The Han family’s faces fell simultaneously as they looked in the direction Zhao Shuangtao was pointing.
They saw five or six refugees from the neighboring cave sneaking out while they were not paying attention, inting to lead away the horses left behind by the mountain bandits!
If not for Zhao Shuangtao’s sharp eyes, they might have actually gotten away with it!
“Er’er, let’s go!”
The Han brothers scrambled to their feet, snatched up the blades left behind by the mountain bandits, and charged over.
“Keep up, Huaijing!”
The Liu family father and son did not hesitate in the slightest, grabbing their weapons and following close behind!
The remaining people, fearing they might suffer a disadvantage, also wanted to follow, but Old Madame Han barked at them, “Qiumei, Shuangtao, stay back with the children and watch our belongings!”
Liu Qiumei grabbed hold of the two anxious boys and stood guard at the cave entrance, watching in a flurry of worry.
Fearing that the men might get hurt, Lin Yueru was just about to head over and see how things stood.
Yet her hand was suddenly seized.
Puzzled, she looked back.
Han Yanqing pulled her hand, shielding her behind him, his face stern and utterly serious. “Wife, hide behind me.”
A wave of warmth washed over Lin Yueru’s heart.
This fool!
Han Yanqing held her hand as they jogged over, coming to stand beside Old Madame Han, watching anxiously.
The Han brothers and the Liu father and son had just killed mountain bandits and had not even had time to wipe the blood off themselves. Standing before those refugees, they looked just like Yanluo from the underworld demanding souls.
It made the people opposite them shiver from head to toe; not a single one dared to meet their eyes!
Han Er’er’s face darkened as he swept a fierce gaze over them.
“I was wondering who had the guts to rob us, turns out it’s a bunch of cowards pulling their heads into their shells! When we were killing the mountain bandits just now, not a single one of you dared show your face, but now when it comes to snatching things, you’re bold enough to charge right to the front?!”
Han Er’er’s words made the refugees’ faces flush red and pale by turns.
Several of them shrank their necks back, none daring to respond; at this moment, they truly resembled turtles retracting into their shells!
Han Laoda hefted the blade in his hand and said in a low, heavy voice, “We are all unfortunate souls, and fleeing famine isn’t easy. We won’t make things difficult for you! Return the horses right now, and us brothers will let you off this once!!”
Liu Huaijing had just helped kill the mountain bandits, and his courage was running high!
Before his father could speak, he shouted first, “That’s right! Leave the horses, and this young master might spare your lives!”
Seeing the gleaming blades in their hands, the group opposite shrank back in fear once more. Even so, none of them were willing to let go of the reins.
These were fine, sturdy horses well-fed by the mountain bandits!
Not only could they pull carts and carry people, but if things truly grew desperate later on, they could be sold for money or slaughtered for meat!
Who would willingly yield such fine horses once they had gotten their hands on them?
Seeing that they had no intention of letting go, Han Er’er narrowed his eyes.
“So you don’t plan on settling this amicably?! When we start fighting in a moment, don’t blame our blades for being blind!”
He raised his blade, its tip glinting with a chilly light under the moonbeams, a sight so intimidating that no one dared look directly at it!
Subconsciously, Han Yanqing let go of Lin Yueru’s hand and shielded her behind him once more, pulling out the short dagger from his robes, ready to step in and help his two older brothers at any moment.
Tensions flared between the two sides; a fight was on the verge of breaking out!
Suddenly!
From the distant cave, a succession of women and children came rushing out!
“Daddy! Boohoo! Daddy, don’t fight! I don’t want to ride a horse anymore, I don’t want you to die! Daddy!”
“Children’s father, come back! Let’s not take this risk! Starving to death is better than being beaten to death by others!”
“Please, Daddy, boohoo, please come back quickly!”
Crying and shouting, they rushed over and shielded the men with their bodies.
The adults had no time to mind the children, and some of the youngsters lost their footing, tumbling straight to their knees on the ground.
A few clever children knelt and kowtowed ceaselessly. “Don’t kill my daddy! Boohoo, please don’t kill my daddy…”
These children on the opposite side were all sallow and emaciated from hunger, their faces streaked with snot and tears, a sight that pained the heart.
They had fled famine later than the Han family, so they still had more food and money left. But even so, they spent each day worrying about how they would survive in the future.
Seeing this, the hands of the Han brothers and the Liu father and son loosened and tightened, then tightened and loosened again on their blades.
Beside them, Old Madame Han let out a silent sigh.
They were all pitiful souls!
Then again, if those people were pitiful, weren’t they pitiful as well?
Besides, these were spoils their boys had risked their lives to win back; they could not possibly give them away!
For a time, the two sides reached a stalemate.
One side was unwilling to return the horses just like that, while the other side truly could not bring themselves to strike against a group of women, children, and elderly desperately trying to prevent this battle.
After frowning and watching for a moment, Lin Yueru quietly tugged at Old Madame Han’s sleeve.
Old Madame Han turned around with a frown, but seeing it was her, her expression softened.
“Ru, why did you come over here? Are you frightened? If you’re scared, let Han Si take you back to the cave to find your sisters-in-law…”
Lin Yueru shook her head and cut straight to the chase, skipping pleasantries. “Mother, it actually wouldn’t hurt to give up two of the horses.”
“Child, that won’t do! You don’t understand, those are fine horses! Keeping them will allow us to—”
Old Madame Han was startled and anxiously began to explain, terrified that the girl’s mind hadn’t grasped the situation.
“Mother, I know. I’m not saying we should give them away for free,” Lin Yueru interrupted in a low voice. “What I mean is to have them pool together some food and silver to trade with us for the horses.”
“Trade for horses?” Old Madame Han was bewildered.
“Yes, trade for them. Our family only has one handcart, so a single horse is more than enough. Having too many horses makes them hard to manage. Besides, we can’t even fill our own bellies, yet we would have to worry about finding fodder for them.”
Lin Yueru watched Old Madame Han’s expression as she spoke. Seeing that the older woman was in deep thought, she felt reassured and continued:
“Furthermore, these horses were left behind by the mountain bandits. Even if the refugees we meet later on dare not rob us, there is no guarantee that other mountain bandits won’t track the hoofprints and hunt us down…”
Hearing this, Old Madame Han instantly saw the light.
If they parted with some of the horses, they wouldn’t take the same path as these people later on. That would create several sets of hoofprints leading in different directions, more than enough to confuse any mountain bandits!
The gaze Old Madame Han directed at Lin Yueru was filled with pleasant surprise and admiration.
Now that this Ru had recovered, her wits truly equaled those of three people put together; she was truly the precious treasure of the Han family!
Unable to resist, the old lady leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Next time, Mother will boil an egg for you to eat!”
The corners of Lin Yueru’s mouth curved slightly as she watched Old Madame Han scurry over with brisk, tiny steps to confer in low voices with the Han brothers and the Liu father and son.
Naturally, the Han brothers obeyed their mother’s instructions in everything.
The Liu father and son also thought it over and realized it truly made sense, so everyone immediately settled on a plan.
Han Laoda shouted in a deep, booming voice, “We are all fleeing for our lives, and we know things aren’t easy for you either! We can share these horses with you!”
The crowd opposite was instantly overjoyed.
“However, these horses were won with our lives; giving them to you for nothing is impossible!”
“If any of you want one, bring food and silver to trade with us! If you don’t have food or silver, put an to any thoughts of stealing them, because us brothers’ blades aren’t just for show!”
With those words, he turned his blade upright and drove it violently into the earth, sing a tremor through the hilt that set it humming!