He warned, "Don't cause trouble."
Now was not the time to stand up for justice; self-preservation was paramount.
If trouble truly arose,
It could be skillfully diffused.
Cheng Hao observed his relative of the same surname. From his earlier eagerness to assert himself to his fierce gaze, he was clearly not someone easy to get along with, undoubtedly a two-faced person. If they were to clash while fleeing, it would indeed be problematic.
Petty people are hard to guard against.
As a newcomer, caution was best. He only feared that Su Miaomiao's righteous nature would not be restrained, as she had always been the type to "draw her sword to help when encountering injustice."
Su Miaomiao looked up at him. Seeing his handsome, stern face, she knew he disliked her taking the lead. She merely mumbled, "I'm just saying it, not that I absolutely have to intervene."
She disdained men who hit women, but she also understood that this was not like before.
Her body was no longer the one she frequently trained, and she truly could not win.
Su Miaomiao sighed deeply.
She changed the topic.
Regarding the choice of route.
She also had her own thoughts and said softly, "Anyone who doesn't run at a time like this is a fool. The official roads are crowded. Let's take the old paths. Those roads with wooden bridges are indeed impassable. We have carriages and mule carts with heavy loads; how can we cross them?"
From the snippets of conversation, Su Miaomiao could grasp the gravity of the current situation.
The city had fallen.
It was unknown when the pursuers would arrive.
They could only rely on this torrential rain to buy them time; otherwise, they would be fleeing on the roads now.
But they were escaping for their lives.
Could they afford to delay here?
Just as Su Miaomiao finished speaking, the wind and rain outside intensified. Dry branches and stones pinged against the wooden door panels, making them creak and sway precariously, startling everyone.
The Cheng family head couldn't help but glance outside, fearing the temple would not withstand the storm.
"This is going to be the death of us. I wonder if this storm is good or bad for us."
He muttered to himself.
Cheng Fengtai and Cheng Kaichun also looked outside. This downpour was indeed strange; it had never been this windy and rainy in previous years. Looking at the scene...
It was quite frightening.
The temperature also dropped sharply.
Everyone couldn't help but stoke the fire, and for a moment, no one spoke.
Only the crackling sound of burning firewood remained. The temple had indeed reached this state.
Everyone's mood was complex.
Only silence remained.
Cheng Kaichun's gaze flickered. He still stepped forward to play the villain. "We don't know when the pursuers will catch up. We can't stop here for too long..."
He urged everyone again to make a decision.
The Cheng family head was also troubled. "There are only three paths; which one should we choose?"
He looked left and right.
Then he asked, "Elder brother? Younger brother? You two should each voice your opinions."
Earlier, Cheng Kaichun had not allowed his wife to speak. The Cheng family head then asked him, "Then, according to your opinion, brother, you don't want to go back. Which way do you think we should go?"
The difficult question was once again thrown to the other party.
Cheng Kaichun looked troubled. He was unwilling to be the decision-maker, fearing the burden of ill repute. He only wanted to enjoy the results and did not know how to speak.
His wife behind him, cradling their young child, also hesitated to speak.
Cheng Fengtai finally threw the dry grass he was holding into the fire and said, "Either we go along the old official road. As mentioned before, although the newly built official roads are wide, with so many people, if the road ahead is blocked, we will be trapped like fish in a barrel in the hands of villains, won't we?"
As for the path with many wooden bridges, it was out of the question. Too many people and horses, impossible to navigate.
The Cheng family head, who lacked his own opinion, felt this was excellent upon hearing it.
He then decided, "Alright! After much thought, this is the only viable path! We shouldn't stay here long. Tomorrow, we'll assess the situation. If we can set off, we'll depart immediately, take the old official road, and head to Gaojiazhuang!"
Cheng Hao listened silently. Here, the rules of seniority were still followed. For decisions like this, he could not easily speak out of turn.
However, this chosen path was exactly what he had hoped for. He calculated in his mind that Gaojiazhuang was famous for its timber, and good lumber could be used to make good things.
If they could escape there, they would be relatively safer.
After all, the enemy soldiers had just occupied two cities, North City and Fengcheng. With their nature, they wouldn't fight again until they had thoroughly plundered the inside.
They would surely boast for a while first; this was a common trait of enemy soldiers.
Cheng Hao thought that their means of transportation relied on horses and mules, and the carriages and wheels were also made of wood. If they could reach Gaojiazhuang, they could use the local timber to repair the damaged transportation.
They could even build more carriages suitable for travel, which was very important. The distance to the neighboring country was not short. With widespread panic, mountain bandits and other groups would easily emerge. The roads they would pass through would not be peaceful, so protective measures would need to be taken.
Now that the elders had chosen such a suitable route, it was a fortunate coincidence that they had picked the most reasonable path, and people's hearts were also settled.
Seeing that the route had been chosen, everyone no longer debated and decided to follow.
There was no better path available now.
The Cheng family head then told everyone to eat and rest early, as they might have to travel tomorrow. Sleeping in the carriage was not as comfortable.
The remaining loyal family servants diligently prepared the beds for the masters to rest. At least they could sleep in bedding, and after finishing their work, the servants could also huddle together to rest.
A few people would be assigned to guard duty.
Everyone agreed. Cheng Kaichun's wife, however, looked dejected.
Although everyone had said earlier that her opinion could be heard, the final decision still rested with the men; women had no say at all.
Cheng Kaichun also reprimanded her in a low voice, "Why don't you take the child and go to sleep? Since that mountain could not be entered during previous wars, what are you afraid of now? If you lead everyone back now, that would be sending us to our deaths!"
He said this in a suppressed rage, barely holding back from acting in front of everyone, his eyes extremely impolite. He even insulted her, "A woman's knowledge is as short as her hair." She only saw things with a shallow perspective.
He absolutely did not want to go back, even though his closest relatives were there.
Cheng Kaichun thought of those relatives who sponged off others, or those relatives who looked down on him, and his partial parents, wishing they were all annihilated by the enemy.
Not to mention his so-called in-laws.
He only wanted to follow the main group led by the Cheng family head. Here, there were food and manpower.
Now, in wartime,
There was no better place to be than with the Cheng family head. He was extremely satisfied.
Madam Xi lowered her head, her expression obscured by tears. The child in her arms, frightened by her father's fierce demeanor, dared not make a sound, only clinging tightly to her mother and trembling uncontrollably.
Cheng Kaichun found it irritating and pulled the quilt to himself, then lay down to sleep. Touching the silk bedding, he felt even more convinced that he had followed the right person.
Even if he were called a sycophant in the future, it wouldn't matter.