there are no Xianbei people who haven't fought. I'll ask my grandfather to call for help to find your parents."

When mentioning relatives, the expression in Zan Yuan's eyes became brighter.However, he didn't thank you, but asked abruptly: "Why is your second brother gone?"

As if she didn't expect him to ask such a question, Shen Yu paused for a while before answering: "He died of starvation. So did Shiro. He was just born, and the second aunt had nothing to eat and was weaned."

When he answered, his voice showed grief and exhaustion uncontrollably, and his face became much heavier.

Seeing this, Zan Yuan felt unspeakable unhappiness in his heart.He gritted his teeth, as if he was afraid that he would go back on his word, and said quickly: "Forget it, tell you, we will be evened, and my brother is dead." After finishing speaking, he pursed his lips tightly and looked at Shen Yu dissatisfied .

Zan Yuan's white hair tied with an explanation.Shen Yu's heavy sadness was also disturbed by his nonsensical words, and he couldn't laugh or cry. "Then please forgive me."

This sentence was said lightly by him.In fact, in their childish conversation, life and death, the past that cannot be recalled, have become light.

Zan Yuan's calf was sore, and his back was burning hot.But he didn't want to be wronged, and he didn't want to be underestimated by Shen Yu.He also didn't want to think about his deceased brother, so he tried to find a topic to divert his attention: "Why can Weng Zhao listen to you?"

"I helped them improve the plowshare." Shen Yu finally smiled. It was a proud and ostentatious smile. Although it was fleeting, it finally revealed a side that matched his age.

Zan Yuan didn't say a word when he heard this, and Shen Yu explained it as if he heard his heart: "The plowshare is a tool for plowing the land. It can make furrows on the land and squeeze the soil to the sides. Go. Every spring, before planting, the soil must be loosened."

Zan Yuan finally couldn't help asking: "Then what did you do?"

"I shortened and bent the shaft of the plow. How should I put it, shortened the handle, which saves effort, and also removed some unnecessary parts, so that the plowshare became much lighter and easier to use."

He tried his best to speak plainly, but Zan Yuan half understood.The more Zan Yuan listened, the more confused he became. In his opinion, although this family lived in the same place as their neighbors, they were different.Shen Mu is a juren, so he can be exempted from serving.Although Zan Yuan didn't know it so clearly, he understood that they were studying.How can scholars make farm tools?The literati he had met all had good handwriting and good poetry, and their hands were white and tender, unlike Shen Yu's hands, which had thin calluses on their fingertips.

"Here we are." Before he could ask, Shen Yu finally said the two words that Zan Yuan had dreamed of. Zan Yuan put everything behind him, and suddenly he was relieved, his legs went limp, and he almost knelt down.