The boy who spoke was called Wang Meng. His parents were both dead, leaving him and his seven-year-old sister Wang Juan. The brother and sister were sold to the old witch by their uncle and aunt.
Ye Yutong smiled and said: "You don't need to be a cow or a horse. We only do farm work on the mountain. When we have free time, we can read and read with the master. We can also practice martial arts and go hunting."
There is no shortage of food on our mountain. Everyone can have enough to eat, and we can even eat a meal of meat every three days. "
Hearing this, these children all looked at her with bright eyes, and some of the little ones drooled.
Let alone eating meat, these children have never had a few full meals since they were young.
They were all grateful for a steamed bun for every meal, so how could they dare to expect anything else?
A little girl of about ten years old came out holding a little boy of seven or eight years old, looked at Ye Yutong and said:
"We are willing to go with you. I can weave, make clothes, embroider handkerchiefs and purses, and feed pigs and chickens. I can do anything.
Although my brother is a little younger, he does not live on a free diet. He has been doing farm work with his parents since he was a child, and he is very efficient at work. "
The other children also hurriedly expressed their intention to follow, and I was afraid that if they were slower, they would be left behind.
Wang Meng, the eldest, was a little suspicious.
What year is it now? What kind of family dares to have enough to eat? Are you still eating meat every three days?
He didn't believe it, why did he think Ye Yutong looked like a liar?
But then I thought about it, they want money but not money, they want food but not food, what can they do to deceive them?
If you really wanted to lie to them, why did you rescue them and even give them food if you said they were willing to leave?
He felt that he was too suspicious and a little bit villainous.
Just as he was scratching his head and thinking about this.
Ye Mingzhe came over with a large basket of steamed buns and eggs.
"Let's eat first. If you have anything to say, we'll talk about it later. Have a good rest here today, and we'll start our journey in the evening."
Seeing these children staring straight into the basket, they said with a smile: "Each person has an egg and three nests. If there is not enough food, come and get it."
Each of these vegetables is as big as an adult's fist. Even a young man like Wang Meng is almost full after eating three nests and one egg.
Ye Mingzhe took a steamed bun and eggs to eat with the children.
Ye Mingxuan also went to get some from the basket, and sat there with Song Yichen, eating and talking. The intimacy was like a long-lost brother.
Ye Mingzhe had already fed the children who were cold in the brothel water from the well in space. It's almost done now, and each of us holds a wotou and gnaws on it.
Li Yunze and Ye Yutong looked at the children silently.
After they finished eating the steamed buns and eggs, no one went to take them from the basket.
Some of them were reluctant to eat after eating one steamed bun and kept the rest in their arms. They were afraid of hunger.
"Second brother, ask them to memorize their home address so that when they grow up, they can go back to find relatives."
Several children here were snatched away by the old witch from the brothel.
They are both young, and Ye Yutong is afraid that they will forget where they are from when they grow up, and it will be difficult to find relatives by then.
Ye Mingzhe nodded, "I understand, sister, I will write down their addresses later."
Li Yunze and Ye Yutong finished the steamed buns in their hands, said hello to Ye Mingxuan and the others and went down the mountain.
They were going to the city gate to ask the old man how many people were following him.
Uncle Shitou also needs to count the number of people there.
They are setting off tonight, so they need to prepare food for them on the road in advance.
When the two arrived at Dongzhai Village, the village was quiet.
The men guarding the entrance to the village knew them both. Without asking any more questions, they were allowed to enter the village.
It was probably Uncle Shitou who greeted them.
The door of Shitou's house was closed. Ye Yutong shouted outside the door and heard the sound of the door opening inside.
"Sister Tongtong, brother-in-law, you are here, come in quickly."
The person who opened the door was Uncle Shitou's eldest son, Ye Xiaochuan.
This kid is nine years old this year and is very clever. Just a little dark.
He also has a seven-year-old sister, Ye Xiangxiang, and a five-year-old brother, Ye Xiaohui.
"Xiaochuan, have you packed everything?" Ye Yutong asked him after entering the yard.
"It's almost done. My mother and two aunts are taking my cousin to the mountains to dig wild vegetables. My grandma and my cousin are making pancakes in the kitchen to eat on the road."
Before he even walked into the house, Ye Xiaochuan made it clear where his family members were.
Shitou and his two brothers were loading things in the house. When they saw the two of them, they smiled and greeted, "Tongtong and Ping An are here!"
Ye Yutong said with a smile: "Uncle Shitou, Uncle Tietou, Uncle Mu, let's see how the cleaning is going?"
"Just load these belongings into the car."
Mu Mu brought two small stools for them to sit down.
Tietou went to pour two glasses of water, and then went to the kitchen to get some freshly baked cakes for them to eat.
Li Yunze asked: "Uncle Shitou, how many people are you here? Tell me first, and I will help you prepare some food for the road."
As soon as Shitou heard that he wanted to help them prepare food, he felt a little embarrassed and said:
"Ping'an, Tongtong, your aunt's parents-in-law all want to go with us. There are also a few people in our village who are all good characters. They knew we were going to Shu and they all said they wanted to follow us. It's really difficult here. I can’t survive.”
In fact, there are many people in Dongzhai village who want to escape.
Faced with increasingly heavy taxes, the grain harvested from the fields was simply not enough to hand over.
If they stay any longer, they will starve to death sooner or later, but the world is as dark as crows, where can they escape to?
"It's okay, Uncle Shitou. If you think you're a good person, take him with you. It'll be safer on the road if there are more people. Don't worry about getting us into trouble. There's a big place on the mountain, so food and accommodation won't be a problem."
Tietou, who had always been taciturn, spoke at this time, "Ping An, Tongtong, do you need help with your work?"
Stone and Wood looked at him in surprise, wondering why the elder brother asked this.
But when I think about the words of these two children, I am also a little confused.
With so many people, we need a lot of food every day. Where can Tongtong and Ping An get so much food at such young ages?
Ye Yutong and Li Yunze looked at each other and decided to reveal something to them to save them from overthinking.
In fact, it is not surprising that people are suspicious. In these years, who would use so much food to feed others for no reason?
If this matter happened to them, they would definitely be suspicious.
Li Yunze said frankly: "Uncle Tietou is right, we do need a lot of manpower, but not just everyone? At least the character must pass the test.
These uncles and my father-in-law are good brothers, so Tongtong thought of you first. "
Ye Yutong smiled and agreed, "Actually, Ping An has already found many people. I saw the hardships you are having here, so I asked Ping An to take you with me."
Tietou waved his hands hurriedly, "I have no other intention, I just thought that if you really need manpower, there are several people with good character in Dongzhai Village, and you can take them with you.
Those families have strong labor forces, are able to endure hardships, and their people are honest and responsible. It’s not that I really can’t live my life anymore, I won’t think about escaping. "
