The first group of people who came to inquire failed to achieve what they wanted, and the second and third groups came later, but the clan leader still refused, so that the people behind him did not come forward.
The patriarch sent his clever grandson to inquire about the news, and what he got was that King Yong of Shu in the south issued a conscription order to recruit an army of 200,000.
All the men in the front group were forcibly taken away, leaving only underage men, the elderly, children, and women.
These people don't know the basics, and strangers who don't understand mean danger on the way to escape.
For the sake of the clan, it is best not to absorb strangers into the team.
"Go around them and go faster." The patriarch said, and they continued on their way regardless of the front or rear; they surpassed the refugee team in front and walked in a row of three on one side.
If there are children in the family, the elders will lead or hold them while walking. In short, they should keep up with the footsteps of the clan members.
Their group, with all the men present, was different from all the teams that were catching up. Seeing the Cheng family moving forward quickly, their mentality collapsed.
The patriarch took this into consideration and did not stay to stimulate them; moreover, all the adult men in these teams were gone, leaving some old, weak, sick and disabled. Looking at the number of men on their side, they were in sharp contrast to each other.
It makes no one feel good.
After another three days of driving, they arrived outside a town; the gate of the town was open and unguarded, and it was obvious at first glance that it was an empty city.
"Patriarch, what should we do?" The bright-eyed person saw this situation and went to the patriarch worriedly and asked, "There is not much food at home and there is no one in the town. Where can we buy food!"
Extremely miserable.
The patriarch was not worried, "Go in first."
The Cheng family entered the town smoothly. The houses in the town were closed and the streets were not messy. The clan leader walked up to the village chief and said solemnly: "This town is deserted. There is no way to buy food."
"Take everyone to find a house to stay first. We have been on the road for almost three months. Let's take a good two days to rest. We will also check out the situation in the town. We can travel faster than other villages. When they arrive, we will leave the town as soon as possible."
The village chief frowned, his eyes full of worry.
The clan leader nodded in agreement and turned to settle the clan members.
Cheng Dazhu's family knew they would stay for two days, but Luo Cuihua and others had no idea. However, Cheng Dazhu and Cheng Yuanxi noticed something unusual, "Dad, we can't stay long. Judging from the dust and loneliness in the town, it must have been deserted for more than a month; they all ran away." , It shows that we can’t live in the town, our way forward is unknown, and there are refugees and soldiers on the way back, so staying here is not an option.”
There are so many potential threats, how can you rest assured?
"Go to the clan leader and tell him that we can't stay long." Cheng Dazhu said, and Cheng Yuanxi put down his bags and went to find the clan leader.
When the clan leader saw Cheng Yuanxi arriving, his heart skipped a beat, "Why is Yuanxi here?"
"Clan leader, my father and I both feel that we cannot stay here for a long time. We have to leave for at least one day's rest." Cheng Yuanxi did not say the reason, but he had already reminded him of what needed to be reminded.
The patriarch asked: "Did you and your father discover anything?"
"That's not true. It's just that I always feel uneasy. I have to leave when I have to."
The clan leader pondered for a moment and said: "But, just now, the clan members were told that they can rest for two days, and what do they think when they suddenly change their minds?"
"Patriarch, please think about it carefully. If it doesn't work out, our family will leave first." After Cheng Yuanxi finished speaking, he returned to Cheng Dazhu to explain the matter, "Dad, let's rest for a day before we continue our journey."
"Okay." Cheng Dazhu looked at his wife, "Everyone in the family is looking for a house to eat and rest early."
"Okay." Luo Cuihua called her three daughters-in-law, "You guys go look for a bigger house together. If the door is locked, don't break in. Just look for places that can be opened."
"I got it, mother, we're going right now; could you and dad please help keep an eye on the children?" Li Lianhua said.
Luo Cuihua nodded in agreement.
Mingyi said: "Mom, I'll go with you."
"Then follow mother obediently and don't run around." Chen Daya took her daughter's hand, put down her luggage, and came back to pick up her luggage after she found a place to stay.
"If my sister goes, I will go too." Cheng Mingli stood up and held hands with his sister.
The group left, leaving only Cheng Mingyue.
Cheng Dazhu frowned deeply when he saw Cheng Mingyue lazily leaning against Luo Cuihua; that's all if there was no comparison. With the comparison of another granddaughter, the laziness, greed and heartlessness of the eldest granddaughter became particularly obvious.
And, it’s glaring!
"My child, don't spoil her." Cheng Dazhu spoke, and Luo Cuihua patted her eldest granddaughter on the back, "Stand still, a girl should act like a girl, and she should stand as she should and sit as she should."
Cheng Mingyue curled her lips, displeasure written on her face, and stood up straight under Cheng Dazhu's sharp gaze; secretly cursing: If Cheng Mingyi did this, her grandfather would definitely not talk about her.
The two old men were left to guard the luggage, while Cheng Mingyue squatted on the ground and drew circles, muttering unhappy.
Cheng Mingyi followed the large army and walked through the streets of the town, looking around at the surrounding environment; focusing on the wealthy families in the town, and taking note of such mansions when they came across them.
"Dad, there is a big house in front of you, and the door is open." Cheng Mingzhi spotted a large house with his sharp eyes. Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw a large blue brick house with the door open.
When they stepped forward, they saw that the ground was messy and some inconspicuous things had been left behind. It seemed that they were walking in such a hurry. When they stepped into the house, they looked around as they entered.
There are three entrances, each with more than ten rooms.
All the things in the room that could be taken away were taken away, and the remaining quilts and furniture were left behind because they couldn't be taken away.
Chen Daya chose the first small courtyard that they entered, which was large enough for their family of four.
"You guys go move your luggage and I'll clean it up. Even though you're only staying for one day, you still have to live comfortably." Chen Daya spoke.
Mingyi said: "Mom, you and dad go move things, while my brother and I stay here to clean."
"How do you two kids clean up?" Chen Daya shook her head.
Cheng Yuanxi said: "They are so small that they can't carry their luggage, so they just stay here to do some cleaning."
Chen Daya looked down at the first pair of children. Mingyi and Mingli nodded in affirmation; it was true that they were young and couldn't carry bags or anything like that, but they could do other things.
"Okay, just be careful and wait until your parents come back if you can't do anything."
"Mom and dad, go quickly."
Under Mingyi's urging, Cheng Yuanxi and Chen Daya left quickly.
Cheng Mingli worked diligently to find buckets and rags, while Mingyi told her brother to avoid crowded places and explore the entire mansion; first, she looked at the front yard, because the front yard was the chosen place to live.
If she waits for Cheng Yuandong to come back, it will be inconvenient for her to move again.
Cheng Mingli didn't ask her sister what she was doing. She just cleaned the dust and sorted out the messy rags on the ground. Occasionally, she could pick up one or two pieces of jewelry, such as earrings, necklaces and other trinkets.
He gathered these into his arms. The jewelry was beautiful and suitable for his sister to play with.
