Gao Dashan’s group, lacking carriages and relying on handcarts or carrying their burdens, had taken the mountain's shortcut.
They arrived slightly earlier than the others, only to be stunned by the impassable road ahead.
No one had expected the rainy season to truly wash away the main bridge.
When informed of people ahead, Master Cheng was terrified, fearing a robbery. He was utterly panicked inside his carriage, nearly losing control of his bodily functions.
Mistress Cheng could only cling to her husband, trembling.
They held onto each other tightly.
This distraction made them forget their earlier unease, as they continued to shake.
It wasn't until Li Datou returned, reporting it was a team exchanging supplies, that Master and Mistress Cheng finally relaxed, having almost fainted.
Such a scare.
Fleeing for their lives required a strong heart, otherwise, fear alone could kill them.
This couple was a living example.
By the time they alighted, their legs were weak. Even Jiang Xiyue, seeing their pale faces, felt a bit resentful at the unnecessary fright.
Scaring people could indeed be fatal.
Looking at her aunt and uncle's cowardly demeanor, she felt their future was bleak.
Then, over there.
Cheng Hao had already gone to negotiate and understand the situation with Su Miaomiao.
Ji Bo could only take charge, instructing everyone to take a short break and attend to their bodily needs. They would then seize the opportunity to relieve themselves in the woods.
When the convoy was moving, stops were infrequent. Unless absolutely necessary, they had to endure. Thus, everyone had formed the habit of going whenever possible, unsure when the next chance would arise.
Cheng Hao and Gao Dashan had already begun their conversation, both quite surprised.
"I truly never expected us to meet again so soon. What a coincidence."
Gao Dashan cupped his hands towards Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao, truly believing in fate. If not fate, what else could it be? They had also informed his village.
By both sentiment and reason.
Gao Dashan treated Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao with consistent courtesy.
"Indeed. However, seeing the bridge has collapsed, how will we get across?"
As mentioned earlier.
Cheng Hao was familiar with the landmarks of the area, but he knew nothing about the smaller paths or specific village locations. He could only ask.
Gao Dashan was also troubled. "If we want to get across, we can only go this way. If we have to go over the mountains, carrying all this, we won't make it."
He pointed to the path over there, saying it existed but was very difficult to navigate.
Even traveling light would be hard, let alone fleeing with all their possessions. Their carriages certainly wouldn't make it, impossible to ascend the cliff.
Yes.
To get across, that small path required climbing, inherently fraught with danger.
While they were talking.
Su Miaomiao quietly surveyed the villagers of Shan'ao Village again. She noticed a small group, about forty to fifty people, had joined since they left, bringing their families. She recognized Chen Sheng among them.
The boy stood there silently, exuding a somber aura.
The old village chief was indeed absent.
Su Miaomiao understood that many elderly people couldn't keep up during an escape, so some chose to stay behind. However, these were clearly elderly individuals who had chosen to follow.
In her opinion, even if they were to die, it should be with their loved ones.
Yet, most of the elders here had chosen to remain in their homeland.
Guarding their ancestral land.
She stayed by Cheng Hao's side, dedicating only a portion of her attention to him, while the rest was used to observe these villagers. Seeing their gaunt and impoverished appearance, she was truly shocked. Some villagers were even picking lice off their children nearby, causing Su Miaomiao to instinctively step back.
Goosebumps prickled her skin.
Cheng Hao had been keeping an eye on Su Miaomiao. Seeing her flinch back, he wondered what could frighten her. He turned to look at her, then signaled Gao Dashan to pause their conversation, and then looked down to ask, "What's wrong?" His gaze followed the direction of her gaze.
He then saw several young girls, like mothers or elder sisters, picking lice off young children. Not far away, a few children squatted to relieve themselves in plain sight of the crowd, showing no shame at all.
Further away.
An older woman, a grandmother, slapped a child who was secretly eating dried rations. She yanked the girl's withered hair and hit her mouth, shouting in a shrill voice, "Eat! I'll let you eat! How can a dead person's mouth be so greedy? Do you, a cheap girl, deserve to eat grain?! That's the food for my beloved grandson! I'll let you eat! I'll let your greedy mouth eat!"
The little girl immediately burst into tears, her mouth and face instantly swelling.
A bright red patch.
The five or six-year-old child, held by the old woman, was as fragile as a chick.
Her mother, a fierce woman, rolled up her sleeves and snatched the child back, shouting at the old woman, "You heartless hag, always tormenting my Da Ya! Aren't you afraid of retribution if you beat the child to death? Who will work then? Counting on your old bones? Ptooey!"
The woman, tall and slender, pointed at the short, stout old woman and spat furiously.
This nearly caused the old woman to fall backward in anger. The mother and mother-in-law immediately began to argue. By the time the spineless man came to mediate, his mother had already sat down on the ground, throwing a tantrum and wailing.
A moment later.
Another, slightly fatter young woman, with a small silver hairpin in her hair, came to her aid. From her words, it seemed she was the old woman's younger daughter-in-law.
She seemed to be favored.
However, instead of breaking up the fight, she fanned the flames, enraging the elder daughter-in-law.
The scene instantly became lively. Cheng Hao's pupils widened in shock, but he remained outwardly calm, quickly regaining his composure. He patted Su Miaomiao's palm to comfort her, while his childhood sweetheart was staring blankly.
Su Miaomiao had never seen such a spectacle. Her childhood village wasn't like this. While families did have their squabbles and plenty of gossip, people at least maintained some decorum and wouldn't make such a scene in public.
Most importantly, her village had a good atmosphere, and they didn't argue constantly.
Gao Dashan, seeing the commotion erupt, felt his face darken. He immediately shouted, "What are you all making a fuss about? Are you still arguing on your way to escape? Do you really not want to live? Old Lin, control your mother! Don't let her cause trouble on the road! If you set a bad example now, everyone will start arguing, and then there's no point in escaping. Just stay here and argue until the heavens fall, letting the enemy soldiers laugh at us!"
He couldn't help but curse, thinking they had too much time on their hands.
Some villagers, enjoying the spectacle and not minding the trouble, shouted loudly, "Exactly! You know there's no food, yet you exert so much energy arguing. You really have too much strength! I'll see if you can even speak when the food runs out!"
Others immediately burst into laughter. The man surnamed Lin's face turned red. He stamped his foot, pulled his mother up, and rushed his wife to take their daughter elsewhere. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law could not be in the same place, or trouble would surely ensue.
The tall woman then pulled her daughter away, grumbling and leaving.