Su Yunhai took a sip of tea, his expression solemn.
“There’s a wealthy villager named Zhang Shiwen. He has been doing business in the northern border region for years, and this time he brought back some important news.”
“Just as you said, Hanshan Pass has already fallen to the Northern Barbarians. As soon as he received the news, he immediately brought his family back, intending to tell everyone in the village so they could flee as soon as possible.”
“I also took the opportunity to tell the villagers what you told us, hoping they would make their decision early.”
They certainly wouldn’t be the first group fleeing from the famine.
There was strength in numbers, and only a large group would have enough deterrence to protect themselves.
Su Yunhai understood this principle very well. He had never imagined that a family of only a few people could remain safe and independent while fleeing from the famine.
Shen Shuli’s eyes lit up when she heard this.
None of this had appeared in the original plot.
She had never expected that someone would have returned from the border to the village, nor did she know how many villagers would be willing to make up their minds to leave after hearing the news.
She was only worried that these villagers would still refuse to leave, just as the original plot had intended.
“How did they react?”
Su Yunhai shook his head.
“The village chief and the clan elders haven’t made a decision yet. They can’t bear to abandon their homes and farmland. However, Zhang Shiwen’s relatives have already decided to leave with his family.”
“I also told them what I thought. We’ll leave with them. They plan to set out early three days from now, so we don’t have much time left.”
Shen Yuehua suddenly thought of something and grabbed Su Yunhai’s arm.
“I want to ask my parents what they think. If they’re willing, I want to persuade them to leave with us.”
Over the years, the Shen family had taken great care of her and her husband. Shen Yuehua couldn’t bear to abandon them and leave.
“That was exactly what I was thinking. Tomorrow, you and Xiaoli can go back there. I’ll take our second son out to buy supplies. Oh, right, make a list of everything you need and I’ll try to buy it all.”
Su Yunhai began making arrangements.
Shen Shuli had been worried about her household registration and quickly reminded him, “Father, don’t forget that my household registration still hasn’t been settled.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it tomorrow too.”
The three brothers standing in the corner facing the wall listened to their conversation in complete confusion.
Su Chang’an finally couldn’t hold himself back. He turned around and asked, “Father, Mother, what do you mean by the Northern Barbarians capturing the city and everyone fleeing south? What exactly are you planning to do?”
Only then did the couple remember that they hadn’t told their sons and daughters-in-law about fleeing from the famine.
Su Yunhai casually glanced at his eldest son before explaining the war, drought, and influx of refugees to them.
“Our area will soon fall into chaos. We’ve already decided that we’ll leave three days from now.”
Su Chang’an became frantic.
“Father, her reputation was already completely ruined in Qingzhou! How can you listen to her? Besides, Little Sister Wanwan is going to take us to Qingzhou. She’s the eldest daughter of the Lin family. If this were really happening, wouldn’t she have told us?”
“That’s right, Father!”
Su Ding’an immediately joined in, deliberately fanning the flames.
He provocatively looked at Shen Shuli and analyzed the situation as though he had everything figured out.
“Father, I think she’s simply afraid that our entire family will go to Qingzhou to enjoy a life of luxury without taking her along. She has nowhere else to go, so she made up this ridiculous story just to keep Little Sister from being able to contact us! She really is vicious!”
Su Ping’an nodded repeatedly.
“Father, I think my brothers are right!”
Su Yunhai glanced at his three sons and realized that his daughter had been absolutely right about them.
These three little brats were generally obedient.
Under normal circumstances, they would never dare disobey him.
But whenever something involved his daughter, these three brats would inevitably take the opposite side.
Su Yunhai rolled his shoulders.
Without saying another word, he simply unfastened his belt.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before Su Yunhai could even pull the belt free, the three brothers vanished like smoke, fleeing as fast as their legs could carry them.
They didn’t forget to drag their wives and children along with them.
Watching the paper characters flee in such a panic, Shen Shuli laughed for quite a while.
“Dad, this is the spiritual spring water I saved for you. Hurry and drink it.”
Su Yunhai’s eyes immediately lit up.
He had been longing for this taste for eight years. He never expected he would get to drink it again.
“Hahaha! Then I won’t be polite.”
He had already noticed the changes in his daughter and wife.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have accepted it so readily.
“Dad, I got these from the modern world. Pick whatever feels comfortable for you to use for self-defense.”
Shen Shuli took various firearms and cold weapons out of her spatial storage.
“Good heavens, sweetheart! You can actually get your hands on these?”
The couple stared at the weapons Shen Shuli had laid out on the table, their faces filled with shock.
Shen Shuli had no intention of telling them that after her parents disappeared, she had joined the military and spent her days dealing with vicious criminals.
She didn’t want to make them feel distressed.
“Hehe, I got them through special channels for self-defense. Hurry and choose. Mom, you pick some too.”
The couple understood their daughter’s intentions.
They were about to embark on a journey fleeing the famine, and their daughter wanted them to familiarize themselves with these weapons as soon as possible so they could protect themselves.
Neither of them was polite.
They each chose a suitable handgun for long-range attacks, something they could also conceal on their bodies.
Su Yunhai also chose a heavier Tang sword.
Shen Shuli then took out the corresponding ammunition from her spatial storage for them to keep as backup.
It was already getting late, so the three of them went to rest.
The next day.
Shen Yuehua took Shen Shuli back to her maternal family’s home in Baishan Village.
It was thirty li away from Peach Blossom Village.
After leaving the village and making sure no one was around, Shen Shuli took a horse out of her spatial storage and rode toward Baishan Village with her mother.
Su Chang’an and Su Ding’an didn’t believe Su Yunhai at all and stubbornly refused to leave with him.
Su Yunhai had no choice but to take his second son and drive a mule cart out to purchase supplies.
There was hardly any grain left to buy in Qingyun City, so the father and son planned to travel to a more distant county to look for supplies.
The trip would take two or three days.
As soon as they left the house, they discovered quite a few villagers gathered outside the Su family residence.
Su Yunhai could more or less guess why they had come.
“What are you all doing gathered here?”
The villagers hurriedly explained.
“Da Hai, you said last night that you were going to another county today to buy grain. Could you take us with you?”
“Yeah! Whether or not we end up fleeing from the famine, the grain at home is almost gone. We can’t get our hands on any grain in Qingyun City at all…”
“Brother Hai, I’ve already decided to leave with your family. I also want to stock up on as much grain as possible.”
“All right. I’ll wait for you at the village entrance. Hurry home and get your carts. And bring some weapons or tools for self-defense if you can.”
Su Yunhai readily agreed, giving them a reminder as well.
*
Su Chang’an and Su Ding’an were pressed against the crack of the door, watching the family of three disappear into the distance.
They were furious.
Su Ding’an’s cheeks puffed up with anger.
“Little Sister was absolutely right. This fake daughter really is trouble! Before she came, Father loved the three of us the most. She’s only been here for one day, and Father’s eyes are filled with nothing but this newcomer. He’s treating the three of us like weeds…”
“Big Brother, don’t you have any ideas?”
“Of course I do…”
Su Chang’an fell into thought.
“First, we have to report everything that’s happening at home to Little Sister. Better yet, we should ask Little Sister to come back herself and expose Shen Shuli’s true nature!”
“Second, she’s deceived Father into taking our entire family away. We have to stop her!”
“Fortunately, she left with Father. Over the next few days, we’ll go from house to house and tell everyone in the village about all the evil things this troublemaker has done. Then we’ll get the villagers to persuade Father!”
Su Ding’an thought for a moment before nodding.
“Okay, Big Brother. Let’s get moving!”