When Sun Wu was questioned like this, he instantly began to stammer.
He sputtered for a long while, unable to utter a single word in response.
In the end, he could only throw caution to the wind and blurt out, “I—I have been away from home for too long. I forgot what the protective moat was called ages ago.”
Zhou the Third’s face darkened. “But Brother Sun Wu, our Quan County has never had any protective moat. Did you somehow forget that as well?”
Sun Wu’s mouth twitched.
“Folks, this man isn’t from our Quan County at all! Everything he said before was surely a lie. They are definitely not good people!”
Blacksmith Li bellowed in righteous fury.
At this point, the villagers finally saw through the man’s true colors. They all retreated warily, and not a single person was willing to leave with him anymore.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Sun Wu finally flew into a rage out of shame, revealing his true malice.
Gritting his teeth with a sinister expression, he drew a long blade from his horse’s back.
“You lot better tactfully do as you’re told and follow me quietly. Otherwise, all your miserable little lives will be left here with my brothers today!”
A piercing, cold gleam flashed off the blood-stained edge of the blade.
In this moment of urgency, Zhou the Third also shouted fiercely to rally the villagers.
“These godforsaken scoundrels won’t even spare poor folks like us. Everyone, grab your weapons! At worst, we fight them to the death!”
Zhou the Fourth glared ahead and raised his long spear, cutting a formidable figure right at the front.
“Third Brother is right, let’s fight! Let’s see who is less afraid of dying!”
Infected by the courage of the Zhou brothers, the refugees were suddenly filled with both fury and bravery. One by one, they brought out wooden clubs and kitchen knives.
They had already prepared themselves to wage a life-or-death struggle against Sun Wu and his men!
Sun Wu held his broadsword high, his eyeballs practically bulging out of his head.
“You bunch of reckless, death-seeking fools!”
Yet in the end, his blade did not descend.
Sun Wu begrudgingly sheathed it.
There were only about fourteen or fifteen of his brothers, whereas there were dozens of refugees, and all of them were acting like madmen ready to throw away their lives.
If a real fight broke out, Sun Wu and his men certainly wouldn’t gain any advantage.
Grinding his back teeth to dust, Sun Wu could only let go of this flock of plump little sheep that had almost been in his grasp. He mounted his tall horse and led his brothers away in a furious huff.
Zhou the Third was drenched in a cold sweat from the scare.
Only when the band of thugs had completely vanished from sight did his pale face ease up, and he let out a couple of heavy breaths.
The other villagers also let out a long, collective sigh of relief. Some felt their legs go weak and collapsed directly onto the ground.
Others hugged their family members tightly, weeping together.
Everyone was rejoicing that they had narrowly escaped a disaster.
“Thank goodness we didn’t go with them, otherwise we would have suffered a terrible fate.” Old Man Wang, who used to live at the east end of the village, had tears welling in his eyes.
Widow Zhang from the west end of the village also clutched her chest.
“What that little toddler said just now was absolutely right. If you ask me, that band of men were human traffickers, wanting to abduct us and sell us off into some wretched trade.”
Only then did everyone suddenly remember that they had managed to preserve themselves and their families all thanks to Zhou Mianmian’s timely warning.
Thus, they all rushed over to the Zhou family, scrambling to express their gratitude.
“It’s all thanks to this little girl. If she hadn’t alerted us, we might have lost our lives.”
“Isn’t this the little daughter of Zhou the Third? She is the savior of us all!”
“What an adorable little child. Quick, let Auntie give you a hug!”
Zhou Mianmian blinked her large eyes as she looked at them, her gaze sparkling, her skin fair, and her lips rosy.
She looked exactly like a precious, lovable porcelain doll.
The crowd couldn’t help but circle around Zhou Mianmian.
Hands reached out from all directions, with everyone eager to snatch her up into their arms.
The fervent gazes coming from all around made Zhou Mianmian feel a bit uncomfortable.
Too many people, Mianmian doesn’t like it.
So she flailed her chubby little arms and legs clumsily, trying to escape from the center of the crowd.
Yet in the next moment, Mianmian’s hands and feet were roughly grabbed by the adults.
A woman scooped her out of Song Nianxi’s arms.
Zhou Mianmian’s chubby little face was pressed tightly against the woman’s chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
“This little daughter makes me dote on her to pieces. In this year of famine, children can’t get enough to eat. Come, come, Auntie just gave birth to a baby, how about I give you a few sips of milk?”
Zhou Mianmian’s cheeks turned flush from suffocating, and she spat out her drool in distress.
With great effort, she finally spat out the thing that had been forcibly shoved into her mouth.
“Phooey, phooey, phooey! Mianmian gags, gags!”
Immediately after, Mianmian’s cheek was pinched by someone else’s hand.
“This girl grows prettier by the day. Come, be my daughter instead!”
Zhou Mianmian puffed up her cheeks, glaring with wide eyes and whimpering in displeasure.
Mianmian has a father and mother, who wants to be someone else’s daughter?
Her reaction, however, only drew more playful banter from the crowd.
“Why are this child’s eyes so big? They look just like large pearls.”
“Oh look, she even knows how to pout! Hahaha, everyone look quickly!”
Zhou Mianmian ground her little milk teeth in frustration. Does this cub not deserve any dignity?
She simply turned her little head away, stubbornly refusing to look at them.
Just then, a young woman happily came over, repeatedly kissing Mianmian’s forehead.
“It really is better to give birth to a daughter. Look how handsome other people’s daughters are.”
The woman’s husband also leaned in, chuckling, “Wife, if you dote on daughters so much, then the two of us will work hard tonight and conceive one!”
“Oh stop it, you are never serious for a single day!”
“Hehehe, how can we have a baby if I’m being serious? There is a small grove over there that can hide us from view perfectly…”
What on earth were they talking about? Hearing this made Zhou Mianmian highly displeased.
A layer of aggrieved mist coated her large eyes, making her look pitifully vulnerable.
Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!
All of you, retreat from Mianmian!
“The Third, are we almost there?”
Old Mrs. Zhou had been counting the days in her heart. Having walked for so many days now, they should be arriving at the wasteland soon.
Zhou the Third knew the distance and nodded in confirmation, “Mother, we are close. At most two more days of walking and we will arrive!”
Thus, the group continued to rush their journey for over two more days.
Finally, before nightfall, the Zhou family’s clearing squad arrived at the desolate border north of Lingzhou City.
Arriving alongside them were two other groups of refugees.
What appeared before the Zhou family’s eyes was a vast, boundless expanse of desolation.
As far as the eye could see, it was filled with wild grass standing half a man high, and a scattering of several abandoned, ancient houses that had gone to ruin over many years.
Withered vines scattered in all directions devoid of any vitality, and the cawing of old crows circled in the sky above. Right now, everywhere held a desolation akin to the setting sun’s final, fading glory.
The members of the Zhou family all stared blankly as they surveyed the area. Were they to make their home here from now on?
But this… was simply too wildly desolate.
“Mother, how are we supposed to live here in the future? There is absolutely nothing.” Li Chunzhu was the first to break down, plonking herself right down onto the ground.
“Mother, let’s head back. I want to go back to the town. Let’s go make a living in the town,” Li Chunzhu pleaded, looking at Old Mrs. Zhou.
With her mind dwelling on the money acquired from selling the bamboo fungus, Li Chunzhu constantly wanted to use that money to go live a comfortable life.
She did not want to endure even a bit of hardship.
Old Mrs. Zhou hardened her face and hauled the woman up with a single yank.
“You lazy piece of baggage! If you go to the town, what skills do you have other than begging for food? If you truly want to leave that badly, then go by yourself. An old woman like me will certainly not stop you!”
Li Chunzhu relied entirely on the Zhou family to survive, so how could she possibly leave on her own? She could only wear a mournful face and continue to mutter complaints.
While the Zhou family remained rooted to the spot without moving, the other clearing squads nearby suddenly erupted into a frenzy.
Many men rushed forward toward the front.
“Mother, what are they scrambling to grab?” Zhou the Third asked, knitting his brows.